fussing 10 wk old, bobbing on and off boob a lot - frustrating, help!

[ThreeWheelsGood]

Is this just a phase, or should I be asking for help?

Baby is 10 weeks, ebf. Nearly every feed for the last week she has not been staying on properly during feeds - suck, suck, pops off, repeat. Sometimes she settles down and feeds calmly/stays on, sometimes I get so sore I have to stop. She always seems to pull back on a good latch so the latch is more shallow, and sometimes "chomps" when feeding (really hard sucks, painful).

Other changes recently: lots more drooling, chewing her hand ferociously, crying/fussiness in the evenings again (this stopped around 6/7 weeks we thought), pooing more often (still healthy bright yellow!).

Obviously this is my first baby, and I don't know much about babies, so hoped people here might be able to give me some pointers, is this all just a phase to ride out?

(crossposted on breastfeeding talk board too sorry)

Early teething? Might hurtover to suck and would help explain the drool and hand chewing. Hard to be sure though - cann you see signs that a tooth might be coming? Lower jaw in the middle are usually first.

I am by no means an expert however!

Silent reflux (as in no sickness but the baby is uncomfortable when feeding and after). Bobbing on/off boob is a sign as is fussiness

We've considered both teething and reflux. It's so hard to know! We keep her upright after feeds as she used to vomit if we laid her down too soon, could that be an indication of reflux? I'll check out her gums when she's next awake, didn't know she could be teething so young!

I can remember thinking exactly the same when my first was the same age or slightly older. What no one had told me, is by that age they don't need to feed for so long - they are more efficient at getting the milk out. The bobbing on and off was happening once my son had actually had enough milk and I was continuing to try feeding because I expected to be there for half an hour or so. Also as babies get older they become more distractable and tend to look around more. Once you have considered other things and eliminated them, such as teething, it may just be a developmental thing.

I can remember thinking exactly the same when my first was the same age or slightly older. What no one had told me, is by that age they don't need to feed for so long - they are more efficient at getting the milk out. The bobbing on and off was happening once my son had actually had enough milk and I was continuing to try feeding because I expected to be there for half an hour or so. Also as babies get older they become more distractable and tend to look around more. Once you have considered other things and eliminated them, such as teething, it may just be a developmental thing. Another thing to consider is thrush in the mouth - this can be painful for the baby and change the latch - signs to look for are white in the mouth and red sore nipples (yours, not baby's!) - particularly if either of you has been given antibiotics. Hope you get it sorted!

Sorry am new to mumsnet - seem to have double posted when I tried to add to my first post!

Vomiting when lying down sounds like it may be reflux, as said above, fussing could be a few things. I'd have a chat to a breastfeeding specialist - do you have a drop in clinic/hv nearby or your gp if they are knowledgable about babies (not all are)

It sounds a bit like my ds who has recently been prescribed stuff for reflux at 5 months. Some of the fussing he's just grown out of though.

Others on here in the breastfeeding section might be more helpful

Good luck

Sarniagirl - that's interesting, thank you. sometimes she has been bobbing on and off so I give up trying to feed her and she falls asleep! so maybe you're right, I'm trying to feed her when she's had enough. definitely makes sense about becoming more distracted too, she feeds with her eyes open more often now.

braingone - thanks for your experiences, I'll talk to the HV next week. there have also been good replies on the other board.