2 Month Old Getting Upset at Breast Feeding.

Are you feeling the "let down" reflex( stinging sensation)? He might be getting frustrated because it isn't happening fast enough! Stick with it, you two are still beginners! Good luck!

My first thought is that it is a milk oversupply/forceful let-down problem. Not a bad problem to have! Take a look at this and see if it describes what is happening:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html

How do you know that you're producing enough milk for him?

My son did that at 3 months old. He'd start eating and then get so mad and cry! I thought maybe it was a tummy ache or whatever. When we went to his 4 month appointment, he hadn't gained any weight since his previous one. I was immediately concerned. I talked to the doctor about it, but my son is huge (over 97th percentile for height, 85th for weight) so the doctor didn't worry that he had slipped down 15 percentiles. But I knew in my gut that something was wrong.

I did some internet research and found that the medication I was taking, although safe while breastfeeding, sometimes causes a low milk supply. I stopped the medication and suddenly my baby was happy again. He stopped his crying and pulling off, he was generally happier, and he instantly shot right out of his clothes. By his next visit, he was back at his usual percentiles, and at age 3, he still is.

This didn't happen until later, but my first son hit a growth spurt at 3 1/2 months and wanted to nurse every hour. But just minutes after I latched him on, he'd cry and pull off. I couldn't keep up with his appetite! He actually LOST weight, which is so bad! So I started using my frozen breastmilk supply. I had quite a bit saved up, and I was proud of it! But he used it all up in two weeks, in addition to my nursing him.

Your son just sounds like he's hungry, for whatever reason. I suggest you trouble shoot your milk supply.

Position. I'm thinking your baby probably prefers a specific position to nurse in. You are probably much more relaxed at night, too.

You may want to consider the surroundings when you're nursing in the day. It may not be the nursing at all that he's responding to. He may not like noise or light, something like that...

If your letdown is too strong, you can pump some and then let him latch on. If you don't have enough milk, you can let him rest for about 20 minutes, drink a glass of water, and try again. Congratulations!

I agree that you should mirror night feedings during the day. If you do have a strong let down (I did), you could try having him eat upright. It is a little difficult to get all the pillows right, but I have been told that it is easier if you have a recliner. It is a modified football, where he is pretty much sitting up and eating. Also, lying down and feeding is supposed to not have that gravitational pull, and the milk should come out slower, but I had trouble doing that when my son was so young. If you have a breastfeeding support group, or a lactation consultant at the local hospital, call and set up an appointment. They can watch you feed and figure out what is going on. Good luck.

Hmm. I suppose it could be a few different things, and you have to play the role of investigator. I would highly recommend going to a la leche league meeting and see what help you can receive. At the very least read their book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" because it has lots of good troublehsooting ideas.

This same thing happened to my sister when she was an infant. She would nurse fine first thing in the morning, but that was it. All other feedings she would cry and was clearly not satisfied. Add to that the fact that she wasn't gaining weight very well.

As it turns out in her case, she has a super-high soft palate and couldn't get the latch she needed. So my mom would pump the milk and bottle feed it to my sister. Immediately my sister was satisfied, the feeding-time-fussiness stopped, and she started gaining weight.

So you never know, she may have some problem with the latch that is about her and not about you and your milk supply (although that could be it too.) Have her checked out by a lactation specialist.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

My 'vote' is for overactive letdown (possibly oversupply, too... they often go hand-in-hand). Personally, I think OALD is vastly underdiagnosed and the symptoms can mimic those of low supply (which would explain why others are suggesting it even though you said you're producing enough). I see that some other folks gave you the kellymom link; I like this one as well. http://www.llli.org/FAQ/oversupply.html

Babies' suck is stronger when they're sleepy so he might just be better able to keep up at night. Do you feed in a different position at night? I found a side-lying position to work really well... I propped one of those sleep-positioners behind him to keep him in the right spot. Worked great for daytime nursing, too.

FWIW, my OALD doesn't mean that milk sprays out if I pull baby off. It stops when he stops, but letdown is quick & big. At 16 months, he sometimes still goes into acrobat mode while nursing. I should take pictures of him as he flips over, half-stands, etc...all while still attached. LOL

Best of luck!

I think it could be a few different things, but it does sound like most likely he is not getting enough milk. This has happened to me with two of my children. Your milk production can slow down or stop even if you are eating right and staying hydrated. There are a lot of things that can cause this. Hormonal birth control, stress, strenuous exercise or a poor latch on the baby's part are a few. Sometimes milk production decreases for no apparent reason. Also, often times moms will have more milk at night than they do during the day. If your son is going longer between feedings at night than he does during the day, that could mean he's getting more milk during his nighttime feedings than during the daytime ones.

