Q&A: fussy baby while nursing

N writes:

"My four month old and I got past the initial difficulty beginning nursing (pain, latch problems, mastitis, the usual suspects) and we were off to a really good start with the whole breastfeeding thing.  She is gaining well and healthy.  But she often does this thing at the breast that drives me crazy.  She kicks, screams and thrashes while nursing.  If I hold her where her feet can hit the back of the chair, she'll kick against it, moving her whole body away from the breast while she's latched on (not pleasant).   If I position her where her feet can't kick against the chair, she'll instead scream and whip her head back and forth while latched on (also not pleasant).  Taking this as a sign she's not really hungry, I'll take her off the breast, which is met with shrieks of protest.  Put her back on the breast, we get a repeat showing of Wrestlemania: Baby Edition.  It doesn't seem to be a low supply issue as it's always easy to express milk when she's doing this, but I don't really believe it's that the let down is too strong for her either. Her older sister did this too when she was nursing, but this one is much worse about it.  I can't quite figure out what's going on here.  Any suggestions?  I've been stretched about as far as I can be - literally!"

Yeah, I remember this. I think it may be some kind of gastrointestinal growth spurt of some sort, but it was perplexing because there were no other symptoms of other gastric distress--no excess farting or crying 20 minutes after a feed (the classic symptom of a lactose intolerance) or anything like that. It sounds like you don't ahve any of this other stuff either, just the donnybrook on the breast. I never did figure out what caused it, and it went away in about a month or so on its own.

In the meantime, what I did was try to put as much pressure on my son's tummy as possible while he was nursing, and for whatever reason that seemed to work enough that he could finish an actual feed without going all Goodfellas on me.

The way I did it was by doing all my nursing (except for the middle-of-the-night nursing, which didn't seem to bug him) reclining on the couch. I'd have him facing down on top of me, stretched across the length of my body, perpendicular to me. So we were a lowercase t, and I was the vertical line, and he was the horizontal line across me.

That meant that he was nursing face down, but he also had all his own body weight on his tummy on top of me.

I have no idea if this will work for your daughter, but it's worth a try. Readers, can you offer up anything else that she can try if my tummy-pressure thing doesn't do the trick?

Comments

[Melani]

I hated going through this with my son. At the time I thought I might not be well hydrated so I started drinking more water and it helped a lot.

[heather]

Thank you SO much everyone for sharing your experiences. I have been having similar problems for the last two weeks (my little guy is 4 months, tomorrow) and it has left me frustrated and in tears. After a HORRIBLE time trying to establish breast-feeding, I finally got the hang of it and was really enjoying it, when WHAMMO: nursing strikes, screaming on the breast, screaming off the breast, kicking, battering the breast... Angry little baby. When I mentioned it to my health visitor, she asked me what a nursing strike was ('Is that an American thing?'). I was SO mad that I had persevered over the early problems, but couldn't find ANYONE to help me during this latest set-back. Now I have some direction, and I know I'm not alone. Finding this blog made me cry tears of joy that I might be able to keep breast-feeding and make it through this difficult time. Thank you Thank you Thank you.

[heather]

Thank you SO much everyone for sharing your experiences. I have been having similar problems for the last two weeks (my little guy is 4 months, tomorrow) and it has left me frustrated and in tears. After a HORRIBLE time trying to establish breast-feeding, I finally got the hang of it and was really enjoying it, when WHAMMO: nursing strikes, screaming on the breast, screaming off the breast, kicking, battering the breast... Angry little baby. When I mentioned it to my health visitor, she asked me what a nursing strike was ('Is that an American thing?'). I was SO mad that I had persevered over the early problems, but couldn't find ANYONE to help me during this latest set-back. Now I have some direction, and I know I'm not alone. Finding this blog made me cry tears of joy that I might be able to keep breast-feeding and make it through this difficult time. Thank you Thank you Thank you.

[Natasha]

Sounds to me like your baby is getting impatient waiting for the letdown. Mine does this... especially later in the day when he cluster feeds and my boobs are softer.

If the milk isn't flowing as fast as he would like he gets angry and starts kicking and scratching. He never does it in the morning when the boobies are full and the milk is flowing easily.

