Help! My baby screams at most feeds.

[CharleeFarley]

Looking for opinions as to what might be going on and how to fix it.

DS2 is nearly six weeks old and EBF. He feeds beautifully from midnight until late morning, but then things rapidly start to go sh*tshaped.

At every feed after that, getting worse as the day progresses, he screams hysterically and thrashes around when I try to feed him. He makes hunger signs and latches on but even before let down, he's off, creating a massive scene. It's so bad I'm pretty much housebound. Eventually, after I try 725 different positions, strip him off for skin-to-skin and dance a jig to entertain him, he'll probably feed a decent amount - he's certainly gaining weight. He has plenty of wet and dirty nappies.

What could be going on? It looks like discomfort/tummy pain but that doesn't seem to be it. It sounds weird to say, but it just seems like he hates my boobs! 😂 Skin-to-skin and white noise are my best tools for calming him to take a feed. Everything else just enrages him. He doesn't nap well, so perhaps he's overtired? Today, he wouldn't eat at all between 1 and 5pm!

All theories and helpful suggestions welcome because I'm starting to feel really frazzled! TIA.

Do you wind ?

Your body produces more prolactin, the hormone that promotes milk production at night. So maybe it's something to do with that. Always remember the midwife saying the night feeds were the good stuff.

Maybe your let down at night is faster and he is getting impatient in the day.

Could be anything .. too hot.. too bright .. bless him. It's so hard to know.

At this age it’s really hard to tell. He could be overtired, how are his naps in the day?

Try the Tiger in the Tree hold for the wind, there’s some videos on YouTube.

I’m not trained though. You’re probably best getting to a Bfing Support Group and calling one of the BFing Helplines. Have you got the numbers?

@JiltedJohnsJulie Yeah, that's what I'm planning to do, but our local one is closed until the new year now. November is a silly time to have babies. 😂 Can't get my six week check, either, because the doctor's is closed for Christmas.

@sothecatwasontheroof Yeah, he usually does a couple of burps after each side - aides by a dose of Infacol before the feed (helps with the burping; does not help with the screaming). He farts a lot, though, and seems quite uncomfortable with it. Might try gripe water or something...?

You might get a private lactation/ breast feeding consultant who can come out to you - have you tried La Leche League? X

Yes Lara is right la leche league are great ( don't worry there are all sort of members) .. search la leche on Facebook they have local groups you can join and post for help. Or often the local leader will do Phone calls to help.

I have never used any gripe water or other bits personally so do not idea if they help or hinder.

If your little boy is getting too hungry he might be desperate by his next feed. I just used to feed mine all the time, well looking for hunger signs which at a few months old seems all the time ! As in I didn't do set feed times or make them wait 2/3/4 hours between feeds.

Great, thanks folks! I will see if I can find a LLL helper locally. That said, he seems to have really turned a corner today. I'm now not sure it wasn't some sort of weird growth spurt / developmental thing or just needing to increase my supply. I've always fed him on demand, including when fussing, and done lots of skin to skin, baby wearing, co-sleeping, etc. He eats loads and is gaining, so I can't imagine he's hungry. The next fees days will tell, I guess, but I'll definitely look up an LLL person in the meantime. ☺️

Aw that's good news ! Hope you have a merry Christmas

@sothecatwasontheroof You too! ☺️🌲

Could he have acid reflux? I've heard that once babies are old enough to make the connection between feeding and pain, some start rejecting feeds or getting upset during them? Might be worth googling the symptoms just in case. My son has silent reflux which is hard to spot!

Oh sorry, 6 weeks old probably wouldn't have made than connection anyway.

So this story has taken a major plot twist!

I have discovered that if I apply pressure the the inside, bottom part of my breast during a feed, the baby suddenly starts golloping milk like it's going to run out! Seriously. He stops fussing immediately and takes a full feed on both sides. I can only conclude that - as I had a gut feeling about - he has a little trouble with the shape of my nipples/boobs. Applying pressure on one side seems to make it easier for him to suck effectively and drain the breast properly. I think he may just have been frustrated at how much effort it previously took...

There’s nothing wrong with doing breast compressions Charlee, especially if it’s keeping him happy

Wow! Plot twist indeed! Well done!!