4 month old unlatching and moaning during feeds

[MochaLove]

I am at a bit of a loss right now and wondered if anyone had any ideas! 😩 I’m thinking I will contact the GP or HV today as something doesn’t seem right.

My just turned 4 month old has since the end of last week become increasingly difficult to feed. We are EBF. Since she was 3.5 months she has become more distracted which I know is normal. Now she is constantly latching and unlatching, but if I put my boob away she will then look at me like I’ve just thrown her dinner in the bin without reason! She will sometimes then cry, I relatch her and the process repeats. To start with she just kept coming on and off but now when she does feed she is also moaning the whole time - not so much a cry but more of a moan. Getting her to stay on for 10 minutes is a challenge. Her normally preferred right side has suddenly now become the least favourite side but she still isn’t feeding well on either.

Also I don’t know if it’s significant but a week ago she had one random high temp (but not high enough for needing NHS as below 39) and the next day she was running the high end of normal but hasn’t had a fever since. Her nappies are also looser than usual. Initially I thought she’d just picked up a little stomach bug. Could it be teething? I can’t feel anything and the gum doesn’t look red or inflamed! She is constantly rubbing at her head but she also has eczema so that’s not unusual.

Any ideas?! It’s starting to drive me a bit crazy! I have always had to feed her frequently to keep her weight up (born on 50th centile, now on 9th) so I do worry if she isn’t getting enough we’re going to have issues with that again 😬

Thank you if you got this far!

[Tryingtohelp12]

Following as my 4 month old is acting similar. And when he does have a long feed he can be quite sick after. I have read they become more efficient as they get older so have been wondering if maybe the short feeds are fine and when he is on for a longer time it’s more for comfort and then he takes too much?

Maybe your little one is getting more efficient? Keen to hear other peoples ideas tho!

[IssyFleur]

No real advice but watching with interest as my 4 month old is the same. It is becoming quite painful as she will pull on and off so much and push my breasts away while feeding. She will also cry if I put my breasts away, rectified by just switching her to the other side. I have figured that it is part of being more distracted and engaged with the world around her. I also think it is sometimes when she's less hungry. When she is hungrier or tired she is much more focused on the task at hand.

[ChaosAndCrumbs]

https://laleche.org.uk/what-happens-at-four-months/

To reassure, it’s really common and totally normal as they reach this age. The article above has some suggestions, but in general, minimising distractions and being in a quiet space can help. I found it improved, but dd still remained more interested in the world around as well, though she didn’t carry on pulling off every few seconds. As a toddler, she unlatches at night if she suddenly wants to say something!

[CadyEastman]

Agree it's perfectly normal. Doing Brest compressions helped to keep DD focussed.