Allyson - I bet you're right on with distractions being a significant part of the issue here.  

This reminds me of when I went to visit a friend who was breastfeeding her third child.  She was a dedicated nurser for the first two, so I was surprised when she told me that she was going to wean her 3rd child (maybe 10 months old then?) due to biting.  She said he bit her constantly and no matter what she did, she couldn't get him to stop.  I happened to drop by her house one evening and found her nursing the baby standing upright in the kitchen.  She was holding him with one arm, his legs dangling, and with the other arm was gesturing and giving orders for her oldest child to practice piano, middle child do homework, husband wash dishes, etc.  Then all of a sudden she yelled, "ouch" and looked at me and said, "See - he bit me AGAIN."  My response - "I would have bit you, too!".

This is a classic example of how nursing is so much more than nutrition and a big part of it is social interaction.  Baby wants Mom to be present.

One thing that sometimes helps with an older distracted baby, is, of course, to get away from distractions.  If that isn't possible all the time, I find some babies are more content if they are sitting upright while nursing - perhaps straddling Mom's leg so they are facing each other.  My theory is they feel like they are more part of the action if they are upright.  Sometimes a nursing necklace or a toy can keep their attention towards the breast.  

I find some Moms continue to really control the feed with an older child and the child resists - pulling back.  Another one of my favorite stories is a Mom who continued to feed her older baby in the cross cradle position with a really firm grip on the back of her head.  Baby would pull head back and Mom would try to prevent it, thinking to protect the nipple, but more likely causing the problem.  I finally said to Mom, "Let's just try something.  Take your hand away from the baby's head."  Just a few seconds later, baby gently pulled her head back - KEEPING the nipple in her mouth - looked Mom in the eyes and SMILED.  It was PRICELESS!  Mom said, "She's never done that before." and I said something like "see how much she loves you and wants to interact with you".  Sometimes babies advance in the nursing relationship before Moms do.

Of course there could be something totally different going on in your Mom's case.  Any chance of thrush?

Ellen

Ellen Rubin, MA, IBCLC, LLLL

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome