Refusing to breastfeed for fear of falling asleep

bean-e · 11-03-2009, 08:51 PM

Has anyone heard of a baby who refuses to breastfeed to avoid falling asleep? I think that's what my 16 weeks old does. There are times that she is clearly hungry and wants to nurse. But once she starts to nurse and gets somewhat comfortable, she pulls off right away. Sometimes when we are lying side by side and she has open-bar access to my breast, then she will sip, pull off and enjoy the scenery, and then sip a bit more. It's like she is sitting by the pool slowly enjoying a glass of margarita. I tried feeding her with her straddling my thigh and she was willing to nurse a bit that way. Any thoughts or suggestions?

justKate · 11-04-2009, 08:04 AM

Yes. DD has been this way for a long time. She associates nursing with sleep, so when she's REALLY fighting sleep, she will pop on and off. At 16 weeks, I let her. Now at almost 9 months with teeth coming in, when she pops off twice I put the breast away. She fusses, and then when it seems like she's resigned herself to sleep I give it back to her and she nurses to sleep. It's a PITA, but there is just so much to see in the world--it would be a shame to miss out on something because you're sleeping!

No real suggestions, just wanted you to know you're not alone.

bean-e · 11-06-2009, 12:54 AM

Thanks JustKate.

DD went without food for 7.5 hours today! She has plenty of chub on her, so I am really not worried. The only problem is that she catches up on her eating at night so she woke up every 90 minutes to nurse last night.

KarlaC · 11-06-2009, 01:34 AM

Ds is 17 weeks & I've been having to do what JustKate has. He fights sleep like crazy, I never knew such a little one would do that(my other 2 didn't at all until they were older).

I just keep telling myself "this too shall pass" & try to roll with it.

TXmom2 · 11-06-2009, 01:40 AM

my DD fights sleep as well. She's 4 months now and has been fighting it since about 13 weeks. She pops on & off, pulls, twists, etc.. it drives me crazy sometimes

plus it hurts!
The best thing I've found is to pat her bum (fairly hard) when she starts squirming. It usually distracts her and she'll drift off to sleep while I'm patting her

LadyCatherine185 · 11-06-2009, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bean-e

DD went without food for 7.5 hours today! She has plenty of chub on her, so I am really not worried. The only problem is that she catches up on her eating at night so she woke up every 90 minutes to nurse last night.

Wow, 7.5 hours at 16 weeks? That sounds like a nursing strike to me. Are you sure there aren't any other issues going on, such as reflux? My DS fought nursing, and would pop off and scream because of silent reflux. She should be nursing at least every 4 hours.. if not you should pump to maintain supply.

My DS has always fought sleep as well. I had to make sure there were NO distractions around to get him to nurse and go to sleep. This included having blackout curtains on the windows to block out the light, and a fan for white noise to block out any background noises.

Here is a great page from kellymom.com on nursing strikes and tips for how to get baby to nurse when they are refusing. Good luck!

rivkah · 11-06-2009, 10:38 AM

I would agree that though this behavior is common (DD at 4 months does this too), 7.5 hours is a long time! I'd make certain she was feeling OK. Perhaps she is teething, or has an upset stomach.

phrogger · 11-06-2009, 10:48 AM

7.5 hours is a long time, BUT if it were at night, I don't think anyone would think twice about it. My son will go much longer during the day without eatting (he is too nosy and wanting to see the world and not fall asleep) but at night he is like eatting non stop. I am trying to get him to eat more in the day and less at night. I have started putting a blanket over us. I never wanted to do it and don't do it to cover me up, but I am doing it so he doesn't get so distracted. I am also pushing the issue more in the day and nursing more or at least trying more in the day. I did however notice that my daytime let down is getting a lot more forceful so he might just be getting more in and feeling full after a much shorter time.

bean-e · 11-06-2009, 10:50 AM

It does seem like she has been spitting up more than normal lately and I wonder if it has to do with food allergies. I just found out a few days ago that I am allergic to wheat (no symptoms at all) and I have been having bread everyday for the past couple of weeks. I've stopped eating all the foods that I am allergic to starting yesterday, so I am hoping that things will get better.

In terms of teething, I think she is because she was biting me quite regularly for a little while. Then I started having her wear her amber necklace full time and she stopped biting all together.