Feeding is becoming a battle... - sorry, long

[MyWindyBoy]

Can anyone offer any advice/help?

My LO is 10 weeks old and has always been 'colicky' and a demanding young man but lately feeding has become increasingly difficult. He won't feed for more than five minutes on each breast before starting to fuss and flail his arm and legs around and pull on and off the breast and sometimes cry while feeding. He's obviously still hungry and wants to continue (sometimes he seems almost frantic to get back on but then comes off again straight away) but just won't stay latched on.

He's never fed for very long at a time (10-15 minutes each breast per feed) but that used to satisfy him. Now it's 5 minutes, maybe 8 each breast but that's a very good feed (and there aren't many of those each day) and he never seems full.

He used to put on on average 1oz a day but last week he only put on 4oz in the whole week and this week it was only 2 1/2 oz in the whole week. I know this is still a gain but it's getting less as his feeding habits worsen.

I think he has silent reflux (and we've just started infant gaviscon although I'm worried this will make him constipated and he has enough tummy trouble already) and I've heard this can cause feeding trouble when babies anticipate the pain so don't want to feed but I would have thought the fact that he starts feeding enthusiastically means that isn't it.

When he's not gripey and colicky in the late afternoon/evening he's a healthy, alert, smiley boy, just a bit skinny (he's also 91st centile for length) but I'm worried the weight gain will come to a complete stop soon and he'll start lose.

Feeding time feels like a stressful battle and having struggled determindly to continue to exclusively BF throughout a difficult recovery from a traumatic birth I now feel like I may have to stop soon and I so wanted to continue until 6 months.

One more thing, has anyone heard of the gastro-colic reflex. Quite often when he feeds he strains to pass wind, and does pass some. I wondered if this natural body reflex to feeding could be the problem and it'll all improve when his body matures a little more in a few weeks - or am I grasping?

Any advice welcome. Sorry this is so long!

Hi MWB, I didnt breast feed, but my dd got colic and reflux and she would do the same, want more food but scream at the same time. We tried the gaviscon, but this didnt work as she still brought up the milk, so got prescription milk, it can be brought in the shops but i just got it for free, its SMA staydown. The colic we used infacol, and it did work, you have to bear with it as it has to build up in their system, and none of it gets absorbed by thier body so its ok. You just give one or two droppers full before milk, and this also used to calm her before her bottle!

My SIL used other drops but i cannot remember what they are called? about £10 so expensive but they worked! they were in a bottle just like eye or ear drops but you only used two drops per feed and you can add it to milk or give before! These will really work they did for me!

Also if he is in a state then try holding him at a slight angle facing outwards laying across your arms and rub hisd tummy in a CLOCKWISE direction, this should ease the cramping of the colic. It will work best if you stand up and maybe rock from side to side!

Hope some of this may help.....sorry ive been typing one handed, so may be some mistakes!

Oh other drops are called Colief most chemists should have both (infacol and colief) you could try both and see how you go, maybe not at the same time tho.....and remembver to give it a while to work, i know that the infacol works to make all the tiny air bubbles join up in their tummy to make one big burp, to stop the pain and wind, so you have to make sure they do burp!!

Also you can try Gripe water all of these are just from the chemist and you dont need prescription. Gripe water soothes them too, and sometimes it may not be the actual ingredients but it can still soothe them. I know my dd would wind herself up crying in the car and if i put a tiny bit of infacol on the tongue she would calm down immediatly and stay calm, it was like a reassurance for her a comfort!!!