Help ! 10 month old refusing breast - what to do ?!

[tomps]

Dd2 has been pretty much exclusively breast fed (apart from a couple of times when granny's looked after her) up to now. She's a blw-baby but has still been having lots of breastfeeds ... until yesterday. She has completely refused the breast since about 10am yesterday. When I've tried to 'force' her and got a nipple near her mouth she goes to nip me. So I've expressed and she's had some ebm from a cup, and some hipp follow on milk from a cup so I don't think she'll be dehydrated today. But I find this weird ! Has this happened to your baby ? I've never heard of this happening with a baby under 1. Should I keep expressing or keep trying to b/f or accept she's had enough and just offer formula ? Is it possible she's 'forgotten' how to latch on because she's teething and just has an urge to bite anything in her mouth ? If anybody has any suggestions or this has happened to you, I would love to hear from you !

OK thanks bedlambeast - will look at kellymom. She's been off sleepy feeds for over a week already - well at night time anyway. I'll have to resign myself to taking the pump on holiday ! Anyone else experienced this ?

Hi
I have a thread or two on the exact same issue!

Does sound like a nursing strike. DS is currently on his THIRD one.
The first two were linked to teething and lasted 4-5 days.

Try keeping your boobs out and available without forcing DD to feed.
Most people say to avoid bottles and give milk in a cup (or not at all). Co-bathing and skin-to-skin also good. Both of these things helped us the first couple of strikes.

Is horrible that feeling of rejection isn't it? And then if you aren't feeding you get a hormone crash that makes you a big weepy puddle for a few days (or maybe that's just me .

Wouldn't give too much credence to my advice though because DS has now been on strike for 9 days with no sign of coming back!

Hi wuglegg, I'll have a look at your threads. Sorry you're on third strike - hard work. Dd is happy with ebf and formula from a cup, completely not interested in boobs and we're going to a friend's house for a week now so no opportunities for hanging around topless. Now my boobs seem to have gone on strike too ! Haven't been able to express since this morning (just about to try tonight before bed) so this may just be the end of breastfeeding for dd. I don't think she minds ! I did mind yesterday and felt very emotional before reading all about it on mumsnet and kellymom, now it feels fine. Good luck to you wuglegg though if you're hoping to get your ds back on it. Hope it works out for you.

Sounds like teething! DS always tries to bite me when he's coping with new teeth coming through, and I have to grin and bear it while he learns to accommodate his new teeth and adjust his latch. Try being relaxed and topless this weekend - you will still have milk in there, don't worry! But if you're stressed at all, then expressing is more difficult (I can't get a drop out when I'm wound up). Try offering her the boob with her in different positions to the usual, in case she's associating her normal position with teething pain. (I found that DS wouldn't feed at all unless bolt upright on my lap, during his nursing strike.)

I think babies naturally wean at this age, my babe was fully bf but, at 9 mths that was it, i did try for couple of weeks+ after but unfortunately that was it.
My poor boobs made milk for the next 2 mths in the vain hope!

How are things going tomps?

No luck this end.....my boobs are used to expressing though so supply isn't too much of a problem.

I've had nursing strikes and I always find them v stressful and distressing. It's v v young for a baby this age to self-wean so I think its unlikely. The best help I got, was to offer a feed when they're drowsy in the bed. DD nearly always took that feed, saved some expressing, hope its over soon.

Hello. Can I join in too? Have posted separately before I saw this post. DD is 12 months and has refused to feed at all today. The past few days she's refused one of her two feeds (she normally has first thing and at bedtime).

I feel really upset about it, even though I was beginning to think about giving up fairly soon. She has been ill so I think that could be why, but because she is ill I am even more worried about her not feeding.

I am just about to dig out the dreaded pump in an attempt to keep up supply.

Well we went on holiday, I did take the pump but gave up trying when nothing came out ! Dd v happy with hipp follow on from a cup. I did offer once while we were away and she made a half hearted attempt to latch on but teeth got in the way. She really didn't seem bothered. I'm still leaking a bit - hope it doesn't go on for 2 months like serant ! On the plus side I can start taking agnus castus again - it's great for levelling out those hormones ! Fadingfast I hope you don't be too upset if your dd doesn't want to bf anymore. It is lovely, but if you were thinking about giving up anyway, try to focus on the positives - eg new bra ! rather than missing the feeding. If you do express and she drinks that then you don't need to worry about her getting dehydrated or whatever.