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Expert: - 9/13/2008


Question
Hi

My 5 month son has started to not latch on and scream and cry when I try to breastfeed. He has had one bottle of formula a day since he was 15 weeks old as I cannot express and my husband wanted to share in the feedings. He takes a bottle no problem.

I have tried to give him some baby rice but he spits this out so I guess he is not ready for weaning...but is he now starting to prefer the bottle to my breast milk? I want to carry on feeding him a while longer...can you help

Kind regards

Jessica

Answer
Dear Jessica,

First, congratulations for giving your son the best start in life by breastfeeding him!

It's hard to know, without seeing you and your baby in person, and asking a lot of questions, just why he is now refusing to nurse.

Here are some thoughts:

* Has your diet changed recently, giving your milk a different taste? For example, when a mother eats lemonade, her milk may taste a little sour.
* Are you taking some kind of medicine that might have the same effect?
* Do you have a plentiful milk supply? If not, your son may be frustrated at the breast.
* Could you have a clogged duct preventing your milk from flowing?

I would suggest that you call a local La Leche League leader (to find one, go to www.lalecheleague.org) or a lactation consultant (to find one near you, go to www.ilca.org).

I would also suggest that you take your baby to the pediatrician, just to check him out to be sure there's no problem with him. I'm assuming that he's continuing to gain weight as he should.

Good luck!

Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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