I am currently exclusively nursing my 7 month old. I pump and give her a bottle every now and then and she does fine with that. She just cut her first tooth on Tuesday and I had no problems nursing leading up to or just after this. The past 24 hours she has been clamping her mouth shut a feeding time despite being hungry. I keep offering her, and she will finally get mad and cry and then latch on. I have not pumped and offered her any bottles despite this because I didn't want to send the message that we are through with nursing. She is not showing any signs of illness that might be preventing her from wanting to feed from the breast. I have a 4 and a 2 1/2 year old that I nursed too, and neither of them weaned themselves so I am not sure what is going on. Does this sound like my baby is trying to say that she's through nursing? I would appreciate any insight or experiences you could share with me.
the other suggestions seem great and right on target
something else I thought of was have you changed soap/lotion/laundry detergent/fabric softener?
best wishes
D.,
It sounds like your little one is having a nursing strike. This is totally normal and does not indicate that she's going to stop nursing. The most important thing to do is keep offering and pump if you feel the need to maintain supply.
Right around 7/8 months, my daughter started being more and more interested in the world around her and nursing sort of fell on the back burner. Whenever we were home, I made a real effort to make sure and offer the breast at least every 2 hours. It's a little trickier when out and about, but I tried to go no longer than 3-4 hours ever without offering.
Babies left to wean naturally will not wean without assistance before 18 months and most will easily nurse to 2 years or longer unless encouraged to wean. Decreasing the frequency you offer the breast could lead to weaning.
Is she crawling yet or close to it? It may be that she's about to make a big developmental leap and she's making some adjustments. My DD is 10 days shy of 15 months and still nursing around the clock. Congratulations Mama on on making it to 6 months of nursing and for being that much closer to the recommended 1 year!!!
S.
Hi, D.!
Please let me reassure you, that what you both are going through right now is a textbook "Nursing Strike". She's not weaning herself though. If you allow a child to wean themselves, and they don't get a lot of bottles, they almost NEVER do so before a year. In fact, most children won't start to wean themselves till closer to 18 mos or so.
Nursing strikes are extremely common during times of stress, such as teething. I mean, her main source of comfort--her mouth, has all of a sudden become a huge source of pain. Eating can be uncomfortable.
Some things that you can do to try & encourage her to nurse are:
*taking her in a calm, dimly lit or dark room & try nursing her there.
*Try some Hyland's Teething Tablets
*Apply a cold washcloth to her gums before nursing
*Wear her in a sling skin-to-skin (her in just a diaper & you w/o a shirt & bra. The contact often naturally stimulates them to nurse.
*Very calmly & patiently keep offering several times a day. Eventually, she WILL come around!
Nursing strikes rarely last more than 1-2 weeks. I had the misfortune of going through several with my daughter (my 1st) and her longest was almost 2 wks. It was horrible, so you have my deepest sympathy!
You can also find TONS of info on www.KellyMom.com
Hang in there! As they say, this too shall pass!
A.
It doesn't sound like she is weaning herself. It sounds like a nursing strike but I don't know why she is doing it. Have you changed your eating habits lately? Does she do it more after you have eaten a certain food?
She is at the age where she will begin to be more interested in what is going on around her. Perhaps she just doesn't want to miss something that is going on. Have you noticed if it is happening in a room where her siblings are playing or something else is going on? If it is, maybe try going to a quiet room to see if she still gives you the problems.
Of course, her mouth may still be bothering her from the teething even though the tooth is through. Her mouth is probably still healing and adjusting to the new tooth.
Maybe try feeding her a little earlier than she is used to or if that doesn't work hold off for 15-30 minutes. Perhaps she just needs to adjust her feeding schedule a little.
I wish I could be more help. These are just some of the possible problems I can think of. My best suggestion, though, is if you can't figure out what it is over the next couple of days, contact your local La Leche League leader. She may be able to give you more information and help you through this tough spot. I know our local one really helped me with my son when he was a baby (he's now 4).
Best of luck.
Hi D.,
I am a grandmother, with 4 children of my own, whom I nursed. The youngest 2 children I nursed for 2&1/2 years and 3 years. I also have 4 grandchildren, of which 3 have been nursed, the yougest is still nursing. I doubt your little one is through with nursing, it is pretty unlikely that she would wean herself at so young an age. It may be that her gums are very sore and it hurts to nurse. Try putting some numbing medicine on the gums before you nurse, find one that is not distasteful. Try to remain calm, sing to her, rock her. Don't dispare, this too shall pass.
Grandmom Deb
Wow-- 7 months of exclusive bfing. I'm impressed! What an accomplishment!
I agree that it is probably a nursing strike brought on by teething. If you don't want to wean, you'll just have to work through this-- offer the breast frequently, and pump if she isn't taking it. As long as she's have 3 wet diapers a day, don't worry about what she's eating, just keeping your milk supply up.
Hi D.,
Contact your local La Leche League International representative.
Hope this helps. D.
It is VERY unlikely that your baby is weaning. It is much more likely that she's getting more teeth, and nursing hurts right now. You are definitely doing the right thing by continuing to offering to nurse. You could try giving her some tylenol to see if she nurses without fussing if she has a little pain relief, especially if there is a time of the day when she nurses more frequently since you probably don't want to give it contantly. You could also try other things that relieve teething pain just before nursing (cold teethers, etc) if she'll take them.
I have heard oragel going both ways - some teething babies nurse much more comfortably after having a little bit put on their gums. Others won't nurse at all after having it put on, because they can't feel their lips/mouth properly and don't know what to do. You could try it once to see how it works for your little one.
Good luck! Hopefully the next tooth will pop through soon and you'll be past this!
Do you think she may have another tooth on the way? Maybe it's hurting her to nurse? Just a thought......
It is very rare for a baby to wean herself before age 1...they are just "programmed", if you will, to nurse until at least that time (that insured our survival in the caveman days!)
Sounds like she is having teething, pressure in ear...I actually just read the other posts and they are all fantastic! I second calling LLLeague or there is also the Breastfeeding Clinic (in Squirrel Hill Pittsburgh)...I don't have the # offhand but they are VERY helpful and will counsel you over the phone...:)
Oh, and maybe try different positions nursing...there maybe one that she will find more comfortable for her particular issue..
P.s. Good for you for nursing this long and continuing your committment! You get a gold star, Mommy!!
She could be. She could also just be sore from teething. Don't force it unless she is not gettin enough liquids. And if she just refuses the breast, try the bottle or sippy cup and see if that is what she really wants.
Could it be she is starting with an ear infection? My daughter never shows any signs of having a ear infection she just won't take her bottle or nuk. Both of her sisters did the same thing...just stopped eating, no fever, no runny nose nothing. Just a thought.
Good Luck!
Have you ever used teething tablets? They're homeopathic and worked great for us. Maybe baby doesn't want to nurse because she remembers how much it hurts? Good luck!
Hi D.,
It is very rare for a baby to self-wean prior to 1 year of age. It is unlikely that your baby is weaning, but more likely that her hesitancy to nurse is caused by either her teething (which might make it painful for her) or she may be going through a nursing strike. The best thing that you can do is to keep offering your breast as often as possible and try to nurse her in a quiet comfortable environment. Nursing strikes typically last 1-2 weeks - so just give her a little time and keep nursing her as often as you can and soon enough she will be back to her old self. Here is a link to where you can read about nursing strikes online:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/back-to-breast.h...
Good luck!
J.
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It sounds liek there may be soem pressure from cutting her first tooth, or maybe another is right behind. Try a gum massage prior to nursing.
OTherwise....
Has your diet changed at all? Any new foods?
Good Luck
