Introducing Formula
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Contact your health visitor and ask them to put you in touch with a breastfeeding specialist, it was the best thing I did when my girl went through a fussy stage! I would say though as long as his wet & dirty nappies haven’t decreased and he’s not dropping centiles I wouldn’t worry about his milk intake, 4 months is the most popular age for people to struggle with bf as it’s the fussiest stage, he’s probably making up for it with overnight feeds x
@Lauryne What sort of things do they do? The trouble is, he doesn't take boob at all! So if I don't give him a bottle then he wouldn't eat anything. But I'm struggling to keep up with expressing and not getting a good amount every time. Do I just not give him anything and eventually he will latch on? He just cries :(
How old is little one? We had something similar when baby was roughly 3 months. She would scream every time I tried to feed her and would go 5+ hours without anything. She also started to drop centiles which added to the pressure of trying to get her to feed. Anyway… it was just a phase and the way we got through it was waiting until she went to sleep and then fed her or fed just as we noticed her waking from a nap. That went on for a few weeks and now we are 8 months into breastfeeding and I’m so glad we stuck at it. Just a suggestion - he may have bottle preference now - as it’s easier for them than sucking at the breast. Defo get in touch with your local breastfeeding group, they are really helpful and can give you suggestions to get bubs feeding again x
It’s really common. I definitely went through multiple fussy phases with my LG. I immediately questioned my supply (which was totally fine) and found it really stressful worrying about her. I found feeding in a quiet, dimly lit room which for us was our bedroom helped. It meant planning my day around home more. A healthy baby won’t go hungry they will be catching up on feeds overnight. There’s nothing wrong with introducing formula if it’s what works for you. It will likely reduce your supply if you give formula and don’t pump the same volumes. But many people combo feed successfully and it even has its benefits. But If you’re not getting as much as before when pumping, check that your pump is correctly fitting and none of the pieces need replacing. My pump certain bits need replacing every 3-4 months to ensure the suction doesn’t dwindle. If you need support find a local breastfeeding cafe or as someone said a lactation consultant.
@Kirsty Sounds like it could be a bottle/fast flow preference, especially as he’ll be calmer during the night and watching to latch for comfort rather than hunger so he’s less likely to get frustrated. The breastfeeding specialist I seen was honestly amazing, she listened to all my concerns and educated me on everything I needed to know, taught me different techniques and observed a feed, I had a few meetings with her even after our issues were resolved just to make sure we continued okay! I can’t recommend it enough I truly believe every breastfeeding mother should see a bf specialist at least once! If it is a fast flow preference you could try getting a let down before getting him to latch so he doesn’t have to wait so long, but I really recommend asking your HV to pass you on to a specialist x
How old is he? There’s a stage between 3-4 months where they can get fussy at the breast, it’s a nursing strike. My son did this for a few weeks and it was really hard, but now we’re 9 months in and he only fusses at the breast if he’s congested.
@Levi He is 4 months old and this has been going on for the last 3 weeks. During the times that your Son did this, how would you feed him during the day? x
@Kirsty I just kept persisting. It was horrible because he’d just scream and get frustrated, which overstimulated me a lot, but I would just keep offering. He’d kinda pop on and off for 10ish minutes, and then I’d end the session, especially if he got too upset. I’d just offer more feeds during the day so at least he was drinking little and often and eventually he grew out of it, it could also be teething so maybe try offering a teething toy before you latch him? X
My wee girl is 7 months now and nightmare to feed during day, on and off barely eats . She feeds well at night too. I am in change from breast to bottle too, I always said 6 months just making the change slowly! Don’t feel like a failure babies are hard work lol x