6 month old nursing non stop!!!

[OttawaMamaLove]

Hey there mamas...

I am on round 2 with my second son, who is now 6 months old.  I just wanted to connect with other mamas and see if anyone else is possibly going through a similar phase with their little ones...

My little bubs is a happy little man... yet, I am struggling (and have been feeling this strain since he was about 4 months old) with the amount of BF he is doing.  We started solids at 5.5 months... he is enjoying the usual "starter" foods as well as mama's milk. 

We attempted pumping back when he was about 4 months old and attempting bottle feeding... but he was having none of it! He only wanted the breast (yes... we tried MANY different bottles) and different ways... papa feeding, mama leaving the house... different times etc...

It would be fine if he wanted to nurse ever few hours... but he tends to be more frequent.  An example... I can be home with him and nurse him (full feeds) 3 times in one hour.  I have tried giving more solids through the day and "stocking" him up for bedtime, only he will still wake up at least 2 hours after I have put him down... (he was waking up every 45 min. just a few weeks ago).

We have taken that he is teething in consideration, and have taken measures for that... (maybe growth spurt!?) but I find from midnight till 6am I will have nursed him on both breasts twice!!!!  We recently moved his crib out of our room to see if that helps... and he starts off their and ends up in our bed (I can never stay awake to place him back down in his crib afterwards) 

With our attempts again, he is having some BM in a bottle... but I am starting to feel tied in, and even with the encouragement of a supportive husband to get out more in the evenings with friends and swims at the pool alone ... I feel like I am on a clock, because I know he will have a baby on his hands that will most likely have a fit if the BOOB is not available at some point!

Are any of you going through a similar situation??!!! I would love to hear any thoughts or suggestions...

Cheers!

[mamazee]

This is a really common age for a huge growth spurt, but that shouldn't last too long - just a few days of really frequent nursing and your breasts should be making more milk and he should be satisfied. How long has it been? The idea of teething is good too, and you could try pain reliever or a homeopathic teething pain remedy to see if it is pain that is keeping him up. Mouth pain always is more annoying at night even for adults.

[OttawaMamaLove]

The night waking and frequent BF has been going on since about 5 months.  We do homeopathic teething remedies during the day and Advil at night... I know I am making enough milk... I am just waking up each morning with 'empty' breasts from night feeding, instead of feeling somewhat full... and bottom line, I am getting burnt out from it (my breast are getting pretty sore again too!)

[Jaxy]

Well, I had pretty much the same experience, only much earlier. Went back to work when ds was 7 weeks so we started giving him expressed BM when he was 5 weeks, to get him used to the bottle. At first he wouldn't eat but he eventually had to... I understand how you feel (being on a clock, etc) and it was very stressful for me at first, having to go back so soon, getting him used to the bottle (and myself to the pump).... But then he got used to it and now I don't worry if I'm away, and it's very relieving. I say keep trying, keep trying. Since it has nothing to do with the nipple of the bottle I'd say to keep trying with the same nipple. DS won't take it if dh holds him so he found his own way of feeding him ("lay him down" on the couch propped by the nursing pillow). If it's important for you keep trying, he will succeed eventually!