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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

3.5 month old inconsolable when BFing

8 replies

sophied88 · 19/01/2025 09:41

My little boy who is now 16 weeks has recently become very difficult to breast feed. It was always a joy and very easy and fast for us but in the last few weeks has descended into chaos.

We can manage a decent night feed of about 15 minutes on one side before he falls asleep, and if he’s being aggy before bed and I need to he will nurse to sleep fine. However, feeding him progressively throughout the day is very stressful. He will feed for between 1-5 minutes fine and then start fussing, looking around, whining and whinging and eventually it gets to him bobbing on and off the boob screaming. The late afternoon and evening feeds are the worse and also impossible to feed him during.

When I take him off the boob - I find I have to because its so stressful for us both to feed - he is then crying inconsolably.

He is a moderately refluxy baby not on any meds. Sometimes a wind will help midway but he cry so much when I try to do this.

When i feed him a bottle of breast milk in the evenings he is fine during but again inconsolable when finishing.

I do have a fast flow to begin with so we recline for this, so I did wonder if he was angry at a slow flow, but if I do breast compressions this only helps so much.

He is also showing teething signs of dribbling, eating his hands and a little pink in the cheek.

Worried about how long this will last and how to get him the milk he needs as calmly as possible.

any thoughts? Sorry such a long post.

OP posts:
Onceuponatimethen · 19/01/2025 09:45

I had this with mine. In my case it was because my letdown was too extreme for him - we were also reclining. Might be worth seeing if it is too fast for him? Some good tips here kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/fast-letdown/#:~:text=Help%20baby%20deal%20with%20the%20fast%20milk%20flow&text=The%20most%20effective%20positions%20are,or%20lots%20of%20pillows%20helps)

Onceuponatimethen · 19/01/2025 09:46

This is good about diagnosing fussiness causes:

kellymom.com/hot-topics/fussy-while-nursing/

user2848502016 · 19/01/2025 09:57

Could he have oral thrush? That can make it painful for them to feed, I remember my DD having it and feeding for a little while then coming off the boob and crying

sophied88 · 19/01/2025 10:17

Onceuponatimethen · 19/01/2025 09:46

This is good about diagnosing fussiness causes:

kellymom.com/hot-topics/fussy-while-nursing/

Thank you this looks really helpful!!

OP posts:
sophied88 · 19/01/2025 10:18

user2848502016 · 19/01/2025 09:57

Could he have oral thrush? That can make it painful for them to feed, I remember my DD having it and feeding for a little while then coming off the boob and crying

Can’t see any whitening like thrush but will keep in mind, thank you x

OP posts:
Psychologymam · 19/01/2025 10:36

CMPA? Could be a variety of causes - get to a local breastfeeding clinic, GP, lactation consultation. I’m sorry you’re going through - it sounds so hard.

test for cmpa is to exclude all dairy from your diet for six weeks and reintroduce and see if symptoms go and come back. If they get worse, consider soy as it’s the main substitution for dairy and 50% of kids allergic to dairy will also be allergic to soy .

Superscientist · 19/01/2025 14:09

I had this with my daughter at 4 months her day time feeds were seconds long and no more than a minute or two total during the day
For her it was severe silent reflux and multiple food allergies. Being difficult to feed became one of her earliest signs that she was having a reaction to a food I had eaten.

anyonether · 19/01/2025 21:03

I found these posts useful to normalise this kind of annoying behaviour from babies this age!

www.instagram.com/reel/C_nBr4btOkW/?igsh=eGp0ZzJ5NmoxZGhn

www.instagram.com/reel/Ct6ot0ggrId/?igsh=ZXRpemR3cjNlM3ds

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