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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

3 month old baby rejecting the breast

18 replies

OovoofWelcome · 03/12/2011 18:51

DS is 3 months old and has been a very enthusiastic feeder since he first mastered latching on (it took a few days since he and I had a bit of a difficult labour, v long, we were both ill & depleted afterwards).

But increasingly over the past few weeks he has started to arch away from my boob and cry :( I'm worried he isn't getting enough to eat, especially since he is due a growth spurt around now.

I think he's teething - he constantly chews his fingers and drools a lot, cries more etc. I think this might be it but wonder if reflux or something else could be causing it?

Has anyone experienced this -any ideas how to deal with it? He feeds best when very sleepy or asleep now. Tried skin-on-skin today but he still seemed to writhe away in pain when I encouraged him to latch on.

TIA

OP posts:
MadameJ · 03/12/2011 19:16

Is he doing at every feed? the only reason I ask is because DD really reduced the amount of feeds she wanted at about this age and I really struggled to adapt and I thought something must be wrong, she also became much more efficient and would take what she needed in minutes rather than all night hours. Just a suggestion, good luck x

tickleme63 · 03/12/2011 19:22

My little fella did this, and still does on occasion - it's usually because I think he's due a feed but he thinks otherwise! My milk comes very fast and I think it maybe upsets him when he (a) just wants to comfort suckle with no milk (fat chance!) or (b) when he doesn't fancy a three-course meal in the first few seconds of latching on!

If I remember rightly, I was advised that they do go through a bit of a fussy/distractible phase at 3/4 months and that it should pass, but I'm sure someone with far more knowledge than me will be along soon :)

PS Love the username :o

newmum953 · 03/12/2011 19:36

Congratulations on your baby. Is he still putting on weight? My DD was quite ill with reflux in the early days and the docs used the weight gain as the benchmark. She used to spasm after a few minutes of breastfeeding as that's when she would get a bit of acid coming back up. Teething can also turn them off their food. Is he having hungry days in between the disinterested days? Perhaps also check baby's mouth for thrush. I would also speak to your doc.

BobbieSox · 03/12/2011 19:40

I've just logged on to ask more or less the same question - my 10 week old DS is the same, and has been on and off for a few weeks.

I also have a fast let down and he gets all coughy then cries and screams - I now take him off before the real gushing starts but I think he expects it now and will often refuse to feed anyway.

I try and feed him every 3 hours but could it be possible that's too often?

FWIW I have tried him on bottles of expressed milk, sometimes its the same effect, sometimes not.

Sorry for the hijack OP - apart from the teething symptoms sounds like we're in the same boat. Feel so sad he's scared of my boobs Sad

Hope someone can help!

msbossy · 03/12/2011 19:50

Both my DC struggled with fast let down, although more in the early days than as the OP describes. Feed twice from the same breast. Worked a treat with DD2. Wish someone had given me that advice with DD1 Sad.

dribbleface · 03/12/2011 19:53

my ds2 does this, he's 9 weeks. i think much the same, fast let down and sometimes just wants to comfort suck and get's the hump. sometimes better if i give him a dummy to distract him then pop him on or swap to other breast, one is more forceful than the other. apart from that I've been going with it and trying (unsuccessfully) not to worry. he's put on 6 ounce's every week so not overly worried. I've noticed a pattern of short feed's of 6-7 minutes from 7am until about 4 then longer feed's. it's hard isn't it.

dribbleface · 03/12/2011 19:55

cross posts msbossy, will try that, maybe that's why swapping breast's works. sorry for hijack op!

Original poster
OovoofWelcome · 03/12/2011 20:06

No worries Smile It's interesting to hear everyone's experiences. I did wonder if my let down was a bit forceful.....sometimes when he comes off it spurts across the room! But not always.

Dribbleface, DS has the same tendency to have short feeds in the day, as you describe. Maybe he just prefers light snacky feeds in the day then chunkier meals in the eve?

Am also trying v hard not to worry too much, and just calmly lift him away from the boob when he gets upset. Hoping it's a phase and will pass soon - but am going to take him to the doctors, just in case.

Maybe he just wants to feed less, or is a more efficient feeder, as you suggest MadameJ?

OP posts:
dribbleface · 03/12/2011 20:11

i know it's so hard to be calm. my only reasoning is with ds1 i bottle fed as had nightmare with feeding and i then stressed just as much as could see how much or in his case how little he had. he's now a healthy and very cheeky 3 year old! i sound so in control but I'm not! just trying to convince myself!

PenguinArmy · 03/12/2011 20:11

we had this 'fussy feeding' was soul destroying at times.

Try this and this and also nursing strike related info I'd say it had gone by 5 months bar hiccups

BobbieSox · 03/12/2011 20:11

Mine has a similar pattern of not feeding much in the day too, interesting...good to hear others experiences.

Original poster
OovoofWelcome · 03/12/2011 20:30

He is now peacefully feeding/snoozing as I type clumsily on my iPhone - whereas earlier he was doing the whole straining back, 'Are you insane, woman?!?' thing! Makes me realise how much I treasure breast-feeding, when he latches on again.

Thanks for the links penguinarmy, useful to know that babies can get fussier on the boob during growth spurts - I'd assumed they'd just be relentlessly hungry!

OP posts:
Original poster
OovoofWelcome · 03/12/2011 20:32

Ps just as you said earlier, tickleme - perhaps 3/4 months is just a fussy time, with do much rapid development going on

OP posts:
PenguinArmy · 03/12/2011 20:38

it is prime time for being too nosy to feed in the day and catch up evenings/nights as well. After 7 months I couldn't feed DD in public, a lot of our fussiness was related to slow let down and she wouldn't stay on long enough to get there if there other people/things to look at. Good luck

fairimum · 03/12/2011 20:45

arching his back can be a sign of silent reflux

Original poster
OovoofWelcome · 03/12/2011 20:50

Hmm yes I wondered about silent reflux. What are the other signs? Is it only helped with medication?

OP posts:
stopgap · 05/12/2011 04:20

We've just started Zantac (an antacid) for silent reflux with 15-week-old DS. Sometimes he feeds perfectly fine, but at other times he arches his back, screams in a very high pitch, does wet burps, occasionally coughs when he goes on his back, and generally seems out of sorts. He's hard to burp, too.

You could try a gripe water with charcoal, as well as keeping your baby upright for thirty minutes after feeding, and "block feeding", as opposed to swapping breasts for every feed.

bell31 · 05/12/2011 06:48

My lo did this at 3 months. I was so worried he wasn't getting enough. Took him to the weigh in clinic and his weight gain was fine.
Try not to worry too much he'll be fine.

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