Baby crying at every feed.

[HarlettOScara]

Hoping someone can help, please?

14 week old DD is EBF. BF has gone really well and she has almost doubled her birthweight. However, since last week, she now cries and pulls away from me every time I try to feed her. I then have to spend 10-15 minutes calming her down and offering a finger to suck until she's settled enough to feed. She is also refusing to latch if I am sitting on the sofa which is where I usually feed during the day and have done so since she was born. I have to move to a dining chair at the other end of the room or stand up and latch her on before sitting down.

Once I eventually get her latched on and settled, she feeds normally. Usually between 15-30 mins per feed.

I don't know if it's coincidence but all of this started at about the same time as she came down with a cold. However, she is pretty much over that now but the fussing and crying continues. The only feeds that happen without drama is the first morning feed and any night feeds (but she often sleeps through so we don't always have a night feed),

This evening I had to go out for a couple of hours and left DP with some expressed milk for her and she took the bottle with no problem. I can't express enough for all feeds though so I am seriously thinking of switching to formula as she seems happier with a bottle. At the minute I could maybe express enough for one or two feeds per day.

I said from before she was born that I would BF as long as it went ok but I wasn't prepared to make her or me miserable in the process and at the minute, I am miserable and she must be too as she howls and pulls away every time. I can't help but feel a bit of a failure when I am making my baby cry.

Is this likely to be a phase that will pass and I should just ride it out or should I go and invest in some formula in an effort to make my baby happy to feed?

bumping for you!

My only thought was possibly silent reflux with the pulling away - but 14 weeks is possibly late for it to start. My dd1 went through a phase like this around 3 months and I was distraught at the thought of stoping feeding her, but it passed (no help to you, sorry!)

Are you sure it was a cold your baby had? My ds (silent reflux) is allergic to dairy and was congested and blocked up with a rattly chest until I cut it out...

My DS has reflux and it only really showed from about 12 weeks. He was also distressed during feeds but was then very obviously sick a lot after.

my little one did this and turns out he was getting frustrated as milk wasnt coming out fast enough for him, particularly during late afternoon/evening feeds when milk level is at its lowest. I expressed a bit more and gave one bottle in the afternoon/evening so my milk had chance to build up. That could be it!

Thanks for taking time to reply, folks.

Happy, actually, that gives me hope that this is just a phase that will pass.

I don't think it's reflux. The crying starts before she even touches the boob but once I get her settled, she latches easily and feeds well and is content both during and after.

My DS has occasionally done this, and went on a nursing strike once. Skin to skin helps a lot, as does nursing in a different position to your usual. For a couple of days mine would only feed in the position I dubbed 'The Cow' - him flat on his back, me dangling over him. It was the most glamorous thing I've ever done. I would also get white noise going which seemed to calm him down straight away. I also read a piece of advice somewhere that suggested avoiding bottles during this period as baby will choose them over the boob, and may do so long term, given the choice.

could be a slight nursing aversion from the cold. Take her to bed lots of skin to skin when she isn't due a feed so she re learns that hanging out at the breasts is a nice thing too do.

I think you're right, MigGril and that it's all stemmed from her cold. So far today she seems a lot better. We've only had one difficult feed today and that was at nap time when she was tired. All other feeds have been fine so far. She seems less snuffley and bugged up today too.

She has also become slightly obsessed with sucking her thumbs and I usually have to hold her arms out of the way to get her to latch on as she seems more keen on thumb sucking than feeding.

Have you started wearing new perfume or deo or anything like that?