Can anyone explain what's just happened?

[CUNextTuesday]

4 week old DS, v hungry child. 95% BF but with the odd expressed or formula bottle to save my nips/sanity. Cluster feeds of an evening.

I've always had more trouble getting him feeding from the right breast, perhaps because I'm right handed so I'm trying to control his head with my left hand. Anyway he's started over the past week or so to latching on, then within 5 mins or so jerking his head and kicking with his legs so that his latch changes and it's slightly less comfortable, but still manageable - he just gets really fidgetty and it's very frustrating. He jerks his head so he comes off completely in the end, then cries immediately to go back on. Straight away he's fidgeting again, on and off the breast, and this can go on for ages.

There's plenty of milk, and he feeds fine off the left breast. I've tried everything to make him comfortable and me relaxed when we're on the right, but he just seems to get really anxious. Tonight was the end of my rope when everytime I got him back on he was opening and shutting his mouth, rolling his tongue round and doing that rapid head-shaking thing but not latching, then when I pulled away he was howling. I had already fed him to emptiness on the left, so I thought he may just be mesing about, but he continued to bawl and I gave him a bottle of expressed which he downed in record time so he WAS hungry.

Sorry for the epic - can anyone explain why he seemed to be hungry but wasn't interested in latching properly and getting on with it?

Try taking your fingers off the back of his head and moving them down onto his shoulders - babies don't like having their heads held while feeding. Or change to a rugby ball position on the right side. How was his birth? Could he have a sore neck that means it is sore for him to feed on the right? Maybe a trip to the cranial osteopath might help?

I did go and see a BF counsellor early on, who explained about the head-holding thing so I am quite conscious of that. Funnily enough we went to a CO a couple of weeks ago so may be the one visit hasn't fixed things (he had a 6.5hr 2nd stage and he was diagnosed as 'quite squashed' by the CO)

I confess I haven't tried a rugby ball hold - I think I would have to be shown how to do it!

This is a good pic!
www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.milkmatters.org/images/breastfeed/pic4.jpg&im grefurl=www.milkmatters.org/breastfeeding/breastfeeding&usg=__S6TQdBoN5HoY92LY-V7kMruhKZY=&h= 300&w=450&sz=24&hl=en&start=0&tbnid=2p8rs4tpCDtzfM:&tbnh=148&tbnw=222&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbreastfeedi ng%2Brugby%2Bball%2Bhold%26hl%3Den%26newwindow%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DX%26prmdo%3D1%26biw%3D1024%26 bih%3D651%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1%20target=_blank&iact=hc&vpx=142&vpy=270&dur=60&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx= 163&ty=128&ei=15xVTMabOZf80wTxpK24Cw&page=1&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0

Sorry - forgot I can't do that on here!

www.milkmatters.org/breastfeeding/breastfeeding and scroll down!

Or you could try lying down to feed on that side? DS could only feed lying down to start with but he had ishoos with my R boob because when it was very full, the nipple would be very flat and he had troubles getting a hold of it properly. Maybe that has something to do with it in your case, have you noticed how flat or not your nipple is?

I second trying the 'rugby ball' position. Both DD and DS have had problems latching on to my right breast and changing positions has helped.

i had trouble with one side, that sounds similar to you. in the end i found one position i could feed from on the troublesome side (lying down somewhere quiet) and i would use the good boob for everything else (out and about etc).
eventually the pain caused by her fighting with my nipple went away, and as she got bigger her feeding improved all-round and i can now feed her both sides sitting up cradle-hold, unless she's distracted.

you could have let-down happening faster or slower than the other side which he is disgruntled about, i never really knew why she had more trouble with one side, but it did improve eventually!

Thanks everyone, it's a relief to hear sensible explanations - it's so stresful at the time when you are both getting cross...

thumbwitch I try and bring the milk on with my fingers first to shape the nipple more than anything so the latch is better - it doesn't always work!

I've found a burp sometimes helps his concentration too (him, not me )

I agree about changing your hold. I found the cradle hold to be the best - they generally get you to do the head-holding thing when you first start bf-ing so they can see what you're doing, but it ties up both your hands!