very fussy baby during BF please help!

[Broucek]

Hi! My DS (20wks and exclusively BF) has been eating v.little over the past 2 days, he seems very distracted each time he feeds and after about 2 minutes starts squirming and fussing, arches his back and goes red in his face and comes off. To start with I thought he's trying to poo but once he pooed and still carried on fussing. Also he has put a very little weight on over the past few weeks but has grown in length. My HV says he's not worried (about the lack of weight gain as DS has always been a fairly large baby so probably a natural slowing down of growth - I didn't tell him about the fussing etc). I have been wondering for a while if DS ready to wean as his finger control has improved loads over the last couple of weeks and he stares at and tries to grab everything we eat and drink. Could it be possible that DS unhappy at breast as he wants some solid food? I am worried that he's not eating enough and am completely confused by his fusisng as he's always been a great feeder and never suffered from wind etc...

It could just be that he is finding everything else too didtracting. Is he better in a dark quiet room or at night? I don't think it sounds like a sign of weaning - after all he doesn't know that there is any other option food wise!!

My 15 week old often fusses and squirms, but usually she is just not that hungry or has a bit of trapped wind.

Perhaps he is getting some discomfort from his teeth, or feels under the weather and just doesn't feel like eating.

hiya
he sounds perfectly normal to me
at about this age they often start getting madly distracted by the world and are less easy to settle on the breast - feeding somehwere quieter or less interesting sometmes helps.
It's also prime growth-spurt age - he may be ravenous and get cross when your letdown doesn't match his slurping. Does swapping sides help?
Or maybe he's eating too fast because he;s hungry and is getting winde, despite his good record - will he burp midfeed?

He really doesn't want solid food - he doesn;t even know it exists!
If you want to try and he can sit alone, stick him in a highchair and put a steamed carrot stick on the tray. If he's ready for solids he'll pick it up, chew it and swallow it... and if he's not, he won;t and you can stop worrying and stick to the milk.

NB, early though it is, it could be teeth. Bonjela him up before a feed and see if it helps.

thanks both! It's true that the only time he'll feed well is in the night which would point to the fact that during the day he's too distracted. I have also been suspecting that he's starting to teeth - so will try the bonjela trick. Thanks!