Aunty Lactivist is all of us, the idea being that we can help each other with our experiences and knowledge.
So please comment below and help this mum.
“Dear Aunty Lactivist,
T is 13 months. Up til his birthday he was still breastfeeding in the day time, about once in the afternoon but he seems to have dropped that feed somewhere along the line. So now he feeds on waking in the morning and at bedtime or at least he did til last night.
Last night he wouldn’t breastfeed, latched on had a little suck but came off and wouldn’t go back on. I think he’s teething and I’ve given him calpol at bedtime as that seems to be the time he is most distressed. Last night he cried but not too much after I sang to him and he went off to sleep without the boob. I ended up picking him up at around 8.30 and doing a dream feed and then he went all night til 6 when he woke for the day and had another feed.
Tonight he did the same but screamed and screamed when I put him in his cot, I kept going back and offering the boob but he kept pushing me away and crying more.
He finally settled after a sip of water and me singing again
Is this him weaning? With my daughter the bedtime feed was the last to go. I’m not ready for this to end, he’s just a baby.
Do you think it might be his teeth hurting? He’s been wearing an amber teething necklace and is absolutely fine during the day but I have to take it off when he goes to bed.
Any advice welcome please. x”
“Any old Cow” Short Sleeved T 3-6 months 
Mummy Milk Rocks – Shopping Bag 
Care Instructions – Shopping Bag 
“Any old Cow” Short Sleeved T 6-12 months 
Any Old Cow – Shopping Bag 
I checked the ever fantastic kellymom.com and found this http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/back-to-breast.html it says that “Babies rarely wean on their own before 18-24 months, and self-weaning is almost never abrupt.”
If you look further down that page there is a list of links about nursing strikes, including one about a 40 day strike! I hope you don’t have to go that long.
Have you changed anything in your diet? it is possible that he can taste something different in your milk, I wonder if milk changes taste before a period also, but that thought has just come to me and I haven’t researched it.
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This is a blog post by Juno who did Breastfeeding Peer Councillor training – she talks a little about nursing strikes and about how they are trained to reasure mums that they will pass http://www.lactivist.net/?p=230
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I have had this issue with teething, it is painful when they suck so they can’t feed – try giving him some pain relief, wait for it to work and try again. If it works after that, it is probably the pain from teething.
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Thanks ladies. I know it’s unusual for a baby to self wean this early but I guess I was just worried. Last night he woke around 11.30 and had a feed which suggests he was missing his bedtime feed. He fed fine this morning as usual.
Hopefully he will feed tonight as I’m working a night shift, if he doesn’t feed at bedtime he won’t get anymore til morning.
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It was good to re-read that post – I should read them all to refresh myself!
For the skin-to-skin & relaxation, maybe you could try having a bath together at bedtime? He might be tempted to feed in the bath.
Also, using a ring sling might help – depending on how easy you find carrying your toddler in that position.
Hope that helps!
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Thanks Juno,
I’m not sure how easy skin to skin or having a bath together would be, I have a 3.5 year old too. As for a sling, I’ve never carried either of my 2 due to health problems in the early days and I don’t think 13 months would be the best time to start, it would wreck my back.
Thanks though x
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My second child was very abrupt in weaning, sorry, perhaps I am the exception to the rule. One day when she was about 7 months she wouldn’t feed, the next day she wouldn’t feed. Then after that she seemed either uninterested or she simply couldn’t remember it any more. I’m not sure I would have called it a strike. After two days of not feeding I no longer really had any milk to offer. I did miss the feeding though. I don’t remember eating anything different. She wasn’t teething at the time. And she seemed perfectly happy with the situation.
It sounds more like he wants the comforting attention of the bedtime routine without the milk. He sounds like he’s still feeding well in the morning. Maybe he will be the other way round to your daughter and give up the evening feed first! If you can still keep your milk supply without getting any pain/discomfort, then a few days of doing it all slightly differently probably won’t really do him much harm.
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Well I come with good news! Last night he went back to the breast and had a lovely feed and even better than that he has breastfed this afternoon too which he hasn’t done in weeks!! And he fed tonight at bedtime too so we’re back to normal! Feeling really good and happy that my boy still wants to breastfeed. Thanks for your support and advice everyone x
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Here is an article by The Analytical Armadillo all about nursing strikes – http://analyticalarmadillo.blogspot.com/2010/10/breastfeedingnursing-strike-top-tips.html
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