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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

HELP! my baby stops feeding but seems still hungry

19 replies

pixiepolar · 30/10/2006 21:18

I have a 7 week old baby and am desperate to breastfeed him. It was very difficult from the start, with him not latching on, lot of expressing and cupfeeding, than nipple shields ... When he finally managed to feed I got thrush and cannot get rid of it. My left breast is extremely sore and after feeding him from that breast for 5 or 6 times it is so painful that I express and give him the milk in a bottle. The right breast luckily doesn't get so sore.
Now the main problem. He starts feeding well off the right breast, but after a maximum of ten minutes he goes off the breast and starts to scream really mad. Than I calm him down and try it again. But the second time round he might open his mouth and sort of lick the breast or shake his head frantically in front of the nipple but won't latch on and suck. If he does manage to start sucking he will go less then 5 minutes and scream again. This gets worse during the day. Tonight he went to bed after only feeding for 4 and than 2 minutes.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I went to a breastfeeding advisor already but my son wasn't so bad there and I didn't get across how desperate I was.

Any help with the thrush would be great too. I took two courses of fluconazole as well as miconazole cram and gel. Also I take acidophilus. Now I ordered sth called threelac. Does anyone have experience with that?

thanks for any help

OP posts:

hunkermunker · 30/10/2006 21:20

Are you treating him for thrush too? You can get an oral gel. You need to do this or he'll just reinfect you.

It might explain why he's unsettled - his mouth might be sore?

Sorry it's so sore for you - well done for perservering!

VoodooBanana · 30/10/2006 21:21

do you wind him?
my dd has always needed winding after every 5/10 mins at the breast.
I sit her up facing sideways and pat her back gently 10x then rub it and after she burps/possets a bit she then eats again.

I had thrush in the downstairs parts for weeks after the birth!! it is a living nightmare. I send you my love, just whack loads of cream on and they should be treating your baby for it too? or baby will just keep reinfecting you.

keep at the bf as long as you can, but if you get really fed up do not feel bad about bottles, you need to regain your health and be happy.

Thinking of you! Those 1st weeks are so hard, but they soon pass

hairymclary · 30/10/2006 21:38

pp do go back and see another breastfeeding counsellor. tell her everything you have said here as well.
I had terrible issues with thrush, but I think a lot of the pain was also to do with a bad latch.
Can you try feeding him in the same position for both breasts? ie, do a rugby position whilst feeding from the left side so that he takes the nipple in the same way as he would on the right

kamikayzed · 30/10/2006 22:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

soph28 · 30/10/2006 22:48

my dd does this a lot and it's generally wind. Can sometimes take a good 5 minutes or more to get a good burp (or more) before she will latch on again. When she was younger it was sometimes so bad that she could't feed. I used Infacol before every feed for the first 3 months and it really helped. She is just a really windy baby.

Original poster

pixiepolar · 31/10/2006 21:02

Thanks to everybody for responding to my post. Its so nice to know there are people out there who had similar problems and managed, and especially taking the time to share it. So glad I discovered Mumsnet.
Regarding my problems, I'm a bit uncertain whether it could be wind, since he sometimes doesn't even latch on once, but screams when he starts trying. That doesn't happen often, but made me think that it might not be wind? I will try to burp him whenevr it happens now. Also will try to eat and drink more now to see if I get more milk and maybe thats the problem.
With the thrush I wonder how much of the capryolic acid capsules I can take safely, I had a look today and they come in different strength. Or maybe they are all fine while breastfeeding?

OP posts:

VoodooBanana · 31/10/2006 22:53

ring nhs direct at this time of night and they will check their drug info book. no. in front of yellow pages.

hunkermunster · 31/10/2006 22:54

PP, are you treating your baby for thrush too? I think his mouth may be sore.

loobins · 06/11/2006 20:42

Hi Pixiepolar,

I'm having the same problem with my 10 week old. He's been feeding brilliantly up until last week, when suddenly he started screaming and refusing my right breast. He'll occassionally take it, but usually he'll start, then pull off after a couple of minutes, coughing and spluttering and crying his heart out. He'll have another couple of goes, then the same thing will happen and he'll get even more upset until he won't even let me put him in the position, let alone feed. Thankfully, he still take the left one, but I'm worried I'm going to mess up my supply - and end up with very wonky boobs!
I've got a feeling it's coming out too fast for him and it's shooting down the back of his throat.I've tried expressing a bit first, but I don't think it helps. In fact, I think it was expressing that started the problems in the first place. Now it's like a Catch 22.
Did you ever get an answer about what was going on and what to do?? Does anyone else have any ideas?? It's really distressing!!
x

worleyone · 06/11/2006 21:37

hi loobins, i had same prob as you, i was feeding him on the right side in the "rugbyball position" but changed so he was tummy to mummy and was then ok

tiktok · 06/11/2006 22:30

loobins - how has your baby been growing? maybe your assessment that it comes out too fast is the right one. You can check out posts on generous milk supply and see what the archives say about this.

