5 week old suddenly fussing and thrashingf around at the breast - advice anyone?

[SomethingSuitablyWitty]

Hello all,

I am breastfeeding my 5 week old baby and I think so far I've had it fairly easy compared to some of the threads on here! I do have some oversupply issues, but feeding on one side instead of both and expressing a bit first seems to be helping with that. I also have a quite painful letdown which I feel between and sometimes at the start of feeds - but totally bearable, so I hope not a sign of anything more problematic.

Anyway, in the last few days, DD has started fussing a lot during feeds. She feeds well for maybe 10 or fifteen minutes, then latches off because she's tired or whatever and I wind her. She wakes up, shows all the signs of still being hungry, but is suddenly really hard to latch on - thrashing about, turning red, not latching on, gagging, batting at the breast etc. I can usually get her on again after a while, but it is distressing and I don't know what's causing it.

The midwife says cramps? I don't know why this would be - especially as it didn't happen before. Anyone got any advice or explanation that could help?!

maybe she isn't hungry, might seem like she is but she obviously doesn't want to feed again.

what would happen if you didn't attempt to feed her again?

Or thinking about it, are you using the new side to try the 2nd feed? therefor ethe fast letdown is too much for her as she is not starving iyswim, maybe go back to original side, if she just wants to top up, I'm sure there will be enough left

It could be that your supply issues have calmed down a bit, and she's finished the first side and is frustrated when you try to put her back on? Maybe she's ready for the other side.

When mine used to do this I would try and get them to latch on and feed and if not DH would take them or I would put them down. If they were hungry they would cry and then feed properly once I put them to the breast again.

What about just not winding/waking her and see what happens?

I find that DS2 fusses sometimes on the right side (it seems to trigger wind for some reason, and he starts farting). Quite often if I switch to a rugby hold instead, this seems to help.

Thanks for the feedback and thoughts. It's helpful.

I'm not sure that ending the feed after the first ten minutes would work - when I move her she quickly starts rooting and banging her head around. Also once we get past the thrashing etc, she could easily feed on for another twenty minutes or so.

I thought of that moonunit, but when I check to see if there is still milk, there is still a good flow as far as I can see.

I kind of agree with the view that it seems like she doesn't want to keep feeding - but I don't know why - would it be something I ate maybe that's affected the milk? Or would cramps just kick in suddenly like that.

Anyway - thanks for the thoughts. I'm afraid the problem is still ongoing for now and we are having abit of a tough eevening.

i remember both mine 'attacking' me at this age!

lil whippersnapper!

You say she feeds well for 10-15 minutes ... is there any gulping/clicking/gasping with the initial letdown? It may be that she's swallowing a lot of air and is then uncomfortable as a result. I too have oversupply and often get this sort of behaviour - usually there's a huge burp to come up, sometimes a massive acidy vomit or a nasty green poo. I find if DD's objecting to the left boob in this way, holding her in a cradle hold as if i was feeding her on the right, and rocking for a bit often soothes her, as if she's got some sort of tummy pain which is eased by a change of position. NB I don't actually switch breasts though!

Just realised I said pretty much what Camper said, only much less succinctly

stickers

Agree that it could be painful wind! Ours does it too though less now we use Infacol before feeds. Also check you're not moving around yourself as they do complain if you hold them in an uncomfortable position or move the nipple away.

Thanks stickers and camper - that description really rings a bell. There has been quite a bit of gulping and gasping and a big vomiting incident as well. I tried switching to the rugby earlier this evening and it did seem to help. I also tried just abandoning the feed last night after the first 15 minutes, when the trouble started. That also worked in a way. She settled and then slept for 5 hourse, so I guess she must get quite a lot even when it's short.

Thanks for the advice. It's the first time I've posted on this board and the support was really great!

DS did this for a few weeks at exactly this stage and I never did get down to the root of it. Sometimes I wonder if he was just trying to assert some control and find the breast in his own way ('fighting' with flailing arms, as it's often described, can also be a small baby's innate way of locating the breast, as can 'shaking' his head) though at 5 weeks that might have been a bit late to start with that sort of searching behaviour.

I wondered about wind too, or forceful letdown, or reflux, and we tried Infacol for a while, but it made no difference so laid off it! In the end, he just stopped doing it (at about 11 weeks?) and suddenly I realised that we were doing fine and he was feeding angelically. He stayed on for another two years. I hope your baby similarly moves through this phase, or that you find a way that makes things easier for you both.

Thanks reshape - A RL friend told me something similar too, so I will definitely persevere and try and work through it.