4 week old getting angry at breast

[kimblesj]

I am pretty sure my baby (month on nose today) is getting angry and chomping at breast to increase milk supply? His normal feeds are 15 minutes maybe every two hours but last few evenings he has been cluster feeding from about 7-11 and getting angry and chomping at breast and not being full for ages! Can someone just reassure me that it is just him trying to increase my supply? Thanks you!

Cluster feeding is very common and very normal.....is it part of a baby's natural impulse to boost supply, is it part of a baby's need to be close and connected, is it part of a baby's need to persuade his mother not to place him away from her.....probably all of those :)

Chomping angrily - not so common. Can you describe a bit more? Have you tried co-bathing with him when he's like this? Often calms babies down beautifully :)

Thank you for replying so quickly! The cluster feeding is fine with me, means I get some one on one time
With him while husband sorts out older two!

The chomping is almost like he can't latch/has wind trapped lots or grunting and biting down on nipple. Almost like milk has run out and he gets quite cross. I have then changed sides and he is fine for a while and then same issue Again.

I remember this, someone on here told me that it can be because too much milk is coming and he hasn't learned to manage it yet. Something along those lines. Whatever the cause, for us it didn't last very long (a matter of days, looking back). So I hope it will soon pass too!

I think you have prob interpreted it right - he might want a faster flow, might want a change of position to be more comfy. You switch sides and he's fine. Then the same issue arises on the 'new side' - and you switch again. This is something that will almost certainly resolve itself in a few days, tops :)

omu - good thinking, chomping could be a way of stemming the flow - this can happen in mothers with an over-abundant supply.

Thank you both! He is definitely not starving to death and is currently putting on a pound a week. Just not experienced this chomping madness before!

Aha - then I think omu is right. A pound a week = generous supply and generous supply often = overwhelming flow :)

It does settle down.

There's no rage quite like the rage of a tiny infant is there! I'm sure with weight gain like that everything is fine :)

Thank you both! Sometimes you just need some reassurance

Hi tiktok and omu - I have the same problem as the op still at 8 weeks - when should I start to see things settle down soon re abundant/over supply etc? Dd is a big weight gainer too, over 4lb on since birth. She is managing it slightly better but we do still have the problem at bedtime feeds.

I'm not sure what to advise really (I'm no expert, DS is only 5 months!), maybe start a thread and someone more knowledgeable can help you.

Otherwise my only advice is that one day you will just realise that it isn't happening anymore! If it's only at bedtime feeds now whereas it was happening more often before, then it sounds like it is starting to sort itself out.

Sorry I'm not more help!

Best to start your own thread, cream, but in the meantime, search mumsnet for 'block nursing' :)

I'm by no means an expert - very much still learning but when my LO chomps it means he's got wind. It's confusing as it looks like he's frustrated and starving, but generally, if he's doing this then I take him off and wind him then he calms down.

My ds (6 weeks) does this sometimes. I still don't know what it is. I just go with it and try to calm him with cuddles, then feed a bit more and the cycle continues for a few hours until he suddenly drops off to sleep. it could be over tiredness but hopefully it will stop in a few weeks. infacol worked a bit but I stopped it as made him constipated. no hv or BF clinic person can tell me what it is

My 5 week old does this. Its like she's frustrated and won't latch. In our case its usually tiredness when its the end of the day. I use it as a cue to take her to feed in bed in a dim light and she's often out like a light soon after.

Both my DDs did this... It was definitely oversupply in my case, too much milk flowing too fast!

DD1 I never worked out what the problem was, but she got used to it as she got bigger.

DD2 I had to do block feeding in blocks of 6 hours - that made the world of difference. Had to take it slowly though as other side could get quite engorged!

I think oversupply is really common, but gets mistaken for all sorts of other things - tongue tie, thrush etc. I think it makes sense that nature would err on the side of abundance iyswim!

I've got the same problem with my baby! I found that it was a strange combination, on the one hand I was getting very tired with a constant feeding which was almost every hour sometimes, and I believe my supply was not able to keep up with his demand. I thought this because everytime I pick baby up I didn't feel the milk come in and I felt like I had just fed him and was empty.
But on the other hand, when I could feel I did have some milk on board and the letdown reflex gave the familiar prickling sensation, he's still would bite and I think honestly it was the flow was too fast for him! So what I do now is to lean back so gravity helps the flow not to be too overwhelming, and at times when I think the supply is too low I give him a bottle of previously expressed milk or formula. This seems to be helping massively and feeds times have become a little more pleasurable again. Not all babies are like this though, my first baby was a 3 to 4 hour feeding around the clock and you could predict exactly how long he would be on the breast. He never bit me once and was able to cope with the flow and I never felt that I had insufficient milk either. Every feed was a pleasure! And even the perfect weapon because it was used to getting to sleep. This new baby has not once fallen asleep on me while breastfeeding in the whole five months of his life and I'm sad to say I will be glad when he is weaned because, even though things have improved, they are not fully resolved and I am fed up of the chomping!

I also agree that it can indicate a windy baby. Having said that, mine is always too windy to let it out because he cries the house down if I dare take him off the breast or bottle!