baby upset at breast

[Liz79]

my 8.5wo dd keeps getting upset at the breast. She sits there sucking her fist and rooting a bit and is perfectly happy. I pick her up to feed her and she gets upset either as soon as I pick her up or when I get my boob out. She turns her head away and cries and sometimes arches her back. She might have a few sucks and then start crying, then have a few more, cry, few more etc. She might have a good feed and then start crying and I think she is full as she refuses if I offer anymore. However a few minutes after I put her down she starts sucking her fist again, if I try and feed her again she cries. Is she sucking her fist for any other reason do you think? Why does she get upset with me, even when she is hungry? It is upsetting me that she doesn't like me anymore

Aw, Liz, this is bound to be upsetting....

Questions for you:

• when did this start to happen?
• does it happen at every feed, or only some?
• is there a difference between day and night feeds?
• has anything happened at all to you, or to her, that might have made her confused or upset (maybe nothing at all to do with breastfeeding or even you - a stay overnight somewhere, separation from you, injections, illness, changes in relationships....anything)
• are there any signs of soreness in her mouth, or thrush?

hi tiktok,

she had her 1st lot of injections on tuesday, she did it a bit before that but more yesterday and today. Her mouth is clear, I had thought it might be thrush as we have had it before. It is most feeds, but not all. Night time is better. She has been worse since her grandparents left this morning (they arrived on tues pm and stayed with us)

got to go, she's crying. probably cos she didn't feed properly before bed

Thanks, Liz, that helps.

I think this is a little nursing strike....but this is a guess, no more. However, I do think babies show distress for a reason, and sometimes, they show it by behaving oddly in the context of the most important and central relationship in their lives - the feeding one.

Was there tension in any way or at any point when the g/parents were about? Were there some 'issues' that you were sitting on when they were here? Was there anything about how you bf, perhaps, that affected her feeding? Did she cry, or get passed around, or anything.....

Ring any bells?

nope, no bells ringing. yesterday was ok, was only really messy at 1030pm. was very pleased as I had fed her in debenhams cafe sitting opposite FIL

keep contemplating giving her a bottle of ebm but i don't think thats the way to go. she has to feed from the breast and thats all there is to it. she isn't going to starve herself.

when she was crying just there her nappy was fine and she wasn't interested in feeding. she is just about asleep now and i am going to join her as I am shattered. i go to the breastfeeding group tomorrow anyway.

thanks for your help

Liz, check out the stuff on nursing strike in the archives of this folder - it's a bit late to go into details now and I think you'll find some good info.

Sometimes, strikes happen for no apparent reason - I think there prob is a reason, just we don't ever know what it is! They are temporary, though.

She fed absolutely fine overnight, no problems. She squeeks, I feed her, Dh changes nappy, I feed her again, she falls asleep, I put her in her crib. This morning we did the same but put her on the changing mat on top of the bed with no nappy whilst I had a cup of tea. She started sucking her fist so I put nappy on and put her to breast which she didn't like. I think she sucks her fist cos she can or she just likes it and then gets upset when I think she is hungry. I wish I could read her mind. At night time we know she squeeks cos she is hungry and wet. We don't know why she does in the day.

Ah....maybe for her sucking a fist is not a feeding cue.

She just likes sucking her fist