More Pay! Better Conditions!

Apparently Elisha is on strike. My only problem is I don't know what the demands are. 5am Sunday morning was the last time Elisha had a breastfeed. Since then, he has flatly refused the breast, crying and pushing me away everytime it is offered. He was having 3 feeds a day up to this point. I was probably going to drop his lunchtime one after Christmas and just be down to morning and night feeds. He's not really that happy about the whole thing himself. The last two days he has been extremely grumpy, trying to climb all over me and yet not really knowing what he wants (only what he doesn't want!!)

Googling the problem, I found that this is called a 'nursing strike' where bubs can flatly refuse to breastfeed for a variety of reasons. One of them is teething and possible sore gums. He has two teeth just about through. So I am hoping this is the issue for him and when they are through we might push through this awful stage. Apparently, these strikes usually only last 2-4 days - we are on day 3 now.

He is now over 10months old. I aim to breastfeed my kids until they are one, then go straight from breast to cup. We are so close, it is frustrating. At one point, I probably wouldn't have thought this event would worry me but it does. I feel frustrated (let alone a little sore), and a little bit grieved. I do feel a bit robbed. I might have even kept up his morning feeds for awhile longer- especially when he wakes at 5am. I could feed him and put him back in bed. This is much harder to achieve without the breastmilk. Don't really want to have to start 5am breakfasts!

So at the moment I am back to expressing breastmilk, to keep up my supply. I figure I'll do this until he cuts his teeth and maybe a day or two longer. If he still isn't interested I guess I'll call him weaned. I suppose this gives me some small insight into some of the grief other mums must feel when they have issues feeding much earlier in the bub's life. So I guess I should be grateful for 10 good months of mummy's milk.

And it is just like Elisha to do this. Caelan was my textbook baby. Elisha is my unpredictable one. Just when I think we are in some sort of pattern, he throws it out the window and changes all the rules on me. I guess he figured it was time to throw another curve ball!!