5wk old screaming during and after breast feeding

[twinkleymum]

I'm feeling really disheartened. I've managed to get through the pain of bad latching and had a week of good feeding at last, but for the last 2-3 days I've hit another hurdle. Now from the afternoon and evening and even some night feeds she's crying as if in pain. Sometimes as the milk lets down, sometimes after about 7 minutes of feeding. Then she comes off, screams, I've got milk flowing everywhere. Don't feel like she's taking much in at all. I can feel bubbles in her tummy but I always have. I'm using infacol and in the mornings she possets alot after I bring the wind up, but is quite sleepy during feeds so doesn't do the screaming thing. I just don't know what to do. This is DD2 and DD1 (3yrs) is feeling quite left out as DD2 requires so much attention. Last night DD2 been screaming at me, I passed her over to DH when he came home and tried to spend some quality time with DD1 at bedtime and she was upset with me. I ended up in tears as it feels like I cant do anything right for either of them at the moment

Have you considered reflux?

Here's a thread....

lots of symptoms and practical advice

I was really, really hoping it's not that. I took her to the docs yesterday to see if she had ear infection or something to make feeding uncomfortable and she said all seemed well. She never mentioned reflux. I also took her to be weighed and she is slightly under her line but HV wasn't concerned, she didn't mention reflux either. I think they think I'm a paranoid mum and DD2 just a bit fussy, but to me she seems like she's in pain. I don't remember this with DD1 and also she didn't posset quite so much. From reading the thread on reflux it seems I'm in for a miserable time and that the prescribed treatments don't do much. Alternatively, do you think it could be the rate at which the milk flows? If so will she get used to it and calm down?

Have you thought about over-supply as a possible reason? Check out archives. It's easily dealt with if it is this.

I'm not sure it is over-supply as now she doesn't cry at the let down but will feed beyond that now but still come off crying as if in pain and rigid. Also I've not been expressing at all. If I hold her up to me after a feed its like she's trying to climb up me. I'm really down about it now as she is doing it this morning and it didn't used to start until later in the day. Yesterday I went out to meet some other Mums and she was definitely the most unsettled baby by far. I fed her she cried, I was only there 2 hours and in that time she was sick 4 times. I went back to the doctors today and they've prescribed gaviscon, she's only had one dose so far but there's no difference. The pharmacist suggested that if the gaviscon doesn't work then maybe try colief in case its colic and not reflux. Any thoughts or advice?

It does sound like your DD has reflux to me - her symptoms are the same as DS1's at the same age.

He started screaming during and after breast-feeding when he was around 5 weeks old, and doing the climbing thing you describe, and it turned out to be reflux. We ended up having to mix-feed him with SMA stay-down formula (like a cross between milk and polyfilla), which worked, and he was fine by the time he was three months old.

Can you take her to see a paediatrician? My GP was hopeless and it was only when we went to see a paediatrician that DS1 got diagnosed and feeding time stopped being such a nightmare for both of us.

ttalloo Glad to hear you found something that worked. GP wants to see us again tomorrow to see if the gaviscon has made a difference. At 3 months were you able to stop using any treatment or did you have to carry on? She does have moments when she's happy but few and far between and when she's asleep I start thinking I'm imagining it but then when feeding I think no this isn't right. DD1 was unsettled but didn't seem to suffer with pain, she just needed constant entertainment.

DS1 was only diagnosed at 8 weeks by the paediatrician, (we had 3 weeks of misery with the GP saying there was nothing wrong and maybe he wasn't latching on properly) after which we used SMA staydown until he was weaned at 6mos - we never had to use Gaviscon or anything else with him - just because it was working for him, and we didn't want to risk a relapse.

We also took him to see a cranial osteopath, who tweaked him a bit - I don't know if that helped necessarily but I was going out of my tree at the time with despair at this tiny baby who howled every time he fed, and at least I felt that he was doing something!

But you know your baby better than anyone, and if something doesn't seem right about her feeding, then trust your instincts and insist on a second opinion.

My baby has exactly the same symptomns of yours - he is almost 6 weeks old and the symptoms started over a week ago. I went to the doctors on Monday and was prescribed Gaviscon as well. I was breast feeding but have started moving towards formula because it means i can mix the powder with the milk. i can't say i can see much difference yet. Haver you had any improvement yet? I am going back to the docs 2mrw.

Let me know how you get on because I am finding it v stressful!

My 10 week old is the same and is now on medication for silent reflux although i'm still not 100% sure its all due to that. Sometimes he just wants to comfort feed himself to sleep so when I offer him a too full breast or my letdown occurs he cries. You could try offering the less full breast or expressing if your breasts are too full. I normally just have to take him off the breast until my letdown stops.

JJJ34 she hasn't brought up quite so much milk since I started the gaviscon and although still seems unsettled after feeds perhaps not quite so bad it's probably too early to say for sure though.

Went to the cranial oesteopath today and hoping that helps. I still fluctate between thinking its reflux and thinking its colic I really don't know. If the gaviscon is stopping her bringing up so much milk then that's great but it is quite fiddly to use when breast feeding and I'm sure most of it doesn't go in. I'm not sure if its helping with the pains though so will have to give it a few more days I suppose. The phramacist suggested trying colief if I think its colic but I've heard that's difficult to use too.

A friend phoned me last night who had two reflux babies and she made me feel a bit better, sympahising with me. My MIL had 5 children and we asked her to come up this weekend to help out and see what she thought (i.e. am I paranoid and actually she's just a bit unsettled and that's the way she is). She lives 2 hours away and she said she didn't want to as she doesn't want to drive up on her own. I was a bit miffed as she's been up loads of times and when we really could do with some help she cant be bothered. We dont have any family around us and I lost my Mum years ago. My sister is coming up tomorrow though so that will be nice.

Sorry for general moaning!

I went back to the doctors today and was prescribed Rantidine. you give it to baby via a syringe. Just done one feed so far and it seemed slightly better but that could be coincidence. you administer it 3 times a day so will post tomorrow with any progress.

Don't worry about moaning, it is v hard with an unsettled baby..

Been having a read up on colic and reflux. I think it is more like reflux due to bringing up the milk and the crying is associated with feeding. For colic it said bouts of crying for hours on end, she doesn't cry for hours on end.