One thing I recommend doing is go to your pediatrician's office at a time when your son will be hungry. Weigh him, feed him, then weigh him again. Make sure he has a dry diaper on both times you weigh him. That way you will be able to see how much milk he has taken in. Take your boppy if you use one and ask for an empty room to nurse in so you can both be comfortable and make sure he gets a good, normal feeding. I also suggest you immediately start taking Fenugreek capsules. You can get just Fenugreek at GNC, but I've had better luck with Motherlove More Milk Plus (available at Whole Foods or Wild Oats), which has a blend of milk-increasing herbs in it, including Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle, which are the two most common herbs for increasing milk supply. It does cost about 3 times as much but I've found it to work much better and very quickly. The jar will say to take 2 capsules 3 times a day, but you'll want to take 3 at a time or, if you're overweight, take 4 at a time. You can talk to your pediatrician or a lactation consultant about all this. My pediatrician gave me a handout about increasing milk supply with herbs. You can increase your supply even more by pumping for 5 minutes after each feeding, to signal to your body that it needs to produce more milk.

Now, if you are sure after doing the weigh/feed/weigh thing that he is getting enough milk, it could be that he is frustrated at how long it takes for your milk to let down. Are you feeling the letdown reflex (tingling, sometimes burning feeling)? If you aren't feeling your milk letdown before he gets fussy, it could be that your letdown is too slow for his liking. Try compressing your breast as he feeds to encourage the milk to flow (push on the breast all around above the areola).

It could also be that your milk is coming out too fast. When he unlatches, is your milk spraying out? If so, it may be coming out too fast for him. Try pumping or expressing a little milk by hand before you latch him on so the milk flow can slow down before you latch him on. You shouldn't do this unless you can see your milk spraying or flowing very quickly when he unlatches.

Good luck! I hope that your supply is ok. It's sad when you have to stop breastfeeding before you wanted to, but that's what formula is for!

I think I'd rule out thrush. Babies who feed effectively--and then things change--often have thrush. Thrush is a yeast infection of the mouth, breast, and/or butt, and usually is easy to treat if it's caught. You may or may not have symptoms; sometimes the baby being unwilling to nurse is the only symptom. For mom... symptoms could include yeast infection, nipples that are shiny, red, or more pink than normal, burning or itchy sensation on the nipples. For baby... coming off and on the breast, clicking when nursing, pearly-sheen to spit, white spots in mouth, rash around anus (in boys), more gassy than normal, can be thrush. The cause is sometimes unknown, but some common causes are previous antibiotics for mom or baby, birth control pills, lots of sugar in mom's diet (or lots of artificial sweetener). There are a couple meds commonly prescribed, and an over the counter one, too. If you think perhaps you do have thrush, contacting your doctor, a lactation consultant, or a LLL leader would be a good place to start.

My daughter was doing the same thing, she was even fine at night too. She didn't really start getting fussy when she ate until about a month old. I finally took my daughter in around six weeks. They said she had an ear infection, plus possible acid reflux probably, excema and rash which meant she most likely had a dairy allergy. I decided to try one thing at a time. I went off dairy, and all products with any dairy in them. That cleared her excema and rash right away and it helped with her fussiness. You might try keeping a food diary and seeing if he is more fussy when you eat certain foods. Milk, eggs, nuts, and soy are the most common allergies. I went off all dairy and soy for two weeks and then added soy back in. She is okay if i have something with soy in it but not if i have soy milk. Weird. Plus if I eat brownies she gets really fussy.
Going off dairy helped a lot of problems and it even helped her acid reflux. But she wasn't spitting up a ton. Every once and a while she would have a little projectile vomit but she was obviously getting enough to eat. But she would still fuss and pull away when she ate so we decided to try her on prevacid just to see. I just didn't want her to be burning her throat. It seems to help. there is such a thing as silent reflux. They just swallow the spit up but it is still burning their little throats. You might talk to your doctor about that.
Also my daughter keeps getting ear infections and she fusses when she eats when she has an ear infection, particularly on one side.
But really the main thing was the dairy. Good luck.

I had that happen with my son and a little bit so far with my new little girl. I found it would help if I stopped and held him for a few minutes while he calmed down. Then try again. If he was still feeling frustrated when he'd latch back on, it was likely that he'd get worked up again and then get mad when his movement caused him to unlatch. Also, to keep my little girl from pushing me away while nursing , I have to make sure that her arm on the bottom is pinned down. Sometimes I let her grip my finger with her other hand while nursing because it seems like it helps her not squirm away so much.
At least with my son, this was a stage and it passed.
good luck.

My advice would me to check his nose and make sure its clear. Once when my baby was a newborn he was doing kinda the same thing (latching on and wanting to eat but then jerking his head off violently after jsut a few sucks) His nose was all plugged up and he couldnt breath when he was latched on! We cleared out his nose and had no more problems. Your problem sounds like it might be somethign different, but its worth a try!

