Nursing strike - lo refuses to breastfeed

arg · Feb 22, 2008 10:22AM

Hi, my lo is 10 months old and is on a nursing strike for the 2nd time where she is refusing to breastfeed. She had a throat infection at 8 months and didn't feed for 6 days during which time I expressed 18oz a day to keep up my supply which was hard work! When she got better she went back to feeding normally. She has never had a bottle or teat so I had to cup feed her when she wasn't feeding from me.
Now at 10 months she is doing the same and hasn't fed for 3 days. Like last time I don't believe this is natural weaning as she is unwell so will express until she is better and try to encourage her to go back to breastfeeding although I have got a freezer full of expressed milk which would last until she is a year if she won't ever feed again.
Her refusing to feed is quite upsetting although not as bad as last time when I was devestated but she came back so I am hoping she will do the same this time.
I would just love to hear from anyone else who has had similar experiences as I am tired from expressing especially while she is unwell too. I don't want to stop yet unless that is what she really wants and am fed up with people saying that I should stop now because she is 10 months anyway.
Thanks xx

EnglebertW_nkface · Feb 6, 2008 1:41PM

Millie did almost exactly the same thing! She stopped for a couple of days when she was about nine months and then stopped again at 10 1/2 months. I expressed for about a week, although i never got very much but eventually I admitted defeat. Millie never drank the expressed milk and wouldn't touch formula or cows milk either. I think she just decided that she didn't like milk much and solids were far more interesting. If I'm honest Millie was never a very enthusiastic feeder so I suppose I shouldn't have been too suprised she weaned herself early. It was really disapointing as I planned to fed untill a year, but at least I achived what I set out to as she never had any formula. I would persevere for a few days and see what happens but don't be to disapointed is she doesn't go back to feeding. Look on the brightside, at least you will have been spared the job of weaning her which by all accounts can be very hard!

arg · Feb 6, 2008 3:52PM

Thanks Bedhead, co-incidentally, I'd just been saying to hubbie, maybe she just doesn't want milk anymore and if she doesn't then there isn't a lot I can do about it and yes I did want to feed her forever, but have been wondering how I would get on with feeding a 3 year old in the rugby position which is the way she has always fed!
How did you get Millie back to feeding the first time?
I will carry on expressing until she is better and have always got the ebm which I have been adding to the bits of food she has been having so at least she still won't get formula which I am happy about and like you, was my goal.
It's really difficult to know how much to express as I obviously don't know how much she was taking from me and think I overdid it a bit on the first day as I got 16 oz in total then had a hard and lumpy right breast in the morning - and I don't really want to get mastits again at this stage!
Anyway, thanks for sharing with me, it has made me feel better xx

arg · Feb 21, 2008 5:48PM

Just an update to say that the nursing strike only lasted 4 days this time which was bad enough, and expressing 16 oz a day was so awful - but like last time, it was such a relief when lo fed from me again and is feeding normally again now.

Hope that encourages anyone else who might experience the same x

EnglebertW_nkface · Feb 22, 2008 6:53AM

Only just seen your last reply so sorry I didn't reply before. I just kept offering it and after a couple of days she started feeding again. When she actually stopped for good it was different, she used to bite down hard and then pull back, as she had 8 teeth by that point it was agony so I gave up trying after a few days. I did try to express but as she didn't drink that either I gave up! I'm now expecting again and I'm almost hoping that the same thing happens again as it did make weaning very easy!

sarahaston29 · Feb 22, 2008 8:50AM

hi ya just to say my lo does this every now and again for a couple of days i dont worry about it no more as he soon goes back to it i just express for the days he dont want it to keep milk supply up

arg · Feb 22, 2008 10:22AM

Thanks to you both for your replies - my lo is 11 months next week so we are very nearly at the 1 year that I wanted to get to. I will probably be posting in a few months to say how do I get her to stop feeding!

sarahasaton29 - how old is your lo? How much do you express when he isn't feeding? How and what does he drink then? Do you know why he stops feeding? You sound very laid back about it which is great although I was more laid back the 2nd time because I knew she went back to feeding after the 1st time

Nursing strike - lo refuses to breastfeed

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