Teething baby refusing all milk

[Molatov]

Hi - a very mopey mum here

My little boy Dex is coming up 8 months, and I'm pretty sure getting his first teeth. Last Monday he started getting really really cranky during the day, and either pulling away from the breast or drinking less from a bottle (he's mostly breastfed, with a bottle of formula or expressed milk at bedtime) by Wednesday, he wouldn't come near my boobs without crying and pulling away and pushes bottles of milk away. I have tried various cups and different types of bottles and teats but he won't take milk from any of them. He will happily drink water from a sippy cup type thing but if I put milk in it, he refuses it.

I've been giving him calpol/calprofen as he has just seemed absolutely miserable and cried most of the day if not being held (and frequently when he is!) The last two nights I haven't even tried milk at bedtime or the dreamfeed because it just gets him het up and frustrated. I have been taking a bottle up to bed with me and giving it to him when he wakes (the last two nights it has been around 1) - I wouldn't normally feed him in the night, but as he is taking probably an absolute maximum of 3oz in the day, I want him to get as much as he wants when he wants it.

We went to the docs on Sunday (a walk in NHS clinic) and the doc said not to worry as long as he is getting fluids at all.

I have started pumping again, but my supply is so very low - I'm drinking loads, eating porridge, taking feugreek, but still getting less than an ounce per session. I used to be able to express 6/7oz a session.

I am getting really depressed about it, which I know won't help at all. I hate how he pulls away from me and pushes me away.

It has been a full week now, and almost a week since he last breastfed from me - I can't give up

 

[Molatov]

I forgot to mention, he is still eating 3 meals a day. I have tried cutting these down/eliminating them entirely but he still won't take any milk

 

[JMB1992]

Along as hes eating food and drinking water i wouldnt worry too much. How about putting formula on his porridge in the morning? my lg has 5oz on hers in the morning. Also give him yogurts, cheese etc. Aslong as hes getting calcium in other ways and drinking water its ok. My lg has been teething and off milk for 6 weeks now! but ive just given her porridge for lunch with 6oz of milk and she ate the lot xx

 

[Molatov]

It's just so very hard I hate that he pushes me away and seems so repulsed by my milk or by formula. My hormones are just going haywire and I just feel completely useless and terrified he won't come back to feed from me.

I mostly can't stop crying today

Milk of any kind is just so important and it feels so wrong he's only getting a few ounces a day.

 

[fingers_cross]

im also going through the same issue with my 6 month old son and posted a similar thread a few days ago. my son is also refusing feeds. however he is still taking some. i am bottle feeding and finding it very stressful so i can only imagine how u r feeling breastfeeding and also worrying about trying to keep ur supply up (i breastfed til my son was 8 weeks old and he wouldnt nurse well and i had to pump every 2 hours for 30-40 mins to keep my supply up and it was torture). one thing i found that worked today was giving my son son milk from a syringe. he didnt take lots but i got about 60mls in him which is good enough for me at this point. i gave him baby calpol this evening 20 mins before his bedtime feed and he took 160mls!! i couldnt believe it, so its definitely his teeth. all day he screams for feeds and then takes one suck and pulls away and then screams for it again, its torture. he will also take water from a sippy cup but will not drink milk from it. i have found however that me getting wound up or stressed about it makes him want to feed even less. i have been able to get a few feeds into him by having a cuddle in a quiet room and a little soft singing and rocking and then when hes really relaxed and calm trying to feed him. its worked a few times. my son does however, thankfull accept a dreamfeed. i trired one at 10pm last night and he refused it (i wanted a decent nights sleep as he gave me over a month of sleeping 12hours straight and now hes back to waking numerous times during the night. once for a feed and others for i guess reassurance as when i give him a cuddle he just falls back to sleep again) so left him to wake me when he wanted it and he started stiring at 1.30am and took about 120mls. hes so up and down and each feed i dont know whether it is going to go smoothly or the start of a melt down. hes been like this for about a week now. it is so hard. sorry i dont really have much advice but know that u are not alone. x

 

[Molatov]

I went to clinic today and saw a health visitor who basically told me I was worrying too much and that he has obviously transitioned onto food really nicely and just isn't hungry. She said that while the 'recommendation' is for a pint a day, that doesn't have to be through milk feeds and can be through his food. She said that my milk isn't nutritious enough to sustain him anymore, which made me sad. She also recommended a multivitamin.

I'm still not happy though my poor bub!