is it possible to get your weaning child to breastfeed again?

Minnie - posted on 11/09/2009

She's not weaning at all. She can't feed herself solids. You don't give much information but I'll venture to say you've effectively weaned her to a bottle. She's got nipple confusion, and is used to the immediate flow from the bottle, whereas at the breast she needs to suckle for a while to elicit a letdown.

She needs lots of skin to skin contact while lying in bed with you, in a sling being carried by you, and in the bathtub. Offer the breast before she's hungry and she may take it for comfort and won't be as frustrated waiting for a letdown. Offer to nurse her during the night (you can wake her somewhat) and when she just wakes and is groggy.

Be patient and give her time.

Of interest:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby...

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby...



"Even very young babies can be quick to notice that pulling off, kneading the breast, etc. can cause an additional let-down, and can facilitate a faster, easier milk flow. Some babies become impatient with the slower milk flow following the initial fast flow at let-down. This may or may not be related to a slow let-down.

When a feeding begins at the breast there are drops of milk. Then when the initial let-down occurs (several seconds to a minute into the feeding), the milk flow speeds up quite a bit. At that time it may drip very quickly, squirt, or even spray. Some minutes later it slows again and the baby must continue to suck vigorously in order to elicit further let-downs. This pattern can continue through successive, multiple let-downs as long as the baby is continuing to nurse vigorously. Eventually, baby will learn that the flow will pick back up again if she'll only continue to vigorously suck/swallow.

With bottle feeding, the flow is instant and continuous. The baby is required to work very little. Once a baby has had a bottle, especially a lot of bottles, she may begin to prefer the ease of bottle-feeding over the work of breastfeeding. She may become frustrated at the breast after the first let-down occurs and the flow of milk begins to slow.

If baby is getting bottles you might consider putting them away, at least for a while. When you must use a bottle, only use a newborn nipple for as long as baby will tolerate it so that she never gets a really fast flow of milk from the bottle, but has to work a little more to get the milk.

Sometimes babies of moms with oversupply or fast let-down will also get very used to the fast flow and object when it normally slows somewhere between 3 weeks to 3 months.

It can be helpful to do some breast compression when this fussiness starts or right before you expect it to. This will help speed up the milk flow again. Once compression stops helping, try switching baby to the other side when she begins to fuss and back and forth again (after using compression) as you need to."

Brenna - posted on 11/09/2009

Have you talked to a Lactation Consultant at all?? Maybe when your milk lets down is comes out too fast for her and that is why she is frustrated. If you go to www.kellymom.com and go the the forum there, there are some ladies that are LCs and others that have been doing it for so long that can answer that for you. There are also a lot of articles and other informationa vailable on the website. If it weren't for that site I would have stopped nursing at 6 mo. Glad I didn't...it's been the best thing for my daughter and she is two now and still nurses. Don't give up! BFing is not easy like people make it seem. My first 6 months was extremely hard for me, my hubby and my daughter.Hang in there ...there is still hope!!