Rejecting breast

Perhaps offer breast more often and hopefully it will pass. Do you pace feed with size 0/1 teat? Also feeding at night or when she is hungrier/more tired she will take it better 😅

@Emma Cunningham thanks I always offer breast first followed by the bottle but lately he’s been crying at the breast and refusing to latch back on. I then frantically go get him a bottle as I worry that he’s hungry still. I probably have always had some supply issues but was hoping things would improve in time with lots of latching but it never did. 😢

Same thing happened with me. He eventually rejected the breast and only fed from the bottle. Perhaps you should offer the breast more. In my case, I didn’t.

@Gospel thanks but if offered the breast more and my supply doesn’t improve won’t that just leave him hungry? I’m just worried he’s hungry. Maybe I should’ve just held out til weaning but it’s that constant worry that spoke to me to up his formula

Have you tried pumping?

@Gospel yeah but not lots. At one point I did pump like 6 times per day but that was during the period when he had a nipple shield dependence issue. Only weaned him off that from 15 weeks

I’d suggest you pump more and drink a lot of water. If it still doesn’t get back up, you might have to just take it as it is and since you’d be weaning him soon, he doesn’t need to get as much milk as he would if that was his sole diet. I believe after weaning, whatever you get should be sufficient.

How old is your little boy? I completely understand the concerns about having a reduced supply. I kept getting told that it’s so unlikely for my supply to have dropped (my LG was about 5 months when this happened). I was told BF is well established and it’s unlikely but it turns out my supply had dropped and my LG was dropping percentiles. I couldn’t pump any milk so had to introduce formula and ever since my LG refused BF as she was before. It’s called bottle preference. If your supply has reduced then your little boy will be having to work harder at the breast, but when you give the bottle, he doesn’t have to do that so he prefers that. It does make complete sense and it’s understandable. Just upsetting for us mums. I was so distraught that my BF journey come to an abrupt end and I couldn’t do anything to save it really (I power pumped, I did everything you could do. You name it I did it). In the end I had to accept it for what it was. It was almost like grieving. As silly as it

As silly as it sounds. I was so upset. But now she feeds on the breast morning and night as top ups. I’ve come to accept it for what it is. She is happy and content and that’s all that matters. I gave her 5 months of EBF and I am proud of that. I just know for the next baby I will create a stash of milk so if this issue ever occurred again then I can use that. But basically what I’m trying to say to you is that if your supply has reduced (baby having less wet/poo nappies, weight dropping, upset after feeds etc) then you’re doing the correct thing by offering formula. If you want to carry on BF then offer breast as much as you can. If he refuses then pump/express. Even if you get an ounce. Every little helps. Hope you’re okay Mumma and you’re doing amazing xx

@Jade he’s also 5 months. I basically had a really bad cold/flu and introduced it at the worse time because no doubt my supply must’ve dropped whilst I was ill. Sad to think that he might not get the antibodies if we are no longer able to breastfeed. Im so sure that he didn’t catch my lurgy precisely due to the antibodies in the breastmilk.

Did you take anything for your cold/flu? If you want to continue BF and your little one won’t take to the breast, all I can suggest if you express. Whatever you get is a bonus 😊