Infant Teething While Breastfeeding
Just because your baby is teething, doesn’t mean it is time to wean. When your baby is breastfeeding correctly, it will not be painful for you. If you have questions about baby biting while breastfeeding, give us a call at 1-866-888-4577 ext 5003.
Nursing Strike
A nursing strike happens when a baby who has been breastfeeding, suddenly refuses to breastfeed. This is not the same as weaning, as weaning usually happens over a gradual period of weeks or months. Nursing strikes can happen for many reasons, such as
- A change in deodorant, soap, or perfume
- Stress
- Baby has an illness or injury that makes breastfeeding uncomfortable (ear infection, stuffy nose, thrush)
- Recent change to the breastfeeding pattern
- Sore gums from teething
- Mother scared the baby when she reacted to being bitten while breastfeeding
How to Get Baby Back to the Breast
- be patient and remember that your baby is not rejecting you
- get extra help with household chores and older children
- relax and concentrate on making breastfeeding a pleasant experience
- comfort your baby by cuddling, stroking, and providing skin-to-skin contact
- offer the breast when your baby is sleepy or asleep
- breastfeed in a quiet room with the lights dimmed
- try rocking or walking while breastfeeding
- expressing breastmilk to keep your milk supply up
- stimulate the let-down reflex and get milk flowing before offering the breast
- feed baby expressed milk with a cup, eye-dropper, syringe or spoon
- seek medical attention if an illness or injury seems to have caused the strike
- get help – we can answer questions about feeding your baby