baby no longer likes my milk :-(

[orangeshortbread]

My 12wo has been a good feeder, until this week I had mastitis and have taken a course of antibiotics which I finished this morning. Now she is becoming unhappy when feeding. She seems to latch on and start feeding happily enough but after 5-10 mins is pulling away crying. Have tried different positions but that has not changed anything. She is doing it on both breasts and I feel upset and worried about her getting enough food. Please help!

[ThreeWheelsGood]

I think the mastitis/antibiotics are unrelated to her fussiness. 12 weeks was when my baby started getting distracted during feeds (especially when out and about), and also sometimes I was reading her wrong, thought she was hungry but actually she was tired! Bear in mind she is becoming more efficient at feeding so might need to be on the boob less. How long has it been going on?

[orangeshortbread]

Thanks for the reply ThreeWheelsGood. She has been progressively fussier over the last 4 or 5 days. Now she only feeds for about 5 mins before becoming agitated. I'm mostly worried about her getting enough. I was reading earlier about how antibiotics can cause thrush so I'm hoping its not that her mouth is getting sore, although I can't see any. I'm expressing to get rid of the milk she isn't having as I don't want the mastitis to come back - is this the right thing to do. I hope it doesn't last for too long.

[MadMonkeys]

Is she teething? Feeding can be painful for them when teething so they do pull away but cry because they are still hungry.

[CelticPromise]

Expressing is a good idea to keep you comfortable and maintain supply if she really is taking less. You can freeze the milk for future use.

Is she still doing plenty of wet nappies? Are there any BF drop ins near you?

[orangeshortbread]

I did wonder about teething although she is only 3 months. She also has a tongue tie and looking closely at it today there looks like a little blister on the frenulum - is it possible that it has torn slightly by itself resulting in her discomfort? It is just so hard to diagnose the problem!

Can anyone with experience of this sort of thing tell me how long it lasted for? She is still doing plenty of wet nappies. Have health visitor scheduled for next week but was hoping it would be better sooner than that.

[McPheetStink]

You'll be amazed how much milk a small baby can get in a short space of time. When was she last weighed? Would getting her weighed put your mind at rest?

[MadMonkeys]

Dd2 had periods like you describe for 2 or 3 days from about 4 months old, due to teething. She's 6.5 months now and still none of the teeth have actually cut... So teething could be the culprit.

[trixymalixy]

My DS started doing this at 3 months. Turned out it was a dairy allergy and he was reacting to the cow's milk protein in my breast milk.

[orangeshortbread]

Thanks for all the advice. I have tried putting bonjela on a few minutes before feeds and it seems to be doing the trick to I am tempted to think it is something to do with teething - I didn't know that teething could happen long before the tooth actually cuts through.

[HannahBerry]

At 12 wks my lo went from 1h to 10 mins feeds overnight. Bliss :-)

[jaysmum2012]

My boy started teething at 3 months, when he was in pain I rubbed calgel on his gums 5 mins before a feed and that helped him, he also started feeding less from 3 months, literally halved his feeding time overnight, my health visitor said as long as he's doing plenty of wet nappies! Go to your health visitor or midwife for a bit of advice? GL xx

[orangeshortbread]

Yes, health visitor is coming on Monday. She has had a few feeds today, with persuasion but is still totally refusing her 7am feed, can't work out why (she feeds at 10pm and sleeps through til then). Resorted to calpol at lunchtime and that settled her enough to feed. Still not 100% convinced its teething but its my best guess.

[cakeandcava]

DS started this at 3 months too. Pulling off and crying, and shortening feeds. It is frustrating! I put it down to teething, as he had other typical signs too - his two bottom teeth have just broken through at 5 months, and he is much calmer now, so I think I was right...

[orangeshortbread]

How long did it last for cakeandcava? Was it just a phase?

[cakeandcava]

It lasted maybe 5 or 6 weeks? Definitely just a phase. The interesting thing was that it was mainly during the day -night feeds were still fine and calm. I still find that he gets agitated and fussy if I'm feeding him in a place with lots of stimulation, so you could try a calm quiet place and see if that helps?

I read that when babies are teething, feeding can hurt because blood flows to their gums and that can heighten the itchy/painful sensation of the teeth. It will pass! As long as she is still having wet nappies and putting on weight, she will be fine.

[YoniBottsBumgina]

It's definitely normal, expected behaviour :) Try swapping her to the other side when she comes off. If it hasn't started happening already your breasts will probably start feeling "empty" between feeds too soon - don't worry about this as it's also normal and just means you're switching to demand based supply. No more engorgement, unless you miss a big feed (or sometimes first thing in the morning) and some women stop leaking too :)

[rowrowrowtheboat]

Another option for you judging from her behaviours is wind - a fast let down and initial flow could be giving her wind as she gulps it down and she needs a break and winding before going back on.

Check neither of you you have thrush, and at the same time, ask for tips..

It may also be that she was so hungry after the fore milk had gone, she was just too impatient because she had to work harder for the rest of the milk and the wriggling was frustration and it will settle down. My friends baby grizzlies and complains for almost 10minutes!

I Ended up breastfeeding til 14months after cracked nipples, difficulty with latching on and then the pulling away so you will get though this. I went to bf clinics and a drop in bf session at the hospital when I struggled with those challenges. DD1 was probably 5 months at he last visit. The cafes can tell from how baby is complaining and by talking to you about the rest of the day what the problem is. They were brilliant.

If you have a bf cafe near you, at sure start or somewhere else, go along, they really supported me.

Good luck.

[MissRedIndie]

I has this with both DDs at 3 months. Think it was related to developmental phase rather than teething etc. 12 weeks is a Wonder Week (google if you've not heard of these). I ended up having to do most of my feeds standing up and jigging the baby to get her to stay latched on and feeding. Passes gradually and so does the stress that accompanies it!! Good luck.

[Londonmrss]

My dd went on strike at 12 weeks. Every time I fed, she would pull away crying. The only way I could get it done was to pick her up just as she was waking up from each nap because she was more relaxed. A lot of the time, she still screamed like I was torturing her. It was really distressing. Lasted about 3 weeks and then went back to normal! She's a VERY easily distracted baby, but I get the milk in her somehow- mostly when she's just woken up and in a very calm quiet place.

Basically if the nappies are wet and your baby seems generally ok, don't worry (easier said than done, I know).

[Ashinagai]

My DS is 10 weeks and has been doing this on and off for a few days. He is showing signs of teething (red cheeks, drooling, chewing his fist), also he is getting much quicker at his feeds (I bottle feed as well). Don't worry, your baby won't let herself starve! You can get dummies which you can put bonjela/equivalent on, they look sort of like gum shields, I got some Tommee Tippee ones at Sainsburys. Might help ease the discomfort in the gums before the feed.
HTH