Stop breastfeeding

mercyagin · Jan 9, 2014

Please help me with your suggestions. My baby is 15 months old. She was eating only home made food . Never I gave her outside food. She was exclusively breastfeed for 6 months. She adjusted well with food after 6 months. Never had any problem in digesting anything. She used to have idlis, rotis, rice with differrent types of curry, fish and also all types of fruits and vegetables. Because of inlaw problem had to move out of the house before 4 months. After couple of days, her poop was in green colour. She also stopped eating homemade food made by me.

For few days, I tried giving her food from my uncle's house and she ate but very less. Then she completely stopped that also. I was very depressed and once when I gave her cake, she liked it and ate it. So many times I brought her cake to eat. After 4 months her infection is cured but still she is not eating food. she is not used to bottle feeding and does not like lactogen or any other milk. When I was pregnant, I had decided I would give my baby only homemade food and nothing else. But today I am feeling guilty about giving her junk foods. I am very much depressed and I am also falling sick because of it. I cry everyday.

Yesterday one doctor said to my mom that I should stop breastfeeding. I always wanted to feed my baby till she wants but today I am in confused state of mind. If I stop breastfeeding and still my baby does not start eating food then my baby would be hungry. Has anyone experienced this problem. Will stoping breastfeeding help my baby to start having homemade food?

mercyagin · Jan 9, 2014

68 view but no reply

Rakhii · Jan 9, 2014

Mercy, some of us have problems logging into IL this morning. Perhaps thats why you have not received reply.
We have to give what the baby wants to eat. Yes, junk foods are not advisable but we cannot starve them, can we? You did what you can. Dont beat yourself for this.

Did the doctor give any explanation as to what will improve once you stop breast feeding? It seems absurd that you have to stop breastfeeding when she is not eating much to begin with.

Chitravivek · Jan 9, 2014

OP. You need to give some clarification here. Where you giving your LO food when you were with your in laws or was ur MIL doing it. Also any change will definitely affect a kid. Your kid is 15 months and I can't agree more with your doc on stopping BM. Baby need more nutrients other than BM at this point. You may slowly stop weaning and not do it immediately. Check for teething too? Has she been refusing food in this last four months. If so that's a long period and you need to check with the pediatrician too. Try making some varieties and offering.

Laks09 · Jan 10, 2014

OP,
My doc recommended I stop nursing my 27 months old too. I did and guess what. He still does not eat much. Now he gets neither my milk nor food and I'm having a tough time with him. So wean if you are both ready but not with the hopes that she will eat better. He also was a good eater. Toddlers generally get picky with food. Its the age. Even babies who ate everything sometimes become picky toddlers who graze. It's definitely not something you did wrong, so don't take it personally. Keep offering her healthy food and don't force feed her. She will again start eating in time. A treat ocassionslly is ok but don't substitute a meal with cake. Kids are super smart. If you do that she will definitely not eat lunch because she knows cake is coming next. And even if you think she is not getting enough, no child starves themselves. I too have a tough time with my son but I know he will not go hungry.
Btw, try to limit the nursing to two-three sessions. If she is constantly nursing through the night then night wean her. Then she may be motivated to eat a little better. Mine never did though.

ramyaramani · Jan 10, 2014

First thing, do not guilt trip yourself again and again. Everything happens for a reason.

In India people say this: If a kid is still drinking Breastmilk after 12 months of age, then the kid will not eat solids. This is because of the sweet and unique taste of breast milk.

In my case my DD was still eating the same quantity of solids after weaning. But gradually it did start to increase. It took around 3 months for me to notice a distinct change. I weaned off DD when she was 22 months old.

As Chitra has asked did you give the food cooked by you before you moved out?

Every toddler goes through the non eating phase. This could be attributed to teething, growing taste buds, focus on playing with food rather than eating etc.

