Need help with Breast Feeding problems before I give up.

[APixieInMyTea]

For a while now ds2 has been really fussing at the breast for 99% of feeds. It takes him at least 10/15minutes to calm down and feed properly. Not great when I have ds1 demanding attention.

He hits and scratches at me, squirms and generally fusses. And then he seems to get lazy and if I don't guide my nipple into his mouth he just takes a mouthful of whatever is closest and starts sucking away.

It hurts and my boobs are covered in little bruises.

Once he calms down and starts feeding properly he only takes 15/20 minutes to get what he needs but the fussing before we get there is really getting me down.

Does anyone have any idea why he might be doing this or if there's anyway to calm him so he feeds properly straight away?

express abit off first? Is he 'choking'? DS does this too, just takes him a while to settle. How old?

My ds2 did this and I also think it was over supply and the milk was coming-out too fast.

He was also a very sucky baby but wasn't always hungry just wanted to suck and got annoyed with the breast and would just grab my fingers and start sucking them. I got him a dummy in the end, when I was sure feeding was established.

He also did this a bit in the evening and I eventually realised he was overtired and needed an earlier bedtime. Before I cracked this I thought he needed to cluster feed in the evenings so was keeping him up.

Think I'll try expressing a bit off first.

No, no choking. He's 7weeks old now.

I have tried and tried and tried again to get him to take a dummy as he tries to suck his thumb but gets frustrated because he can't quite get it in his mouth, but he completely refused the dummy.

He's got quite an early bedtime as it is already. He's bathed changed fed and in bed for 6pm ish so I can spend an hour with my toddler before he goes to bed.

We started co-sleeping again (we had a couple of days where he was sleeping in 2 six hour blocks at night) as he now wakes up around midnight for a feed and then feeds on and off until the morning but I'm not getting any sleep because he still fusses etc even when he's asleep and trying to feed.

My ds2 is still a bit like this tbh, he rarely just relaxes into a feed, whereas ds1 just went limp and would feed v easily. Mind you, ds1 always refused a dummy AND bottle so it's swings and roundabouts!

I find with ds2 he feeds better if I am lying down and away from any stimulus, and when he is sleepy.

I've never done it, but could swaddling him before a feed maybe work?

IMO it will pass, and you may NEVER know what on earth was going on. I remember this. It used to really get me down. hang in there-you are doing brilliantly with two children to deal with!