Nursing Strike From My Teething Baby

Brittany - posted on 10/25/2009

I'm getting very discouraged. He seems to want nothing to do with nursing at all anymore. I've been topless for two days, in the bath, in the shower...the only way I got him to nurse was by tricking him with a bottle. He still wants the milk because he cries for it in a cup. My supply is going down and my nipples are sore and bruised from the constant pumping. Could he just want to wean? Or will he nurse again when the teething pain subsides? How long will that take?

Chelsea - posted on 10/25/2009

It took my daughter a few weeks to get back on track. My lactation consultant said that I should do the following (I was not offering her a bottle instead):

Spend time without a shirt on (not always possible but I did it sometimes)

Take baths together (she would nurse in the tub a lot of the time)

Try to nurse while walking and bouncing

Nurse in different positions

Praise a lot for the tiniest latch

Don't force but offer often and allow unlimited access throughout the day and night.

Spend time skin to skin.

I did all of the above and she slowly came back to nursing over time. It was very stressfull but it was best if I relaxed and accepted that she was leading this relationship in breastfeeding.

Brittany - posted on 10/25/2009

Thank you. I got him out of bed at 12:30 a.m. and gave him a bottle and then switched it with the breast while he was drowsy and he nursed for 15 minutes on both sides. I was soooo hopeful! But he just woke up about 30 minutes ago and I went to him and he started to take the breast, then just pulled away and refused again. I don't know if it was because before he had some motrin in him and was feeling a little better and by 4:30 a.m. iit had just worn off too much? I didn't try the bottle first this time. I just offered the breast first. Do I need to give the bottle every time and then do a switch? I am afraid this will backfire and make him want the bottle more again.

Anna - posted on 10/25/2009

My son went through a stage where he refused to nurse. What I would do it let him suck on my little finger for a while. It seemed to calm him down enough so that he would nurse.

Brittany - posted on 10/24/2009

UPDATE!!! He nursed! Someone on circle of mom's suggested to give him a bottle while sleeping and then "sneek in the boob" It worked. He nursed on both sides! Here's hoping for a smooth day tomorrow!

Brittany - posted on 10/24/2009

Chelsea, how long did it take for your daughter to resume nursing?

Brittany - posted on 10/24/2009

Of course if the strike continues I will just have to pump all of his milk. But it is MUCH harder to do this and keep up supply. I have been pumping for the last week NON STOP. My nipples are bruised. But I don't want to risk diminishing my supply. And he and I both miss the bonding. He is sooooo uncomfortable from teething, and Nursing has always been the best way to comfort him. When he falls down, I usually hold him, then nurse him. You can tell that he misses this too, but he still adamantly refuses.

Brittany - posted on 10/24/2009

April, how long did your son's strikes last? How old was he?

Chelsea - posted on 10/24/2009

Keep offering. It is very very rare for a child of this age not to go back to the breast. My daughter stopped wanting to nurse around that age and I just kept offering and now at 13 months old she still nurses. Just keep offering and praise for any latch.

As far as the information given about immunity. If your baby gets sick with something you don't have, havent had or have not come in contact with you can only make antibodies against it if the baby nurses directly from the breast. The saliva from the infant on your breast will travel to your immune system. Your immune system will make the antibody and send it back out through the milk to the baby. However, that does not mean that there are no benefits to giving expressed breastmilk. The nutrients alone do wonders for the growing child as well as the antibodies from things you can come in contact with.

April - posted on 10/24/2009

my son went through 2 nursing strikes and that was scary for me because he never learned to take a bottle. he came out of it ok and eventually nursed again. My LC told me that sometimes babies go on strike for no reason at all, but they usually find their way back to the boob. keep on offering him the breast...he may take it later on!

Brandy - posted on 10/24/2009

Well I wouldn't worry about the immunity thing if he can still drink it from a cup. As long as he is still getting the breastmilk in some form, then he is still getting the immunities. As for the comfort thing, I think once a child self-weans themself from the breast, you can't really force them to go back. It can be really upsetting; sometimes more for the mother than the child. I remember when I decided to start weaning my daughter slowly and I gave her formula for one feeding a day and thought I would do that for a month, then switch another and transition slowly but I gave her the formula once and she wouldn't take breastmilk again. She liked the taste of the formula I guess. I kept pumping and trying to feed it to her but she wouldn't take it at all. So I know how you feel but I don't know if there's any way to change his mind.

Mellisa - posted on 10/24/2009

If he refuses to nurse and you are concerned about his immunity, you can contine to pump instead and give it to him in a bottle. He still gets the benefits of breastmilk that way.