Day 3: It’s over!
January 25, 2007 | 1 Comment
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At around 7 pm Tuesday night Sadie whined and pointed towards the bed, and I lay down with her and nursed, and she’s been fine since! I’m so glad it’s over, of course, I had a seriously bad case of mastitis as a result and felt like I had been hit by a truck.
It’s so interesting that we use the term breastfeeding “strike” to describe this. So many babies have been weaned when they weren’t ready because they went on strike and Mom thought they were done… but that’s not the case.
A worker on strike doesn’t want to quit his job, if he did, he would just leave. He goes on strike because he wants to stay at his current employment, but he finds something unbearable about the conditions.
And so it goes with baby. One minute, nursing fine, next minute, baby won’t nurse. Maybe her throat hurts. Maybe she has an earache, maybe she bit and you screamed (understandable, but frightening to some sensitive babies ). Maybe you’re on vacation and she can’t settle down to nurse.
And so the rounds of “negotiations” begin. While Sadie was striking it was:
Will you nurse in the sling? No.
Will you nurse in the tub? No.
Will you nurse if I walk you around? No.
Will you take your milk in a cup if it’s cold? Bingo!
And so I met her halfway by pumping and offering her my milk in a cup, but she would only drink it if it was cold. That helped me understand why she was on strike - her throat hurt. (She would also eat ice cream, which is soothing to a sore throat.)
Anyway, I’m glad it’s over and I learned something from this experience. It’s easy to rattle off what to do when your baby goes on a breastfeeding strike, it’s another to experience the emotional and physical discomfort - both hers and mine.
I learned that a Mommy is more than her breasts. My little one needed me more than ever - my lap, my arms, my attention. I learned that I’m still her favorite person in the world, milk or no milk. She clearly wanted and preferred me since she was so uncomfortable.
I hope I don’t take it for granted again. 
Nursing strike, day 2
January 23, 2007 | 2 Comments
Sadie is feeling much better today thank goodness, her fever is gone and she’s running around as usual. I finally got her to nurse right before she fell asleep last night, at around 7 or so. And she did nurse through the night.
Unfortunately I have a wicked case of mastitis at the moment. I shivered all night last night with fever and chills. And Sadie won’t nurse again today. 
I think it’s because of her stuffy nose. She will latch on but immediately pulls away.
I tried several things yesterday to woo her to the breast including wearing her a lot in a sling, walking with her, trying different positions, and taking a bath together. Nothing worked. She would only drink pumped breastmilk cold in a cup.
I hope she decides to nurse today when she naps.
Diary of a nursing strike
January 22, 2007 | 1 Comment
It took me several hours to realize what was happening, but now I realize that I am in the midst of a full fledged nursing strike. This is my 4th child, almost 9 years of breastfeeding without a break, and I’ve never had this happen!
Sadie is 16 months, and still nursing frequently. Saturday evening she woke up from a nap feeling pretty warm. Her temperature was pretty high all day Sunday, and she was a tad listless and refusing food. Saturday night, all day Sunday and all night last night she was nursing almost without a break.
She refused solids and would only take a tiny bit of liquids. I wasn’t worried though because she was making plenty of wet diapers so I knew she was staying hydrated. She had no other symptoms so I figured her immune system was doing its job with the fever and didn’t worry too much, but Monday morning she was still hot, so I took her to the Pediatrician. The last time she nursed was first thing in the morning, around 7 am.
It’s now 5:45 and I’ve been unable to get her to nurse.
When I try she just whines and pushes me away. It’s funny, she is acting ‘off’ and grumpy even though her fever broke and she’s feeling much better. She’s up and playing and interacting, which she wasn’t doing yesterday. The Pedi said she had pus on her tonsils, and that she was probably in pain.
This is probably what’s causing the strike. Generally it’s something like an ear infection or sore throat that makes swallowing hurt, or teething that makes pressure in the mouth from the suction painful. It can also be caused by a strong reaction in baby to something Mom did, like scream after a bite. This didn’t happen in our case though.
Today at around 3:30 I realized that I was swollen and engorged, with that “clustered grape” feeling high up in my breast. Strangely, I thought it was odd that a couple of times when I had offered to nurse she had gotten down out of my lap, but I didn’t really think much of it until I felt the discomfort. She still wanted to hang out in my lap and be held all the time.
I didn’t even own a pump and have never really had to pump, but I didn’t want to risk mastitis so I went out and bought an Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump. It’s comfortable and easy to use, and inexpensive. Plus I owned one several years ago and found it effective.
Sadie is drinking a little breastmilk out of a sippy cup, the old Tupperware style that kind of drips out instead of the new kind that requires a lot of suction.
Still, I’m feeling sad and hoping we get through this quickly. I know this is probably not a weaning, since those happen gradually and almost never when a baby is sick, but still… I’ve heard of strikes ending badly, and the thought of her being “all done” saddens me.
I’ll keep you posted, and if you have any tips or stories to share, please comment here.
P.S. It’s over now, but I shared more of the story on day two and day three
Natural Moms Podcast #36
January 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment
This week Kara Spencer, LMT, CD of MaiaHealingArts, joins us to talk about Birth Ecology - how our birth and parenting choices impact our earth and our future.
Download mp3 HERE
How Does Breastfeeding Benefit Dad?
