What to do during a nursing strike

What do I do during a nursing strike?

Nursing strikes are rare but can come for different reasons. A nursing strike is a sudden refusal of nursing. This is not weaning. Weaning is a gradual process over several weeks or even months. Some babies strike after negative stimuli. This could be yelling, mom being away longer than normal, pain, teething, supply changes or even illness. The most common misconception is that baby suddenly weaned, but there is always an underlying root cause. I encourage parents to make breasts a happy place for baby. A place of rest, nourishment, love and respect. In a strike the best thing to do is continue to offer chances to nurse (don’t ask- don’t offer is a weaning technique). You’ll want to be skin to skin, cobathe and even wear your child often. I also encourage parents to avoid bottles during a nursing strike and offer milk via cup or syringe. Mothers need to continue to remove milk frequently during a nursing strike. This is at least 8-12x in a 24 hour period. Nursing strikes can be very stressful for both mother and child. Approach the situation with grace and patience.