[Kim]

I'm having the same problems with breastfeeding beginning at 1 month old. My son is comforted by me either standing or bouncing on an exercise ball and turning on the hairdryer or other white noise. My main concern is that it's difficult for him to take the bottle. He is more comforted while sucking on my breasts, so I worry what life will be like in a couple of weeks when I go back to work and others will be forced to deal with this problem. I've tried Dr. Brown's bottles which is supposed to help, but two nights in a row my husband has been unable to feed a bottle to our son.

[Kim]

I'm having the same problems with breastfeeding beginning at 1 month old. My son is comforted by me either standing or bouncing on an exercise ball and turning on the hairdryer or other white noise. My main concern is that it's difficult for him to take the bottle. He is more comforted while sucking on my breasts, so I worry what life will be like in a couple of weeks when I go back to work and others will be forced to deal with this problem. I've tried Dr. Brown's bottles which is supposed to help, but two nights in a row my husband has been unable to feed a bottle to our son.

[momof3]

I was releived when I found this page as my five month old son has just started this and I actually quit nursing my middle son because of it. He was unhappy and I was so frustrated and I'd give him a bottle and he'd happily drink it and go to sleep.... so it became a slippery slope after that.
I have just been to the doctor with my 5 mnth old who nurses calmly for 2 minutes and then starts thrashing. The Doc suggested that since it's summer he could have some watered down apple juice and a bit of cereal to give me a break... that has helped a little. For me I don't think it's a reflux thing. I think it's a let down issue. He's calm for the fore milk and then he has a kinnip if the hind doesn't come as fast.
I actually had 6 minutes of calm nursing about an hour ago... this is what worked.... I nursed my emptier side first and he went awol as usual, I fed him a little serving of cereal which he inhaled, then I gave him the full breast. Something about his tummy having a little something in it made him more patient, it seems.
I'm not a pumper and then bottle feeder. For me breastfeeding is enjoyable and conveinient, with three kids I don't have teh time to pump and then bottle feed... but I'm still working at it for a while yet... if possible I'd like to nurse him for 7 to 8 months as I did with my oldest.

oh yeah, laying down also works for me but I think that's cuz I lay down in the night to nurse and first thing in the morning. Usually my let down problems or maybe supply problems (though if I squeeze it still sprays in 3 directions)start between 12 and 3 in the afternoon.
I have also heard this can be a by product of teething since getting teeth often hurts their ears which also can be painful when they are having to suck hard to get the milk.
Anyway... I'll keep plowing away for now... since his one bottle of formula at 9 pm is keeping me sane!!

[Shayle]

Yep...been there. My son started doing this around 3 1/2 months, and it lasted for a month or so. It was SO SO frustrating! He seemed to do it especially with his last feeding of the night. It got to the point where I would just pump and have my husband give him his last feeding before bed. The constant pulling off would make him suck air, then he would be burpy/gassy and then we would start the vicious cycle all over again! Don't worry, it WILL pass. I thought maybe he had food sensitivities, so I tried going off wheat, dairy, anything I thought might help. Tried nursing different positions, let down too fast? nope...maybe reflux...oh the things you will do to make breast feeding work! But he just eventually stopped doing it...hallelujah! Keep on, don't give up!

[Noonah]

I am having the same issue right now! Im so depressed. I have no idea what to do and why he is doing this!!! Shayle, I like you thought lactose intolrance? food sensitivities? Reflux? How can we dtermine what it is? I cant go off all these foods or I will end up eating nothing. I know he is always trying to pass gas. He is very gassy. DOes anyone else have this issue of batteling baby and trying to pass gas while nursing? I dont know what to do! HELP

[Kirsten]

What if she is constantly farting while nursing and/or taking the bottle? We get extreme screaming with the bottle and complete WWF moves with nursing...all the while, tooting away. She burps regularly and well, so I don't understand why the gassiness.

[Janine]

I have the same problem with my 5 week old. He's eating frequently-every 2 1/2 to 3 hrs and goes ferociously to eat so I know he's hungry but then when he latches on and starts eating, he thrashes, red faced, and fights it. Breaks off, screams, and wants to come back on. This happens for the first 5 mins or so of every feeding. Then he seems to settle in a bit. But meanwhile every red face and thrash he's farting and expelling ALOT of gas during the feeding. I burp him regularly and he seems fine with 'upper gas' but the lower belly gas is another story. I can even hear his belly churning when eating.
Does this sound like a frustration with the let down or an allergy? The gas thing is throwing me off.
Any advice would be appreciated as I'm frustrated for him and very sore from all these latches!

