Dear Trish,
My heart goes out to you.
I have been reading all the wonderful responses to your question and there
seems to be so little to add.

I do have a small suggestion that you might like to consider. You said,

>he kept sticking his tongue out as he was drifting off to sleep. (He also
>does this first thing upon waking.)  It's as if he is putting it against
>the upper two teeth and playing with it up there, over and over.  So
>tonight, after watching him whine and fuss for an entire week with some GI
>bug, and not being able to console him at the breast, I guess I was so
>desperate, I saw him doing this licking thing and put my nipple up to his
>mouth, cheek to breast, and in his sleep, he turned right toward it and
>opened his mouth as if he would latch.  But then he opened his eyes, saw
>me, thought better of the whole idea, and went back to sleep with my breast
>next to his face.


Trish, I wonder if you could build on this?
As you know, it often happens that a reluctant nurser may be more amenable
to accepting the breast when he is half asleep. Since you are already
co-sleeping, perhaps you could make a point of offering your breast at those
times when he is just about to drift off to sleep or wake up, or even when
you happen to waken to find him in a light sleep with eyelids flickering.
This is something I have seen work with babies who are on a nursing strike,
and maybe it will work for you too. Sleeping without a top so that your
breasts are easily accessible seems to be a help too.

I know you said that you had tried slipping your nipple in when he was
actually sleeping, but not when he was in that inbetween stage of being
asleep and fully awake. If, in fact, you have already tried this strategy,
please forgive me for mentioning it. It is certainly not my intention to
cause you added stress. You have my deepest admiration for your persistance
in meeting both own and your baby's needs.


warmly,
Norma Ritter, IBCLC
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