Back-to-work nursing strike

I thought at 9 months, we were past the age when this kind of thing would happen. Isn’t he too old for “nipple confusion?” And he’s too young to self-wean!

When I went back to work full-time last month, my baby nursed fine in the morning and nights during the week. But for the first 2 weekends, he decided that the breast was no longer a normal part of his daytime routine.

After 5 full days of working, that Saturday he refused the breast. He seemed interested and latched readily, but after two sucks he would pull off angrily, pushing away from me with all his strength. I coaxed him back to try again, with the same response. This went on, to varying degrees, all day. Sometimes I was able to get him on. Sometimes it was a struggle, but I got him to eat a little.

That weekend was a hard one for me. I was frustrated with my baby. And I was worried that my milk supply would start dropping if this continued. I think my anxiety and frustration only made it worse.

So what was this all about? A partial nursing strike? A protest of my absence? A newly developed preference for the bottle? A desire to spend his limited time with Mommy in active playtime instead of nursing? Maybe all of the above?

The next weekend, we took a different approach. I tried all kinds of variations in the routine to see what might help.

• I gave up on trying to nurse more often. I imagined that we’d make up for our time apart over the weekends, with frequent spontaneous nursing. Some babies love the chance to nurse whenever they can get, but not this one. He just isn’t interested in the breast when he’s not hungry.  Makes sense, doesn’t it?

• Take advantage of naptime when he’s sleepy and mellow. He nurses well just before falling asleep.

• Pump after nursing a couple times a day. This doesn’t improve his nursing, but it does help to protect the milk supply when his nursing isn’t good for a long period of time.

• Don’t force it. When I offered the breast and he refused it, I moved on and tried again 15 minutes later.

• Try different positions. I tried strapping him into his Ergo carrier with my bra open, and just waited. Sure enough, he discovered the breast, latched himself on, and ate while I walked around.

He’s nursing just fine now. My milk supply dropped for a week or two, but I’m back to pumping the usual amount at work. It is a reminder to me that mothering is never an exact science, and the rules are ever-changing. Some of this is trial-and-error, maybe with a little intuition thrown in. And these strategies that seemed to work for us might not work for other babies!

Has anyone else had a similar experience? Dealt with a nursing strike? Did going back to work affect your breastfeeding during the time you were at home? What worked for you?