help with BFing please

[moptop]

Hello,

This is my first post on here and I'm hoping somebody wiser than myself can help.
DD is my first baby and is nearly 20 weeks old. Until recently we have been relatively lucky with Bfing - after the initial struggle to establish ourselves, she's always latched on easily and gained weight well. In the last few weeks though, things have become more difficult and my confidence is becoming shaky.
The first thing was that she caught a cold and her feeding became erratic for about a week. Then she was Ok for a few days until last week she became really discontent, which seemed to be due to teething. Having just started to go 11pm - 7am before the cold, she began to wake in the night screaming. I offered her the breast which she took greedily for about 10 mins, then promptly fell back to sleep, only to wake again an hour and a half later, screaming again. This went on for 3 nights, then things calmed down and she started sleeping better, although it was taking me a long timne to settle her for the night.
She is much more her old self now, except whilst feeding - she doesn't seem to enjoy her feeding as much. She goes red in the face, panting, groaning and pulling off and on the breast. She's worse on the right, although it does happen on the left. She is wriggly and kicks me and sometimes wave her arms in the air - signifying... well, I really don't know. And tonight she was crying on the breast which broke my heart as, in our short history together, I've always been able to comfort her with a BFeed.
I top her up with about 4/5 oz of of EBM every night and she is always fine with the bottle.
Do you think she could be in pain from teething?
She used to be colickly and very sicky, conditions much improved since a course of cranial osteopathy. Could it be wind - her tummy is very gurgly. But, even when she used to be colicky, she always enjoyed her feeding and would even want to feed more.
I feel quite lost as this is uncharted territory for me. Whatever else has happened, I've always felt very confident in my bfing and I'm scared it's all going wrong.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

moptop x

[lemonaid]

Could be teething, or quite possibly an ear infection. It might be worth just getting her checked over by the GP.

[barmybinky]

(((((moptop)))))

Please be assured that it is NOT all going wrong! You are just going through a difficult patch. You are doing a wonderful job and should be proud of yourself.

It definitely sounds like an ear infection to me (very common after a cold in babies and young children as the ear canal is so short).

It could also be teething, but my money's on an ear infection. A quick trip to the GP will tell for sure.

If this is right (and even if it's not) the on-off approach to the feeding may well be giving her wind and tummy ache as she gulps more air in as she feeds. Is she bringing her legs up after a feed? If so I would try to burp her really well and then give gentle tummy massage after each feed until she settles down again.

At her age, it is also common to go through a distracted phase, but this sounds to me like she is in pain.

I'm sure a trip to the GP will sort it out. Please let us know how you get on won't you?

Maria xxx

[moondog]

Hi Moptop

Do you have a breastfeeding drop in place/session that you could go to,to talk with an expert?

I must say that my babies went through several bizarre phases like this that I could never work out.
I used to consider myself to be the mother least in tune with her child's need lol!

Welcome btw-loads of brill info and advice on b/feeding here (look in archives) as well as our three resident experts. Tiktok Mears and Pupuce.

[tiktok]

moptop, I don't think this sounds like a bf issue, truly.

I thought 'ears', too, when I read your post. She's had a cold, and ear infections can often follow a cold.

Time to see the doc