7 week old seems to hate breastfeeding

[LovelyBranches]

Hi please can you help? My baby is 7 weeks old, in the first couple of weeks we had problems with feeding and latching so I mix fed and expressed after every feed until my supply caught up. DS then started to breastfeed and so for the past month we've been breastfeeding with maybe a ff in emergencies.

The past couple of days DS has had what seems like terrible reflux and gripe water has really soothed him, but he's become incredibly upset when he's hungry, and will not breastfeed. He won't latch on and just screams if he's placed in a position to feed. Today he seemed so upset and was so inconsolable that I gave him a ff. He was instantly calm.

I'm now worried that I'm not supplying enough milk, that something in it is making him have reflux and that we're going to have to ff because DS seems to have breastfeeding so much. Does anyone have any guidance or advice they could share please?

[holeinmyheart]

Give up Breastfeeding is my advice. You are getting distressed and so is the baby.
When I had my first child 40 years ago I was the only one Breastfeeding on the ward. All those children who were not breastfeed 40 years ago survived to adult hood. They were all fed formulae. Even the Queen was fed FF. She's still going strong.
So You do what is best for you and take no notice of the 'Breast feeding Police'
I only breast fed because my husband was involved with New Born Baby food research. I would have given it up like a shot but he would have made me feel very guilty.
When the first of my DDs had a baby fairly recently I was quite shocked at the pressure that was put on her to Bfeed. She did it for six months.

Yes of course it is better for the baby but if it gets too stressful then give it up. It's not the end of the world to stop, as many millions can testify.
Your boobs will be a bit sore initially but milk production responds to demand.
Starving babies get sleepy. It doesn't sound as though yours is sleepy but it will respond to your distress by being distressed. Xxx

[mupperoon]

My daughter seemed to be frustrated with low supply at about 6 weeks - I started taking fenugreek capsules which really did seem to increase the supply.

Can you see a lactation consultant? Or go to a bf café / clinic?

A couple of days is not a long time and you might be able to find a solution very quickly. Don't feel you have to give up now!

[TheGirlAtTheJingleBellRockShow]

It could be a growth spurt and your supply is a bit slow catching up.
Try offering the breast before he gets too hungry - I know if my DD gets too hungry she takes a while to latch.
Have you found a baby cafe near you? Or know of any support groups? Might be worth going along to one to just check everything is ok.
It could also be illnes, any signs of a cold or anything? Or just a random bad couple days - we all have them!
Have you seen GP for reflux? He may need medication for it.

[Innocuoususername]

OP please don't follow holeinthehearts advice unless you want to give up breastfeeding (and it sounds as if you don't).

What you are describing sounds like a growth spurt, and I agree that it can take a couple of days of cluster feeding to catch up. The breast milk doesn't come as fast as formula, he has to work for it, and that may explain why he is distressed on the breast. I second the advice of offering before he is ravenous, you could also try taking the edge off his hunger by starting with the bottle then switching to the breast.

[tiktok]

holeinmyheart, there's no indication the OP is affected by 'the breastfeeding police' (oh, please.....). She has overcome initial difficulties (not without a struggle, it seems) and your advice is to stop breastfeeding. You give this advice with no understanding of how breastfeeding works, what the alternatives to it might be, and you throw in a 'starving babies' bit of scaremongering, too, with an added 'you will make your baby distressed' bit of anxiety-making. This is not supportive :(

OP - of course stopping bf is an option for you, but you cannot do this suddenly or you will create problems.

Instead, can I suggest you discuss your situation with a breastfeeding counsellor or your HV if you feel your HV understands how bf works.

What you are describing sounds very upsetting, but it's hard to say what could be causing it. It could be over-supply - sometimes a legacy of expressing; it could be ear-ache; it could be reflux (which would need a medical diagnosis); it could be one-of-those-things-babies-do-which-are-a-short-lived-mystery.

Do talk about it with someone before you decide to stop, and if you do decide to stop, talk about doing so gradually. But I see nothing in your post which indicates any reason why you and your baby cannot continue to breastfeed happily and for as long as you want.

[tiktok]

I agree it's a good idea to respond quickly to feeding cues - long before your baby is crying.

[LovelyBranches]

Thank you for all your advice. I think it was a growth spurt and he seems a lot calmer now. I have expressed milk for those times where he seems frustrated and won't breastfeed and I'm keeping a closer eye on the clock so that I can offer before his next feed which has seemed to work.

[tiktok]

LovelyBranches that's good news :)

It may never happen again, you know :)

[TheGirlAtTheJingleBellRockShow]

So glad things seem to have settled down. Growth spurts can seem relentless at the time, but are generally short lived!