Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Infant feeding

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

Restless and upset baby at my nipple - anyone else had this when breastfeeding?

8 replies

browntown · 21/04/2010 15:27

My DD is 7 weeks old and up until about 5 days ago I was breastfeeding her really successfully and expressing one feed per day so my husband could feed her too.
But now at almost every feed she is restless after about 5 mins on my nipple. She just starts screaming and wriggles about and will not latch on. So it is taking me hours to feed her properly - waiting for her to calm down etc. She cries, I comfort her, we try again, she has a bit more milk, then cries again etc etc.
Tried burping her etc - don't think it is wind or colic.
Has anyone else had this/know what I can do?
Thanks

OP posts:
CuppaTeaJanice · 21/04/2010 15:31

Google Nursing Strike.

DS had this at 9 weeks. He'd be lying calmly, then get really upset when I tried to feed him.

Hope you manage to sort this out.

theboobmeister · 21/04/2010 21:59

Could be oversupply/overactive letdown reflex? Where the milk spurts out really fast and makes them feel very uncomfortable. There is some good stuff on Kellymom about it ...

louloubelle · 22/04/2010 16:39

Exactly what is going on here, 9 week old really fussing and doesn't seem in the slightest bit intersted in the breast. Just lain down with him for an hour on the bed and he did eventually have some. Bit hard with 3 others running around!

TakeLovingChances · 22/04/2010 17:37

My DS is also 7 weeks old. Sometimes he does this too, but only sometimes, not each feed.

I was reading about it in a baby book and some suggestions were: fast let down of milk, or that the baby is tired rather than hungry.

I don't know about your DC, but my DS seems to fight sleep during the day and it seems to be what makes him fuss when bfing.

chocolatecheesecake · 22/04/2010 17:57

I had this on and off for six weeks from when dd was eight weeks old and she dropped from mid 80 centile to just above 50th centile in spite of it feeling like I did nothing but try to get her to eat! No easy solution unfortunately! Hv and nct bf counsellor suggested a range of reasons incl sore gums, mature milk coming in so baby needs to get used to it, episodic reflux. I found the following helped:

  • if baby gets upset leave it and try later. Don't let her associate breast with being upset. Wait until baby is hungry - my dd was feeding three hourly and post nursing strike is feeding four hourly so may have been her way of telling me she needed bigger gaps between meals?
  • dream feed at night as tend to feed well then so helps maintain weight gain
  • try a bottle if won't take boob - often worked with my dd
  • try other boob - for some reason this would sometimes work
  • try to keep their head higher than rest of body

Good luck!

louloubelle · 22/04/2010 18:55

All good advice, thanks choccheesecake. My solution to the weight issue is never get him weighed! Swapping sides can help, no rhyme or reason to it. I agree about the timing and waitng a while before trying again. Thanks

Chestnut99 · 22/04/2010 22:13

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/breast_and_bottle_feeding/949397-Screaming-when-feeding-help-please

Similar problem on this thread which might help. Good luck :-)

ZuzuandZara · 22/04/2010 22:50

One of my twins has phases of doing this, I used to find it really distressing, in fact we both did.
Now I simply give her an expressed bottle, which she takes really well (little madam!) and we try again next feed.
Saves an awful lot of upset from us both.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page