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Breastfeeding/8 month old is refusing breast during the day

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Expert: - 8/13/2007


Question
My 8 month old baby has been refusing the breast for part of the day for about a month now. He has a very good appetite but is very impatient, even when I am preparing his food. He becomes frustrated and does not want to wait for my letdown when I am breastfeeding. I try to stay calm and encourage him but this doesn't always work. He usually breastfeeds when he wakes up before breakfast but not again until after 2pm. I always try to breastfeed him before giving him solids. He won't take breastmilk or formula from a bottle. He will drink water from a sippy cup but not very much. Today he did not nurse until after 4pm and barely had any fluids all day. I am worried that he is going to become dehydrated during the day. He typically will nurse before dinner time and at bedtime and once or twice during the night. Is this enough? Should I be concerned about his fluid intake? I am also worried that I am losing my milk as a result of this.


Answer
Dear Jennifer,

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

Some babies seem to want to wean themselves from breastfeeding at about 8 or 9 months, which may be what is happening with your baby.

Try giving him his solid foods first when he is especially hungry and impatient, and then offer him the breast. As far as your worry about dehydration, be assured that if he is eating well, he will not become dehydrated. If you are concerned, you might give him foods with a high liquid content (like cereal with formula, puddings, etc.). Or try to get him to take sips of water in between his spoonfuls of solid food.

He is probably getting enough nourishment in the feedings he is taking. I hope he will retain interest in the breast, but if not you can be assured that he has gotten a very good nutritional and emotional start in life.

Regards,

Sally

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.  

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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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