Please help! Nursing strike

[Lulubon]

I’m desperate for help my EBF baby is 15 weeks and has been actively refusing feeds for just under 2 weeks!
We had one day where he seemed to be back to normal and now is refusing again. He will feed about 3x in the night. But in the day he will scream and arch his back away when I even show him my breast. I can mange about 2 maximum 3 short feeds a day but it’s takes literally hours of offering. We’ve tried skin to skin, no distractions, emulating night feeds in day. Nothing helps.
Has anyone got any advice? Is there still hope? I’m at breaking point now

Have you seen your GP? If he's in pain could be ear infection or something? I have an 8 month old who is also currently semi on strike but he is teething really badly and had an ear infection for which we got antibiotics (not sure if they were needed but anyway) . Are they teething? It can start that early. Have you tried expressing and bottle feeding? I've found that to be massively helpful and he takes a bottle sometimes when he doesn't want to breastfeed . It's easier to get the milk out if they are in pain/discomfort. I feel for you as I'm also finding it very difficult! Also have you tried different positions? Like the laid back position or side to side in bed.

It’s just a phase and it will pass! x

I'm currently going through this with my 5 month old. I've found what helps is feeding her when she's sleepy (just woke up or even still asleep), feeding her while standing up and rocking her, & when that fails, expressing and feeding her from a bottle.

It's tough but as a pp said, it should just be a phase.

This happened with my dd, it is so stressful ! My GP “helpfully” said “Maybe she wants to stop now, it is about time” she was under twelve months and had been happily breast feeding until then . Grrr.
Anyway the annoying GP did check her ears and they were inflamed, so the theory was that it was painful for her to suck and swallow. I pumped for the two or three days it lasted and kept offering the breast and giving her milk from a spoon, she started feeding again as swiftly as she had stopped so I am sure it was pain related.
Teething pain in your case maybe ? Earache or a sore throat ?

Thank you everyone!
I’m certain he is teething he constantly has his hands in his mouth and is dribbling constantly.
I was worried I possibly traumatised him by giving him calpol a few weeks back after his jabs- holding him in the position I normally feed him in. He was screaming and coughing on it- I literally hate myself for giving it to him.
Laying side by side seems to be the only way he will feed during the night and day.
I’m worried my milk supply will deplete even with the pumping... I’m just so so not ready for BF to be over for us- I hoped to reach 1 minimum.

@SirVixofVixHall my health visitor also said this to me last week!! Unbelievable . My semi strike has been going on for a couple weeks but it's certainly teething as he has all four top ones coming at the same time! He's had a lot of calpol . The trick is to lie them on back propped on a cushion. Have calpol ready in syringe, hold a toy above to let baby grab and as he goes to put toy in mouth sneakily squirt some in . Repeat until syringe is empty! Much easier than trying to force in!

Mine fed for years after that with no more strikes ( yes I was knackered, she didn’t want to stop, and I had done a night feed for so long with one baby after another I didn’t mind either way) .

My baby is just older and has been fussy on the boob. A lot of the time I have to start to feed stood up rocking and shhhing, then once she’s settled and relaxed into the feed I can sit down. Not sure if that’s something you’ve tried?

Thank you everyone
The problem was definitely teething. He’s FINALLY started feeding again after just over 2 weeks 😅 praying it doesn’t happen again any time soon.

Good news ! Well done for persevering OP. He may never do it again, it was a one-off for my dd.

You could try and rub some teething gel on his gums about 20 min before a feed.