6 week old bf baby suddenly has problems feeding- any advice?

[spiritofstlouis]

Hello-
my six week old ds has breastfed beautifully from day 1 but the past couple of days he has behaved very strangely. He only feeds for a few minutes before pulling off and screaming, after a burp he might go back on for a few minutes but then starts crying and thrashing around and won't latch on again. I'm only feeding him when he seems hungry, every couple of hours, and he seems happy enough inbetween, but my boobs are feeling very uncomfortable, especially as he seems to have just finished a growth spurt and I have a lot of milk!
Any suggestions gatefully received as I've gone from enjoying feeds to dreading them!

Might be a fast let down, ds has started coming off a lot too & is a similar age. I was advised to express a bit before feeds if the boobs felt very full and once he's latched to lean right back so he's almost on top of the boob.

May be worth looking for thrush in his mouth too, as that would make it sore.

Am sure someone more qualified will be along soon.

Hi,

Would be interested if anyone has any ideas as I'm having pretty much the same problem with my 17 week old at the moment.

One thing the HV suggested was maybe DS has an ear infection and the change in pressure caused by sucking was causing pain. wasn't the cause of my DS' fussing, but could be worth getting your DS checked out.

If it's a fast letdown, try feeding lying down (plus you might get some more sleep!)

Any sign of thrush in his mouth? It can be very painful & can often make babies not want to feed.

HI- I took your advice Liath and tried raising him slightly above the boob so he could suck at his own pace and it has really helped. He also seemed ok when I fed lying down in the night... not sure about thrush as I can't see any symptoms (white tongue) but on the other hand I do have a history of yeast problems so will talk to the HV about it on Tues.

Thanks everyone

Glad that helped, it's made a big difference here too. I also found some useful advice on the Kellymom site.