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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

DS, 8 wks, latching and unlatching, unsettled, frustrated. ???

5 replies

ReshapeWhileDamp · 12/02/2011 12:41

I just don't know what to do for him, except continue feeding him when he wants it.

I posted a couple of days ago that he had a cold and was a bit snuffly, so was having problems feeding as much as normal, but at the moment he doesn't even sound snuffly - the stuff flops around in his tubes, so sometimes he's bad and sometimes not, IYSWIM. At the moment, he certainly seems to have a clear nose.

Yesterday, he was really unsettled for most of the afternoon and all evening, which is very unlike him - normally he sleeps like an angel on my lap all evening, feeding occasionally, and only at bedtime does he wake and have an unsettled hour or three! This was much more 'classic' newborn stuff for that time of day - crying, not settling to sleep whatever we did, not happy at being carried about etc, all evening. But honestly, it's the first unhappy evening he's had.

He was fussy all night and is still unhappy now - he wants milk and he wants the sleep that comes with it, but he latches on and off, sucks and nibbles at me but doesn't latch, and finally gets red-faced and yells in frustration. Sad I think he must be getting enough to get by on, as I'm not noticeably engorged and he's not screaming in hunger (I think). But it's the fussy latching-on and off that is the problem - he just can't settle to feed happily, as he's normally done.

He has bad wind problems, always has done, and while it's no worse at the moment, perhaps he has a sore tummy and the feeding is just triggering tummy pains?

Any advice? I know it's highly unlikely to be 'something in the milk' but I'm beginning to doubt myself and my common sense (not to mention everything I've read!) and wonder if he's responding to something I ate in the last 24 hours. Not that I've eaten anything very esoteric or unusual for me, though.

OP posts:
KATC2010 · 12/02/2011 19:08

Sorry to hear that your DS is not feeding well. Does he have a temp at all? As he is 8 weeks has he had a vacination recently? The other thing i'm wondering is if you've checked his mouth for thrush? When my DS suddenly started latching on and off he had a really bad case of oral thrush (and HV had said only days earlier when I asked that it was milk curds!). Dr said he was surprised he could feed at all it was that bad. Good luck xxx

ReshapeWhileDamp · 12/02/2011 21:48

Nope, no temp, not yet been vaccinated, and no signs of thrush! He's a little less fussy today and had a huge poo, which has disturbed him and his feeding before now. I think it was tumy pain, which I'm pretty much unable to avoid for him. Sad

OP posts:
Olivetti · 12/02/2011 21:53

My little girl (12 weeks) sometimes does this, and I find just taking her off the breast as soon as she starts fussing (she gets really frantic) and holding her upright against my shoulder usually brings up a MASSIVE burp after a couple of minutes, then she carries on feeding or s ready for sleep. I'm sure you've already tried this, but it took me ages to figure out when she had just the one burp trapped in there (as opposed to being in pain for hours with wind, which she was in the very early days). I usually have to get up from wherever I am feeding her and just walk around the room for a couple of minutes as well, for some reason!

PenguinArmy · 12/02/2011 22:04

have you looked up on the kellymom website about fussy eaters. It has a good page about possible causes based on different actions.

We had fussy behaviour due to slow let down. In some senses it's like colic, a horrible frustrating hellish phase that they seem to get over on their own. Depends on the cause and if in fact you find the cause. Though in a lot of ways not as bad as colic but hopefully the analogy works.

Just remember not to take it as a personal rejection because it really isn't.

MyThumbsHaveGoneWeird · 13/02/2011 06:31

My ds is 8 weeks and gets exactly like that when he needs a massive burp. If no burp comes I have occasionally used gripe water. He hates the taste but it works like a dream. You can actually see his little face relax and he is his usual relaxed self again.

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