4 month old suddenly not nursing well

[TheLastPickleInTheJar]

I'm getting worried about my ds. I posted recently concerned that i'm no longer feeling letdowns or feelings of fullness and i received some reassuring responses.

However, i'm still not convinced all is okay.

Ds has always been a good feeder but he's suddenly started appearing to struggle to get a decent latch. And when he gets on he pulls away from my body with the nipple in his mouth and sucks. He doesn't seem to have any breast tissue in his mouth. I hear a bit of swallowing but he never settles into the lovely cuddly, relaxed 'normal' bf position at the moment.

This has coincided with me not feeling the letdown and not getting my usual feelings of fullness. I know it's normal for these feeling to disappear over time but would it really happen so quickly?

I'm keeping an eye on nappies. He is having wet ones but they never seem super heavy. And his poos seem to be quite thick and very smelly. Almost as if he's just started eating solids.

He seems more cranky than usual. He's just had his vaccinations which knocked him off a bit and we've had an illness doing the rounds.

I'm an anxious person and I'm getting more and more worried about this. I also suspect I have some mild pnd symptoms. Could excessive anxiety/depression inhibit milk supply?

When I squeeze my nipple i can get milk out so there must be some there but for some reason it seems he can no longer latch.

He has a mild tongue tie which we didn't have treated because it didn't appear to be causing him problems. Could it have started causing problems?

I know no one can really tell me but i'd welcome any advice. I would go to see my lactation consultant but we're going on holiday tomorrow which is making me even more anxious.

Without seeing him feed is quite difficult, but I would agree with other posters that your feeling of let down and breast tissue does change and so this does make sense. I would suggest that you revisit your latch with him. sometimes we change how we are feeding and don't realise that this can cause minor issues that are easily fixed. I would be surprised if the mild tongue tie is causing an issue now as you have made it this far. Again, a revisit of the latch is well worth it.

You don't mention where you are going, but in the UK there are breastfeeding groups that you can visit in most cities. They can look at the latch and the tongue tie to make sure this is not causing an issue. the NHS can perform the procedure up to a year so perhaps not unheard of.

Visiting a group may be worth it and/or call the NCT breastfeeding helpline. They can give some support and guidance. They can also help with your emotions and anxiety that are appearing and point you in the right direction.