What it is
Your baby is refusing the breast, and she was fine last week. You are searching 'nursing strike' or 'won't latch anymore' and wondering if this is weaning. It almost never is. A strike is a sudden refusal with a cause: a stuffy nose, an ear infection, teething, a bite that got a loud reaction, or a stressful week.
What's typical
Strikes are most common between three and nine months. Most last two to five days; some go to ten. The baby may cry at the breast, arch away, or take a few sucks and stop. Strikes end suddenly, often at night or in the bath.
What's known
La Leche League and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine describe strikes as temporary, with ear infections, congestion, and teething the top causes. True self-weaning is gradual and rare before 12 months.
What helps
- Offer when the baby is sleepy or just waking. Do not push when she is upset.
- Skin-to-skin in a warm bath or a dark room. Many strikes break there.
- Pump or hand express at feed times to protect supply. Offer that milk by cup or bottle.
When to call someone
- Nowa baby who will not take anything by any method for eight hours, or who is listless.
- Todayfewer wet diapers, fever, ear pulling, or refusal past two days in a baby under six months.
- At your next visita strike past a week, or repeated strikes. A lactation consultant can check supply, flow, and the baby's mouth.
Who helps
Tools: Birthworker Directory
Related
- Biting and teething at the breastFeeding Your Baby
- Is my baby getting enough?Feeding Your Baby
- Weaning: gradual, abrupt, and baby-ledFeeding Your Baby
- When to call the pediatrician (and when to go in)Baby Basics
What mothers here say
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Sources
- La Leche League International — Nursing strikes
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine — Clinical protocol on breastfeeding the healthy term infant
Sources are named, not yet linked. The steward verifies each one and adds the link.
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