Breastfeeding a 4 month old... Having a couple problems now?

Question

My daughter's just shy of 4 months old. We've been having a couple problems lately though.

One - She's been pulling away a lot and just screaming... But then I'll eventually give in and give her a bottle and she's just fine and eats with no problem at all with the bottle.. Could this just be her trying to tell me she strictly wants a bottle? It's not every feeding that she does it though, but it is a majority of the day time feedings. Could she just be too curious of what's going on? I usually feed her when I'm alone in my room, but she seems really nosy about her surroundings.

Two - We believe she's teething... but here lately she's been biting down on my nipple and turning her head, bringing the nipple with her. OUCH! Could this just be because of her teething, has anybody else had that happen?

I don't really want to switch her to bottles, but I don't know what to do. Any advice?

Answer 1

My 4mth old has been doing this too. Grinding gums on sensitive nipple is not good! Found some teethers in Morrison's by tommie tippie that look like dummies but are shaped like little gums. He loves that. About the breast feeding thing, if you are tired it may reduce milk flow so try replacing one feed with a bottle. That's what my health visitor suggested. Also try playing some soothing music during a feed which may hold baby's attention.

Answer 2

I had this problem (and still do occasionally) with my 7 mth old.  I think it's because she's a bit lazy.  As soon as my milk stops flowing freely and she has to start actively suckling she gets angry and pulls off.  She would take bmilk from the bottle fine but it sometimes got so bad she would refuse to nurse at all.

Take each feed at a time and have paitence.  If she plays up for more than 15 mins or gets really worked up stop and come back to it in a little bit.  As for the biting down and turning her head....that hurts so much!  All I can tell you is what worked for me.  I told her 'no biting' and stopped her nursing, gave it 2 mins and started again.  It took a few times but has worked.

If you want some good support you can contact the LLL or ask your HV for some breastfeeding support numbers.  They should be able to give lots of good advice and support.

If your baby needs to go onto bottles though that's ok too.  Formula isn't the drink of the devil as some people paint it to be!

Answer 3

She's probably fussing at the breast BECAUSE you give her bottles. She doesn't have to work to get milk from bottles, she has to work to get a letdown from you. Stop giving her bottles and she'll get used to having to work for the milk again. And if you do use bottles, make sure they are the lowest flow you can get.

"Breast refusal due to flow preference is probably a greater danger to the breastfeeding relationship than too-low milk supply. Frequent use of bottles increases the possibility that baby will become frustrated with the slower flow of milk at the breast, and this may lead to breast refusal and an earlier weaning than anticipated." -From kellymom.com

As for the biting, it probably is because she is teething. My son did this a few times and yeah, it hurts! But he stopped. I got him to stop by putting him down for a few seconds every time he did it. Once he got that he wasn't going to get any milk if he kept biting the boob, he stopped.

Answer 4

both of those problems could be from teething, esp. the last one. i would say if you don't want to change her to a bottle and she is still getting enough to eat then wait this out because she will get more comfortable with teething or the feelings will pass and things will likely go on as usual. you might try getting a nipple shield, they sell them at target and babies'r'us. this might help with the pain from the grabbing on to your nipple and also might help soothe her gums a little more while she is eating. when she pulls away and screams, is it possible you could wait and feed her a little later? maybe she is too into her surroundings to want to stop to eat and she just needs a little time to get a little more hungry and realize she wants to eat?

if nothing else you could always pump some milk for the bottles, if that is why you are worried about the bottle issue. i had to at times with my son, and while it was a little difficult at first, it was better than paying for formula or even having my son have to adjust to formula.

you can always try to get a hold of a lactation consultant at WIC or your local la leche league. even your doctor or a nurse at the doctors office may be able to help you or at least direct you to someone who could help you solve this problem.

best of luck! and congratulations on the baby AND deciding to breast feed. <3

Answer 5

If you have a baby that switches back and forth from breast to bottle, it can be harder to keep them on the breast because it can take more work on her part than the bottle.  Plus she's just now really getting interested in her environment.  While breastfeeding, I would put a scarf with an interesting pattern over my shoulder to give the baby something to look at (eye contact and talking is great too, but around 4 months, my daughter would laugh in response to me and that defeated the purpose of keeping her amused long enough to stay on the breast for a whole feed).  I would also put a small rattle in her hands to give her something to play with while on the breast.

As for teething, those first teeth can take 2 -6 weeks to come in and it's totally no fun. That can be the reason for her pulling off and not wanting to suck for extended periods.  However, it could also be that she is used to being able to turn her head and look around with the bottle.  Please ask her caregiver to hold the bottle still so if she turns her head it comes out of her mouth (most of us automatically just extend our arm to keep the bottle in a baby's mouth as they look around), that way the baby will relearn that she needs to keep her head toward her food source instead of turning and pulling the nipple while feeding.  Good luck!

Answer 6

With the bottle she doesn't have to wait for let down and she doesn't have to work as hard for the milk. You might try getting your milk to let down before you attach her to see if that helps. It's really common for babies to decide they like one or the other.  I would use the bottle as little as possible and maybe not give them at home at all if she normally only gets them at daycare.

The other thing I would do is have her ears checked, eating issues can be a sign of an ear infection. The hard sucking she has to do on the breast might hurt her ears.

I can't help much with the biting, she could be teething but I wouldn't want to interfere too much and discourage her from breastfeeding with the other issues going on. Try giving her a frozen teething ring or use a safety feeder with an ice cube in it.

Answer 7

My little girl is 7 months now and is so nosey too!  I bought a nursing necklace from ebay which is a colourful beaded necklace that you wear whilst feeding your baby.  This draws the attention of your baby to those beads rather than anything else.  My little girl loves hers and holds them whilst feeding.

If she pulls away and screams, it could be a sign of her not getting enough milk from you?  Try to pump to see if youre producing enough milk and if your baby still refuses to take from you, you can then give her the milk through a bottle with a nipple like teat.

Mine also bites down sometimes and has been doing so for a while now.  Although it hurts, ive persevered.  She is still showing no signs of teeth yet and my health visitor said that once she gets teeth and bites, she will soon realise that no milk will come through and then she will stop.  She also does what your little girl does and brings the nipple with her!

Try to carry on doing what youre doing.  I personally think that you should carry on with the breast milk and not formula.  Feeding alone in a room is a good thing as there is nothing to distract her, although I play a soothing lullaby sometimes when feeding her.