After some issues with Aviana taking the bottle when I went back to work (High lipase issue) and Aviana becoming more and more distracted at the breast I was worried that she was not putting on enough weight. When I took her for her weight check at 3 months I was fully prepared to be told to supplement her again.
Aviana weighed in at 10lbs 12oz (4th percentile) at 3 months and 13 days old and 23″ tall (14th percentile). Although she is still off the charts for her height/weight ratio, the pediatrician was pleased at her continued weight gain along the curve so told me she wasn’t concerned. Looking at Aviana she is getting some nice little fat rolls on her thighs which the pediatrician was happy with. We count her rolls of fat! So no more weight checks until her 4 month wellness visit!
Aviana has become distracted and fussy at the breast noticeably since she has learned how to grab things…it was like she has become awake to the world. Sometimes she latches and pulls off quickly to look up at me, then re-latches, pulls off, smiles at me, re-latches etc. Which is actually sometimes so darn cute, I’m trying really hard not to encourage this behaviour! But of course she pulls off hard sometimes and that hurts!!! Then she gets frustrated she can’t re-latch quick enough and cries. Also I have not been able to feed her in public because she gets distracted and pissed at noise. I have resorted to feeding her in the car or under a nursing cover (which she HATES and I equally hate!).
Aviana’s weight progress – she is following her own curve nicely 🙂
I went to my local la leche league breastfeeding support group to ask about all of this. Apparently this is very common at this age – it’s called distracted nursing. There is no telling how long this will last for, but many of the women in the group have experienced this! Phew…so it’s kind of normal! Their tips included: nursing in quiet places (ok i got that one!!), using a comfort toy or blanket at the breast to distract them from the distractions, singing to her and rocking. Yesterday I was out and about and needed to nurse in public, I sat outside in the shade and I tried rocking/bouncing, that seemed to work quite well. I really hope this is just a quick phase because I want her to be able to feed anywhere! I feel soooooooo guilty and bad when she won’t nurse properly. She is not the kind of baby to make up for it at other times, she will easily skip a meal if she isn’t happy.
It is good news that the doctor is happy with Aviana just following her own weight curve. I enjoy breastfeeding Aviana (when she isn’t distracted) and I hope I can keep it up for at least 6 months is my goal – my stretch goal is 12 months. But this distracted nursing issue and having her low weight on my conscience has made me feel like giving up at times. They say to never give up on a bad day…and I’ve kept that in mind, it’s helped me to keep going. Plus going to the support group meetings and being a member of a facebook breastfeeding group has also kept me on the path to my goal. Breastfeeding is not easy, and I have had a pretty easy time of it compared to some people I know.
The Inconceivable Adventures of Parenthood 
Glad she’s growing on her curve, that’s all that matters! I get comments all the time on how tiny my baby is for 6 months but at least my doc (and I) see her as healthy.
Baby A started the distracted nursing around 4 months and she is now super quick and popping off all the time at 6 months. I still do night feeds because of this (she only eats 12oz at daycare over my being away 12 hours so I know she needs them). But the nipple clamp as she pulls off hurts! I find the rocking or butt patting during nursing works well, as does feeding her under a blanket or nursing cover to block out the surroundings. Hope it doesn’t last.
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Isn’t it funny how rocking and butt patting works??!! It’s tough and it’s only been going in for two weeks for me – you’ve done well to last 2 months of it!!!! It’s definitely not what I imagined my breastfeeding relationship to be like!
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Seriously but we make it work right?!
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People tell me ALL THE TIME when they ask how old C is “Oh, she’s so little!” I know my daughter is on the small side, it’s sort of annoying that everyone insists on telling me constantly. She’s also a very distracted eater over the past maybe month or so. Even just at home, she’ll pop off and just look up at me and smile, or look around for the cats or whatever. Nursing in public has become a struggle because she just wants to see what’s going on around her, wants to play with the nursing cover, etc. In public she’ll only usually nurse for 5-8 minutes at a time now. It does worry me a bit, especially because 3 weeks in a row she weighed the exact same thing!! (We have a scale at my mom’s group, though it’s not hugely accurate.) She went up today though. And the Dr never seems concerned about her size, so I try not to stress too much about it. I sometimes do the rocking and butt patting when nursing as well, it does seem to calm her some. Hopefully all of our littles settle down and just eat for us soon!!
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You know I meant to say that sometimes C looks just like Aviana!
It’s so interesting to hear you have had similar issues with distractions and equally worry about not getting enough. It’s not easy this breastfeeding thing!!
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You think so? So funny!! Did you see her Easter pic I posted? I don’t think it looks like her lol. And yeah, breastfeeding is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done!
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Yes I saw the sweetness!!! She does look like she is sat on a GIANT bunny – and honestly, I think all Easter bunnies are equally as scary as clowns!
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It’s funny, I chose that mall specifically for the looks of the bunny they showed on the website…but that’s not what was there when we got there!! The one on the website was cute. B said I should have demanded a refund lol.
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