moms.. I need a lil help. So my lil daughter is 8 months old now. and we are going through a new and exciting nursing hell. For about a week she's just not into nursing. First she was biting (but then he stopped that) but now she refuses the boob after 5 minutes or so. I'm covered in scratches. I know my supply has gone down, but she's still nursing ok about 3 times a day, it's just the mid morning and mid afternoon feedings that she's rowdy. any Ideas? I'm already nursing in a dark room, offering often, and wearing a nursing necklace. I should mention we've sleep trained so nursing is supposed to happen 5 or 6 times a day. I don't know if I just want to let it kinda dwindle down to no nursing or much less nursing, or what.

you are already doing it the right way, so don't beat yourself up for it. at this age, it is normal for some babies to start refusing the breast, and one of the ways they do it is getting a little aggressive. if your baby constantly keeps biting, it can lead to cuts and infection, in which case you will not able to feed. i would suggest instead of worrying about breastfeeding now, you increase her other food intake. and breast feed her when she asks for it. also, if she continues to bite, try expressing your milk in a bottle and then give it to her. my older one didn't stop till she was more than 2 years old, while the younger one completely stopped on her own at 10 months of age, very similarly to yours

Babies at her age are easily distracted because nursing now means sitting there for 10 minutes doing nothing. It can be boring as compared to crawling or trying to stand or even drinking from cups. It can be mistaken as a sign of weaning but is usually not as weaning occurs from 18-24 months. Try to increase your milk supply(with milk boosters or power pumping), offer breastmilk first then solids, and no sweet drinks. You can also engage your baby during nursing by singing or talking, playing finger games or giving her a toy to play with (she may not like the necklace). There's a lot of relevant information here: http://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/babyselfwean/

It is recommended that babies be exclusively breastfed for at least 6 months and supplemented with breast milk till the age of 1 year. Since she is 8 months, if nursing is a pain for both you and her, perhaps you could switch to feeding her expressed breast milk. If not, maybe she could be uncomfortable in the position. You can try switching positions so the both of you are relaxed. She could also be having a growth spurt. http://www.breastfeeding-problems.com/baby-fusses-at-breast.html

thanks