A Completely-Unrelated-to-Anything-Else-on-My-Blog Post
Jul 9th, 2008 by michelle
Grace woke up this morning and decided NOT to nurse at all!
Before today, she was nursing about 5 times a day; sometimes more. I am shocked! And a little bummed. We couldn’t make it to your 1st birthday? It is less than a month away.
David weaned himself right after I was pregnant with Grace (I’ve read that the milk changes in taste when you are pregnant). But that was a gradual thing.
Grace’s “weaning” was sudden, too sudden. I somehow feel rejected. I know this is irrational, but she has always been a mama’s girl and people always used to joke that she was going to nurse forever. I guess not. She fights me if I even attempt to nurse her, but she will take a bottle. She loves bottles.
Anyone else experience anything like this??
Congratulations to both of you on this milestone. Rejoice that she’s precocious.
I would keep trying… you shouldn’t loose your milk right away and I have read that it is common for babies to “strike.”
From Dr. Sears:
” In breastfeeding circles, this annoying quirk is dubbed a “nursing strike.” It’s especially frustrating for nursing mothers who are not yet ready to wean their baby and who believe baby isn’t ready to wean either. Nursing strikes are most common following some upset in routine, such as a family trip, a move, a parent changing jobs, or a prolonged separation from one or both parents. But many times it’s difficult to pinpoint the reason for the strike. Here are some ways to woo your baby back to breastfeeding:
Replay her favorite nursing situations. To entice your little “striker” back to the breast, try to relive her favorite nursing situations, such as nursing in a beloved rocking chair. Sit down in the rocking chair and hold her in the nursing position next to your breast while you thumb through a picture book. This scene may trigger fond memories of nursing and rocking and may encourage her to nurse. When one of our babies went on a nursing strike, what worked was nursing her in the bathtub. My daughter loved taking a bath with my wife and enjoyed nursing while half-immersed in warm water. Hopefully, revisiting a scene such as this will prompt your baby to resume nursing.
Nap nurse. This is usually the best way to woo a baby back to the breast, especially if she was previously accustomed to nursing while lying down in your bed. Pick a time of the day when you are most tired and your baby is most hungry.
Minimize distractions. At 10 months of age, babies can become easily distracted while nursing, especially if there is a lot of commotion in the room. Try what is dubbed “closet nursing.” Pick a couple times of the day when she is most hungry. Go into a dark, quiet room, sit in a comfortable chair, sing her favorite lullaby, and let her nurse.
Slow down on other feedings. Continue to try to nurse her before you feed her other foods. Decrease the volume of solid foods and even supplemental bottles. You want to replant the idea in her mind (and her tummy) that food comes primarily from nursing, and secondarily from the plate and the bottles.
At 10 months of age it’s unlikely that your baby is truly ready to wean, although it is possible. Try not to get so frustrated or impatient that your baby feels she is being forced to nurse. Go gradually with the above tips, and most likely, your nursing striker will return to extended breastfeeding within a week or two.”
HTH!!
I’d keep trying too, especially if you don’t feel ready to wean. All the best, Rebeca
I never had this problem, but I agree that you should keep trying for a few more days…just don’t stress about it because she’ll feel that.
I’ve never been able to get my babies to take bottles so I’m of no help to you. Sounds like you got good advice though. I’d keep trying too, since it sounds like you’d like to continue nursing. Hope it works out!
I’m not any help either, but I agree, maybe it is something like the heat?
Hugs.