Thanks!
Please email me any advice: janine.jorett@gmail.com

[JS]

I'm going through the same thing right now with my 4.5 month old. He'll eat for a few minutes and then suddenly pop off and scream. I'll calm him down and then try the other side and he'll go another 10-15 minutes and then do the same thing. At that point I don't press the issue and figure he'll eat more throughout the day if he's hungry. I've tried teething drops and gripe water but they haven't made much difference. But I read that during wonder weeks they often eat and sleep less. I think he's going through wonder week 19. He's been fussy for a few weeks now, and that's after several happy, calm, routine weeks. He's definitely also more clingy in general, and actively practicing new skills (grabbing toys, rolling over). I think it's combined with a milk protein intolerance because I had milk a week ago and he had diarrhea and bloody, mucousy stools for a few days after, and I read that it can take 2 weeks for the milk protein to pass through your system. So he may still be uncomfortable from that. I've cut out dairy and am gonna wait for this to pass.

[Erika]

why does my 7 week old baby nurse well for the first 3 to 5 minutes and then begin turning away although she is still hungry. She gets very gassy during the feeding. I know I have a powerfull letdown but she dosn't seem to mind that part. She gets mad when the flow is slow and and wont stay latched on? Sometimes she acts as though she is full but wants to eat again 20 minutes later???

[Christi Baldwin1]

My DD is 3.3 months old and started this also, I was reading everything I could about this same issue. I have since found out, after trying something new, that it doesn't have anything to do with my milk supply, gas, too fast let down, feet touching anything...... It's just plain tiredness! Since my DD has realized that playing is fun and looking around at everything is the most amazing thing she does not want to sleep during the day. Which is why when I get her in to the "sleeping" position, holding her almost the way I would while nursing, she would start crying like never before. I would do everything I could to try to calm her, which most of the time was just playing. I keep track of her naps, feedings, diapers with babyesp app on my phone and started noticing that her sleeping had dropped a lot and she was waking a lot more through the night and had never done that before. So I found a routine for her that seems to be working extremely well. Feed, play, sleep. And continuous routine. Same time for bed and bath....putting her down about an hour and 15 min after each wake up has helped. She may act like she doesn't want to go to sleep but that's what babies need, sleep! So when the time is approaching I grab a book, a blanket and her silky to hold, and a binky(if you use it) and sit down to read and when that book is over I lay her down in her bed, always in the same place for a nap, she might cry for a few minutes but it's so much easier than the screaming crying big tears she was before. I will go check on her a couple times, replace the binky, hold it in her mouth with my hand on her cheak and tell her it's ok, I love you, take a little nap, but with little or no interaction, and she falls asleep. And sleeps GOOD I might add. That's what it was for us, just sleep. Babies thrive on routine and need sleep to grow. I have found a lot of other mothers noticing the same thing around this time also. Try the sleep!

[Jenny S.]

Wow, this was so helpful! Thanks ladies!

[Jade Harmon]

My 3 week old just started this thrashing agro-feeding, and I too think it's related to tiredness. In my experience, kids get extra intense and emotional right before a good nap crash, and resist sleep at all costs. My little one will shriek on and off the breast, pull back, and nurse incessantly (and the milk is flowing fine) than all of a sudden fall asleep. We may go through a few rounds of this before he's truly down for the count. Who wants to fall asleep when there's all this great milk to drink?? If I'm at my wits end, my partner will take him for a little walk in his sleepy wrap, change his diaper, show him an interesting lamp to stare at - try to break the cycle and encourage the much needed nap!

[Jen]

Mine did this while bottlefeeding! So I wonder if it's just not a BF thing. It was also during the 4 month period - basically acting like she had gas but no symptoms, and it was only when she was 4 months old. I'm kinda glad I wasn't BFing at the time because I would have blamed myself (We had slow flow issues so she was very fussy on the breast, and I always beat myself up about it). At least with the bottle I knew something else was going on.

[Wyteria Jacobo]

OMG so glad I found this blog! I was sure my 3 1/2 month old had anger issues and would need therapy LOL. I have noticed that it happens when she;s sleepy but she's also very gassy so that was throwing me off. My babysitter gives her formula and my milk when I pump so it's not just a breastfeeding thing. I wish they would tell us this in the hospital; it would calm a lot of nerves :-) My five-year-old daughter was NEVER like this so I had no clue. Hang in there moms! This too shall pass.