fussing, bobbing on and off a lot - frustrating, help!

[ThreeWheelsGood]

Is this just a phase, or should I be asking for help?

Baby is 10 weeks, ebf. Nearly every feed for the last week she has not been staying on properly during feeds - suck, suck, pops off, repeat. Sometimes she settles down and feeds calmly/stays on, sometimes I get so sore I have to stop. She always seems to pull back on a good latch so the latch is more shallow, and sometimes "chomps" when feeding (really hard sucks, painful).

Other changes recently: lots more drooling, chewing her hand ferociously, crying/fussiness in the evenings again (this stopped around 6/7 weeks we thought), pooing more often (still healthy bright yellow!).

Obviously this is my first baby, and I don't know much about babies, so hoped people here might be able to give me some pointers, is this all just a phase to ride out?

Sounds a bit like mine and he's similar age. No advise though. Will watch with interest...

Would you say you have a fast let down/engorged breasts? Just wondering if that's why she occasionally finds it difficult to latch and feed comfortably.

Crying tends to peak around 12 wks I think so evening fussiness sounds normal (assuming no other issues).

Poo also sounds normal - then it goes once a day, once every 3 days, then back to every feed.... All normal :)

Do you have a BF clinic nearby?

yes, I definitely have fast let down, often have to catch the squirting in a cloth at the beginning and get her back on. but recently she just doesn't settle into it. I heard crying peaked at 8 weeks, now I read 12 weeks?! argh...

If you do have a fast let down and you feel very engorged at the start of the feed I'd express a little off first (hand or pump) and see if that helps her. You don't want to be expressing a lot as that will make it worse, just enough so she can latch comfortably. I used to be like this and supply totally settled down :)

Sorry, I think it is around 12 weeks re. the crying :( Things really start clicking into place and they don't seem nearly as delicate in just a few weeks so you're almost there :)

Just to add, my DD was also a bit fussy in the evenings. In the end I realised it was largely over-tiredness and started putting her to bed, at 6 or 6.30 some nights and this is when I started introducing a proper bedtime routine. You might be doing that already or it might not help you - just mention as wish someone had told me.

HTH :)

Thank you for the tips, Lois - what you say makes sense.

We've not started on a routine yet, it seems way too soon given how young she is, I still feel like she's newborn! I might look into how to get started.

Drooling and chewing on hand would suggest teething. Extra dribble that gets swallowed can irritate the stomach and lead to more wind or poo.

We have a teething 10week old. Some days worse than others. Sore gums can make feeding uncomfortable - you could try a bit of Dentinox teething gel.

Hope things get better for you.

we'd considered teething. how can you be sure? does the tooth always show? she's definitely pretty windy! had no idea babies could be teething so young! thanks yomping.

DS was 12-ish wks when we noticed the same re:handsucking and drooling. He also tugs ears a bit. I was concerned about him being hungry but HV was adamant it is likely teething. Since thee I've read that they can be feeling the pain now but might not get teeth til 6 months. Argh! Seriously he sometimes retches due to shoving his fingers so deep and let's not even contemplate the number of clothing changes he needs in a day. We gave him a Sophie Giraffe toy which has proven popular (and it's also teaching him some hand control as well).

ThreeWheels your DD sounds very similar to mine, I saw you posted on the thread about feeding cues too I too have a fast let down but she doesn't seem to mind so much now, she'll just pull off til the milk has stopped spraying out of me lol, then latch back on ok, bless her she doesn't fuss when it happens now really so we're not doing too bad?can't describe exactly what has happened but in the past couple of weeks things have improved a lot with the feeding, it just all seems a bit easier somehow. My DD is 12 weeks now so hang on in there and the same might happen for you hopefully.

We still get some of the evening fussing which I just took to be normal, but that has got a bit better too. We don't have much of a routine yet, lol I don't know what I'm doing but just trying to go with the flow and things seem to be ok.

Well, so far today, feeds have been a dream!

Thanks for your comments Ariel24, I definitely think fast let down is a factor so I'm going to take steps to concentrate on making it more pleasant for her! Glad to hear it got better for you, here's hoping!

zoobaby - thanks for sharing your experience of teething. If all the symptoms are still there next week I'll go to the HV drop-in clinic for advice. completely recognise the retching thing! thankfully she hasn't made herself sick but I keep worrying she will, though maybe it's an interesting new sensation she's discovered?! I'll look into that Sophie Giraffe, thanks.