somethingunderthebedisdrooling · 06/11/2006 23:40

a lot of the pain can be bad latch too. i thought i had thrush longer than i truly had it and took 2 or 3 courses of fluc. with other creams and gels and was treating us both.

after the 3 trip to the gp's, this one, bless him, said that he thought it was mostly down to nipple trauma from the thrush that wasn't healing what with dd grazing and biting a lot when pulling off and me thinking she must have oral thrush.

he prescribe daktacort ointment (major difference in less than 24 hrs.)

still, go see a bf counsellor like someone suggested.

loobins · 09/11/2006 17:26

Hi Tiktok,

He's been doing brilliantly and gained loads of weight - he's a right buster! He was 6lbs 9 1/2 born and the last time I had him weight at 7 weeks, he was 11lbs 8. I haven't had him weight for a few weeks, but I reckon he's at least 13, possibly 14.

I'll look up the generous milk supply threads. Thanks for the tip. Meanwhile, if you have any other thoughts, I'd be glad to hear them!

Also - he's just started rejecting the bottle too, when he used to be absolutely fine!! And he won't entertain his dummy either, though he was never very good at taking that.

Any ideas to help would be greatly appreciated - and thanks for all the advice so far!

tiktok · 09/11/2006 17:38

loobins, try this thread

I think it is what you think it is

loobins · 10/11/2006 09:28

Hi tiktok,

that looks really helpful. i'll give that a go. the only thing is, he usually only feeds every three or four hours. should i be letting him snack a lot more so he's on each boob a few times in each few hour spell?

Also, re. the rejecting a bottle problem, i was hoping to express this weekend as i've wasted so much of my precious supply trying in vain to get him to take it this week that i've got none left in the feeezer! do you think i should leave it until i've got the fast let down problem sorted first?

thanks again for your advice! x

tiktok · 10/11/2006 13:35

loobins, just let him feed when he seems to want to. Don't offer it if he's doing ok on the pattern he has already got - you may find he 'asks' more often, though.

Yes, leave the expressing for now.

loobins · 12/11/2006 08:43

Hello again tiktok,

Sorry about this - and to everyone else! I must be boring you all stupid! I've been trying the block feeding, but there's still the problem that he won't take the right breast. So it's all fine when I'm on my left 'block', but when it comes to the right one, he'll take a little bit, then stop. I think it's made worse by the fact that it's so full by the time I come to feed him. I've tried to persevere, but he just refuses and gets so upset I've got no choice but to offer him the left one again. I think I should have done this when the problem started, but I'm worried it's gone too far now and I've missed my chance!

Any ideas??? I'm at my wits end!!

tiktok · 12/11/2006 10:11

Hi - some women end up only ever feeding on one breast so it would not be a disaster!

But I think you are right to try to avoid that at present - make sure the right breast does not get over-full by expressing just a leeeeeettttttle bit more to soften it.

Also, try lots of different holds to help him come on to that side, including just lying him vertically as you lie back, and letting him find his own way on with minimal help.

sammysam · 15/11/2006 12:16

My dd has just started doing the same and its really upseting me. For the first 15 weeks shes been feeding fine (after a sticky start) but in the last week she first started just 'going off' the right breast but now its either-she'll feed for a few mins (sometimes up to 10 or 15) then she'll pull off cry and won't go back on so i try her on he other side and she'll go on for a bit and then do the same, but a couple of feeds a day she won't do it at all!

I really don't know why shes doing it and it really worries me, especially as she has always been a very slow and lazy feeder usually feeding for an hour a time! So now i'm worrying she's not getting enough.

Or has she very suddenly started getting her fill very quickly and then i'm trying to get her back on when she really doesn't want any more?

Any help or advise would be really appreciated as its starting to get me down a bit as i'm worrying and most feeds feel like a fight.

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