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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Made it to six months - but not sure I can stand it another day. Stressed and tired.

16 replies

arthymum · 22/02/2009 10:17

I'm really chuffed I've made it this far ...but every daytime feed is turning into a nightmare with DS . He has always been a nosey livewire and I long ago gave up feeding him in public but he is so distracted at every feed now, it's proving impossible and painful. He seems to be hungry but after a minute or so, he's kicking his legs, flailing his arms, turning his head all over the place (with my nipple in mouth). Even in a darkened room he manages to be distracted. Then he wriggles so much that he spits up all over me. I'm sitting here now crying with scratches on my breasts, sore nipples and vomit all over my cleavage after my lastest attempt. Firstly, is this normal?

When the sun goes down, it's a different matter. The last feed at night and those in the middle of the night are calm and productive affairs...but then the day comes again. He's obviously making up for it at night. I haven't had one decent night's sleep since he was born, my immune system is on the floor and I burst into tears most days.

Is there anyway I can make the daytime feeds better? This is all stressing me out so much, even though I love him to bits.

OP posts:

Tryharder · 22/02/2009 10:23

No advice, just wanted to say well done for making it this far, noone would criticise you if you gave up the day feeds or even bf altogether(not saying you should, mind)

My DS2 is nearly 9 months and I remember a stage at about 6 - 7 months when he would grab my breasts and twist them, bite and scratch them, had scratches and bruises on my boobs at one point. It's better now so perhaps it's just a stage they go through, don't know if anyone suffered similarly.

Would it help if you gave him something to hold while feeding, a toy or a teething necklace or similar to keep his hands busy or just hold his hand with your free hand so he can't scratch.

I saw a post from tiktok recently so she's online so will probably be along....

tiktok · 22/02/2009 10:31

I am off out now, so this is brief, but this is not uncommon with 'nosey livewires' who use the day time for socialising, being distracted, learning about the world and the night for actually stocking up with milk and

Call one of the breastfeeding lines and talk about it - there are suggestions to make. Counsellor will ask how long it's being going on, and will prob make the point that this is likely to be temporary, too.

CantSleepWontSleep · 22/02/2009 10:34

poor you arthymum. Are you able to replicate night time conditions during the day? It sounds as though he is maybe getting windy during day feeds. When he behaves like this have you tried taking him off and winding him before putting him back on?
I would also recommend a bf necklace to keep his distraction focused.

Shitemum · 22/02/2009 10:39

This is probably a silly suggestion, I never did it myself, but could you express the day feeds and give them in a bottle? And continue the night feeds as normal?

sparklesandwine · 22/02/2009 11:00

arthymum - dd2 is 4 months and she is very much like this too. i tend to stroke her tummy or hold her hand sometimes this works sometimes it doesn't!

i would suggest the same as shitemum to express during the day and do the night feeds yourself

have you tried swaddling him during the daytime feeds so his arms aren't free to scratch you? it may also calm him down

i hope you find something that works for you soon. your doing great

Original poster

arthymum · 22/02/2009 11:07

He's been getting distracted since he was a few weeks old but it's got worse and worse and has been particularly bad for about six weeks now. I take him off and wind him but by that time he seems to have lost the inclination to bother at all.

I've tried replicating night-time conditions but he's so wide awake - he stares at his own hands, stuffs my clothes into his mouth or starts blowing raspberries on my breasts! Will try a necklace although I suspect he will just try and eat it.

I am tempted to replace the daytime feeds with a bottle so that he can stare about like he wants to. But then getting him to take any kind of bottle, expressed or otherwise, is a whole other thread in itself.

OP posts:

NorthernLurker · 22/02/2009 11:13

It does pass in time but it is very, very hard. It's just so painful when a latched on baby turns their whole head to watch something and then lets go of you with a huge SMACKING sound isn't it? Not to mention the fact that you're in full flow so you end up with milk all over the place and your breasts fully exposed....

The issue at stake is your sanity - he's getting enough milk from the night feeds. As his feeds space out you will probably find it gets better - they seem to focus a bit more when they are a bit bigger. Just hang in there. You can try a bottle but I've never been able to get my brestfed dds to take one with any enthusiasm. It will get better though so don't give up - and congratulations on making it to 6 months!

sparklesandwine · 22/02/2009 11:21

maybe he just doesn't need the feeds anymore and is just after a bit of a 'drink'? is he on solids too?

MrsGokWan · 22/02/2009 11:28

Try the milk in a spouted cup rather than a bottle.

Original poster

arthymum · 22/02/2009 11:35

sparklesandwine - we started weaning him a couple of weeks ago but just on mush so don't think he is ready to drop a feed yet. In fact, we experimented with that yesterday (mainly because he slept for 3 hours and so missed one!) and he woke up ravenous even earlier than usual.

OP posts:

Original poster

arthymum · 22/02/2009 19:26

Wish all our feeds could be like the bedtime feed - snuggly, happy, with him holding onto my finger and smiling milkily every now and then.

Other than that today we have had three wrestling matches in a semi-darkened room where he managed to entertain himself by pulling his jumper over his head and trying to eat the muslin...

OP posts:

LeninGrad · 22/02/2009 19:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bohemianbint · 22/02/2009 19:47

oh, you're not alone; DS has this charming trick where he grabs a handful of breast with his Freddy Krueger-esque nails (what's that about, I seem to cut them every day but they're always long and sharp?!) and then twists and pinches at the same time. Farkin' ungrateful I call it. And I get really fed up when he latches on - for literally, a second and a half, then comes off, then on again, milk everywhere all over both of us...sigh...

No advice I'm afraid - I did try one of those necklace things but he's not that interested. I can't give it up though, for all my moaning, I love it really and I'm fairly sure as soon as I stop i'll get all hormonal and mental and want to start trying for number 3...

mehdismummy · 22/02/2009 19:55

my ds did this at 6 months for a month or so then he settled down again and i just use be driven mad!! he however grew out of it and i eventually stpped when he was 2.11 years!! well done for making it to 6 months btw

fledtoscotland · 22/02/2009 21:21

DS2 is like this and i wear an "interesting " necklace that he plays with. it seems to keep his mind on me rather than the 1001 other things going on in his world.

maygirl · 22/02/2009 23:10

Hi, could you try catching him as he's coming round from his naps, even wake him up with a snuggly feed around his usual waking time? I also always fed my DS to sleep for one of his naps, with his sleeping bag on, fed well when he was tired! Hope things turn a corner for you soon.

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