Update on my son who was pushing off my breast and crying and losing weight

[ashley1972]

I just wanted to thank you all for your responses to my last post, I really appreciate it. I wanted to let everyone know that he is back on the breast! There were really two seperate issues - 1 - that my supply was low because he started sleeping really long stretches at night and 2 - that he began to pull away and reject the breast. Well I figured out that the herbs that I was taking to increase my supply - Blessed Thistle and Fenugreek - were affecting the taste of my milk and making him not want it! I realized that my urine had a VERY strong odor to it after one day on the herbs and decided to stop them. About 10 hours later he was back to the breast happily nursing. There were no other changes so I am totally convinced it was the herbs!

So now that I am aware of the problem with my supply when we go all night w/o nursing I'm working to remedy that.

Anyway I feel so relieved, it is obviously devestating when your child rejects nursing.

Thank you all for your help with this. And please keep in mind that those herbs can have an affect on the taste of the milk, they certainly did for me.

[CathMac]

Ashley1972,
That makes perfect sense. Oddly enough babies reportedly like the taste of Garlic so it is sometimes recommended as a way of encouraging baby to nurse (more often, more vigorously, longer, etc.)

I remember trying that with DD1 as she was a sluggish nursling initially and even when she improved she was always a nip and napper. I didn't see a noticeable difference but it may vary from Mom to Mom and Baby to Baby.
~Cath