5-month-old baby refusing breast, is this a problem?

I've been nursing for 5 months now and it's been a wonderful experience. My baby started eating solids at about 4 months and a week. Today, she eats the solids VERY WELL but she doesn't want my breasts as much anymore. The only time she drinks well from my breast is the 6 a.m. feeding and that's it. The rest of the day she has cereals, vegetables, fruits and a bit of formula simply because she doesn't want the breast. At 11 p.m., she drinks about 8oz. of formula because that seems to get her through the night, most of the time.

My concerns are twofold: first, is it normal for my baby to not want the breast as much anymore? (because I do put her on the breast 3 to 4 times a day, usually before meals, but she's not interested).

My second concern is that she only drinks from one breast and as a result my other breast is 95% dried out and much smaller. Will my breasts ever be the same size again? Again, I put her every day on my smaller breast and she doesn't want it. I'm quite happy with the way things are, my concern is, is this typical? My baby also seems very happy.

Thanking you in advance,  Judith




 

Dear Judith,

I am so glad the past 5 months have been good ones for you and your little one! It is not at all uncommon to hear about babies who suddenly seem to become disinterested in the breast. At about 4 months, babies become much more aware of the world around them, and sometimes it is hard to get them to pay attention to breastfeeding when there is so much interesting stuff going on! After the third time my daughter turned her head while nursing to watch the dog walk by (with my nipple in her mouth of course!) I took to nursing her in a darkened and quiet bedroom. Sometimes babies react just like Emma, and prefer to nurse when sleepy in the morning or in the middle of the night, but not at any other time. Since you are happy with the situation as it is, just enjoy it!

As for the difference in breast size you are experiencing, that too is not uncommon, and the difference may be minor or more pronounced depending upon your body. The good news is that usually the difference is not noticeable in clothing. Continuing to nurse on the one side is not likely to make the situation worse at this point, and when you stop nursing altogether, the larger breast will most likely become smaller, but may still be somewhat larger than the other. One thing you might try is using a breast pump to regain some equality on the smaller side, and they you could cut down on the amount of formula you are using and replace it with breastmilk. If you want more information about this, please write to me directly at valclc@cwix.com

If this is not important to you, then as I said, enjoy!

Take care,
Valerie Banarie, RN, BSN, CLC





 

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