Was your baby breastfeeding going well until he started refusing the breast? He’s probably having a nursing strike. What are the causes of this phenomenon? How to reverse the trend? Answers and advice from Carole Hervé, IBCLC lactation consultant.
It may be that overnight your child refuses to breastfeed. An extremely confusing situation and difficult for breastfeeding mothers and this, especially since breastfeeding was going well until then. Several reasons can explain this sudden change, in particular the suckling strike. A more common phenomenon than you might think. Update with Carole Hervé, IBCLC lactation consultant.
Breastfeeding strike: what is it?
Breastfeeding strike is defined as a sudden rejection of the breast by a baby under one year old.. Although this situation is relatively frequent, the subject remains very little mentioned. “The mother feels rejected, she has the impression that her baby no longer wants her, when this is not the case. You should know that the baby needs to suckle, breast milk can remain the basis of the child’s diet until he is 3. As he grows up, when he has had his fill of feedings and his fill of mom, he will naturally turn away from the breast. themselves before a year. Below that age, he does what is called a suckling strike.“comments Carole Hervé.
Breastfeeding strike: at what age?
In children, the suckling strike often begins around 4 months, sometimes earlier.
What Causes Nursing Strike?
Most often, the suckling strike is linked to insufficient lactation in relation to the needs of the child. “There is a lot of talk about breast-pacifier confusion when in reality a baby will always prefer the breast. If he no longer takes the breast after the bottle has been introduced, it is simply because the bottle offers milk in larger quantities. Let’s take the example of an adult who is thirsty. If he goes to the tap and it drips, he is not going to wait half an hour to drink. Well, the same goes for the baby!”, argues the lactation consultant. In other words, if the baby turns away from the breast, the fact that he has a pacifier or a bottle does not change anything, all he wants is flow. The mother has milk but it does not flow as quickly as he would like so he gets angry and turns away from the breast. ofother factors can explain this brutal refusal of the breast: painful teething, mouth ulcers, oral thrush, sore throat, nasopharyngitis, otitis, mastitis… In addition to these medical reasons, there is also the sensory aspect: the baby loves the smell of mommy. “If she suddenly changes shower gel, deodorant, perfume, this disturbs the baby because this sensory is not familiar to him. He has the impression that it is no longer his mother so he rejects the breast!”says the specialist.
Breastfeeding strike or natural weaning?
Remember that a baby under one year of age never weans himself. Let’s imagine that the baby suffers from a pathology which has not yet been detected: if he refuses the breast, it is not because he no longer needs it, but because he is too ill to suckle. “A sick baby signals to us that he needs medical attention when he stops latching. Beyond age, it is the suddenness that confirms that it is a suckling strike and not natural weaning“details our interlocutor.
Baby does not want to breastfeed anymore, what to do?
First of all, we make sure that the nutritional needs of the child are met. In case of regular stimulation, the mother will maintain a high lactation (800ml at D15 and this will not change or almost until the age of 6 months). A baby in pain can go a few days without being breastfed. “If he does not want to take the breast while awake, we can offer her a syringe, a spoon or a bottle of breast milk. It will be necessary to go and seize the archaic reflexes of the baby when he is in a state of agitated awakening to give him the breast. Be careful, the idea is not to force him but to invite him by offering him the breast very often“, advises Carole Hervé. You have to make sure that it is very often close to the breast: in babywearing, by taking a bath with mom, by putting it skin to skin as often as possible. With repetition, it eventually works. In the presence of a medical cause, its treatment will be enough to end the suckling strike and the baby will resume suckling naturally. Finally, he is recommended that mothers express their milk regularly in order to maintain lactation.
Thanks to Carole Hervé, IBCLC lactation consultant and author of My tailor-made breastfeeding published by Albin Michel and Choisir d’alaiter, ed. First