Been asked before I'm sure, but will someone talk me through feeding strikes, please?

[fettleandbabyfettle]

Basically, what are they? Why/when/how do they happen? Do they last for a long time? What can be done about them?

Sorry for the questions, but just trying to see if there is any reason for 7 month DS to suddenly not really want to feed during the day. He's gaining weight well (born on the 75th and now midway between 50th and 75th centiles), loves his solids (3 good meals a day), and has good 2 boob BF at 6.30pm and has 2-3 tiny snack feeds (5 mins max) during the night - so I'm not overly concerned about him currently. But he then doesn't really feed for rest of day.

He chews rather than sucks when offered a bottle or cup of formula, so doesn't really seem interested in that either.

So question is, is he getting enough breast milk? [I know I should probably try and cut out the nighttime snacks as that will encourage him to feed more first thing!]

Probably answered my own question, as he is perfectly happy and very smiley nearly all the time, but they recommend he still has 1 pint of formula/breast milk a day and I doubt he's getting that. I will also miss feeding him, if he's decided he wants to stop.

Thanks for any advice.

[chibi]

www.kellymom.com is good fro info on nusing strikes.

from my own experience -

are you offering milk before solid foods? at 7 months milk should take priority it is WAY too soon to not have milk

are you waiting until you get a clear sign that your ds is wanting milk before offering?Try offering more often - 'don't offer, don't refuse' is actually weaning strategy for stopping bf

try offering feeds when ds is sleepy/falling asleep/waking up, he may be more receptive

My dd went through a phase recently of going off the breast - I think it was a combo of too much solids + my period coming on (for the first time since conception!) that did it. I tried to 'seduce' her back to the breast IYSWIM by offering in the bath, when she was sleepy, trying to have skin to skin.

It worked for me but took some persistance.

Your milk supply is well established by now and can cope with these sorts of hiccups, so don't panic.

HTH

[mouseears]

my DD is 15 months. when she was about 8 months she went on a nursing strike that lasted 6 days. i was beside myself as she wouldnt take formula under any circumstances. there was no apparent 'trigger' for the strike - the books/websites often say it may be a reaction from the mother to a bite! over the 6 days she often went to take a feed and then turned her head away. this would upset her, as i think she was utterly confused, and it was just miserable. then on the 7th morning she just latched on and that was it - back to her normal feeding routine as though she'd never stopped. in fact she's still BF now but that's another story! she had another mini 1 day strike a few months after the first but since then she's been a very very enthusiastic feeder !! hope this helps

[fettleandbabyfettle]

Thanks for your replies - I think you've got a point with the period as it first started happening when I got my first one 6 weeks ago and then again now - so hopefully it will just be a week or so. He luckily(!) still is feeding while sleepy at night, but until he's back feeding during the day reliably, I'll stick with the night feeds.

[ten10]

Don't forget that the 'pint of milk' thing can be made up of breast milk, formula, and other dairy products like yogurt and cheese, so he might be getting enough milk if you are giving other dairy.

He might not be having a growth spurt at the moment and just isn't too hungry.

But unfortunately he might just be starting to want to wean off the breast, at 7 months my little boy had refused the breast at every feed except first thing in the morning, he wanted bottles instead. I tried to keep offering the breast but he was adament.

but it all turned out for the best as he got a tooth soon after 7 months and bit me so hard he drew blood and wouldn't let go, being on one breast feed a day made it easier for me to stop.
(not sure any of this helps)

[sparklyshoos]

My HV reassured me that at this stage, babies tend to self-regulate their intake of milk pretty well, and as long as he's still having a good couple of feeds and getting plenty of calcium based foods as well, he's probably getting what he needs. - Also, they do become much more efficient feeders at this stage, so he's probably getting more than you think.

One thing I did find that helped was a feeding necklace, jingle boobs I think it was called - google it if interested, there are probably loads of similar ones. It was just distracting enough that DS would play with it whilst having a quick feed in the day. might be worth a go?

• I had a bad bite like ten10 at 8mo, - in fact I ended up having to do one-sided feeding until DS reached 12mo and weaned naturally.

[fettleandbabyfettle]

Thanks for reaffirming what I'm feeling!

DS already has 2 teeth so I've been bitten a few times already! TBH, teething pain is probably also adding to his lack of feeding during the day. The day after one particularly bad day, his first tooth appeared!

I'll just keep perserving and try and find some interesting necklace for him to play with, as he is easily distracted. I just don't like it when he cries and just doesn't want to even try feeding - he doesn't cry very often (very lucky mother emoticon!), so it is more distressing when he does.

[Innat]

Just wanted to add my reassurance as i felt like my dd (8mo) was not drinking enough as she recently started having a few very short feeds. however when i express i can get tons of milk yet i don't feel engorged. so i think they do get a lot more efficient at drinking.

[fettleandbabyfettle]

I'm hoping that he is getting enough and not just going off it - I know it will be heart-breaking when I stop feeding him as he is going to our last (so DH says!), but I wanted to feed him at least until 9 months as that was how long I did with DD. In fact as I've not gone back to work yet, I was hoping to last longer than I did with her.

Will keep perserving, but he cried so hard when I tried to feed him this morning before lunch (he hadn't really had a proper feed since 6.30pm yesterday before that, just a few half-hearted attempts) but then downed 5 ozs of formula from a cup, so at least DH can now do evening/night feeds!

He has a horrible cold at the moment too, so maybe that is making a difference too? Here's hoping it gets better again!