My baby SCREAMED last night when I tried to nurse him?

[DeniseG]

I've been exclusively breastfeeding my 4 month old. He does get bottles of breastmilk at daycare and sometimes a bottle of formula at bedtime if my husband wants to feed him. Yesterday evening I went to nurse him the last time before bed and every time I put him to my breast he SCREAMED. He wouldn't even try to latch on and just cried and cried. I tried changing sides, burping him, calming him, but each time I tried to put him back to my breast he SCREAMED. My husband convinced me to try a bottle, so we did and he took it immediately.

This made me very depressed. Is he weaning himself? Has he figured out the bottle is easier? The thing is, this morning he nursed with no problem. Any ideas why he would have done that that one time last night?

 

[md]

Is there any possibility he is teething? When they begin cutting teeth, sucking hurts their mouths. As you know, it is a lot easier to get milk out of a bottle than a breast, so the bottle feeding doesn't hurt as badly.

Rub your fingers over his gums and see if you feel anything--my daughter cried for a week before I figured out she had begun teething.

Keep up the good work! Breastfeeding is hard work but so totally worth it!