Sudden non-stop nursing at 5 months

[Friendlee]

Any theories for why this is occuring?

Some background info:
-I have a cold, but baby doesn't seem to.
-She's never been a good sleeper and is sleeping even less at night now, because of her need to nurse every hour to 45 minutes.
-She's sort of teething (but I don't see anything ready to pop up, she just really enjoys chewing)
-She is/was exclusively breastfed until last week when I gave her a bottle of formula hoping she'd sleep better. (Since then, I've given her just a few bottles of formula, but she very obviously prefers breastmilk, so we're probably done with that idea).
-She's been totally disgruntled for the past few days unless nursing but she's normally the breeziest, happiest baby
-We just returned from a week long trip to California by way of airplane.
-She had a REALLY thick poo yesterday and a little more today. I had a lot of trouble getting it off the cloth diaper!
-She can't seem to nap at all unless falling asleep at my breast and then only if I'm perfectly still....no blowing my nose or sneezing...

I've got a cold and my husband is out of town. I desperately need some rest!!! This non-stop nursing couldn't have popped up at a worse time.

[Bokonon]

Well, that sounds like a lot of changes for a little one - maybe she's just trying to readjust, and/or going through a growth spurt? She might also be getting a little sick, and trying to ward it off by nursing often.

[boobs4milk]

nurse nurse nurse. millie got my cold and was very sick and i know we would have been in hospital save for the fact that she is ebf.

the next growth spurt is @ about 6 mos so she'll be power nursing to increase supply so that she can grow.

s emily! milly is napping like that...she's never been a good napper but now she wants boob in her mouth or she wakes and screams!

[star*mora]

ds1 was non-stop nursing about 4.5-6mths
ds2 seems to be exactly the same
so i can totally relate
and i know other mamas who have the same experience at this age so to me sounds pretty normal!

[vanessab23]

perhaps your supply has gone down a little due to your cold and she is trying to get it back up.

perhaps your supply went down a little bit when you supplemented-- remember if she was getting it somewhere else, she took less from you, so your body got the message that it didn't need to make as much.

or a combination of both?

hugs mama-- this too shall pass!