Your Baby’s Breastfeeding and Nursing Strike: Causes and Solutions

As you have already welcomed home your newborn, it is now time to be a good mother and to take utmost care of your baby. This is the time to nurse and caress your baby so that the baby receives the most care and love. But there are certain issues that may arise during this time and these problems should be solved as soon as possible for the wellness of both the mother and the baby. One of such problems is when the baby goes on a breastfeeding strike. The baby refuses to consume its mother’s milk and on the other hand, the mother finds it difficult to feed the baby, so that it does not lack nutrition. Lots of psychological and physical issues are related to this problem of breastfeeding strike, but there are some effective measures too that will help you and your baby o be safe and healthy. As a new mother, it is important for you to know the possible reasons why your little one is going on a nursing strike and most importantly, how to resolve this problem.

So, it is for the new mothers and those who are planning for a pregnancy- let us discuss the possible reasons for a baby’s nursing strike and find out some ways that will effectively help us to make the newborn be fed successfully.

What Is A Breast- Feeding Strike?

A breastfeeding strike is when your baby refuses to have the mother’s breast milk for a couple of days or more and thus lacks enough nutrition According to recent studies and experiments, there can be several factors that will cause a baby to go on a nursing strike. Some of them might be because of the baby’s weakness or the exhaustion of the mother or it may be simply because of the uncomfortable position of the baby.

When a baby is on a breastfeeding strike, the mother feels naturally anxious about the baby’s nutrition, and she might feel upset about herself for not being able to feed her baby properly. Though the problem of the nursing strike is mostly temporary and might get solved within a few days, whenever you feel that the issue is continuing for quite a number of days and the problem is serious, do get the support of your health care expert.

Reasons For A Breast-Feeding Strike:

There are a lot of reasons that can make your baby refuse to breastfeed it is difficult to identify what exactly is happening in your case. When you are facing this problem, you can go and take the suggestions from a pediatrician or your concerned physician in pregnancy to know what is causing the issue in your case. But there are common causes that make a baby go on a breastfeeding strike. Some such reasons are as follows:

• The Position Of the Baby: It is very important to keep in mind that if the position of the baby is not good, then in most cases, the baby will go on a breastfeeding strike. In fact, the improper positioning of the baby is one of the most common factors that cause the baby to refuse to nurse. Until the baby is not positioned in your lap properly, the issue will not get resolved.

• Confusion With The Nipple: Do not make the mistake of providing a bottle to the baby right after birth. Let the baby suckle its mother’s milk. If you do so, you are not only depriving the baby of the necessary nutrients to build a proper immunity, but you are also confusing the suction material. So, when the baby consumes its mother’s milk later after using a bottle, it confuses the bottle with the nipples.

• If The Mother Is Sick: A major of breastfeeding occurs when the mother is sick herself. She will obviously feel tired and exhausted and will find it difficult to feed the baby properly. The baby will naturally go on a breastfeeding strike. So, if you feel you are sick or tired, then get the help of your health care expert as soon as possible. Sometimes it might happen that you as a new mother might feel stressed and in some cases, mothers are found to suffer from various mental health issues like post-partum anxiety and stress disorders. These issues will create parental gaps between you and your baby on the very first instances of breastfeeding strike. Try to seek therapy to resolve the issue immediately.

• Any Discomfort In The Breasts Or Breast Infection: Throughout your pregnancy, you are very likely to suffer from breast soreness, tenderness, tingling, and sometimes pain that might sometimes continue till the time of breastfeeding also. If your baby feels that you are having discomfort while feeding due to your tenderness or any kind of infection in your breasts, it may reject the nursing. At this moment it is very important to look for some professional help.

Other Factors That Can Cause A Nursing Strike:

Apart from the reasons mentioned above, there are some more factors that are also responsible for the baby’s refusal in breastfeeding. Some of them are listed below as follows:

• if the baby is sick with soreness or infection in its throat, or any kind of cut or wound in the mouth
• any uncomfortable condition of the baby that may involve pain in any area like the ear or especially in the mouth like dental problems such as pain in teeth or soreness in gums, any disease in the hands or foot, congestions that causes distractions while breastfeeding the baby
• Too low supply of milk or too much milk makes the baby less comfortable coping with the flow of milk
• If the mother is stressed, sick, or in any kind of distress
• If the environment is disturbing
• If the taste of milk suddenly changes due to the hormonal imbalances in the mother’s body

Ways To Solve A Breast-Feeding Strike For Your Baby:

1. Attend Breast- Feeding Classes:

When you are in your closing days of pregnancy, try to talk to an expert pediatrician and start to take up maternity and breastfeeding classes so that you do not mess up once your baby arrives home. Doing these classes help you to learn in detail how to breastfeed, what you should do to breast- feed your baby successfully, and most importantly- what you should not do to make your child go on a breastfeeding strike. In fact, your concerned physician and midwife will also provide you with proper guidance for this.

2. Make Your Baby Calm First:

Make the baby calm and cool before you try to feed it. If necessary, create an ambience that is calm and cool and is free from any loud noise or any kind of similar distractions. Make the room a little dark and switch off all the bright lights. Doing these might help your baby to get the milk finally.

3. Take Your Doctor’s Help:

The best way to prevent your baby from going for a breast- feeding strike is to talk to your health care expert about the correct processes and the ‘Do’s and Don’ts of breastfeeding your newborn baby.

Other Solutions to Prevent Nursing- Strike:

• Alternate the positions: The position in which the baby is kept while it is fed is a very important factor. So you should always try to keep the baby in different positions while breast- feeding.

• Try to create a skin to skin interaction with your baby that can happen when you lie, sleep or rest and let the baby feel your breasts. For this, you also might need to cuddle your baby and keep the baby close to you.

• A baby should ideally be nursed in a room with less bright lights to keep the ambience calm and avoid distractions.

• Stress management: When the mother herself remains stressed, it might get difficult for her to feed the baby properly. So the mother needs to do stress management- stay calm, positive, and relaxed to resolve the baby’s nursing strike.

• The baby might bite: Insome cases it has been found that the baby can bite the mother’s nipples, but as a mother do not get agitated. One method that may work here is insert one of your fingers your baby’s mouth to break the suction and then you can easily feed the baby.

• Do not give up: At the end of the day, you are the mother to the baby. So try not to give up for the sake of your baby. Even if the baby is on a nursing strike, caress it, love it, and if you want to take a break, take it and then again try to feed your baby sometime later. Try to feed the baby when it is tired and has given up all its energies.