January 18, 2007 | 3 Comments
How Breastfeeding Benefits a Daddy
You know that breastfeeding is best for mother and child, but what’s in it for Dad? Isn’t he going to miss out by not getting to share in the joy of feeding the baby? Let’s see how Dads benefit when a Mom chooses to breastfeed their child.
Cost Savings
This is a big one for Dad! Whether he’s the sole income provider or not, adding a new member to the family can be a source of worry for him. Let him in on the fact that one year of breastfeeding can keep over $1,000 in the family budget. That’s just for bottles and formula, that doesn’t include extra Doctor visits and prescriptions that happen when baby is formula fed.
More Sleep
Let’s face it. He doesn’t have the equipment to handle the job of night feedings. While some Moms choose to pump and let Dad offer a bottle at night, for many Moms, snuggling up with baby at night to nurse is the norm. In a lot of families, this means Dad can head off to work with a full night’s rest.
Proud Papa
When Dad sees how baby’s cheeks and thighs are filling out on Mom’s milk alone, he tends to view her as some kind of Dairy Queen. What an amazing capacity she has to help his child grow and thrive! Many Dads become huge proponents of breastfeeding when they see how healthy their babies are.
Health Benefits
Dads are especially impressed by the fact that breastfed babies gain an average of 8 IQ points over their formula fed counterparts. Breastfeeding also means that Mom is less likely to get ovarian or breast cancer. The extended nonfertility that many nursing Moms experience is also a plus in Dads book.
Focus on Mom
Since Mom is breastfeeding, Dad can find other ways to bond with baby and be a support to Mom. Some ideas: take baby for walks, burp and bathe baby, sing baby to sleep, massage baby and read to baby. He can also be in charge of helping Mom stay fed and hydrated in the early weeks while she recovers from the birth. And since Mom is handling the “input”, Dad can be in charge of “output”. Dads are far more likely to be willing to change diapers since a breastfed baby’s poop doesn’t have an unpleasant odor (until solid food is added!).
How does your baby’s Daddy feel about you breastfeeding?
Old Fashioned Toys Good For Kids, say experts
January 16, 2007 | 1 Comment
I found this interesting article touting the benefits of old fashioned toys. A couple of quotes:
” … I would suggest that parents delay kids’ exposure to these (high-tech) toys as long as possible,” Diane Levin, a Wheelock College child-development expert, said.
Melanie Paulson, early intervention/preschool teacher at General Beadle School in Rapid City, is a staunch supporter of traditional toys.
“They allow for more creativity,” she said. “The kids can experiment with their own cause and effect.”
Check out this website with all sorts of classic wooden toys: Heirloom Wooden Toys
More breastfeeding benefits to Mother
January 12, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Every few years we find out another of the benefits to a Mother’s health from breastfeeding. Here’s a recent one:
Breastfeeding Mothers have less Rheumatoid Arthritis
Quote: Looking at total lifetime breastfeeding, regardless of number of children, women who had breast-fed for between 13 and 23 months had a 20 percent reduction in the risk of RA compared with women who did not breastfeed. Women who had breast-fed for at least 24 months – two full years out of their childbearing years – increased their risk reduction to 50 percent.
“Our data suggest breast-feeding confers long lasting protection against developing RA,” Dr. Karlson states, “because the mean time since the last pregnancy among women with RA was 25 years.”
Natural Moms Podcast #35
January 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment
This week Iria Nishimura of Baby Cubes & More joins us to share the importance of optimal infant nutrition and her 100% certified organic baby food.
Download mp3 link here.
Can you help this pumping Mom?
January 10, 2007 | 9 Comments
Hey Moms,
What’s the internet for if not to help our fellow Moms? A subscriber wrote to me and while I have to run out the door to take the kids off for a fun outing, she gave me permission to post her question here. I’ll be back later with some suggestions, but in the meantime, if you’ve BTDT, give her some assistance
I am a full time working mom who is still fortunate enough to be bf while I’m home and I pump at work 2x a day. My milk supply is getting lower and lower during the day. I have only been able to get about 6 oz at a time, and I pump every 4 hours. I’m worried that I’m not making enough for him for during the day. He’s also been waking more frequently at night lately to nurse, but I think it may be his molars are coming in. I don’t know. He’s my first. Do you have any advice as far as getting my milk supply back up during the day and then maybe how to get him to sleep at night? This whole reverse schedule is exhausting! None of my friends are still bf, so they don’t understand, and they don’t really have any advice for me. I hope maybe you can help me out a little.
Laryngitis helps… goals revisited
January 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
What would change about your day with your kids if you couldn’t speak above a whisper? I found out today.
I had a bit of a cough and sore throat that turned into laryngitis when I woke up this morning. I found myself:
- touching my kids and hugging more
- going to them (instead of -gasp!- yelling across the house for them to come to me) and arresting their attention before speaking, and
- a total lack of arguing.
You know what kind of arguing I mean… “Mommy can I wear the pink dress?” “No honey that one is sleeveless and it’s cold and rainy out, please wear the purple one.” “Mommy I want the pink dress!” “No honey, the shirt you wear under it blahblahblahblah…”
Instead, I let my first “no” be good enough and held firm. I had no other choice, I couldn’t use a bunch of words (that a 4 year old wouldn’t be listening to anyway).
And so she accepted the answer.
I hope I remember to think more often, “How would I handle this if I couldn’t speak?” I think it would really help me with that parenting goal I set.
Maybe talk really is cheap? 
