Almost 2 week old struggling & screaming at end of cluster feeds

[abigboydidit]

Hi - I would really appreciate some advice as I found this forum so helpful when BF DS (now 20 months). My DD is 2 weeks old tomorrow and generally feeding well but is completely different to DS so am a bit lost!

She has regained her initial weight loss and put on almost a pound (she was 8lb at birth). Plenty wet/dirty nappies and she generally looks well in herself so no major concerns. She tends to feed in clusters, going 3-4 hours between feeds but feeding on and off for an hour or more at a time when she does. She can get pretty gassy but is quite good at bringing up wind with a gentle pat & she does tend to bring up some of her feeds (DS never wasted a drop & rarely suffered from wind).

Over the past 3 days she has started to get incredibly agitated towards the end of cluster feeding. She squeals and struggles as if she has wind, even when she doesn't. She seems to want to go back on the breast but then the minute milk starts to flow into her mouth she screams and pulls away and seems even more upset. The only way I can calm her is to strip myself and her down and do skin to skin. After about half an hour she is generally calm enough to dress and either feed or just put straight down.

This had been isolated to just her last evening feed but today it she has been unsettled at all feeds & the time spent skin to skin is increasing (only just made it downstairs after 2 hours!). Can anyone suggest where am going wrong or what I can do? I am enjoying the skin to skin but unfortunately DS demands my attention too so I am struggling slightly. I have a Moby Wrap I am happy to use but it seems unless we're skin to skin that she won't settle & I don't think the locals in the supermarket want to see my wobbly bits.

Thanks in advance.

[Isandri]

Is it the 2 week growth spurt and she's getting frustrated? Or is your let down down fast?

[Peanutbutternutter419]

Hi, sorry i cant offer much advice other than my experience. My DS gets like this too, i think with him it is where my let down is so fast that it causes him to unlatch and then he is getting squirted so much that he cant handle it. I find he is grabbing at me like he's starving but then cries when he goes back on.
Do you know i you have a fast let down or over supply?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

My ds does a wierd thing a bit like this but he is LOT older (7months).

He wriggles around and fights me at the end of feeds. I have interpreted it as wanting to be latched on for the comfort but not actually wanting any more food.

No idea if that is right though.

[CitrusyOne]

Same as starlight- DD is 4 months and sometimes fusses like she wants a feed, latches on for a few seconds and then screams blue murder- what I call her 'painful' cry- really distressed. She's done this since the early days, and I offer her my finger to suck for comfort- or (heaven forbid) her dummy. Both of these settle her.

Incidentally, this seems to happen more later in the day, then she feeds fine during the night and the following morning. Sometimes it's better after she's done a big poo?

[JBtulip]

Hi, I can't offer any advice but my DS does this too. He is 3 weeks old, he really writhes around and screams sometimes while still firmly attached to my breast - ouch! I interpreted it as he is full as he tends to calm down when I stop him feeding however it doesn't last and he often wants to be fed again soon after - today it has been almost every hour, 2 hours if am lucky.

I do have quite a strong let down and quite often spray him but usually the writhing and screaming start after he has already been on for a while, the last 1 was after he had been on for 20 mins. He doesn't do it at every feed though.

[oscarwilde]

I think this (all the pulling and tugging) popped up on Kellymom.com as a baby trying to increase the flow once it slows down. The site has some really useful stuff about behaviours in breast feeding babies.

[abigboydidit]

Thanks everyone. Checked out Kellymom and seems there are a few possible solutions that might fit!