My son is a month old and have been nursing since we left the hospital without a problem. I do not bottle feed. He was given a bottle during his stay at the hospital for two days. He has not seen a bottle since then. My son has recently been getting agitated when I offer him my breast. He literally spends 24 hours on the breast, ( half of time eating and half of time sleeping!) so it can't be hunger. I noticed that it happens at the end of each nursing, when he is supposed to be full and happy.
He will take the breast. But immediately will start to pull away with the nipple before the let down reflex allows milk to flow. Sometimes he does not wait, and begins to cry before he even starts. He does not want to work or wait for the milk. If the flow is not immediate, he pulls away and immediatelly want it back.
When he drifts off to sleep he breastfeeds fine. He sucks and swallows milk in a perfect pattern. Only when he is awake, does he seem impatient and becomes aggravated. Has this happen to others. What is a mother to do?
Thanks for all replies. I keep on trying bu things haven't change much.
It is what he does: latches on, waits for let-down (it's a matter of few seconds!), sucks till the milk flows, then one of two options: he would fall asleep till next let down or start pulling nipple and jerking around.
If I try to burp him before offerring another breast, he protests and wants back to the breast just to start torturing my breast again.
I "nurse" him non-stop for hours...
He has a good latch, strong sucking ability. Is it something wrong with my milk?
My 7 week old does the same thing. Irritating, isn't it? I haven't found a solid solution for the problem. I just keep trying until she gets hungry enough to do what she needs to without fussing.
Can you try nursing in a quiet, dark place? It may be that he's overstimulated. Maybe try a nursing cover so that he can't see what's around him? It may help him calm down.
From what I understand, this type of phase is normal and won't last forever. Definitely keep breastfeeding ... you are doing such a GREAT THING for your child!!!
Hello,
MY advice is to place your son on your breast before he becomes so hungry that he gets frustrated. Try and see what feeding schedule he is on and place him 30 min or so before. He definietly latches on at other times so it sounds like its a frustration issue.
Diana (mother of a 3 yr old and pregnant)
He's still very new at this, so be patient. Try to take a couple of extra minutes just before you are about to nurse and stimulate let-down yourself so that when you put him to the breast, the milk is already there. Use whatever method works best for you. I used warm wash cloths or somtimes a breast pump, but good old hand to nipple extraction works every time. Good luck and God bless you for sticking with it!
I never had those issues when breastfeeding but im with the other moms i would let down myself before putting him on if after your know its ready for him and he's still the same way i would take him to the Dr to have him examined to see if something else was going on. me i normally let down the moment they fussed and so when i would go to put them on the breast would actually spray them between the eyes, was actually very funny baby didn't think so tho but i would be chuckling, i never could breastfeed long due to issues with the oldest my breastmilk wasn't rich enough and she didn't gain back her birth weight within 2 weeks, the second i had post partum depression to the point i was having panic attacks and i wasn't eating or drinking properly and dried up, quite a suprise when she started screaming 5 minutes after starting to nurse and when i felt my breast there was nothing there tried expressing a few hours later and nothing that night she started the bottle because after 20 miutes of nursing she was acting hungry and so i went bought formula and started bottle feeding her after that the post partum went away the nursing kept my hormones so high, with the 3rd i was on anti depressants by her birth and couldn't breast feed. i say just express a little then put him on the breast.
Congratulation on your baby!! Motherhood is full of challenges and this is one. How long is he going between feedings? Try to feed him before he is super hungry. He may be agrivated because it is not coming as fast as he would like it if he is really hunger. Maybe nurse more often.
I hope this helps and enjoy your new baby!
This is what worked for my daughter. Try gently rubbing your breasts until you feel your milk let down before you begin nursing. That way he gets a good flow of milk immediately. Try to anticipate his feeding schedule so that you can do this before he gets worked up into a frenzy. Congratulations and lots of luck!
First, just wanted to say great job for trying to nurse your son - it's not an easy thing and sometimes it takes them a while to figure things out. :) It's always hard to know exactly what's going but you can try to narrow things down. Perhaps he's too hungry when you feed him? Maybe try feeding him a bit sooner than you have been and see if he'll be more patient? Maybe he's going thru a growth spurt and is hungrier? I feel like he will eventually figure out that the letdown is coming, though it might take some time. Abd what I've done in the past is to pump a bit and then put the babe on, in hopes that the let-down will come sooner. Hope everything will go smoother soon! :)
sounds like you are waiting to long to nurse. if an hour or hour and a half has passed since the beginning of the last feeding, offer the breast, dont wait until he is already hungry, you will both be more calm and he will be more patient. also watch what you are eating, keep it bland, if it is white or yellow it is ok to eat, anything else try one food each day and see if baby cries to know if he finds the food offensive. what you eat affects your milk and your smell (ie: garlic and onion especially!) keep it up, he will figure it out!
