Mo is on a nursing strike and it really stinks.  He just won't breastfeed unless he is REALLY tired.  What's weird is that he has never been good at taking a bottle but now he is taking them like a champ.  I am determined to stick this out but it is a struggle - I try to stay really calm and serene but he squirms all over me to avoid having to go "there".

What's especially hard about it for me is that Max was the KING of nursing strikes.  He used to go on them all of the time.  The absolute worst was on our vacation to Costa Rica.  We were out in public a lot and all I wanted was to discreetly nurse my baby under a light blanket.  One afternoon, I found myself completely topless in the front of our rental car struggling with him while tourists and Ticos (Costa Ricans) casually walked by the car peeking in at us.  A modest girl's nightmare.  I finally resigned to carrying around a hand pump everywhere and discreetly pumping under my light blanket and then giving him a bottle.  Twice the work but worth it not to battle it out every time he got hungry.  When we got home, he miraculously just started breastfeeding again.

As I struggle with Mo, I can't help but think of these challenges with Max and it is stressful in that I tend to forget that we ever had challenges....we were so sympatico.  It's 4:30 am and I am resisting defrosting milk for a bottle.  I'm hoping this nursing strike ends soon - it's incredibly uncomfortable for starters and I am eager to get back to easier, snugglier times with my baby.