Nursing strike experiences..

[Jenijena]

LO is 1 on Sunday and has been on a nursing strike since Tuesday evening. This time last week he was getting four feeds a day, morning, afternoon (usually expressed in a bottle), evening and during the night. From Sunday I cut out the afternoon feed (how I wish I'd 'given in' on Tuesday afternoon when he pawed at me, might have been my last feed).

He had a 36 hr strike a few weeks ago - probably due to me yelping when he bit me. For morning and evening he has, until this evening, latched on for five seconds, bit me, and come off - I'm not reacting to the bites. Miraculously (but suspiciously - only 4/5 time hes done it) he has slept through both nights since he has been on strike.

Is it likely to come back or is he self weaning? Ive read some of the happy endings on LLL but i guess these are fairly rare...? What should I do about my poor rejected boobs, going from 4 to 0 in a few days? (I have been expressing a little, and tonight gave him some in a bottle which he drank, slowly). Supply has never been a problem - I had a bath with him this morning and was playfully squirting him in the face - but I have had some major mastitis type things.

And if this is the end - and initially I thought I'd be finishing at 2,3,6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and I'd recently adjusted to the idea of feeding for as long as he wanted ironic, huh - how do I deal with the sadness and the return of AF and not having an excuse to eat cake?

He's very happy... Hungrier for solid food, but no problems at all... I've done some naked cuddles etc but no interest :(

And he's now slept through three nights in a row! So no middle if the night feeds (which have been a daily feature for 360 days...!)

We've just come out of a strike - it only lasted about 48 hours so not as long as yours but suddenly she just wanted milk again! I think ours was due to a cold and teething. She would just bite and then come off, she would take about an ounce out of a bottle but wasn't really interested in milk at all. And then one day she just started feeding again and now we're back on track. Good luck

Just thought I'd update, nearly two weeks I and he's not interested. I think this is the end, though am expressing every day or so so he can have some milk. I'm sad, but trying to think of positives. My periods restarted this week so I wonder if the hormonal changes triggered something.

Well tonight he latched on for two gulps, came off, latched again for two gulps, and bit me (I smiled), was the first time he'd tried for a week (had something similar in the first couple of days). So my this-is-the-last-time-i-do-bedtime-topless experiment wont be last time. Thank you WouldBe for the encouragement. I had many early issues with breastfeeding but its the thing I'm most proud of in my life, and so sad that its ending. Although wearing nice normal bras has been GREAT (silver linings...)