Has anyone had experience with this? My previously ravenous nurser stopped cold. It has been since Thursday afternoon since he last nursed. He is sick (the stomach bug has made its rounds here), but at this point I can't tell whether it is the illness, or that he just wants to be done. This weekend he took some Pedialyte from a bottle, but has refused all liquids from any source today. I am pumping some and only got 4oz from one side (10oz from other) this am. My usual amount is 8-10oz. per side. How long should I try to keep pumping and trying to nurse? How will I know when he's just ready to be done with that phase of our lives? My other boys nursed and weaned themselves very gradually so this has me stymied! Thank you in advance for any advice.
Thank you for the advice. It's always nice to have people to give encouragement when needed. We had been to the ER and doctors during the last week, but he never really got dehydrated (thankfully) so there was nothing we could do but wait and see. He started nursing again last night. I guess he was waiting for me to start to panic. lol.
We had my daughter weaned completely by then. just give him formula or whole milk in a sippy or bottle. anthing to get the fluids into him will do. Good Luck!
It sounds like a nursing strike. These are really difficult (DD and I went through one at 8 1/2 months), but they DO end. Try calling your local La Leche League leader! You can get information for your local group through: http://www.llli.org/WebUS.html
Good luck!
Hi Jenifer,
Congrats for nursing your little guy for so long! Its great that you want to continue!
Babies rarely wean before 1 year. He is probably just on a nursing strike due to being sick. My daughter on a several day strike due to teething. Just keep trying, offer him the breast often and if he doesn't take it, pump to keep up your supply. My daughter would only nurse at night when she was really sleepy for a while...basically if i nursed her when she was half asleep she would nurse out of habit and forget she was on strike!
I read about toddlers who have gone on nursing strikes of 40 days or more and due to persistent mothers eventually resumed BFeeding! I am not sure I could be that persistent myself but I urge you to stick with it for a few days/weeks to make sure he is really weaning and not just on strike.
Try to stay relaxed especially when trying to nurse, they definitely know when we stress out. To help you relax and help your milk supply stay up drink plenty of water and try having a single beer (dark is better) in the evening, the hops can greatly help your milk supply. A la leche leader might also be able to give you more advice or moral support.
Best of Luck!
M
Hello J. A,
My son suddenly stopped nursing at 13 months. I was prepared to have to ween him by age two but he weened me! All at once. I was very confused because it was so abrupt. I kept trying to get him to nurse but he simple no longer wanted to! He began eating solids at about 5-6 months so we transitioned completely at that point. Good luck, mention it to your doctor but he is probably fine without it now.
Maybe you need to check with your pediatrician because I heard it is not good if they refuse drinks whatsovever and my kids, even with stomach bugs, nursed even if they didn't take anything else.
J. -
I just went through a similar situation with my younger babe. I ended up pumping and feeding him sitting up for several days. Turns out he had a sinus infection and the pressure of reclining into our typical nursing position hurt too much. Of course, I don't know if that is the situation with your little guy, but I'm just throwing it out there.
Good Luck,
L.
sounds like a little of both,
Your probably drying up, and he doesn't need to love nurse this week, because he feels sick,
Offer him 2 oz of pedialyte every 20 minutes see if he can keep that down,
pinch his finger tips, see how long it takes for the color to return, if it doesn't turn pink right away he could be dehydrating
M
my daughter did the same thing 2 weeks before her 1st birthday! i was so upset -- i so badly wanted to hit the one year mark! i felt that my experience was more than a strike -- she was very "independent" by then, and enjoyed the freedom of her cup -- she was done! i tried for several days to encourage it, to no avail. i finally said i'd rather end on a happy note than have memories of my trying to force her forever more. good luck with whatever you decide!
I would keep trying at quiet times until you are confident he is healthy and feeling himself...and if then he has no interest, well he's done...at this age they are so busy exploring sometimes it's just to confining to nurse(especially during the day)...he may want to at night or not at all...good luck...
