Help- 10 1/2 Month Old Nursing Less and Less!

Have you tried carrying her in a sling with easy access to the breast? Skin to skin contact may help remind her that there is some yummy milk close by.

It is normal at her age--she is getting busy, mobile, more interested in her environment and solid foods. I wouldn't worry about your milk supply. When my son was 11 months old, he had decreased his nursing for all the above reasons. Then Wham! I went into the hospital to have my appendix removed for 2 nights. I pumped before my surgery and got more than I thought I would, but what really astonished me was after I woke up from surgery, was back in my room and feeling well enough to sit up adequately to pump. I got 18 oz of milk!!! I was more engorged than I think I had ever been, but was on so many pain killers from the surgery it didn't hurt at all. What I learned then was that my body had adapted to my son's needs (and they become much more effecient nursers as they get older) and I just didn't feel full anymore, but I was making plenty of milk. Oh, and after 2 days of not seeing Mom/not nursing? He was desparate to nurse again. I nursed him until he was 2.

hi, most likely she is just distracted and also eating a lot more solids now. i would increase my water a bit, and try to nurse her before you feed her. reduce distractions while you are nursing. also, dont forget that she is a very efficient nurser by now, she is probably getting a lot more milk in less time. just stick with it, nurse more often when she is tired and not so busy wanting to explore her world. your rhythms and your nursing relationship will change over time, it doesnt mean she is weaning.

Keep Trying! And trying, and trying, and trying.....Try when she's hungry, Try when she's upset, try when she's sleeping, Try in the morning, Try in the evening (you get my point) In the meantime, keep pumping. As far as the herbs are concerned, sometimes they lose their effectiveness after several weeks, and you may need to switch them up. A book entitled "The nursing mother's herbal" by Sheila Humphrey has a number of different "recipies" for maintaining your supply. My 8 month old is beginning to do the same thing, and I'm like you - I don't want to stop! Good luck & Happy Holidays!

It is very common for babies to loose interest in breastfeeding at this age. My son is 9 months old and every once in a while he feeds with less enthusiasm or feeds only a few times a day for a day or two. Keep offering her your breast, as often as every 2 or 3 hours. Also, make sure you feed her in a quiet area with no tv or anyone else around. I find it almost impossible to feed my son if anyone other than my husband is around, and even then, he can't talk or the baby turns around to listen. In the meantime, pump if you can. Good luck, Blessed Thistle worked for me in the beginning.

Is your daughter well other than nursing less? My oldest son sut back on nursing once because he had an ear infection. If you are concerned about your milk supply, you could consider pumping a few times a day after you offer her milk and she declines or only nurses briefly. Also, she may need to nurse in a completely quiet setting. Many babies are too busy at this age to stop and nurse. Can you take here into bed and pull the curtains and try to nurse her with no distractions? I also suggest that you contact a la leche league representative in your area. I have found them to be extremely helpful whenever I have had a problem.
Good luck to you!
L.

nurse her before her solid meals, nurse in the quite room w/o distraction. also i noticed my milk supply would increase, when i sleep with my girls and sometimes they would nurse the entire time while napping. Drink lots of fluids, for me warm tea with milk helps my supply. i nursed my first one for over 2yrs, she aso had some off nursing moments towards the end of her first year, then after she turned one she was nursing all the time and even at night every few hours. dont worry, just keep trying , she'll come around. good luck

I just want to say that my son is 11 months old and still happily breastfed about 4-5 times a day, so those who suggest that your daughter is trying to tell you she is ready to wean are not correct, in my opinion. It may just be a phase- could she be teething? Maybe her gums are sore and it hurts to suck. Just keep offering her the breast several times a day, including before naps and before bed. Try offering the breast before a meal. It could be that she is filling up on solids and then she is too full for milk. Are you offering a lot of water or other liquids in a sippy cup during the day? This could be fulfilling her thirst needs. Is she too tired to nurse at night? Are you putting her to bed early enough so she is not overtired and falls asleep before she drinks enough? My son goes to bed between 7 and 7:30 and he's 11 months. This is all I can think of. Keep trying! Occasionally they go through days like this, but she will eventually come back to the breast. If these suggestions don't help, or she does not come back to her regular routine soon, I would contact your lactation consultant again. Also check out www.kellymom.com for some advice on this subject.

I nursed until my son was 14 mos old. At 10 mos he was eating more solids, therefore he nursed less often. Also, he was so busy exploring the world, that I'd have to "remind" him to nurse. Try not to stress over it. The body is amazing...it's about supply and demand. She nurses less, you make less, she nurses more, you make more. It's okay. If you are really worried about it, you can pump on the times that she doesn't nurse and save the milk. It's good in the fridge for 5-7 days and in the freezer for 2+ months. I'm sure she's going to have a growth spurt soon and will be nursing like crazy. Good Luck!

