Baby swallowing air at every feed

[Garethkeenansstapler]

Baby is breastfed but takes bottles of EBM (or tries to). Whether it’s breast or bottle, he gulps air at every single feed, only managing a few ducks before coming off screaming, which just makes things worse. So his feeds are very short and I think he gives up before he’s full as he finds the whole things tiring and uncomfortable. I’ve tried Tommee Tippee, Medela and Mam bottles, but the same thing happens every time. It’s like his mouth just can’t get a proper seal on anything (including the breast).

He’s nearly 8 weeks and has no other medical issues that I’m aware of. But this is making every feed so stressful and I’m on the verge of quitting breastfeeding because I can’t cope with the constant pulling off, screaming, milk soaking our clothes and being exposed constantly.

Any advice please?

PS you can hear the air go right down to his stomach, so I know it’s getting trapped and really bothering him. I’ve tried regular burping, only feeding when he’s calm and not too hungry, Infacol.

Has he gained weight in this time ? So you know if he's definitely getting what he needs ?

Have you had him checked for tongue/lip tie? It can really affect a babies latch, and my lactation consultant told me my DS wouldn't be able to latch and stay on comfortably if he had one..
Have you looked into breastfeeding support groups in your area? Even just for a reassuring chat with someone who knows what you're going through. But they can also give you great tips and advice.

My DS gets really frustrated when he has wind. I feel like I have to wind him for ages to get a tiny burp !

When did you introduce bottles? The first time I bottle fed mine with breastmilk he then destroyed my nipple for his next few feeds 😬 so I gave up with bottles for a while and just concentrated on his latch and letting him feed as much as he wanted.

Also, have you tried nipple shields to help with his latch? A lot of mom's swear by them

Yes he’s gaining huge amounts of weight - he was born at 7lb13, at his weigh in last week he was 13lb11. So he’s definitely getting what he needs and then some, but how I have no idea. He’s feeding every 90 minutes or so because I assume little and often is all that’s keeping him going as the feeds are so short. Thanks for the suggestion of tongue tie, do I need to call community midwives about it? Or GP? He’s taken a bottle since day 2 or 3, when he was very jaundiced and too sleepy to breastfeed.

That's amazing!
Some babies just don't need to be on the breast as long. He might just need to feed that often? My DS (6 weeks) still feeds every 1-2 hours .. And like I say, he gets really frustrated at the boob, thrashing, crying, and pulling away when he has wind.

If you're pumping and feeding him, do you find your bust gets engorged a lot? My DS struggles to latch when my bust is full! He hates it.

Try your midwife first for tongue tie. But also Google what they look like and have little look yourself, it might give you an idea before he is seen!

Pay to see a practitioner qualified in assessing oral function. Unless a midwife/HV/GP has undertaken this training off of their back (and thus wouldn't be offering to evaluate in their usual professional capacity), they're not trained to assess for ties. Please do not listen to anyone who tells you there is/isn't/only a slight tie just by visually looking - they will be talking out of their arse and doing your baby a disservice.

Hello! I wonder how your journey ended up being breastfeeding your baby? We also have huge issues with air swallowing, same as you can hear the air entering and running through to her stomach. She is so uncomfortable she cant sleep on her back. I burp her 1000x a feed and keep upright almost all the time but at night it sucks. Has a tongue tie which although was released has reattached a bit and im sure tongue not working properly yet. I wonder if i should try bottles but am afraid she wont want the breast anymore. She is 2 months old.

@Nicovrz my daughter was like this and it was due to severe silent reflux and multiple food allergies. Feeding caused her pain so she had this battle with feeding and struggled to latch and feed properly. At it's worse she fed for seconds at a time and 1-2 minutes total between 8am and 8pm, she was better overnight! Going on to the highest dose of omperazole and me removing dairy and soya from diet made a huge difference.