Yes, my daughter did the same thing! She was a perfect nurser for about two or three weeks, then if the milk didn't let down right away, she was MAD! I tried about everything I could think of, and here's what I finally found to work the best. Like a couple of the other moms have said, take a couple minutes before nursing to gently massage your breast to help stimulate the letdown. It was the only thing that worked for me, and I had some horrible problems before I figured it out. Don't stress about it, that makes it worse, let me tell you. Just relax, take deep breaths, like in yoga or lamaze, and massage. If your baby is still fussy, just keep doing the same thing and eventually it will come. I breastfed my daughter for 16 months, and used this technique for the majority of the time. After a few weeks of it, it was just natural. Good luck!
Hi N.,
All 4 of my kids did this while nursing. I'm not sure how familiar you are with Chiropractic, but in all 4 cases with my kids, they were out of alignment.
During labor and delivery their little necks get a bit twisted and pushed and pulled in different directions and it hurts them it seems after a month or so and the motion of turning their head to one side or the other gets to be painful as the weeks go on.
I noticed that sometimes it wouldn't bother them and I think it was just they were so hungry they just pushed through it, but other times they wouldn't nurse on one side or the other.
Sure enough, I'd take them in and their Atlas would be out (the top bone in your neck that your head sits on) and just a simple (non-cracking) adjustment or massage would put it back in...INSTANTLY they'd nurse voraciously and all would be well.
I'm not sure where you live, but if you are anywhere in the St. Pete area, I have an amazing Chiro who LOVES little one's and he takes really good care of them and it's not expensive either.
We live in Clearwater and it's well worth the drive to see them...we get in and out very quickly and his staff are like family...very nice experience all around!
Let me know if you are interested in the name and number for them.
C. Eisenman
____@____.com
Just be patient. This is absolutely normal with some babies and he may go through a few more phases of this - and that is just what it is, a phase.
My son did the same thing at about 1 month and 4 months. I forget what the book said the reason is (independence, teething, etc.?), but I just stuck to my guns and he came through it after about a week or two. I managed to nurse him to 9 months - could have gone longer with more support.
My daughter is now 11 months old and only went through this phase once and for only a few days. I was much more relaxed about it with her and didn't push the issue. She now tries to help herself and is going to be hard to wean. ;)
Good luck and be strong!
I usually dont answer breastfeeding questions, becuase i dont have much experience, but this sounds like me talking!! My daugther who is 4 now, she did the same tihng. She was my first. The nurse told me she is a "Baracuda", spelled right? if she doesnt get it right away, she gives up. They sent me home with a contraption. You put formula in it, and it leads out with a thin hose. You raise it up over your shoulder (helps to have someone help you) and lead it down to your nipple. Butyour child on your breast, but put the tube where your nipple is. Once he gets his immediate satisfaction, slowly take it away and he can learn to suck. The pain of doing breastfeeding the first time (i could not relax) but i bit my lips the whole time. It lasted 2 weeks, she got maybe 15 minutes on each side max. After 2 weeks, i just gave up. That was the most important time for the cholostrum or something???? So i did good. But that is what they sent me home with.
He could have an inner ear problem. You should consult your pediatrician.
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Are you bottle feeding as well? If you are bottle feeding it could be due to him being used to the fast flow of a bottle nipple. If this is the case you should try slow flow bottles like Avent Naturally stage 1 or Playtex Ventaire Wide slow flow. If you are not bottle feeding it could be a number of different things like thrush,or even reflux. Check with a lactation consultant they can usually give you ideas or suggestions and are usually free through the hospital you delivered at.
Yes it happens! We lovinly call it nursing strikes, my baby used to do this to my left side, when always let down much slower than the right. the only thing a mom can do is just don't give up! When he's hungry he will eat. Getting frustrated is part of learning. Make sure too, that when he does this and you keep trying, that your relaxing, I have found and been told by many may women, breastfeeding is a mind over matter thing. If you stress, you will have trouble letting down, I've seen this to be true when I pump! good luck, and if you have any other problems, check out a local Le Leche Leage meeting, they are great or check out www.kellymom.com
