Not Ready to Wean

Hi--
I agree with everyone else--babies do not wean willingly at this young of age--there's definitely something else going on. It could be teething, it could be food allergies, it could be acid reflux, etc. Are there any other symptoms? Like rashes, dark or puffy circles under the eyes, a change in sleep patterns? I went through some rough stuff with my oldest and if you are seeing other changes like these I can walk you through how to deal with it.
Good luck,
J.

My 4-month old is doing something similar, but instead of crying she just wants to stop and "be social" for a little while. If I let her do this, then usually she'll get right back on and finish eating... I usually give her a couple times and then stop nursing. Then, usually in about 15-20 minutes, she's hungry again and will really eat well.

be persistant!! my little girl did the same thing at that age. now she is 7mo and enjoying her solids but still loves nursing with mommy. i think a lot of it is distraction, sometimes tooth pain, or just curious to see reactions remember they are constantly learning and will with anything they do. it wont last forever momma, hang in there!

I agree with most of the other Moms, check into acid reflux - can be a big problem, and you really need to stop the formula all together, it isn't as good for him. If you have to pump - do it . Also singing softly to him and gently stroking his head / hair may relax him while he is nursing. When I had to supplement with formula because the doctor told me to, I always used a syringe instead whille my son was a newborn and then went to a bottle with pumping and when all of that was over (thank goodness) I was so happy to go to just breast feeding. My son seemed happier too. He nursed until he was 3 years old because that worked best for us - I''m not saying you have to nurse that long, but 3 months is WAY too young to stop. Either way he will be fine and healthy and like another Mom said, the love and bonding is already there. Good luck!

Sounds like a nursing strike, which can occur more often in babies who are bottle and breastfed. You need to stop giving formula for now, nursing only until he's nursing strongly again. He is big enough to understand if he fusses you will make a bottle and he can be lazy and not have to work for his food, just let it fall in his mouth and swallow. WIth nursing he has to work for it.

Stop bottles, breastfeeding only, and be persistent, he will come back to the breast nad you can intro bottles again soon, but for now stop formula and bottles until he's done being lazy. :)

He isn't ready to wean. Something else is going on. I would contact someone from Le Leche for suggestions before your supply starts adjust.

Yeah usually babies do not wean naturally before 12 months of age. Have you tried cutting back on the formula use temporarily to see if that helps? Is he experiencing any other symptoms? Is he unusually fussy or colicky? Spitting up frequently? I ask these questions because it is common for babies experiencing acid reflux to pull away from the breast. I would suggest making an appointment with a Lactation Consultant and in the mean time if you were to take a bath (with shallow water of course) with your baby and attempt nursing while in the warm water together you might be able to reestablish your breastfeeding relationship easier. Good luck!

It's just easier for him to have the formula because the milk is in his mouth as soon as the bottle is put in. With the breast, he has to work a little before he can get the milk in his mouth.

Try doing just the breast for a bit (if you can) and massage your breast before you feed him to get some milk on the end of the nipple and dripping into his mouth. Babies will respond to the taste of milk by sucking, so if there is already some milk there, he should take the breast and nurse again.

My baby did this too when my milk first came in and I was so hard he couldn't latch on. The bottle was just easier, but I wanted to nurse. So, I tried this, and nine months later, he's a strong nurser. And WON'T even take a bottle.

Good luck.

R.

It did both formula and breast and while Ioved it, they do tend to lean towards the bottle at some point. Both of my girls did that at 6 months...
I was ready to stop breastfeeding at that point, but since you aren't that far along I would say you need to cut out the bottle for a bit. She will take back the breast in no time.

One thing I should mention is that my 1st little one started to refuse the breast because I was prego with #2. She was only 6 months at the time and just thought she was being stubborn. But then my breast became sore and that made me thinks twice about what was going on.
Something to think about...

Anyhow good luck... just keep at it!

This is a symptom of acid reflux. Look into it.

I have nursed three kids and my second one was the only one bottle and breast fed and never seemed to have nipple confusion until about 3 1/2 months when he started to just reject the breast. I tried for another 2 weeks and ultimately let the nursing go, he went strictly to bottle fed. I am sure if I dropped the bottle and pushed for the breast he would have eventually taken to it again but I just opted to not nurse.

My other two were exclusively breast fed (no bottles) and the first one nursed until 1 year and the other nursed until 1 year 2 months. I have no idea if the bottle/breast thing is related but it sure seemed to be with us. I wouldn't be sad, just go with it and remember you don't love them any less, it just is what it is. The bond was already created.

Good luck!

I would cut back on the formula for a bit if possible. My daughter is 3.5 months and they seem to see more around them. She is currently lying there and looking at me, smiling, latch, rip off (ouch!), smiles. Luckily it is a phase. A nursing necklace has helped, and I also know that she is teething, and seems to be getting a bit more gas. With the gas, she is pulling away and crying. I can tell that she is trying to push the gas out. It never hurts to have him checked out to make sure that it isn't something more.

There are a lot of reasons a baby may go on a "nursing strike." (You can google the term for additional suggestions.) I don't think your baby wants to wean. There is probably something else going on, like teething or a change in your diet has changed the taste of your milk? Make sure baby isn't gassy and experiment with different nursing positions. If you can, take a day of skin-to-skin close care and offer the breast whenever baby shows any signs of hunger. No stress, just some calming music, maybe read a book to your baby and just let him smell you. No formula.

Good luck.

As the other ladies mentioned, he is just having a nursing strike. My daughter did it at 4 months because I was going through something extremely stressful and she picked up on it. Unfortunately I couldn't get her to come back. However I contacted Le Leche League and they suggested things like lots of skin-to-skin contact, warm baths together, nursing in a very quiet room (darkened if possible so your baby isn't inclined to look around and get distracted). Definitely make an appt with a lactation consultant or contact LLL. Good luck!

Yes, call someone from Le Leche League or a lactation consultant. My babies used to do this if I ate something they didn't like, in fact it's how I found out what they didn't like. Or if they were congested and were having a hard time breathing while nursing. Or any number of reasons.