Nursing was the most important thing in life to my younger son Connor. He was a great nurser and did fantastic with it for nine months. Then one day, I noticed him staring very intently at his three year old brother who was drinking from a sippy cup. I wondered why Connor was staring so intently at his brother, watching him drink from that cup. The next day, Connor refused to nurse! I pumped and put the breastmilk into a bottle.... he refused the bottle. So I reluctanly put the breastmilk into a sippy cup......(I remember sighing while doing so!) he drank it right down!!! I was devistated!!! I tried to get him to nurse every day for two weeks, and he absolutely refused! I was so upset that he would not nurse. I tried and tried to get him to take the breast again, but he would not go for it. He was ready to stop, I was not. He wanted to do what big brother was doing. I never believed it when I would hear Moms say that their baby "decided" to stop nursing. I thought that was the Mom's way of wanting to end the nursing, but my own baby did the same thing! I couldn't believe it! I was so annoyed! It was very sad for me and was a big loss, but I did get over it and have always celebrated each age my sons have been. For you, I hope your baby does want to keep nursing. I really missed it when it was over. Good luck.
D. (Cooper and Connor's mom)

I feel your pain. My 19 month old did the same around that age. He got so busy with everything going on around him that I could not get him to concentrate on nursing. You could try pumping to keep your milk supply up and keep up with the fenugreek. Good luck!

A.,

My first piece of advice would be to take your daughter to the doctor to make sure she's still healthy and thriving. All three of my daughters tend to lose their appetites when they are not feeling well, something they all get from me. But my youngest two usually do it more severely, not eating anything for days until they feel better and then really making up for it for the next couple after that. I just had to get used to the fact that they take after mom.

If she's healthy and doing well, it may just be that while you may not be ready to stop breastfeeding, your daughter is. I weaned all three of my daughters but I took breastfeeding classes twice. The lactation specialists there did say the best thing you can do is follow your child's direction when it comes to breastfeeding. If you make it a struggle of wills between the two of you, neither of you will get anything out if it. Speak to your the lactation specialist you have alreay spoken to (someone you trust) after you make sure your daughter's healthy. Between them, you will be able to get the best advice for your daughter and you.

The only other thing I'll say is enjoy yourself. She won't be this young forever.

Stay blessed!

I am not sure why your child does not get to have a say on when she is ready to wean. Is the breastfeeding for you or for her? If she has lost interest why would you want to force feed her? Sometimes when children are teething they do not want to nurse or have a bottle so I would say just let her be. Give her a sippy cup with your breast milk in and keep pumping and see if she regains interest but I wouldn't force her and get both of you frustrated and upset. I am sure this is normal she is just growing.

Hey! Funny seeing you here! *wink* Anyway, from my working with breastfeeding Moms, it is completely normal at this age for babies to lose interest, but its only temporary. You will hear many Moms say their babies weaned at 9 or 10 months...this is simply not the case. Babies CANNOT wean unless incouraged to do so at this young of an age. Keep offering, offer more often. She'll come around. This is a funny age and the most common time for baby to lose interest. Why? She's more mobile, she's understanding more, taking in more info, taking a bigger interest in solids. Everything is more interesting and fascinating to her now. She wont wean unless you let her, and I know you wont! If you are truly worried about supply you can continue taking your herbs, pump when she's missed a feeding, and try to nurse her when she's groggy and sleepy and let her "dream feed". I wouldnt worry though because she's most likely taking more solids and when she's ready to pick it up again, she'll increase her demand, and you'll make more. When she's around 12-15 months, her nursing will pick up dramatically! She'll be nursing every 2 hours like a newborn. Its just the normal pattern of a nursing relationship and nothing to worry about. Follow her lead and trust your body to come through. When in doubt, call Dr. Segal and see what advice she has to offer! Good luck!

you said you don't want advice on weaning, but maybe your baby is trying to tell you that she is ready to be weaned off. 10 months is a great milestone. Congratulations on making it so far! but if your baby is not interested anymore you should listen to her! Alternatively, if she is not interested in the breast, but you still want to give her the breastmilk, you can try pumping and storing it for her.
it's hard, but all good things come to an end eventually...

You may not be ready to stop, but she might be ready to stop. You may want to start pumping if she's not nursing alot to keep your milk supply up. But if she's ready to stop there is really not much you can do. Give it a week or two and if she's not nursing more you have to take into account what she wants. She can still get breastmilk via a sippy cup or bottle.

A.,

Try a little bit of change: if you don't already, talk to her and say 'we're going to nurse now' (or whatever it is you say when she wants to nurse). Even if she only nurses a minute, or 30 seconds on either side, THAT HELPS.

Try pumping - either a manual or electric (rentals have been touted as best to me, I'd say it's a toss up between rent/buy). Even if you get NOTHING in the bottle, there is still the stimulation that helps lead to a larger supply.

Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle are good, you can add oatmeal.

Good luck!
M.

I know you're hurting over this. I was heartbroken when my son self-weaned. I actually got very depressed, and had a hard time listening to my baby. But he was talking loud and clear, with his actions.

Some babies go through nursing strikes, and come back relatively quickly. My son just didn't. I realized that it was about him, not me. So I gave him the sippy cup. I still tear up thinking about it. Isn't that crazy?

I hope your little girl gets back into it! If not, it's ok for her to decide she wants her independence. But be ready to spoil yourself. It hurts to let go, even if you're still giving her a million cuddles and kisses and bottles!

hate to twll you, but that's your baby's way of telling you that he/she is done with the nursing. i know it hurts to hear, but i went through it at 9 months and 4 months.