He stopped nursing

ShanJohnNC

I am devastated. My LO has stopped nursing all of a sudden. I came home yesterday before going back out to a work event and he wouldn't nurse. I thought it was just because he ate 2 hrs prior. Well, he woke up at 12:30am and wouldn't take the breast. I mean screaming mouth open, boob in mouth and he wouldn't suck. I know he's eating more but there's never been nipple confusion before as he had a bottle in the hospital (he's 13 wks).

I'm pumping right now in tears as it's just hit me a couple days ago how I enjoy nursing. Literally just had a convo with my BFF about it yesterday afternoon.

I don't know what to do. Please help.

Gigglefest

My LO will sometimes do this when my letdown is slow and he is very hungry. Takes a minute for him to adjust that he needs to work a bit harder than the bottle, but he is usually fine after a few tries, and the next feeding is back to normal

kristine526

It could be a nursing strike. DD went through this a few weeks ago and I was completely devastated. After I got done with my pity party I tried working with her to get her to eat. The easiest way was to bait and switch with a pacifier when she wAs tired and slip my nip in her mouth. I also tried a bunch of different positions and switched boobs when she was getting frustrated.

It was the absolute hardest 36 hours of my short mommy-ing career, but it passed. It will pass for you guys too. As hard and upsetting as it is (I wanted to get her a raincoat because I was crying so much I was raining on her) try to stay calm. LO can sense stress and anxiety and it could be making it worse.

Hugs!

QOTR

Good luck!

LunaBug924

FTM here so no real experience, but I've heard and seen with friends that BF babies get "spoiled" with instant gratification of a bottle, especially if the person feeding is giving it too quickly. So like pp said, he could just be frustrated that he's not getting it fast enough. I've read the suggestion to express some milk onto your nips first and give him a taste to get his interest. Also trying to start before he's frantically hungry may help.

Many (((hugs))). Don't give up just yet. Good luck!

bazingaa

Try a nipple shield. He could be confused with the feel of real boob after sucking on the silicone nipple. The nipple shield is going to give him the bottle feel while being the real thing for you.

Lild09

My guys done this a couple times...hungry and frantic but won't nurse just crying on my breast (he gets a bottle 2 x a day). What I do is I take him off and get up walk around and calm him, give him a soother. Once he's calm I latch him on...sometimes I have to calm him twice before he will take. Good luck momma!

blessednewmom1

Could he be sick??

yogasailmomma

This happened to me on Saturday. She was so upset and hungry and wouldn't take my boob for the first time ever, screaming with it in her mouth. It was absolutely terrible. We unfroze some milk eventually and gave her a bottle which she sucked right down, I was so sad! She passed out after that and slept pretty much through the night, wouldn't take the boob when I offered at 2am and just fell back asleep till 6. When she woke up she was starving and went right for the boob no problem.

No advice just wanted to say good luck and I hope it passes quickly. In think there is some info on kellymom about a nursing strike.

delatl

I've read that babies do this sometimes and it usually passes. Check out kellymom for some articles about it. Would link but am mobile. Try not to panic, try not to force it. When my LO did this about a month ago, I found I could give her a start with the bottle, calm her down, and then get her back on the breast.