Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

I am really upset about this and feel like I don't know what to do. For the past 1.5 mos DD nurses 90% of the time for less than 10 minutes per feeding - sometimes it is for as little as 4 minutes. She just seems to eat what she needs to not be hungry and then just wants to play. She is VERY easily distracted from nursing and the whole time is swatting at me - trying to get me to interact with her etc. It doesn't help that I have a 2.5 year old who is always running around making tons of noise WHILE she is nursing.

At first I figured it was ok since at her last well visit (3 mos) she had gained 2lbs in a month and so the ped wasn't concernedd when I asked him about it. BUT, this had just started maybe a week b/f that visit. Now we just had her 4 mo visit which we are late for so it was slightly over a month ago and she only gained 11ounces (she went from being in the 50% to b/w 25 and 50). Obviously, not a good thing. She is and has always been in the 90% for height - not sure if that matters. When I asked the ped about it he seemed somewhat concerned. He said what is likely happening is she is not getting enough hindmilk which is where the fat is.

THe ped suggested I feed her less times per day (now I feed her 6) he said to feed her 4 or 5 times per day so she is hungrier and eats more. But, im honestly not sure this is going to work. I feel like an awful mother that is starving her child and i hope i haven't affected her brain development I can't talk about this with DH anymore b/c he thinks I have gone off the deep end b/c DD is an overachiever in every respect - she's been rolling both ways for a while now and can almost sit on her own - laughing and babbling up a storm for months - she is extrememly interactive etc. etc. so he feels she is fine and i am overreacting.

Does anyone have any tips as to how i can get her to nurse for longer? thanks so much in advance if you made it this far.

Message edited 6/5/2010 8:13:29 PM.

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

If it helps, my DS wasn't nursing as well by the 4/5 month mark because of distractions as well. My Ped gave me the same advice and it really did help. He now nurses 4xs per day (7 mo old) but when he does nurse, it's long and I know he's getting the full amount. Before that, he'd nurse from one side, and not that long. So, give it a try. Your DC won't starve! If she wants more, she'll ask for it. HTH!

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

I would try to create as quiet of an nursing environment as you can (considering you have another child at home). Can you put your DC in front of the TV for a little while while you BF?

Good luck!

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

our best sessions are in bed...her laying next to me. no tv, i swear she can go on forever

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

My son eats at most 5 minutes every 3-4 hours during the day. He's just too busy and no matter how much I try to offer...he absolutely refuses. He gets most of his calories at night, dream feeding and cosleeping. I usually sleep through most of his eating too. It's a system that works really well for us...he's a chunky monkey...but he'd be starvin marvin if we didn't do this. That's all I can suggest...maybe offer a pacifier at the 2-3 hour mark or provide some other exciting distraction...then feed her around every 5 hours. Also, she's not too young, are you open to starting her a little early on solids? I hope you figure it out....it's still stresses me during the day but this is my son and these are his needs.

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

I had issues with DS and distractions too. The only way I could get him to have a substantial nursing session was to cut down on the amount of sessions. He nurses 4x a day and has been doing so for months. I think you should try and see what happens. Do you nurse DC before a nap? I found that if I want DS to have a more relaxed (longer) nursing session, it usually would happen while he is drowsy.

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

Posted by MrsMadness

I would try to create as quiet of an nursing environment as you can (considering you have another child at home). Can you put your DC in front of the TV for a little while while you BF?

Good luck!

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

As they get older and more aware of their surroundings, it definitely becomes harder to nurse. Nurse in a quiet, dark room with no distractions. You can look into getting a nursing necklace or something to keep her attention while she nurses. DS loves my hair so I'd let him play with it while he nursed. He also liked to grab my shirt especially if I wore something with buttons.

I'd be concerned about dropping down to so few feedings at 4 months old. DS was nursing every 3-4 hours around the clock at that age. He was always a slow nurser, but I have friends whose babies became very efficient by that age and didn't nurse for more than a few minutes. DS had his biggest weight gain by far from birth to 2 months. It slowed down dramatically after that. He started out in the 75th percentile for weight. By 9 months, he was in the 15th percentile. He's just a small kid. BF babies also tend to put on more weight at the beginning and then their weight gain slows down.

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

My DS had the same eating patterns and slowed in gaining weight at the same time. My pediatrician wasn't concerned about it and told me to just keep feeding on demand. My best nursing sessions were before naps and bed and then throughout the night when he was sleepy.

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

my ped advised me to stretch my DD's feedings to get her to nurse longer... let's say your LO usually eats every 2 hours and the next time to eat is 11am. try to push the feeding back to 1115 if you can make it. i felt horrible and he told me to do everything to try to calm her but don't give in. do this at each feeding and push the time back 15mins each day. if you only last 10 thats 10 more mins that LO is hungry. but being firm is going to help your LO realize how hungry he is then eat for longer. it works! DD went from nursing 7-10 mins to 12-15 now with 1-2 less feedings.

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

Stretching out the feedings makes a lot of sense. My baby does the same thing right now, and can easily demand to nurse every hour because he gets so easily distracted these days. He'll nurse for about 4 minutes strong, then just kinda become uninterested.

It makes sense to me if I were to keep him distracted long enough to stretch out his feedings, he'd nurse to eat, and not this "snacking" thing he's doing now.

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

Thanks ladies for the tips!

So let me run something by you all. Based on what some of you have been saying I have been trying to nurse her right b/f she seems like she needs a nap. That way she is nursing for 20-40 minutes. BUT, and this a huge BUT - she is asleep - so, I am wondering - do you think she is getting more this way b/c of the longer nursing OR, less, b/c she is half asleep and not sucking constantly...TIA!

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

at 4 months my son was nursing every 4 hours - he changed his schedule from every 3 -

We have had two months where he gained less than a pound- but usually by the next month he gained 2 lbs or more

try to relax- maybe try nursing with a cover so that there are less distractions - does your child nurse better at night or in the morning

also - you may try a dream feed around 10 - my son eats better when he is asleep because he is not distracted

Re: Need tips to get my EBF 4mo old to eat more (nurse for longer periods).

my son seemed to gain more weight when i did EASY - eat activity sleep you time -

but if they are too distracted half alseep may work better because they naturally liked to suck when sleeping

just try to not to stress because the baby gets that feeling from you - i know easier said than done