My DD will be 5 mths next week, up until about 2 weeks ago she would happily take both breast at feed time. Now she will only feed from one and flat out refuses to take any more once she has pulled off from the first. How can i encourage her to take both again. She seems to be waking more at night now and is not as settled when previously I was blessed with her sleeping from 8-8 with only 1 feed overnight. Any suggestions would be wonderful!

I cant offer any advice.. But I am in the same boat, DD is combined fed due to Silent Reflux but she will only take the right side & point blank refuses the left, She is 5 1/2 mths so maybe its a phase?? She used to sleep through too but now wakes 4 hourly most nights!! Just thought it might help to know your not alone grin

My DD will be 5 mths next week, up until about 2 weeks ago she would happily take both breast at feed time. Now she will only feed from one and flat out refuses to take any more once she has pulled off from the first. How can i encourage her to take both again. She seems to be waking more at night now and is not as settled when previously I was blessed with her sleeping from 8-8 with only 1 feed overnight. Any suggestions would be wonderful!

i actually thought that it was normal for bub to favour one side....oh, actually, i just re read your post...sorry...u mean both at one feed. Maybe because shes nearly 5 mths shes wanting milk less and maybe becoming interested in food? or I know they feed more during growth spurts, perhaps shes been having one and now doesnt need as much milk? Could she be teething? They get unsettled and feed less sometimes. Unfortunatly, i have learnt from experience that you cant force them to eat... so I guess you could just offer feeds a little more regularly, and if she takes it then great .... sorry, I cant think of anything else.

It's that magical 5 month mark where everything that bubs had been doing seems to fly out the window. My plunket nurse said it was because they are going through a huge developmental stage. My wee man will also only take one side on occasions, but I think this is for two reasons first they get so efficient at getting all the milk out, one side is possibly enough, and the second they are getting so much more interested in what is happening around them and get distracted easier, whereas prior to this their feeds were what they were so focused on! My wee boy is nearly 6 months now, and since being on solids he appears to be a bit better at night (was sleeping through from 3 months) suddenly waking up all the time from 5 months! Good luck!

Thanks for the replies, it does help to know i am not alone, my first was such a great feeder and would feed all day if you let him. Not so with dd, very different bubs!
I have been thinking she might be teething as well, sometimes she manages to get a whole fist in her mouth......Guess time will tell there.
Many thanks once again.....

I found one side DS would take one way then when I'd change sides I'd have to change his position. so one side was a football hold and the other was across the body.

I actually was advised by my GP to feed from only one breast per feed, as a remedy for reflux. The milk becomes thicker and therefore more filling as the baby feeds, so if you encourage her to feed from one side only, she is taking more of the filling milk and therefore a smaller quantity of milk in total than if she was taking from both sides. (So a smaller quantity of milk in total should be easier on the stomach and therefore should aid reflux.)

In this situation though, you'd put the baby to a different side each time, so in Bella-Rose's Mummy's situation obviously this is a bit different.

But in response to the OP, maybe your daughter has figured this out for herself and maybe that's why she's satisfied after only feeding from one side. If you feel that she is still getting a substantial amount, then it definitely won't hurt her, and if you can alternate sides each time then it won't affect your supply either.