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Breastfeeding/6 Month Old Constant Need to SUCK
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Question
I'm breastfeeding my baby girl who will be 6 months old on the 8th of December 2009. As of lately, she has had a constant need to suckle all thoughout the day and the night. At night, she'll fall asleep with it in her mouth and as soon as I take it out, she will wake up and cry or pull herself up to me and find it and begin to suck again. This is EXTEMELY frustrating and almost annoying for me as it's completely out of the norm for her to be so needy. This morning, she has had the need to suck non stop as well.. She gets aggitated and upset whenever I try to stop breastfeeding.. Nothing will calm her other then sucking. I try playing with her, patting her back, making sure her diaper is dry, lying her on her stomach, giving her toys - ANYTHING to distract her from wanting to suck, but still she will come back to wanting to suck after a few moments of being occupied with something else. I just want to know why at 6 months old she is eagerly sucking non stop. I feed her baby food, she has several pee diapers and at least 1 or 2 bowel movements per day. She refuses to suck a bottle or a pacifier.. I've tried everything. The need to suck is so bad that I can't even get up and use the restroom without her feeling separation anxiety. Why is she acting like this and what can I do to reduce her need? As a mother of two, I have other needs to tend to and she makes it VERY difficult as of lately! HELP me please! :-)
Dear Diana,
First, congratulations for giving your daughter the best start in life by breastfeeding her!
As far as her present need to suck so often, it's hard to say just what the cause is. Since this neediness seems to have come on fairly suddenly, there may be something new in her life that's upsetting her -- maybe a change in your daily routine, a new person, or something else that we can't even think of. Is it possible that your older child could be making the baby feel uneasy in some way? Probably not, and chances are that just as suddenly as this change came on, it will just as quickly leave.
It sounds as if you're trying all the right things. You're clearly an experienced mom and you know what to do in most cases. You even seem to have diagnosed the situation right, as separation anxiety. I'm assuming that you have already consulted your pediatrician, just to check whether there could be some medical reason why your baby seems so needy. If you're reassured that the baby's not sick and the doctor can't find any cause, I would suggest to continue to try other methods of distraction and comforting. If these don't work, consult your pediatrician again, who knows your baby and may have some other suggestions.
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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