I have a 11 1/2 month old who has been nursing 6-7 times/day. She has 3 teeth. All of a sudden she decided that she is not going to nurse. She would not nurse in the middle of the night like she usually does, nor this morning or prior to her naps. She has not nursed for almost 20 hours. She is getting some liquid through her sippy cup. Also I did breast pump this morning as I was very engorged. I am not ready to stop nursing. I love nursing. Any ideas on what I can do to get her to nurse again. When I try to get her latched on she arches her back and just doesn't want anything to do with the breast. I consulted with a lactation consultant this morning. We problem solved. Last night she bite me. As a reflex response I hit her in the head. She cried a little, mostly out of shock. I think she is on strike because I hit her. Any thoughts??
My babies nursing strike only lasted 36 hours. I had the help of a lactation consultant, some of mamasouces responses and the internet. Thank you. I tried to get her to nurse when she was sleepy-didn't work. We both got in the bath tub together and I tried to nurse her there-didn't work. Then this morning when she woke-up, I brought her into my bed and she nursed, and has been nursing ever since then. Praise the Lord. I breast pumped throughout the day yesterday and gave her the breastmilk in a sippy cup and her oatmeal. We are back to normal:)
I know this is late, but you can also try latching her on while you're standing up. This worked for my daughter many years ago when she went on strike.
Hi There - I've read that 11-1/2 months is a common age for kids to ween themselves. Two of my three kids, and several of my nieces and nephews have similarly weened themselves at about 11-1/2 months. For those of us who want to do things by the book, it feels "wrong" to throw in the towel on nursing anything shy of 12 months, but if you plan to ween around 12 months I'd go with the natural desire of your child and let her ween herself now. It's always easier if the child leads the weening process.
If that were the case then we'd have a lot of starving young people out there. Who wouldn't react that way if they are bitten. Point is it's happened to you, to me and probably a lot of other people. Not saying she can't be doing that but eventually she's going to get hungry. I'd guess she's getting more teeth. And that can hurt so it might make her not want to suck.And if your breasts are engorged they might be harder to latch onto (or so I remember being told when I went to a very snotty doctor some years back who told me that and my child was a brand new baby. I was heartbroken. I'd nursed my first and was hoping the second would too and never did. Of course I can't wait to see all the other responses and finally let me tell you that I have a son approximately six foot tall- 23 years old who I imagine did the same thing when you mentioned it. He is well and healthy. Of course if you are worried you can check with the doctor, but since you talked to the lactation consultant you are on the right track.
Keep pumping at her normal feeding times, if she is refusing. Also, try to offer the breast when she is sleepy. If you have a sling or baby carrier, carrying her close to your body may help her nurse, as well.
D.,
You could also check out the La Leche League website www.llli.org . I had one who did strike for a day and half she ended having thrush. I mostly had babies trying out their new choppers and for the best way to stop that was to hug them in closer so they had to release the breast. Good Luck!
J. O
Keep trying with your little one. She may come back to it and she may not. At least she did go for almost a full year. I have known babies to stop within the first few months.
Don't let it get you down. You sound like you are trying your best and that is all any mother can do. Keep up the good work!
My son just went through the same thing at 11 months. Is she starting to stand or walk? Sometimes when they are starting to learn a new skill this happens (at least that was my case). After 2 days of very very little breastfeeding he returned to feeding without a problem. She may also be weaning herself. I know that isn't what you want. You can still pump and give her your breastmilk in a sippy cup. Good luck.
