2-3 Month Old Fussing Now 5 Minutes into Nursing

Hi there! I'm a lactation educator at A Mother's Haven in Encino. Does your baby spit up a lot? That combined with irritability during nursings and reduced feedings are signs of acid reflux. Most babies with acid reflux are healthy and happy and it usually resolves itself between 12 and 18 months.

Try nursing your baby in the football hold so that he is more upright. Also, try nursing him for a shorter period of time on each breast, but nurse him more frequently. So instead of nursing for 10-15 minutes on each breast every 3 hours say, nurse him for 5-10 minutes on each breast every hour and a half. When you lay him down for bed or naps, make sure that his head is elevated. Put a couple of pillows under the head of his crib mattress or you can purchase a sleep positioner that elevates his head (just need to elevate him about 30%).

Give it a couple days and let me know if it helps. If not we'll get it figured out! Talk to you soon!

Hi Anya-
My son did the exact same thing at about 2 months. I would start to feed him and then after a short while he would start fussing. It was really frustrating. I went to see a lactation consultant who figured out that my let-down was really fast -- which is why he is also an efficient eater and would finish in about 10 mins. Anyway, turns out it was too much all at once for him. I started lying down to feed him seemed to make it easier for excess milk to escape. Anyway, that solved the problem.

How many wet or soiled diapers is your son having per day?

I suggest visiting a lactation consultant with your son. While reflux is a possibility it sounds more like a supply issue or slow letdown and your son is getting impatient. If your a SAHM, I would suggest cutting out the bottle completely for a little while to help boost your supply. Another suggestion would be to try to get him to nurse longer than 10 min ea. side. It may not be long enough for him to be emptying your breasts and as a result your body is making less milk. Try nursing him more frequently, even if he doesn't appear hungry. Good luck!

Sounds like he might be having some reflux issues. I'd get a hold of your pediactrician on this one!

Wow 3 to 3.5 hours of between feeding is too long. By the time you put him to your breast he is obviously so hungry and not getting enough milk. Sometimes if you wait to long between feedings you produce less. I believe the rule for breasfeeding is every 2.5 to 3 hours. Breast milk is digested very quickly. With formula you can usually go longer between feedings because it takes longer to digest formula. I breastfed for 1 year and went through the same thing. At 6 months I wasn't producing enough milk, but didn't not realize it at the time. I thought that my baby was just being fussy. My baby needed more milk, even it was formula. I should have suplemented sooner to meet her needs. There is nothing wrong with supplementing. Your baby will get the added iron in formula. Breastfeeding is best, but if you needed, supplement to satify your baby's hunger. Both of you will be much happier and less discouraged and fustrated. Remember, what you eat could also cause gas in your baby, such as caffine, chocolate, or any dairy. Talk to your pedatrician. Good luck.