Breastfeeding troubles....?

Question

Hi fellow breastfeeding moms! My baby girl is five months old and has started to become uninterested in eating AT ALL, from me or a bottle. I only give her breast milk and am a stay at home mom so she almost always gets it directly from me. Its hard to describe my problem because there's not an exact pattern to it. She often eats for only a couple minutes and then wants to quit. I wondered if she was teething but she isn't pulling away in pain or acting hungry when she stops. I wondered if it was me not producing enough so I started pumping more and feeding her more often... even when I was engorged the problem persisted. I also tried waiting longer between feedings with no results. Every once in a while tho, she will eat very well either from the bottle or breast. The doctors said she was healthy tho on the skinny side so I'm a little worried.

So, did anybody else have a baby that just wanted to eat less? She shows no signs of unhealthiness or dehydration and my husband and I are both skinny and petite. She has always been a little fickle about eating but it just seems worse lately. Any ideas?

Thanks for reading all this!

Answer 1

That sounds familiar.  My son went through a phase like that a few weeks ago.  He is 7 months old.  I don't think it was teething pain since he still has no teeth.  If she doesn't seem to be acting strangely otherwise I would just wait for it to pass.  My son still gets that way a couple times a week, but not as often as he was then.

Answer 2

At five months of age it is probably time to start her off on something solid. Try a little baby rice in the evening. Don't be discouraged if she spits it out, just keep shoveling it in. She will only need a small amount at the start and it takes a while to go from sucking to chewing. So long as she is gaining weight and appears happy there is no problem. She will not starve herself if that is what you are worried about and will certainly let you know if she is hungry.

Answer 3

sounds like a nursing strike.whatever you do dont give up nursing and dont supplement with anything else. you will get through this. you can get really good info and help from this website.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/

good luck to you.

Answer 4

have you started solids yet?? maybe try some thin rice cereal, she may just want something else!