nursing and pulling off constantly... « Back to Group Discussions

[chiromama01]

so Collin has recently started pulling off repeatedly while nursing.  He's not usually upset when he's doing it, but it's so frustrating for me.  any thoughts on why he might be doing this? he doesn't do it at every nursing session, but it happens often enough for me to post about it..help!

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

My guess is awareness of the outside world. Tavian's doing the same, as did Evie. I think it's pretty common at this age.

[flavorfull1]

Yep, for us it is either dd needs to burp or is interested in what is going on. Hugs. It is trying.

[CherryBombMama]

I cant stand that! My milk flow is always pretty fast, so I end up being drenched in milk. 

I chalk it up to just something they all go through.  Kind like when babies realize they have hands, they also realize they can latch on, and off, and on, and off, and on, and off ......

[NCMtnMama]

Yes, I agree. Louisa does this as well. She'll latch, suck, then pop off and rub her head back and forth, or just look at me and grin. It's annoying, but at least she's cute while she does it. :)  It does seem to help somewhat when we nurse in a dark/boring room. 

[daylicious]

Holden does this first thing in the morning, along with a lot of loud cute vocalization. Looking around everywhere playing with fabric on my shirt or his sleeper. I'm still pretty full in the morning since he sleeps so long. It can get annoying, I'm like "Hurry up and drain this boob already!"

[RosieL]

Thanks for starting this thread. Odin does the same, and it's really trying sometimes when I need to get him fed quickly and be on our way. Other times it's absolutely adorable because he pulls off and grins. Of course, this makes me grin, which reinforces the behavior. Sigh. To mamas who have gone through this stage, does it pass???

[CherryBombMama]

Originally Posted by RosieL 

Thanks for starting this thread. Odin does the same, and it's really trying sometimes when I need to get him fed quickly and be on our way. Other times it's absolutely adorable because he pulls off and grins. Of course, this makes me grin, which reinforces the behavior. Sigh. To mamas who have gone through this stage, does it pass???

It doesn't exactly "pass," it turns into other things, like getting their mouth full of milk, and then letting it spill out all over your shirt, or much later, poking your nose with their feet. 

My toddler does the "Pick my nose - try to pick moms nose - then pinch mom" combo. 

[RosieL]

Originally Posted by CherryBombMama 

It doesn't exactly "pass," it turns into other things, like getting their mouth full of milk, and then letting it spill out all over your shirt, or much later, poking your nose with their feet. 

My toddler does the "Pick my nose - try to pick moms nose - then pinch mom" combo. 

I'm sure it's not funny at the time, but this sounds hilarious. Hehee.

[Aletheia]

Same thing going on here!  

Kellymom has (as always) some good pieces on this age.  I think this is one of the better ones:

http://kellymom.com/parenting/nighttime/4mo-sleep/

It also makes clear that daytime distractibility while nursing may have some effect on the 3/4 month sleep patterns: i.e., a baby who hasn't gotten enough to eat due to distraction during the daytime is bound to begin waking more frequently at night to make up for it.

I have whipped out my nursing necklace and have really done all I can to "ritualize" nursing- same chair, same boppy, same timing so as to keep Mo focused.  And I'm taking kellymom's advice and keeping a finger nearby to break suction when he does inevitably pull off without letting go (ouch!)  Nursing used to be facebook time on the iphone.  Now it is doing all I can to shepherd him through at least 7 uninterupted minutes of nursing on each side.  :)  I really don't want to give up our consistent nighttimes anymore than I have to!  I love my sleep!

[piratemere]

I've got the same problem here. I've found he does it more when I'm really full, so I've started to just let him pull off as I'm having my letdown, letting it pour into a diaper or cloth until the letdown is over, and then latching him back on. He generally stays on after that, when the milk isn't flowing as fast.
 

[RosieL]

Alethia - THANK YOU for that link. I've been battling a bunch of unhelpful grandma suggestions (maybe he has apnea...you should get a cpap...you should add rice cereal to his bottle...etc). This article you posted describes what's going on with us to a T!!!  Thank thanks thanks!