Baby suddenly not drinking ANY breast milk

[TCK_Runner]

Hi all, well, things were going well until about two days ago, and now she won't take the boob for longer than a minute or two and today she simply won't drink pumped milk. The milk has not gone bad, I smelled the pumped stuff (it's less than 8 hours old) and I tested what's coming directly out of my nipple. It's less sweet than normal, but no strong tastes. Nothing - NOTHING - in my diet has changed. I am not taking any medications. It's weird because she still goes searching for my nipple and uses it for comfort... it's just that she won't drink much of the milk once I have my letdown... and then she goes and sticks her hand in her mouth like a little animal and cries out of hunger.

So anyways, today is the first day she outright refused to eat ANY pumped milk or nurse, so I asked my husband to make a bit of formula (which we have on hand still from the combi-feeding days a few weeks back) to see if she's OK, if it's teething or she's ill (etc). Well, not only did she down the ounce/30 mL he fed her immediately, she downed an additional 130mL (4.5 ounces?) right after that! Same thing happened in the afternoon. I offered 90mL of pumped milk... after a few mL she started spitting it out and crying with the hands in her mouth. I prepared another bottle of formula and she downed 120mL immediately.

I am not sure what's going on... but then I thought of something else, would like to know if you think it's related??? I noticed this morning I was spotting after a few days of (what I presume is) ovulation - noticed the increased mucus and discharge. So I guess I'm getting my first pp period. Yay me. I did some searches online that suggest this might be why she suddenly doesn't want my milk? It has a different taste or something? If that's the case, should I stick it out and see if she starts taking it again tomorrow, day after (etc)? Would like to hear about anyone else who may have experienced something similar. She will be 3 months in a few days and hit 12 weeks yesterday, and I've been taking bf'ing one week / one month at a time given my earlier difficulties. I was hoping not to wean this early, but if I'm getting my period now and she'll not eat AT ALL during my period, I guess weaning is a better option than pumping and dumping.

 

[cflower04]

I would try feeding her while she is sleepy or even during the night while she is sleeping! If you want to keep breastfeeding, it'd be careful of introducing too many bottles of formula.

 

[patch2006uk]

A baby will almost always chug down milk from a bottle if they're used to breastfeeding because the milk flows so much faster than they're used to. If she is used to bottles already, it might be nipple confusion. Go back to basics-skin to skin, nose to nipple. Get in bed together and just allow constant access. I'd stop the formula as that is just a slippery slope. She won't let herself starve.

Is it hot where you are at the moment? It might be that she's wanting little and often and doesn't want a big let down as she's thirsty rather than hungry.

 

[TCK_Runner]

I think it must have been related to hormonal stuff (or somehow my milk tasting off) or 12 week growth spurt... she's back to drinking breastmilk both from a bottle and from me after about two days of not wanting either. This morning she drank from me for a bit and the next feed came from the bottle (although it was milk I had expressed just an hour beforehand and not stuff sitting in the fridge). There were no issues and then she had a massive poo while playing (after a few days or not so much or nothing... but this has been typical for a few weeks now).

Anyways, as far as I can tell, she doesn't have nipple confusion, or at least not up to this point or in any way that has affected how much she eats, though I am fully aware that babies can suddenly change as they can with many other things. My MW simply told me that as long as I didn't switch bottles/bottle nipples then she should be fine to whatever she's used to. So I have been using Nuby bottles since week 3-4, which are actually like drinking from my breast in terms of flow and nipple shape (similar, I do realize they are not the same and there are of course still differences) - in fact, quite frankly, I think they have improved her latch, so I'm not about to give them up. Especially since it also gives my husband a chance to feed her and does not rely on my being with her 100% of the time or for every feed. He feels more involved when he gets to feed her and it lets me get some sleep in and work done.

 

[patch2006uk]

Glad things have sorted themselves out. Nipple confusion can happen at any time, so it is worth going back to latching basics every so often if you have problems. Hope you have an easier few days now