I know what you are going through. My son who is now 2 was so easy to breastfeed, but my daugter has done things like yours off and on througout.
First I would remind you to be patient, relax, even though it is hard because baby will feel any anxiety that you have.
Second. I know it's hard when you feel the baby is not getting enough, but I would really recommend staying away from the bottle. It's much easier for them so they get lazy and it will sabotage your breastfeeding efforts. They really will eat when they are hungry and if you really feel he needs something else try giving him the ebm in with a spoon or sippy cup instead of a bottle.

Third. something that's worked well for me when my little girl is fussy and pulls away like that is to give her Gripe Water (you can get it at any health food store or find recipes online) I give that to my baby when she is having a hard time and within 10 minutes we can settle down to nurse right!!
Hope that helps!
S.
www.buenavistamidwife.com

Do you have a big letdown? He may nurse enough to get a letdown and then it overwhelms him. Do you nurse in a different position at night? It may be easier for him to swallow in that position. You can try the football hold. If this is the case, it will probably subside soon. He'll get used to your abundant milk supply and you will be more regulated to his needs.

Call your local La Leche League for more help - they can observe and give tips!

Good luck and good job breastfeeding! Keep it up!

HI B.,
It sounds to me like he may be getting alot of milk & it's just overwhelming him. To little milk & he is frusterated, Or gas build up. If it's the milk amount it will round off & level out soon.If it doesn't happen at night Are you laying down to feed him? What position? Then feed him the same way you do at night. Laying down actually promotes more milk production. So maybe it is he is getting more milk lying down & is less frusterated.

If it's gas just stop & burp him inbetween breasts or whenever he starts to act up. Take care, G

With my 3rd son, who was ALSO 2 months old last June, I had problems with the day-time feedings because he was getting too hot. The mornings and evenings were nice and cool, but during the day, I was running around during the day, increasing my body temperature, and when I'd sit down to nurse, he was simply getting to hot and was uncomfortable feeding.

The whole breast feeding thing can be a challenge. I have nursed all three of mine and only one of them reacted the way your son is. He ultimately just preferred the bottle nipple over mine and weaned himself at 4 months. I have no way of knowing if this is the same reason for your son, but it is something to think about. As a first time mom though, just don't let it get to you, all kids are different! You can always pump if you are wanting the nutritional value. I chose to go the formula route. The other two went for a year so you just never know - all kids are different.

Good luck!

It sounds like you may have a strong let down (when the milk comes in at the beginning of a feeding) like I have. You can read more about it and what to do to help at kellymom.com. Good luck!

Make it a GREAT day!

S.

maybe it's his positioning. Could he be uncomfortable in your daytime nursing posture? Do you hold him differently at night? My son got to the point, pretty early on (maybe 5 months, when he only liked to nurse while lying down. When that happened, nighttime feedings increased and daytime feedings frustrated him. So I started lying down on my side every time I nursed him. it made breastfeeding outside the home more challenging but it kept him breastfeeding. So find what's working about the nighttime feedings and try to replicate that during the day.

If your milk is not letting down right away, he might be getting frustrated. And then you get stressed, which makes let down harder. Giving him a bottle will satisfy him this time, but then he's going to be even more frustrated next time, and it could undermine the feeding.

Can you feel the milk let down? It's hard to describe, but there is a distinctive feeling, like fluid rushing through the milk ducts to your nipples (that's what it's doing after all). If you're not letting down soon after he starts nursing, try pumping for a couple minutes first, or even a quick hand massage to encourage let down. Sit in a comfy chair with water nearby and everything else you'll need to nurse, and try to relax. Try swaddling your son, it could help contain his flailing and help him calm down again.
And it wouldn't hurt to talk to a lactation consultant for a few pointers on helping milk let down too. Ask the pediatrician or your OB for a referral.

when my baby does this it is usually the result of gas and a dose of mylicon fixes it. on occasion my baby reacts like this when my milk is not coming as fast as she wants, but usually i can feel that. i don't think i could recognize the milk flow yet when my first baby was only 2 months old though. sometimes i would squeeze and if milk sprayed out, i knew the problem was most likely gas.

B.,

My 2 month old started doing the same thing right around that time. She's almost 3 months now. I'm not sure what it is that is bothering them either. I do drink a Coke or Dr. Pepper occasionally, and I think I keep the chocolate companies in business personally, so I was thinking it might be that, but my mom said probably not because I'm really not eating THAT much.

My daughter will just cry while sucking. Sometimes she'll go ahead and let go my nipple and cry harder. I console her and try to get her to latch back on. She's burped a few times in that space, so it may be a burp that needs to come out. Also your milk flow may be too fast or slow. I've found my daughter gets upset more frequently when I'm flowing too much (squirting her full hose force down the throat, I've got forceful let down). So I'll unlatch her and grab a baby washcloth during let down. When I'm done, I latch her back on. She misses out on some foremilk, but she is able to get some and some hind milk as well. babycenter has a cool article on baby poop color that is neat.

Good luck! It isn't anything to worry too much about. As long as he's wetting and messing his diapers he's fine. He may be frustrated but he's fine.

V.