Baby fighting at breast

[mrsshears]

dd3 is 5 weeks old and totally breast fed, every evening when she cluster feeds she ends up getting herself really distressed and almost fights with my breast, struggles to latch on, when normally she has no problem with this,she eventually calms down but i cant for the life of me figure out what its all about,does anyone else have experience of this?
thanks

Me! in my case I have oversupply and baby is struggling with huge amount of milk and v forceful letdown. Lots of winding, and then I just keep attaching him when flow settles a bit, eventually he relaxes and feeds. it will settle for us as milk supply adjusts but will take a while. DS only 3 weeks old.

Yes, my DS, now 18mo did the same for weeks and weeks (he is still breast fed by the way). If it's ramping up right now, it might be related to the growth spurt you have coming (around 6 weeks) which for us was pretty trying - but knowing it would pass made it a bit easier! However, I've only fed the one baby so I'm no expert - maybe you could post on the breast/bottle feeding board where there are some real experts (BF counsellors and women with lots of experience supporting feeding relationships) and I'm sure there will be lots of people who can talk you through it and spot anything untoward.

Congratulations on your new baby and good luck with the feeding.

maples I will repost there,thanks.

Thanks sparkly and dontlaugh

We had this. He stopped doing it after a few weeks. Who knows why but you have to remember the world is still very new and overwhelming for newborns. You are her constant, her greatest source of comfort but by the end of the day it could all just be getting too much.

If you imagine a two year old who is tired but crying and fighting because they don't want their pyjamas on (Scene: our house tonight) I think its a similar sort of thing.

Offer lots of comfort, milk, quiet calm darkened room and something for yourself to look foraward to once she's finally done for the night.

DD did this. After a while I'd take her and do her "leg exercises" as we called them. Basically trying to get out trapped air - lie on the back and raise up the legs towards stomach and head repeatedly, also rotate the legs for a bit of variety. I also sang the wheels on the bus to her, with her legs going round along with wheels Sometimes it helped, whether by getting rid of the air or distracting her I don't know. But it may be worth a shot.