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Help! 5MO pulling away and crying while BFing - at my wit's end

8 replies

sazzybee · 17/08/2007 11:52

My DS has been exclusively BF since birth. Apart from a bit of trouble in the early weeks with latch, it's gone really well and he's gone 3 hours during the day and 8-10 hours at night between feeds since he was 12 weeks.

BUT in the last week or so, after a few minutes of feeding seemingly contentedly, he's started pulling away, screaming and getting really frustrated so I take him off, put him up on my shoulder and calm him down and then try again but after the 3rd or 4th time, I give up. The only way to pacify him then is to stick a dummy in his mouth. Early morning and night feeds are fine but this happens with most other feeds.

Of course he's not getting very much at every feed now so then he wants to feed more frequently and is cross because he's really hungry so we seem to be caught in a downward spiral and he's feeding every hour or two including at night and I'm getting more and more exhausted.

I am really keen to keep BFing exclusively for at least another 4 weeks (he's 22 weeks) and then do BLW but my mum is convinced he's starving and that I should wean now.

Any ideas oh wise ladies of the feeding forum? I wondered if it could be slow let down but have no idea how to speed it up.

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sazzybee · 17/08/2007 11:54

Oops - dreadful lack of punctuation in that post.

OP posts:

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tiktok · 17/08/2007 12:26

sazzy - could be lots of things, including an inexplicable glitch that passes for no reason at all!

teething....needing to up supply....slight tummy bug....hot and bothered with change in weather...finishing feeds in a short time 'cos that's all he needs and crossness at you 'insisting' he goes on again....wanting to suck but not eat....combination of all of these things....something else entirely....

It will pass.

He is not starving.

He doesn't need weaning.

Call one of the bf lines and have a good chat about it - with a dialogue, you and the counsellor might come to some conclusion, even if it is not a definite one.

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3andnomore · 17/08/2007 12:35

I am just wondering...have you maybe changed your diet since your little one started with this behaviour?

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lummox · 17/08/2007 12:39

Hiya. Both of mine did this for a bit.

Because they were happy at the morning and night feeds (as with your ds) I put it down to distractions, and for a day or so did all feeds lying down in a darkish room.

It certainly made things better (although this might have had nothing to do with changing the place of feeds - I think there is a lot in tiktok's inexplicable glitch theory).

Good luck - I hope it gets better.

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Sazisi · 17/08/2007 12:45

My 6 mo gets distracted very easily too, so do try the dark room and no distractions thing!

Could be teething... if you get desperate try feeding him in a warm bath (makes your nipples softer and milk flow more easily)

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Sazisi · 17/08/2007 12:46

Oh! And check inside his mouth for any patches of white; oral thrush can make feeding painful for them

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tiktok · 17/08/2007 12:49

Ah yes - missed that bit about the early morning and night feeds, sorry.

This is a glitch, and happens to a lot of babies...we get a lot of calls like this, and in almost every case the baby is great at feeding during the night. It may be this distraction thing, and to do with the way babies are learning so much when they get to this age....they are sociable, interested in so many things, and the stimulus of the daytime may be difficult to switch off from. This is only my amateur explanation, mind!

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sazzybee · 17/08/2007 14:21

Hmm - food for thought. Originally I thought it was because we were on hols and going to the beach and my boobs were all salty But when we got back it continued. I don't think I've changed my diet but while I was away I was having a filter coffee every morning which is unusual but I've only had a couple since I've been home. I'll cut out caffeine completely again and see what happens.

I will definitely give the quiet room a try as I think that could be something to do with it. We were away with my sister and her DH and 6YO DS and normally it's just me and DS (I'm a single mum) so it was a lot noisier than he's used to. I've noticed he's started getting really distracted if I talk while feeding so can't use it as a time for calls any more.

Thanks for the ideas