Your baby has nursed several times per day since the day she was born. She skips her breast milk "breakfast," then turns the nummies down again after lunch. By later that afternoon, you've got a hungry baby, two over-filled breasts, and no clue how to solve the problem.
I've been there. One day when my daughter was about six months old, she had very suddenly stopped nursing for a day and a half. With no bottles or breast pump, she and I endured some of the most challenging experiences of her infancy. If your baby has suddenly stopped nursing-- a behavior known as a "nursing strike"-- here are some of the most common causes.
1. Something scared her. This was, in my case, the reason for my baby's nursing strike. The night before the nursing strike began, my baby had bitten me while I was breastfeeding her. Startled and hurt, I had cried out loudly. This, of course, startled her and prevented her from wanting to nurse again. I didn't recognize this as the cause of the nursing strike until the next day, but I believe she was afraid to nurse because I had startled her.
2. Something is hurting him. If your baby is teething or has a sore in his mouth, it may be painful for him to nurse. In this case, he may boycott the boob until his hunger finally becomes harder to tolerate than the pain of nursing. Check your baby's mouth for signs of infection or inflammation. You may see a white "fuzz"-- a yeast infection known as thrush-- on his tongue. He may also have emerging teeth or a small cut in his mouth. In some cases, ear infections can cause pain during nursing.
3. Your milk's taste has changed. If you very recently started using a new supplement or made a radical change in your diet, this could affect the flavor of your breast milk. Some prescription drugs may also pass into milk and affect its taste. Although it is a myth that women must "pump and dump" after exercise, extreme physical activity may slightly alter your milk's taste, causing your baby to reject the breast.
4. He's having trouble breathing. Your baby may go through a nursing strike during a cold or another upper-respiratory infection. If his nose is clogged with phlegm, he can't breathe and nurse at the same time. This leads to gagging, aspiration and other discomforts. If your baby's congestion is severe enough to event him from nursing, you may need to use a suction bulb to remove mucus from his nasal passages.
5. You smell different. Very young babies are extremely sensitive to changes in smell. If your baby is under three months old, she likely recognizes you by your scent as much as your face and voice. If you have recently switched to a strong-smelling shampoo, soap, perfume or deodorant, your baby may react to this change by refusing to nurse. This is especially the case if the fragrance irritates her respiratory tract.
6. She's ready to wean. If you have an older baby, nearing one year of age, it's possible that she's an unusually early weaner and prepared to stop nursing entirely. However, this is only rarely the case with younger babies. If your baby is eating a wide variety of solid foods and regularly consuming other fluids, she may already be prepared to wean herself.
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