Screaming on the breast, head shaking and windy baby - is this normal?

[pooka]

Hi there. Sorry this is so long.

DS is now 5 weeks old. He's always been a bit windy but had a blssful day yesterday where he was relatively untroubled, prob because went to cranial osteopath. Osteo says that he's a bit "twisted" - from labour, and did the usual manipulation (this is the second time we've been). Today he was fine this am, but since he woke at 3pm he's been screaming pretty much all the time. Tries to feed but does this strange head shaking, which he's been prone to since newly born. He screams around my nipple. Have tried feeding at 5pm, then every half hour or so when he calms. He sucks away, swallows, gets another mouthful of milk and then spits it out and screams again. Is settled by a dummy and over the shoulder position or swaddled. Enjoyed (i.e. wasn't crying) his bath in a tummy tub just now, seems hungry, but just doesn't seem to feed. Is this normal when a baby is windy? I seem to recall reading (poss in the NCT breastfeeding book) that this is typical during bout of colic, but not sure.
Please reassure me that it's not me (i.e. my milk) but the wind. Feeling a bit rejected and dejected.
No temp. Fontanelle seems fine. Dirty nappies earlier but none this evening yet (so one may be brewing). Feel like I should know this is usual as fed dd for 13 months, but had forgotten how distressing a crying baby can be.

Yes, normal for 4/5 weeks. It passes. Nothing you've done or can do, really, apart from hang in there. All of mine went through a restless phase at 5 weeks, but it does get better. I think they're just old enough to notice abdominal sensations, but not old enough to know it's normal, IYSWIM.

Thanks so much Frogs - was sure that dd went through this, but needed to check. DS has never been as at ease with feeding as dd (or rather hasn't got as good table manners - he doesn't half writhe and mutter while he's feeding) but is putting on plenty of weight. Find the new baby bit so much harder than when they're bigger and more "readable".

Pooka, DS used to headshake - like he was desperate to feed, but couldn't quite work out how - and he used to wriggle like anything when he fed!

He was also very windy - the only time he cried was when he was having his nappy changed or had a burp stuck - but they did used to get very stuck

Walking up and down stairs helped bump the wind out of him - no special joggling, just walking up and down stairs (not recommended if you are sleep-deprived!). And saying "bah-bah-bah" over and over softly into his ear stopped him crying too - he would pause to listen.

There's nothing wrong with your milk - he's just cross because his insides are doing things he's never felt before.

Hang in there x x x

Oh we'll definitely carry on - looking forward with eager anticipation to the magical time once his insides have sorted themselves out The wind problem is so weird, isn't it? I mean - dh and I were trying to work out whether any other mammals have the same problems when they're tiny? Haven't seen any pictures of gorillas winding their young. And winding is such a dark art - dh usually very good, I'm not so patient. My great aunt was a health visitor and midwife in the 1950's and 60's. She used to advise mothers to leave their baby flat on its back in the pram while they had a cigarette and made a cup of tea, the reasoning being that by the time they picked the baby up, it would burp as it was raised to vertical! Ahhhhh...the good old days

My DS did this around 5 wks - and now again at 10 wks. He has always suffered with colic which tends to be a more painful cry and wriggling and no attempt to feed.

Just don't force him to eat. Might be that he's getting it faster than usual and it's choking him. Or that he's wanting to suck for comfort and gets angry when the milk comes. I find that giving my DS a dummy when he does this soothes him. And also found that there's no point fighting him - it just puts him off the idea altogether. I express in between attempted feeds and often give him a bottle of expressed milk in the evening when he is at his worst.

Also, his daily dirty nappies went to weekly ones all of a sudden at about 5 wks!

I think you're right Suzi2 that he's frustrated and annoyed when the milk comes, and as at the moment I have a pretty startling let-down he's also a bit overwhelmed. Am making sure that when he starts the head shaking I don't force him too much, poor lamb. Will have to follow his lead. Just goes to show that all babies are different. dd was always a very appreciative and dainty feeder.

Could this be thrush in baby's mouth? Thrush is sore for them and makes them pull off. Just a thought.

Look out for a white coating on tongue (looks like milk but doesn't go away when scraped) or whte spots.

If baby has it, you probably have it on nipple too and you'd both need to be treated.

The Breastfeeding Network is a very good resource. They can also put you in touch with a local BF counsellor.

Good luck.

Message withdrawn

Or feed lying down to slow it down.

Good tips here! I stupidly hadn't noticed that ds feeds noticeably better when I'm feeding him in bed- so maybe the let-down is the problem.