9 month old refusing to nurse

Jessie - posted on 03/31/2010

My son did the same thing after quite a few biting yelps. I never gave him anything else I just said "no biting" firmly (out of pain) and waited a little while (minutes) and tried again. There were a few nites we cried together I was so overwhelmed with the situation and he was so upset and confused, but I was diligent and eventually he started nursing again, with a few nips here and there and the same reaction he eventually got it. Then he started playing around to see my reaction. It's always fun. :)
Just keep reminding yourself that it is just a blip in time like all of the other things we go through with opur kids if you stick with it before you know it you will be into a new faze. My son is turning 2 in about a week and nurses enough that I still leak when he gets a let down. weird.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 03/26/2010

Good to hear! I had to space my daughter's feedings out by about 30 minutes too! I just forgot that info :)

Christina - posted on 03/26/2010

The nursing strike ended a couple of week ago. We took a nap together and he tried nursing a little after he woke up. It was good to have a whole weekend to focus on getting him back to nursing. If he didn't nurse, then he would get a sippy cup. I spaced out his feeding a little (maybe waiting about 30 minutes longer than normal) to see ifg being a little more hungry would help. Just thought I'd share in case this info helps out another mom.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 03/07/2010

I'm not sure what all you've tried... when my daughter went through a little strike at that age the only time I could get her to nurse was when she was really sleepy or already asleep. Have you tried to dream feed (nursing him while he's already asleep, offering the breast frequently, nursing in a dark/quiet room? Here's a link:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby...
There are additional resources at the very bottom on nursing strikes. Keep trying! Good luck!

Patricia - posted on 03/07/2010

We just went through one with my near 9 month old. He doesn't have teeth yet though the gums are beginning to look a little inflamed. He used to "gum bite" sometimes and I too said no a couple times so I wonder if this led him to get upset and he would just look away and not want to even try to latch for about 3 days. One evening I was just laying in bed with him and with no pressure to try to feed him, we were just being playful. Eventually I slowly brought my nipple close and kinda played with his lips with my nipple and he would smile and laugh and eventually he allowed me to put it in his mouth. He just played and actually gummed it. I let him, of course I'm lucky that he has no teeth yet and this was not painful at all. After this interaction he latched the next time. I also suffered thru a let down issue while pumping during this time so I wasn't able to get much milk out either but he did eventually latch again. I can't say I have any solutions for moms who go through this, I suppose all I can say is hang in there, don't frustrate him, and it is most likely temporary!