Breastfeeding - Nursing Strikes

Sometimes a happily nursing baby will suddenly start refusing the breast for no apparent reason. What will you do if this happens to you?

Distinguishing nursing strikes from self-weaning:

• If you want to do what's best for your baby, you'll want to breastfeed her or him for as long as she or he wants.
• If your baby starts refusing the breast, you need to decide if it's a nursing strike or self-weaning. If it's a nursing strike, you'll want to coax your baby back into nursing. If it's self-weaning, you can be happy that you've had a fulfilling nursing relationship and your baby is now ready for her or his first step towards independence.
• You should assume it's a nursing strike if any of the following conditions hold:
  • Your baby is less than one year old. It's very rare for babies to self-wean this early. Furthermore, the nutritional and health benefits of breastfeeding are too great at this age to just let them go by.
  • Your baby starts refusing the breast abruptly. Self-weaning is a gradual process. Abrupt refusal of the breast is often caused by a traumatic experience at the breast (e.g., perhaps your baby bit you and was startled by your response).
  • Your baby is sick or particularly fussy or teething. She or he may go back to nursing when she or he gets better.
  • You've been away from your baby for a while. Many babies will reject the mother in such a case. Be kind and gentle, and you'll be nursing happily soon.
• Your baby may be self-weaning if she or he gradually starts nursing less often, and finally goes for several days without asking to nurse.

What to do if your baby is going through a nursing strike:

• Be kind and gentle. Don't be pushy.
• Try to nurse your baby when she or he is dozing. A sleepy baby will often be more willing to nurse than an alert one.
• Sleep with your baby. You might manage to put in a number of breastfeeds on a good night.
• Don't forget to pump or express milk.
  • to keep up your milk supply.
  • to provide extra breastmilk to feed your baby from a cup, spoon, syringe, or bottle.
  • to help prevent breast engorgement and mastitis.
• If you've been trying to teach your baby something new (especially toilet training), postpone it for a few weeks.

Back to the breastfeeding main page

Dear Reader:  You can help us make this website even better!

We'd love to hear your comments about this article!  Scroll down to sound off!  All of our articles and ideas have come from our imagination and from reader submissions.  Please use this form to contact us if you have articles, crafts, activities, games, recipes, songs or poems that you would like to add to this website. Make sure to stop by our mom friendly forums too!

Webmasters and Authors:

We will gladly include a link back to your site or book in exchange for sharing your content.  Just contact us!

Bookmark

Email This

Hits: 3056

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Write comment

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment Preview