4 month old refusing to nurse?

Question

I have exclusively nursed my son since he was born. Recently, he stopped nursing as long and sometimes he refuses to nurse altogether... he will not take a bottle either! When I put him in the position to nurse he screams and will not be consoled until he is in an upright position. My milk supply is fine. Funny thing is that when we bring him to sit with us at the table he grabs for our food and forks whining all along like he knows he wants some... i have tried giving him hard boiled egg yolk moistened with breast milk. he doesn't want that either. I am worriied because he is losing weight now.. Please help

Answer 1

Have you noticed a pattern in terms of what you eat? One of my children was very sensitive to my diet when I was breastfeeding - wouldn't even come near the breast after I ate jalapenos for instance.

If you think he is losing weight you should really take him to the pediatrician to make sure that there isn't something else wrong. If he get's clean bill of health, try lactation consultant.

Answer 2

You should first bring her to the doc to see if there is something - sores, yeast, etc... in her mouth that is making it uncomfortable to eat and latch on. It could also be an ear infection and the sucking is causing her pain. See the doc right away, and go from there. If that is not it, then keep trying different bottles and nipples. Some babies change nipples pretty often - there are all different shapes, flows, textures etc.. If there is no medical reason them keep trying .You can also start trying a sippy cup with her. Just make sure you are regulating how much milk she gets in her mouth at a time, and keep track of ounces just like if it were a bottle! Also, you might need a different formula.

Answer 3

My guess would be an ear infection. The ears hurt worse when laying down and when sucking. I work in infant day care and as soon as a baby acts like yours has been we suspect an ear infection and we are usually right. Even though he is exclusively breast fed, he can still get ear infections. Also, just for added info, no egg whites until at least one year old, due to the risk of allergies. Wait until closer to 6 months then begin introducing infant rice cereal. In the meantime, take him to the doctor to have his ears checked!! Good Luck!!

Answer 4

He is probably very interested in what is going on around you. Try a dark room when you nurse and lay down with him. Do not feed your baby egg as it can cause allergies this young. Start him on some rice cereal with breast milk instead of water. I bet he will eat it up. My son was like this and he loves to eat what mommy eats! Of course he doesn't really, but he sees me taste his food and he thinks that is so wonderful when he gets to eat it too! He is probably ready for food! But be careful...I started my son on solids and he was eating more of that and less milk and my milk supply has gone down and his poops got too firm. So now I am giving him formula to supplement while I get my milk back up in order to keep him hydrated. So try and keep the solids in small amounts and nurse him frequently. My baby book says this is quite common around four months and in a couple of weeks his hunger should return voraciously!

Answer 5

you may have eaten something he is not tollerating. You can go to baby center and look up nursing strike and find some info. when trying a bottle stimulate the roof or his mouth that is how nursed babies recognize the breast. watch what you eat and think of what you have eaten in the past two days. My little one refused to nurse after I ate bell peppers one night. you should try also putting screaming baby to breast and stand. gently bounce and talk to him...it worked for me. If you have yelled durring nursing or he has bitten you and you flinched and scared him he will strike too. keep trying and talk calmly. Start trying rice or oatmeal cereal for baby rather than a protien that is hard to digest...hope this helps you

Answer 6

Well at 4 months many babies start becoming far more interested in the world around them. So they become distracted when they nurse during the day.

For some just going to a quiet slightly darkened room can help. For others you end up having to increase night nursing to make up for it. Also nursing to sleep both at naps and overnight and nursing upon waking can be essential.

You can also nurse him while he is sitting up, you will have to play around with positions. Or try nursing him while you are lying down on the couch and he is raised up slightly by laying on your arm. This can allow him to nurse while he looks around.

Starting solids is not the answer, it generally just makes poor weight gain worse, particularly under 6 months.

The Distractible Baby
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/distractible-baby.html

Reverse Cycling
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/reverse-cycling.html

How might I increase baby's weight gain?
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/weight-gain_increase.html

Help -- My Baby Won't Nurse!
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/back-to-breast.html

Answer 7

Have you tried him on other foods? Egg is quite strong taste and my daughter has never liked it. Blended fruit is always a winner. If it continues though take him to a doctor, they usualy drink more milk when its time to wean.

Answer 8

My daughter started weaning me at 4 months. Sad as it was, breast milk and/or formula just wasn't enough to keep her full. She wanted foods, so I started with a little cereal in her bottles.

Answer 9

well, since he wants to be i an upright try nursing, or giving him a bottle in that position. if this does not work, you might need to seek professional help b4 its too late

Answer 10

i would suggest trying rice cereal with your breast milk. though you milk supply might be fine, it is possible that it is not enough for him or it might be disagreeing with him (stomach ache). i would also first recommend speaking with your sons pediatrician to make sure his body is ready for cereal.
best of luck.