Refusal to feed at the breast is called nursing strike or breastfeeding strike. This can happen without warning when suddenly your baby is crying or refusing feeding as she has decided she doesn’t like nursing anymore. This could be for a number of reasons . Some of the main reasons this may happen is anxiety or change in a child’s environment. If anxiety is the cause, then reasure and offer the breast calmly at regular intervals but do not persist if your child appears anxious but try again in at the normal feeding time.

Some babies’ prefer the bottle especially if more than one has been introduced . This can be very distressing for the mother but it important to remain patient and calm and to keep trying to encourage your little one to breastfeed to resolve this feeding issue. Simple changes such as wearing a different perfume or shower gel can also create nursing strike. Most nursing strikes only last 24- 48hrs but it’s important to provide fluids in another way such as expressing, offering water and adding fluids to foods. If you have tried everything and the issue persists, seek help from a trained infant health professional or GP.