From Milky Way X-Press
Volume 3, # 1
Are Babies With Reflux Disease Prone to Nursing Strikes?
By Beverly Morgan, IBCLC, CLE

I consider nursing strikes as indicators that the baby is having long-term difficulties of some kind with nursing. It’s not pure pleasure for him as it is for other breastnurtured babies. A baby with reflux, for example, is vulnerable to nursing strikes and early weaning as he experiences pain associated with eating caused by heartburn.

A baby who nurses effectively and comfortably does not generally go on strike. When the breastfeeding relationship is well established and the baby thinks of nursing as comfort and food the baby will continue to enjoy nursing unless something changes. Even a new-born baby can go on a nursing strike when feeding comes with some discomfort as it does for the baby who has heartburn (Reflux Disease). It does not take too many days for a baby to recognize that when he eats, he hurts. For many little ones pain can interfere with his experience of nursing as eating and pleasure.

Not every baby that spits up has reflux disease, not every baby with reflux disease spits up. What distinguishes spitting up from being a laundry problem to being a disease is the acid reflux that burns the baby’s esophagus causing discomfort for the baby.

One indicator that a baby who is spitting up has reflux disease, not that he spits up milk, is that the baby cries, after he spits up not before. Just before he cries he may get a look on his face as if he has just had a bad taste in his mouth, as indeed he has. He is also more likely to cry after he eats. Whenever I hear a mom say her baby is allergic to her milk, I think of reflux disease. That's likely how it makes a mom feel-- her milk makes her baby sick. Of course it's not her milk, but moms who nurse, take it so to heart when their little ones are unhappy. It hurts a mothers heart to have a baby cry (or shriek) in pain, especially after he eats. That’s when we would expect him to be contented. Many moms of babies with reflux disease give up on nursing, thinking it is their milk that is making baby uncomfortable, only to find once they have weaned that it was reflux disease that was causing the baby distress. Infants with reflux disease often have issues related to food long past weaning, they often avoid eating as they associate food with pain and are slow to gain weight. Reflux babies sometimes nurse in a way that keeps moms milk supply down in order to limit their intake, so as to avoid the discomfort of reflux. It is such a vicious circle, baby needs to eat to grow, baby does not enjoy eating as it causes pain. Mom needs baby to nurse to keep her milk supply up to the baby’s current needs, baby doesn’t nurse in such a way to encourage more milk. Baby’s weight goes down, moms milk supply goes down. Baby needs more food, but is resistant to eat. This is the heartbreak of reflux for many moms and babies.
Reflux is not the only challenge to breastfeeding that can result in a nursing strike of course. I’ll go over a couple of other situations that can cause a nursing strike.

Other Causes of Nursing Strikes:
Whenever an infant doesn't get nursing going well for him or when he finds eating (however he is fed) to be challenging he can go on a feeding strike. Sometimes it’s the milk flow that slows down. If the baby REALLY WANTS FAST FLOW, he will go with the flow. This can happen when a baby does not nurse for pleasure as well as food. His experienced is for fast flow, which he may come to expect to always be there. But as his need for more milk grows and he limits his nursing time, sucking on something other than at mothers breast for comfort, he fusses if the flow slows down. If he’s also taking milk from a bottle and his experience is that the bottle gives the fast flow he wants and the breast does not, he may go
on a nursing strike.

Another common situation that can cause difficulties is when a newborn has breathing problems. Difficultty with breathing can make the baby feel overwhelmed by a flow another baby may think is just fine and can make breastfeeding challenging for the baby.

To have made it to being a breastfeeding mother with a baby with reflex or other feeding related issues, is not easy. It takes special care to protect the breastnurturing relationship and to see that the baby gets the food he needs. Take heart in knowing that if your baby has feeding challenges he needs the well balance diet human milk provides even more. Mother’s milk is indeed a baby’s treasure!

Moms work so hard to keep their babies fed, comfortable and happy that a baby who has some misgivings related to eating can be heartbreaking indeed. Do understand that giving your baby your milk and your loving arms when he is unhappy is a great gift indeed. We don’t have the power to make our child’s life trouble and pain free, that is a sadness that parenting brings. My wish for you is that you don’t have a baby prone to reflux disease or nursing strikes. If you have difficulties with a special needs baby there is support for you on line. Here are three support groups on egroups.com to get you started:
1) www.GERDBreastfeedingyahoo.com
2) http://www.yahoo.com/group/BreastfeedSpecialNeeds
3) mobi@yahoo.com

Milky Way Press