please, talk me out of it..

[Katica]

Let me say, I`m very blessed to have my three happy, healthy kids. The youngest one is just 4 months old and for the past 3 and a half months she`s been refusing to nurse except lying down. Forget nursing in public or nursing with my other kids around. Strictly in bed and she`ll chew on her hands endlessly but refuse to nurse otherwise.

We are taking a much-needed family trip starting tomorrow. We need to take a short flight then the train...etc. We`ll be out for a week. Will she starve?? I`ve been very stressed out about it. I talked to a friend of mine today and her daughter is formula-fed. I don`t judge her as I`m not in her shoes but...it was so tempting to watch her make the stuff and feeding it to her baby. No fighting, no fuss...just eating away right out in public. I must say I was tempted to formula feed my own.

Please, talk me out of it. I breastfed the older two (one of them till age 4) but I`m finding it impossible to deal with this little one. I`m constantly feeling like i`m neglecting the other two b/c I have to spend so much time attempting to feed the little sister.

I`m only looking for support. I probably won`t formula feed her but it sounds so darn tempting at the moment. Will she grow out of this stage?

TIA

[Katica]

Oops. I meant to say that for the past month a a half she`s been this way..
 

[LLQ1011]

Mine is the same way and still is. When he gets hungry enough he will nurse and its not an issue except for the people around who watch me whip out the boob 10 times before he will finally nurse. I don't know why they like laying down. He is also easily distracted. I play with his hands while he nurses in public and it helps and talk and sing. BUT NO ONE CAN TALK TO ME or its all over.

Good luck. We went on a vacation with him and though it was fun it was rough. Ours was for 14 days.
 

[MichelleZB]

My son went through a stage like this, and also one where he wouldn't nurse lying down. I don't know what's up with these kids, am I right?

Let's assume he'll nurse on the plane if he's hungry enough. Meanwhile, check to make sure you're not cricking his neck or something while you do the cradle hold.

[seraf]

It's a phase that will pass. Soon you won't get a chance to rest all the long day. No worries!

She won't starve on your trip and if she's of the opinion that food can only happen laying in bed, why would formula be the magic ticket? Try sitting her on your lap, facing you, straddling your middle. It's a kind of weird position but she may just really dislike the cradle hold right now.

Experiment with a nursing cover if she has issues with the excitement of everything around her.

Good luck and happy travels (oh, and bottles are a PITA on the road).

[1babysmom]

Just a random thought, but has she ever seen a chiropractor?  It seems that a lot of times when babies will only nurse in a certain position, an adjustment is much needed.

[Adaline'sMama]

For  awhile DD was like this, and we had to use an Udder Cover in public, mainly because it had the wire and I could put my face right down in there and see her and she felt like it was just the two of us in a little world. Your babe wont starve, she will eat on your trip. Maybe this will be the kick to get her to nurse when and wherever.

[rtjunker]

When my DD was like this, and let's admit it, she's still like this, so I can only use a carrier with a hood like the ego or my new woven wrap to nurse in public. In the Ergo I pull the hood up and snap it in place making her a baby cave, with the wrap I pull up the fabric, then can normally get het to nurse, usually to sleep. For my DD it seems like she needs that enclosed space to nurse in public.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by seraf 

It's a phase that will pass. Soon you won't get a chance to rest all the long day. No worries!
She won't starve on your trip and if she's of the opinion that food can only happen laying in bed, why would formula be the magic ticket? Try sitting her on your lap, facing you, straddling your middle. It's a kind of weird position but she may just really dislike the cradle hold right now.
Experiment with a nursing cover if she has issues with the excitement of everything around her.
Good luck and happy travels (oh, and bottles are a PITA on the road).

Was going to say the same thing.  There's no guaranteeing that she'll take a bottle.

Not sure it matters, but is she exclusively breastfed, no solid foods?  I think it's possible she'll just get hungry enough to nurse in public on this trip. 

[doulawoman]

Please don't flame me, but my ds was like this too (also not gaining well, and had silent reflux though) and my LC suggested a cup with expressed milk. If you're really concerned you could try that if you pour it into a regular cup it shouldnt't be a huge problem, you could just do enough until you know you can lay down with her again.

[JudiAU]

You might consider a chiro visit. There may be a missalignment that is causing discomfort.

Have you tried a nursing cover, especially something like a bebe au lait that lets her see your face/breeze but that totally shields her from interacting with the outside world. One of my kids would get very distracted and that was really, really helpful. We also nursed successfully in bathroom stalls and cars for the same reason. Also, we nursed a few times on the ground at a park. Also, it totally got better over time.

I always laugh about the whole NIP thing when I think of that time.

[Katica]

Wow, sorry I`ve been away and very pleasantly surprised to see all the responses. Thank you all for your encouragement and great ideas.

So far all has been OK.  Our plane ride got cancelled so we took the bullet train (we live in Japan) and she DID nurse a little on the way. Enough to last her until we got here and I could lay down with her. Of course, you are all right, there is no guarantee that she`ll take a bottle. She`s never had a bottle, EBF no solids. It just sounded easy and tempting to feed her formula, LOL.

She might be sensitive to milk so I`m avoiding it right now. She never spits up and sleeps well but her poos sometimes have mucus in them. Also, I tend to have a fast letdown so she might be upset with the waterfall pouring into her mouth. So far, she is nursing much better, only lying down, though .

she is otherwise a happy baby just awfully distracted. She goes bananas if I try to use a cover out in public. It`s quite funny (and frustrating at the same time) to see her struggle to get the thing off her head.