My suggestions would be:

Check if she is teething. Molar and canine teething are very painful.
Allow her to pick and eat herself.
Give her healthy food choices to eat in a meal i.e for lunch: try giving her two different veggies, little bit of rice, yogurt etc. The moment she stops eating one food item, switch to the next one.
Eat your lunch along with her. It is ok if she eats from your plate. It is to create an interest in her to eat/explore.
Breast feed only after a meal. Do not breast feed the moment she refuses to eat solids. Give her some time to explore the meal.
If you are still concerned about breastfeeding then try weaning off during one meal time and see.

karanu · Jan 10, 2014

Sharing my experience - my DD also used to eat very less around that age. I BF her till 23 months.

What I observed was that when she is very active and has some physical activity, her appetite would increase and eat well. Try taking her to a play area or a park nearby. Let her walk and play for atleast 30 min.

Dinny · Jan 10, 2014

There are many factors which can affect a child's eating habits including when she wakes up,what she eats,how often she eats and her physical activities.
First of all remember not all children eat the same quantity of food.And they would never starve themselves.But fluid is a must,you should be concerned when she takes lesser amount of fluids.
Toddlers begin to get choosy about their food and show resistance when forced.
Mercy I have a feeling that your child likes sweet things so you can try home made varieties of appams,pancakes with honey etc.
You can stop BFing your child as soon as she starts eating solids in 3 regular meals.But continuing as long as she wants would be bad not just for your child but also for you.The children who continue for a very long time (over 2and half years) such children tend to feed at night and this could be an impetus to cavities in teeth.To the mother there's always calcium deficiency risk.
So continue BFing only till the right age neither should you stop before it nor should you continue after it.
18months to 30 months should be appropriate IMO.
Try this thread
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/toddlers/231286-fussy-eaters-heres-guide-help.html

And yes I too had issues signing in yesterday

SUBHAARCHIE · Jan 10, 2014

Hi...Mercy...
I still breastfeed my toddler...My lactation consultant was ok with it...and told that there is no issues unless and until it is a less risk pregnancy...and the breastfeeding has nothing to do with the fetus's weight unless you have healthy lifestyle and eat healthy nutritious food...
Can you cross check with your doctor about the reasons to stop breastfeeding???if there is no valid reasons then why to stop bf?

guesshoo · Jan 12, 2014

Hi dear,

World Health Organisation recommends that children be breast fed for at least 2 years. While cow'a milk is bulky, breast milk is much more watery. Please look up websites like babycentre for feeding schedules and try to formulate one for your child.

Instead of stopping breast feeding totally, try to cut it down to three times a day, perhaps after each main meal or once in the morning, once before bed and once in the afternoon. Make sure you do not feed the baby at night.

When my dd was around 1, I started giving her water if she cried at night. As a result, 1. she started sleeping through the night, 2. Her appetite increased during the day since she wasn't getting her calorific (not nutritional) needs met at night.

Like others have suggested, try giving a variety of foods. Homemade is indeed wonderful, but you could give yourself a break now and again by trying some readymade branded baby foods too.

Children won't go hungry when they have access to food. Don't worry about that. They also get incredibly bored eating the same thing for the entire meal. You could try something like this- steam half a carrot cut into thick sticks, slice half a banana, half a slice of bread with peanut butter and offer them to your child on a plate. The variety should liven things up a bit for him. He will of course play with the food at first and make a mess. That is a good thing. Next step will be putting it in his mouth!

Ensure that you have a rough schedule for when he eats(also plays and sleeps), ensure you have a specific place that he should sit in while he eats, ensure that this place doesn't have distractions like tv turned or toys, so he can focus on the food. Be consistent and ensure you don't run around forcing him to eat. Also don't allow him to graze. If he walks away, just remain neutral and start playing with him.

In our parental frustration and anxiety, it is easy to fall prey to offering whatever the child eats. Don't blame yourself for the past, the past needn't dictate how your future should be. Relax but be consistent. Also show enthusiasm while you eat and show him how you enjoy your food. In a few days he will get the hang of eating at mealtimes.

take care dear