Baby fussing at breast - please help

[modgepodge]

Any suggestions for what to do when a baby is fussing when trying to feed, or why she might be doing it? She’s done it on and off the Past couple of weeks but for 2 hours early this morning she did this on and off, alternating with screaming and I felt like I was going to lose it and now feel like the worst mum ever for being so cross with her.

She often starts feeding then comes off, and arches her back, or kicks her legs against me/the sofa so she unlatches. Then she cries. She quite often is still doing the head bobbing thing which indicates she’s still hungry so I don’t think she’s had enough. I’ll always try burping her, and sometimes she will burp and that sorts it but if not???? Honestly this morning she wouldn’t feed, she wouldn’t take a bottle of expressed milk, she screamed if I put her down or just held her...help. She’s 2 months btw.

If she is starting quite well and then stopping and arching her back, it is a classic sign of CMPA. Basically she is hungry so starts to feed but as the cows milk protein hits her stomach it causes pain and so she arches and starts to fuss and probably stops feeding before she is full because it hurts.

It is sometimes difficult to get a GP to take you seriously about this, so if you want to look at CMPA as a possible cause, you have a couple of options

1. Eliminate all cows milk products from your diet (eggs and goat sheep milk are ok) and probably eliminate soya too as the proteins are often linked in these situations. You should google all the different ingredient terms they use like whey etc. Read every label of every food product, even bread
2. Go to the GP and try and get them to prescribe a trial week of dairy and soya free formula. You spend the week pumping to keep your supply going and use the formula for DD. If it helps then you have the choice of continuing with formula and stopping breast feeding or eliminating dairy and soya from your diet while you continue to breast feed

Or it could be reflux or a different issue (but reflux usually gives most problems after the feed, not during and when they are horizontal, not at the breaat)

Thank you, I hadn’t considered that as a possibility so something to look in to. She doesn’t do it every feed though, only sometimes (for example, she fed just fine a couple of hours ago). Would this happen every feed if she was allergic to something I was eating/drinking? Also she is gaining weight in line with her centile, would an allergy not prevent this?

I don’t think it’s reflux, she is very rarely sick and doesn’t have any issue lying on her back.

Thank so for the suggestions!

Following as my DD is the same – occasional madly furious episodes, arching back and screaming mid-feed but still hungry. But not every feed; gaining weight on her centile; can be put on her back, etc, so don't think it's reflux. It's also sorted out by burping but she is SO hard to burp!

I think it's occasional episodes of trapped wind – posterior TT and aggressive let down makes her swallow a lot of air at times.

@modgepodge what's your DD's poo like? People have suggested CMPA to me but she's not rashy - a touch of baby acne on her cheeks and neck - and though she poos with great and frequent enthusiasm there's nothing weird about them.

Poo is normal as far as I know! Yellowy orange and runny!

She also has what I assume is baby acne, though I suppose it could be a rash??

It could be that you have a fast letdown. Does baby ever cough and splutter? If milk is coming out too quickly, baby will struggle to latch and it will make them gassy, hence the arching of back and screaming. Try feeding lying down and see if it makes a difference, and make sure baby is well winded.

Ah yes, we hit the fussy stage at about 8/9 weeks as I recall. I'd advise thorough winding - some say bf babies don't need winding but my son always did. I'd wind each time she comes off before you re-latch. If your let-down is fast she may be struggling and equally if your let-down has slowed (as it can once supply is established) she might be frustrated. Either way, you can stimulate the let-down yourself and either express the fast flow or latch baby once it starts (depending on what the issue is). Try different holds and minimising distractions - I found a firm rugby hold in a quiet room reduced fussiness. Often feeding times reduce as baby gets more efficient but they may want to keep sucking despite being full - maybe try a dummy or a finger or just distract completely by doing something completely different. You could also try a fiddle toy as this can keep baby occupied at the breast for longer. This phase did pass for me but obviously if you're really struggling or any other symptoms develop, definitely speak to a HV or GP.

Mine did that and had tongue tie. Got it sorted at 4 months and the change was rather dramatic.

Though mine had been like it from birth so perhaps not

Hmm not sure regards let down - I use nipple shields as she’s never latched without. This hasn’t caused any issues with supply. It means the milk doesn’t squirt out with force though so don’t think let down can be too fast. She was checked for tongue tie in the hospital.

Love a good lying down feed! Never managed rugby ball.

Thanks for all the tips, will monitor and see how it goes. Lots to think about.

I have exactly the same DD 6 weeks old now I have started using gripe water. Not every time just the times she’s fussy after a good feed. Think she is just a really windy baby and I know I have a fast let down on one side as she chokes sometimes. The gripe water is not for everyone but it seems to settle her, only giving her 2.5 ml a couple of times a day though.