Nursing Strike or Ready to Wean?

10 months is young for a baby to self wean, it is probably a strike. I would guess it's due to teething. Keep offering him the breast when you normally would and don't let him see you get frustrated if he refuses. He'll come back. He still needs you so much.

Hi L.,

I just went through this last week with my 10 month old daughter. It was terrifying and so sad for me, but it all worked out. She literally went to bed fine one night and woke up the next morning refusing to nurse. I ended up pumping what I could (it wasn't much) and letting her sip it through a straw or a sippy cup. It was about 90 degrees when she was doing this, so I did give her some water and pedialiyte that I had on had just to make sure she didn't get dehydrated. To encourage her to nurse, I would offer it often and what seemed to work was to do it when she was sleepy. I also brought her to bed with me so she could nurse at night since she didn't seem to mind that. After three days, she just went back to normal, acting like nothing ever happened (but had four new teeth to show for it!). I did get a lot of advice and encouragement from my friends and La Leche Leader which got me through it. I had nursed my twins for two years with few problems, so I knew she probably wasn't ready to wean. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Hi L.. I went through the same thing when my daughter was 9 months old. My daughter's refusal to nurse came out of nowhere, lasted a few days, and just went away almost as quickly as it came. She would cry and arch her back and turn away from me when I tried to nurse her. I don't know what caused it. I also thought that she was ready to wean and felt saddened by it because I wasn't ready. Turns out she was just on a strike because she will be one year old on Wednesday, and we are still going strong! :0)

If you are willing to continue breastfeeding, I wouldn't stop. Your son probably isn't trying to wean. He may just be on a strike like my daughter was. I think as they grow and develop and learn to do things like crawl, stand, and walk, they would rather do those things than be still and nurse. Kind of like how they start to hate diaper changes because it takes too much time out of their day when they could be doing something else. :0)

Keep offering him the breast and really try not to put the milk in a cup. It's okay if he misses a feeding every now and then. If you can, maybe even try to spend the day with him while you are topless and let him nurse whenever the fancy strikes him. This seems kind of odd, but I found out (by accident) that if I am holding my daughter while I am topless she often starts to nurse (even it's just for a few seconds or minutes).

Good luck, and hang in there!
J.

I went through the exact same thing at the exact same time! My son had just started crawling, so the excitement of that kept him from wanting to nurse for a few days right when he was 10.5 months old. I was determined to nurse for at least a year, so I found that taking him to a dark, quiet room and laying down with him did the trick. He got right back into the swing of things, and didn't fully wean for another 1.5 years! I never expected to go that long, but it was what felt right, he self-weaned, and I felt REALLY good about when we were finished. It's a totally personal thing, so just do what feels right to you. Good luck!

This is a nrusing strike and not weaning. Babies do not self wean at 10, 11 even 12 months. Don't get me wrong, they will wean at those ages - but it is not baby led, it's other factors influencing the situation and then how it is handled. Get some support. Call a LLL leader, call a LC In the mean time. pump, offer lots of cuddle and skin to skin time. Trying napping or sleeping together. Avoid the milk in sippies. (no juice either) and always offer to nurse before any solids. Try offering when your baby is sleepy - or even asleep. But get some support. Nursing strikes can be frustrating. Some resources:

http://www.llli.org/NB/NBstrikes.html

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/striketips.asp

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/back-to-breast.html

This might be the ideal time to let it go if you are planning to soon anyway. He has lost interest for the time being; I had a similar experience at 12 mo. when the walking started. I just let it become gradually less-no muss no fuss. It made the process very easy.

I have not yet experienced this but I happened to have just spoken to another woman who did experience this and spoke with lactation consultants. Evidently, babies will often go on nursing strikes such as this for 1-2 weeks and then go back to nursing again. So, she was encouraged to continue pumping and be patient until the baby is ready to nurse again. I hope this works for you!

It is very possible that he is dealing with some pre-teething pain. As your baby's teeth form and move through the gum tissue, they can cause disruption in everything from sleep to eating habits. They may not show up for a few more months, but if your son is also drooling a bit more than normal, or has had an unexpected diaper rash for no apparent reason, he is probably feeling out of sorts because of the discomfort in his gums. I have some tips for helping to sooth teething pain on my blog here: http://tripibabytips.blogspot.com/2009/05/5-tips-for-natu...
I hope you find this helpful!
-N.

www.kellymom.com is a terrific way to get great breastfeeding help.

this is common at that age for bottle fed babies too, so don't think weaning will save you frustration! I have found it linked to them liking table food so much and to them teething. Once a day will be fine, your body and he will adjust. Start pumping a bit and giving it to him in a cup (NOT BOTTLE AT THIS AGE) during meal times and offer him water otherwise, but seriously, this is age appropriate. No reason to go to formula if he is nursing at night, he'll get enough.

I cried for a day when my daughter weaned. It was very sad. We started the process around 10.5 months because she was teething and wasn't nursing as much, so I saw it as the perfect opportunity to get things moving.

This might be a good window to begin the weaning process (it took us 4 weeks and then she self-weaned and never asked to be nursed again).

usually teething. If he only nurses once a day for a little bit thats fine! just make sure you offer fluids in a cup and calcium rich foods. Most likely your child will continue to nurse in a few days!

I went through the exact same thing -- several times! When my son was teething or learning a new skill or my period returned, he didn't want to nurse. I kept at it, but I would certainly understand why you wouldn't. Once my son reached a year, though, nursing became so much easier. Of course! Right when I had hoped to wean! We're down to one session of nursing a day (at 14 months) -- and it's hard to think about totally giving it up because he's so happy with it now.

Hi I was a long time nursing mom to my son. At first I had little milestones- 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year- like your self. Then I thought, why are we stopping on that date? It seemed arbitrary and inconsistent with other reasons why I nursed (focusing on what was best for my son). In the end I stopped nursing because I went back on the birth control pill. My hormones were crazy and the pill always helped me be more even. I started with a progesterone only pill, which you can take while you nurse, but soon enough I needed a combination pill. And so nursing ended- David was 2! I felt sad to end, but also liberated.

Keep it personal and there are so many varieties of parenting- stick with what works for you.

S. Botana PHD
Local Childcare Coordinator with Cultural Care Au Pair
sbotana.aupairnews.com

2 out of my 3 were weaned by 11mo and on whole milk

Lay in a tub, and allow your child to relax on your chest. Make it a calming effect, then try to offer him the breast. Hopefully, he will eventually start nursing again, and then he probably won't stop....