Breastfeeding Strike or Bottle preference? Help!

[Wandering]

Hi everyone. My baby is 10 weeks old now and we had a bad start to breastfeeding. I got mastitis when he was 5 days old (never been in so much pain in my life) and ended up stopping bfing and going to formula. by day 9 I started feeling better and regretted my decision to stop bfing so started pumping to get my supply up again and went to mixed feeding. From day 9 he's been having about 50% breastfeeds and 50% bottles. If we go out for the day he might have more bottles or if we stay in for the day he might have more breastfeeds it just depends.

This has always worked great for us up until now. About a week ago he just started to refuse to breastfeed out of nowhere. He's still happily having bottles so I know there's nothing wrong with him like ear infection etc its just like he's suddenly decided he hates the boob! He just screams and refuses to latch on. Could this be bottle preference? Can it come on so suddenly and so late on after he's happily been breastfeeding for the last 2 months?

Any ideas on how I can remedy this if it is a bottle preference? I've tried everything I can think of. offering the boob when he's not hungry and just relaxed, offering when he's starving,pumping the let down and then offering, lots of skin to skin, giving him smaller slower flowing teats so he has to work for the milk out of the bottle more.. nothing is working!

I can sometimes get him to breastfeed in the night or early morning when he's dead sleepy but that seems to be the only time. I read somewhere that breastfeeding strikes can come on any time an last up to 10 days..its been 7 days now so I'm preying that its that and he'll just go back to how he was again but something is telling me that he's just prefering the bottle now and there's nothing I can do about it.

So it seems like our breastfeeding journey is coming to an end when I'm really not ready for it too Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, I'm willing to try anything.

 

[jessmke]

My DD went on a nursing strike around 8 weeks old and it lasted for 2 weeks. She would have an occasional bottle of expressed milk but not on a regular basis. We stopped all bottles and pacifiers and I ended up dreamfeeding her for almost every meal. It was tricky because I had to catch her when she was in just the right state if sleepiness for it to work. I could also get her to nurse sometimes if we took a nice hot bath together. The strike happened just as my breasts softened. My daughter has been diagnosed with a tongue and upper lip tie and the nurse thinks she had a difficult time latching once my breasts softened and changed shape. Even now she gets a much better latch if I have a full boob. She would get very gassy because she swallows quite a bit of air when she nurses so I started her on a probiotic and suddenly she started nursing again. I don't know if it was the probiotic that did anything or if she just figured how to latch on softer boobs.

Could you stop bottles and just breastfeed until you gets over the strike? Also try the baths, they worked really well for us. Sometimes we would take 4 baths a day just so she would nurse!

 

[noon_child]

A nursing strike and bottle preference aren't necessarily two different things. Bottle preference can cause a nursing strike because a strike is just a description of refusing the breast (through pain, dislike, illness, teething, bottle preference, tongue tie etc. etc.).

I wish I had some great advice but I have no quick fix. Reassuring a baby by talking and singing is good advice for all strikes, plus not letting him get too hysterical while in the bf position or he'll associate it with being upset - so if he's getting too worked up, switch him to your shoulder or wherever and try to calm him before trying again. I really hope someone here has great tips for you.

 

[kdmalk]

No advice, just here to offer reassurance. I had several frantic posts when my son did the same thing. I don't remember how long it lasted, but he eventually just gave up after a while and started nursing again with no problem. He has been fine since. Just here to say KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! It will get better! Hang in there!

 

[jessmke]

You can try holding him in a nursing position with a pacifier in his mouth and when he's not really paying attention or about to fall asleep quickly pull the pacifier out and stick the boob in his mouth. Worked for a friend of mine when her LO went on strike.

 

[Wandering]

Nursing strike is well and truly over! Thanks for all the suggestions they obviously helped