Breastfeeding Strike
All of sudden your baby has decided to stop nursing. You’re uncomfortable and baby is miserable too – but what do you do?
A breastfeeding strike does not mean that your baby has weaned. Usually, a breastfeeding strike happens abruptly and weaning occurs over days or weeks.
If you are experiencing a breastfeeding strike, you are probably feeling anxious and sadness over your baby’s rejection of the breast, not to mention soreness from baby not relieving the pressure of full breasts. You may even feel like you’re coming down with mastitis.
photo credit: dlisbona
The good news is that once you figure out the cause, a breastfeeding strike is only temporary and there is something you can do to help your baby resume his or her schedule.
• If you are under an unusual amount of stress, your baby probably feels that. Try relaxation techniques to help you relax before nursing. Deep breathing helps. Try to be patient with your baby. There is a good reason he’s not nursing. It’s not a rejection of you as his mother. More about stress and breastfeeding.
• If your baby recently bit you while feeding and you yelled or jumped, your baby may have been scared of the reaction. Speak to your baby in a soft, gentle voice right before nursing and try to hold your baby without your shirt on to comfort him or her. Try taking baths together and see if you can nurse in the tub. It seems strange, but sometimes babies will nurse in the bathtub when they have trouble everywhere else!
• If you changed laundry soap, perfume, or lotion, your baby may not like it and not want to nurse because of it. It could be an allergy or sensitivity.
• Check to see if your baby has thrush or is teething to find out if there is discomfort while nursing. Earaches, ear infection, sore throat and other illnesses are very common causes of breastfeeding strike. When my youngest (my 4th child and the only one who ever went through a strike) was a baby, she came down with tonsilitis and refused to nurse for a few days. It was stressful and miserable for both of us and many tears were shed on both sides, but we got through it. My story of nursing strike appears here.
• Most importantly, be patient and calm. Your baby should return to nursing within four days. Wear baby in a sling as much as possible for that skin to skin contact that will comfort both of you and help woo baby back to the breast. Finally, remember to pump or hand express so you don’t become engorged and risk mastitis. If the strike doesn’t end after a few days or you’re emotional and worried, speak with a Lactation Consultant or La Leche League leader. Sometimes it’s helpful just talking about it until it’s over.
Tags: breastfeeding challenges
