12wo baby pulling off breast - any ideas?

[Pidgin]

DS is 12 weeks old and EBF - for the past few nights it has taken him ages to settle to his last feed before bed. He frequently pulls away from the breast, stretches his back and/ or kicks his legs, crying as if in pain - also frustration as he really wants to eat. I presumed this was wind but winding doesn't seem to help (and he fights it). It happens at some other feeds but mostly in the evening, and after a while he settles down.

Could this be a symptom of reflux? He is also vomiting clear fluid and curdled milk quite often. He wakes frequently at night, sometimes coughing or having vomited. He's been quite congested this week, and for the past day or so has not fed very much in the day. Just trying to work out if all these things are linked or not.

Anyone know what this is if anything I can do to help him? Thank you very much.

From what I've been told, the supply in the evenings is slower, and in addition to that babies tend to be hungrier in the evenings, so it's a double edged sword! It sounds like this is the problem - a frustrated (and tired) wee baby possibly going through a growth spurt, and the milk just isn't coming quickly enough.
My ds2 is 11 weeks and does the same thing, altho his is often trapped wind too.

Both my girls did this at around the same age for two or three days. They both then stopped and carried on breastfeeding for ages afterwards without another problem.

When I look back with the knowledge that they are both hypersensitive to smells I wonder if I might have changed my deodorant or washing powder around that time but that's a shot in the dark really.

I wish I knew for sure what it was because it mystifies me to this day and DD1 is now 13!

Neither of them had reflux or vomited very much so I can't help with whether they are linked, sorry.

I know I was worried that it was the end of BFing and I couldn't have been more wrong. I hope your baby settles down and get's back to more normal feeding very soon.

I think sometimes pulling off can be them trying to get the next let down.

I had this too with ds2 around 12 weeks, he's now 15 weeks. He would also splutter a lot at night bringing milk up as you describe Pidgin. The breastfeeding counsellor at the BF group I go to said it was result of changing shape of the throat and to make sure winding at night, not easy if like me you co-sleep and fall asleep feeding. Anyway he soon grew out of it as she said he would.

On the back arching I found taking him off and winding did help and that somtimes he needed calming as he had got into a state so couldn't feed properly. If you think your supply might be low at that time my friend swears by fennel tea to increase it. Good luck.

Thanks so much everyone for your replies, lots of food for thought here. It's comforting to think he might just grow out of it soon... Have just realised he doesn't do it at night, anyway.

Thanks again.

Thanks so much everyone for your replies, lots of food for thought here. It's comforting to think he might just grow out of it soon... Have just realised he doesn't do it at night, anyway.

Thanks again.

Thanks so much everyone for your replies, lots of food for thought here. It's comforting to think he might just grow out of it soon... Have just realised he doesn't do it at night, anyway.

Thanks again.

Thanks so much everyone for your replies, lots of food for thought here. It's comforting to think he might just grow out of it soon... Have just realised he doesn't do it at night, anyway.

Thanks again.

Thanks so much everyone for your replies, lots of food for thought here. It's comforting to think he might just grow out of it soon... Have just realised he doesn't do it at night, anyway.

Thanks again.