nursing strike!!!!

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Have you tried dreamfeeding her?  Nursing her while she's asleep? Any chance she'd take it that way?

[abbysmomma]

I'll try contacting an LC today. Just so i'm clear: i should just feed her at night, no matter the method? so grab the bottle and spoon and go at it at night? she gets pretty agitated, but i'll give it a go tonight if she's still not nursing. i have tried in different positions, diff places in the house, lying down, sitting up. should i try grabbing her during her nap and see if she'll nurse then? i'll also go get a nipple shield. thanks for all the suggestions. i really appreciate it. this is getting really stressful...

[daisymelan]

I think what the other posters mean is that if she wakes, go ahead and try nursing her.  I don't think they intend for you to wake her up to feed her with the bottle or spoon. 

I would be tempted to to wake her and try nursing during her naps.  Sleepy babies usually feed best.

Have you tried using an eye dropper to feed her? 

HUGS to you.

[Samuel's mum]

Ideally you'll be responding to her hunger cues. So I'm not saying shake her awake and shove a spoon into her . If she's awake anyway I would start by offering a breast (once that you've already hand expressed which has drips of milk) and if she refuses breast then I would go with syringe of mik or dropper (so she doesn't have to completely sit up if she doesn't want to). I would also try a 'dreamfeed' at naptime or at night and offer her the breast when she's in a light sleep. Don't do any grabbing Just lie down next to her and have a go.

Good luck with the LC. Do keep pumping.

[abbysmomma]

I tried nursing her multiple times last night. She went hysterical and i eventually had to rock her to calm her down. Normally she only naps in her crib, but i could try and put her down in my bed, then lie next to her and hope that she nurses? Only thing with that is she's a big time roller, so i'd have to stay with her the whole time. and she's really not used to having someone around when she sleeps. i have a feeling that today's naps are going to suck.

but i'll give it a go. thanks for your replies.

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

What I've done at naptime is put pillows on the sides of the bed so she won't roll off. I'll leave her to fall asleep on her own, peaking in, then once she's asleep, I scoot along side and ease my nipple in - stroking her top lip in a downward fashion.  If she latches, then great, if not, I try again later in the sleep cycle.  The other thing I do is when she just starts stirring from the nap, I rush in, lay down and try to pop it in before she realizes she's awake.

[abbysmomma]

Tried nursing just as she was falling asleep for her nap. It made her really mad.
She slept about 1hr40min before i decided that i could try again - i eased her out of the crib then tried nursing. Again, one really mad baby. She went back to sleep when i put her in the crib. I'm getting concerned - she isn't really drooling anymore (yesterday i had to change her shirt it was so wet), her diaper this morning was yellow with pee (never seen that), and she isn't whining anymore today. You'd think i'd be happy that she isn't whining, but it's almost eerie. Almost dopey, come to think of it. I'll keep my eye on it. I'm going to a breastfeeding clinic tomorrow to see if someone could look at her try to feed.

For her next nap i'm going to put her in my bed and try your suggestions Erin. I'm also going to have a bath with her and see if she's interested then. Thanks for reading

[Samuel's mum]

Hmmm. Are you saying you fear she might be beginning to get dehydrated? Lack of drool and yellow pee are possible indicators of that.
If she's not interested in ebm does she drink water or juice? Or you could give her a popsicle made from dilute juice. Or a very watery fruit like melon.
I know she doesn't take a bottle but maybe it's worth a try.
Are there any other signs it might be a virus? Does she have a temperature?

Your comment about her lack of whining being eerie, I'm afraid sets off warning bells for me. Especially in the context of your comments about drool and pee and seeming dopey. I think listen to your instincts and don't be afraid to take her to the emergency room if you feel something isn't right. I know that is so not what you want some internet poster to say to you
But just trust your instincts.
If tonight doesn't go well I would certainly go back to the clinic tomorrow.

[abbysmomma]

We have sippy cup, sippy cup without the no-spill thingy, straw cup, a Nuby soft spout sippy cup, and a regular plain cup. None of them really work.  We are working on just drinking from a cup. i think maybe some of it ends up inside her instead of outside.

How long did it take for Kaleb to go back to the breast, Stacy? Just wondering how long this is going to last. She is uber sleepy today. Doesn't even make it through the bedtime story. I hope she's ok...

Oh, and the bath? She was having fun, playing with toys, so I slipped her into position, and she rewarded me with a nice fat poo.    So, i'll try again tomorrow.

I just saw your comment Samuel's mom. Yeah, it is making me really worried that she's getting dehydrated. However, she is getting more bm in today than yesterday. The yellow pee was the morning diaper, and she didn't have anything to drink during the night. The drool really worries me, since that was one of the things the doctor pointed out to me when i took her in yesterday. He said that since she was drooling (yesterday), it didn't look like she was dehydrated. She slept two hours for her first nap today, which hasn't happened in months. And she just went down for her second nap with only 3 hours A time, which is again really unusual. It's usually at least 3.5 hours A. We'll see how the rest of the day goes. I mean, i guess it might be because she didn't sleep well last night. I'm driving myself crazy.... 

[Samuel's mum]

I'm off to bed now. So more hugs and trust your instincts as I say.

And I'm afraid you might not like Stacy's answer on when Kaleb went back to the breast as I'm fairly sure she's going to answer that he didn't. But I'll let her tell you her story. Most nurslings on a nursing strike will return to the breast though it will certainly take longer than their mothers had wished.

[RachelC]

{{{{hugs}}}}

I totally agree with Emma and if you don't see an improvement, I would take her back to the doctor, and if she remains so lethargic, perhaps the ER. 

[binxyboo]

If you have ANY concerns about dehydration, I would take your lo to the doctors straight away. Without hesitation.

I have at times frozen breastmilk to make popsicles, or momsicles as I have heard them called lately. Riley would accept those when all else failed. Any luck nursing in her sleep?

[binxyboo]

I can see a baby who is used to taking breast and bottle going on strike and never nursing again, I think it would be very rare in a baby who nurses full time.

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

How are you both this morning?  Yesterday it definitely sounded like she was getting dehydrated.  If she doesn't take in more today of some sort of fluids (some great ideas with bm'sicles), then I would take her to the doctor.

I've also done that -worn her around in a sling (or when she was smaller in my arms) with my shirt off and try to nurse her as we walked around.

[abbysmomma]

Hi all

Well, immediate crisis averted (I think). She started perking up in afternoon, and the drooler was back. She had a satisfying wet diaper in the evening, and .....

She slept 'til 4:45am this morning! Brief resettle (after a nursing attempt - failed) and up for the day at 6:30am!  Thanks for the suggestions Stacy. I think the extra snack before bed really helped. Abby's having a momsicle right now (read about it on the web!). Sorry, gotta go. She's not really liking it! i'll check back later, but giant enormous THANKS to you all for the help. Hopefully she will decide to nurse again soon!