There are several physical, medical reasons why a baby might cry at your breast, including food intolerances, allergies, foremilk/hindmilk imbalance (too much milk, creating painful gas), reflux, or illness.
When your baby is having trouble managing your flow, they will often cry in protest. The milk may be coming out so quickly and abundantly — sometimes spraying down their throat — and they may not be able to coordinate breathing and suckling, which can make them quite upset.
Baby wants a faster milk flow
Even very young babies can be quick to notice that pulling off, kneading the breast, etc. can cause an additional let-down, and can facilitate a faster, easier milk flow. Some babies become impatient with the slower milk flow following the initial fast flow at let-down.
Babies often fuss, cry, or pull away from the breast when they need to burp. A fast flow of milk can exacerbate this. They can also swallow more air when they're fussy or gulp down milk faster than usual if they're over-hungry.
Some squirming is normal, but if your baby is especially thrashy, she could be frustrated. One possibility is that your milk is coming out like gangbusters, making it hard for her to keep up.
Nursing strikes can last from 1-2 days, or as many as 9-10 days. Typically, the baby will go back to the breast after only a few days. To keep your milk supply up during a strike, you should pump at your typical feeding times, for example every 2-3 or 4 hours.
Many parents point to gas as one of the biggest issue with unlatching. Your baby might need to burp, expel gas, or even poop, making for an uncomfortable nursing session. Try burping her frequently throughout the feeding, not just toward the end.
If a baby who has been quite happily breastfeeding suddenly starts to refuse the breast it could be a “nursing strike”. Sometimes this can be mistaken for the baby wanting to stop breastfeeding, but a baby who is ready to wean usually does so over a period of time.
A baby who is truly ready to wean will almost always do so gradually, over a period of weeks or months. If your baby or toddler has been breastfeeding well and suddenly refuses to nurse, it is probably what is called a “nursing strike,” rather than a signal that it's time to wean.
Nursing strikes can happen at any age, and usually happen when your baby is young, with an average of about 5 months. 1 However, nursing strikes can happen to older babies, and even toddlers. Nursing strikes usually resolve in a few days or a week.
With your baby's head tilted back and chin up, lift him or her to touch your nipple. The nipple should rest just above the baby's upper lip. Wait for your baby to open very wide, then "scoop" the breast by placing the lower jaw on first. Now tip your baby's head forward and place the upper jaw well behind your nipple.
When fed too much, a baby may also swallow air. This can produce gas, increase discomfort in the belly, and lead to crying. An overfed baby also may spit up more than usual and have loose stools. Although crying from discomfort is not colic, it can make crying more frequent and more intense in an already colicky baby.
Switch Sides or Try Different Positions
Sometimes something as simple as switching sides or changing breastfeeding positions can work wonders for your baby. They may be ready for the other breast, but just have no clear way to tell you this (thus the fussing!).
What causes nursing strikes? Rejection of the breast, also called a nursing strike, can happen unexpectedly for a number of reasons. Your baby could be teething (which can make sucking painful), fighting an earache (ditto) or battling a cold (which can make it hard for him to breathe through his nose).
A newborn should be put to the breast at least every 2 to 3 hours and nurse for 10 to 15 minutes on each side. But rather than worry about duration, it's important to know that the best way to ensure that the baby is getting enough breast milk is by feeding frequency, wet and dirty diapers, and weight gain.
You may feel a gentle tug on your breasts while your baby feeds, but it shouldn't hurt. If you feel discomfort during nursing, stop nursing and reposition your baby to get a better latch. Your nipple areola (the ring around the nipple) should be mostly in your baby's mouth.
Use the “flipple” technique to get as much of your breast tissue into your baby's mouth as possible. Point your nipple very high towards their nose, try to get as much of the bottom part of your areola into your baby's mouth and use your finger to flip their top lip up after they have latched on.
A 487-9 contract ratification vote on Monday officially ended the longest nurses strike in Massachusetts history, paving the way for St. Vincent Hospital to begin recalling nurses after 301 days.
On November 14, 2002, nurses working at Northern Michigan Hospital (NMH) in Petoskey, Michigan, walked off the job, enlisting Teamsters Local 406 as their bargaining representative. More than 500 days later, the two sides are still at loggerheads (making this nursing strike perhaps the longest in U.S. history).
If your baby was nursing well and suddenly refuses your breast, this may be what some call a nursing strike. Besides baby's age, another clue that a nursing strike is not a natural weaning is that baby is unhappy about it. A nursing strike usually lasts two to four days, but it may last as long as ten days.