baby won't eat

[metafisica]

Hi! I am a mom to a 9 month old. He is a thriving baby, big for his age, and never gave any "trouble". The feeding history is as follows:

he was BF for 2.5 months, and then i had to introduce formula due to the low supply; however, at 6 months when we started introducing solids, I gave him food instead of the bottle (at 8, 12, and 4 o'clock)..later on introducing another meal at 8 in the night after which he goes to bed. i still breast feed him in between and during the night...he was always an avid eater, took well to a whole range of foods and i was more then happy with his nutrition...up 'till 2 weeks ago...he simply refuses to eat....and not just that he doesn't like something...he shakes his head as soon as he sees the spoon, throws back his body, or hugs my breasts *sigh* I tried giving him a spoon, but no, he's not interested in that either...tried giving him food like slices of cheese, banana, bread crust, and yes, he chews a tiny bit, and then leaves it....though he still BF...and though i haven't measured, i'm sure that he is getting slimmer....I don't want to be one of those moms who are force feeding a screaming baby, but I'm at my wits end here....and since it is my first, cannot make out if it is just a phase, or what to do...please help me figure it out.... and don't know if is connected in any way, but lately he's started waking up through the night and not only to BF...he drinks for couple of seconds, and then tosses his head away only to get back to me..and like this, back and forth all night long....*sigh* I would hate to reintroduce the bottle, but am concidering it as the only last option....hope to get some insight...

[lil_earthmomma]

Ok, so you don't use formula, just food and breast milk right now?

Nurse more. Nurse nurse nurse. Go topless. Just let him nurse like a maniac.

Keep offering solids, but don't force feed him. You won't get enough into him that way to make it worth the trauma.

[Solose]

I think if you have low supply and you see your child losing weight you should reintroduce the bottles of formula. Formula has a lot more calories in it than pretty much any food and it has the DHA his brain needs and the protein. Food is supposed to complement formula and breastmilk for the first year, I believe you are supposed to always feed a bottle or breast before solids. I remember my ds at that age, and there was no way he was ready to be mostly on solids at that time. Just wait a few months, and this will pass and you can cut out the formula again.

Is it the price of formula that is keeping you from giving it to him? Have you tried contacting WIC, maybe you would qualify. If you are partially BF, they can still help pay for some of the formula.

Also, how did you determine that you had low supply? Did you go to an LC to see how much he was taking in at each feeding? You could try that now to see if you do still have the supply problem. Perhaps when you cut out the bottles your supply went up and that is why he stopped wanting solids.Hoping that is the case for you

[metafisica]

Thank you guys! Yes, i am nursing like crazy..,I figured at least he would get my milk:

I am not from US or EU, therefore lactation specialists are out of questions....when he was around 2.5 months he wouldn't sleep more then 20 minutes, was crying non-stop except when on the breast, and was constantly cranky..I waited for 10 days with increased nursing to help my supply....but nothing happened and then I introduced the bottles AFTER BFing him, in case he was still crying after my feed...turned out it was 3 bottles in the end + BFing....well, around 6 months he started refusing the bottle, that is, he would drink only very little and fuss on it, and the dr. said that it is because he wanted solids, thus I started replacing the bottle for the meal Though if this continues I believe I'll have to try and introduce the bottle again....Nothing against bottle feeding,it has nothing to do with the price either, but personally, I'd prefer not to if I can help it.....I prefer to keep things simple IF possible

[kjbrown92]

I am not from US or EU, therefore lactation specialists are out of questions....when he was around 2.5 months he wouldn't sleep more then 20 minutes, was crying non-stop except when on the breast, and was constantly cranky..I waited for 10 days with increased nursing to help my supply....but nothing happened and then I introduced the bottles AFTER BFing him, in case he was still crying after my feed...turned out it was 3 bottles in the end + BFing....well, around 6 months he started refusing the bottle, that is, he would drink only very little and fuss on it, and the dr. said that it is because he wanted solids, thus I started replacing the bottle for the meal Though if this continues I believe I'll have to try and introduce the bottle again....Nothing against bottle feeding,it has nothing to do with the price either, but personally, I'd prefer not to if I can help it.....I prefer to keep things simple IF possible

Check out this possibly scenario. He's got a food intolerance and that's why he originally was crying non-stop at 2.5 months and constantly cranky. And possibly the formula that you fed him didn't have in it whatever you had in your milk supply (whatever the offending food was). At 6 months when he started refusing the bottle, maybe he became intolerant to whatever the formula was. And the food that you're offering him is making him feel bad, so that's why he's always refusing it. It's just a possibility if you haven't considered it already.

[Solose]

Is there any way you could get him weighed before and after a feeding? Maybe at a doctor's office? I think if you knew how much he took in at a feed and could compare it to what's normal it would really help you and maybe you'll see that he really is getting enough.

[metafisica]

kjbrown92 : hmmm somehow I have never considered the food intolerance since neither me nor husband have any history of food intolerance or allergies, though if it continues it might be something to look at....

Solose: good idea about getting him weighted...will do that...but do you intend weighing him before and after the breast feed or solid food feed where he takes extremely little?

Just to add...he is very active, alert and big for his age....doesn't seem bothered at all by the food strike....it is me that's going insane since for 3 months he's been on 4 meals a day + breast feeds and now it's come down to barely 1/2 of a meal per day though he still breast feeds....

Thanx again for all replys

[Solose]

I meant breastfeeds. You see how much he is taking in of solids, but you can't measure or see the amount of breastmilk he is taking. That's why, at least in the US when you are having problems with breastfeeding the first thing they tell you to do is weight the baby before and after feeding to see if they are truly not getting enough or if it is just a perceived problem. Well, that's how it's done with younger babies, but I don't see why it wouldn't work with an older one. Just try to hold off on breastfeeding him or giving solids until you are at the dr's, so he can get a good long feeding and they can see if you really have a low supply problem.

If he isn't taking enough milk at a feeding, then that''s something to worry about. The amount of solids he is taking in isn't that important since they probably don't constitute that big a part of his diet, IMHO.