3 Month Old Gets Very Fussy While Breastfeeding

Could it be something that you're eating that she doesn't like or digest well? I know sometimes breastfeeding babies develop allergies to or just simply don't like something that is in their mom's diet.

Chances r that ur baby has a stuffy nose, that frustrates her trying to breathe and breast-feed...very upseting for the 2 of u. Before feeding u can use a saline nasal spray for her and clean her nares....allowing her(hopefully) to breathe and nurse @ the same time as usual.

Hey Jessica,

this could be the result of several things...

1. Gas...make sure you burp her every 2-3oz of beastmilk or about 5mins of nursing as if she has gas pain then it hurts to try to nurse and her tummy is still hungry. Also give Mylicon just prior to every feeding..this helps a ton.

2. You may not be producing enough breastmilk and she is angry because she is sucking and getting nothing...this angers little ones and causes sucking fatigue. you would need to pump and see how much milk you have as her appettite will increase with age and you may need to supplement with a formula.( i recommend the liquid ready made because it is heated to sterilize which makes the supension of formula thicker and easier on the babies belly and if you are breastfeeding i found it best to supplement with, as it is room temp if you get the ready made nursettes and therefore they still want the breastmilk).

3. If she has a cold she is stuffy and it is not possible to breathe while sucking so you have to feed her more frequently as you don;t want her to be so hungry that she loses her breath sucking and then can't eat. So you need saline drops and a suction bulb. put a few drops in each nostil and wait a few seconds and then suction out the congestion. Ask your pediatician to show the proper way to suction. AND THERE IS A PROPER WAY to squeeze the bulb, to position the bulb in the nostril and to hold the side not being sucked so that you get the congestion out... it is much harder to do than most people realize and i am amazed at how many people get it wrong. but for your baby's comfort learn the correct way.

AND don't forget if she is congested then it will drip down her throat causing it to burn when she nurses and well making her very hungry but not wanting to eat. Ask your pediatrician about an antihistamine like Periactin or whatever they suggest. best of luck and hope your princess is feeling better soon. -mb

Hi, Jessica,

First of all, hang in there!

The cold could definitely be doing it. If she can't breathe as well through her nose, and her mouth is busy feeding, that could be scary or even just physically not workable for her. Some steam in the room can help clear her passages, and you can use a nasal aspirator right before nursing.

Another possibility is that something new in your diet is changing the taste of the milk in a way that she doesn't like. You could try writing down what you're eating for meals and snacks, and maybe find a pattern.

Also, I'm not sure when the growth spurts occur, but babies can become very frustrated when suddenly they need more milk than mom can supply in the immediate term to help them deal with the growth. As long as you feed whenever she's hungry, or pump if she can't nurse effectively (and that is important, because if she can't nurse very well during her cold or for whatever reason, the weaker suck can lower your body's supply even when she nurses for as long as she always has), then your milk supply will go up to meet her need in a couple of days.

I've found La Leche League to be very informative, and they'll be happy to give you free advice. Just do a search in your area and you'll be emailing or on the phone with someone in no time!

Good luck and don't give up! Just pump your way through it if you have to. If your supply has done down a bit as a result of the disruption, don't worry. Keeping up the "demand" will bring it right back up again ("right back" being relative...it could be a week!).

L.

Have you checked for ear infections? Just an idea!

Hi Jessica,
My first thought is she could have some fluid in her ears making her uncomfortable to nurse. You might have her ears checked. Good luck! K. Hoefer

Is her nose stuffy? She may be having difficulty breathing while nursing. I did some checking on Babycenter.com and here's a link for other ideas. Hope this helps!
http://www.babycenter.com/0_nursing-strike_8490.bc

This might be just a little breast feeding resistance. I'd pump to keep myself comfortable for that time and try again in 1-2 hours. I think it's temporary. Saline and suction will help a lot with that stuffy nose. You're doing fine.

Hello there, I do know a little bit about breastfeeding, having done it for four years. At three months, she may need a change. My first needed extras, a little light bounce or pat and she would immediately go back to feeding. Try to make it rhythmic so she will still nurse. It's worth a try! My next one needed seclusion. We had to be alone with nothing else going on. Lastly, you may want to try feeding a little sooner, she may have gotten too hungry. Keep up with nursing, this will pass. It is the BEST thing you can ever do for that childs future.

I am the mother of my first, one and only, 18 month old son. I too breastfed. I had him when I was 37 and he is just wonderful.

You mention your daughter has been doing so well at breastfeeding and you mention she does have a slight cough. She might have some nasal stuffiness which stresses her when she tries to breastfeed. The white noise relaxes her to where she changes her focus from her breathing to eating. Right now there is a virus going around. My son caught it. His sinuses and throat were irritated. I have noticed when he drinks from his sippy cup he takes more breaks than normal. I attribute that to the sinus issue. His doctor said that he has a 10 day virus.

No one knows your baby the way you do. If you feel you need to take her to see your pediatrition, go. It's better to go and find out everything is ok and that it is a cold than not to go and worry. You are her mother and you know her best!!! Follow your instincts. What's wrong with a white noise anyway. I have known several people that could only sleep with white noise. I am sure it will pass.

Best of luck and again follow your instincts and spend as much time with her as you can. They grow up way to quick. :->

My sweetie did similar to your little darlin'. My lactation consultant asked me about maybe teething??? In fact, my baby had begun drooling a lot more and gnawing everything. She told me when a baby nurses, their gums tingle. That may be what is happening. I used Oragel a few times and gave her a cooled teething ring. It helped a lot. Good Luck!

When's the last her peditrician looked at her ears? The vacuum created by sucking puts pressure on the eustacian tube which can cause discomfort if she has fluid in her ears or an ear infection.

Hi Jessica,
I'm a first time mommy also. My baby is now 2yrs old. I nursed him for 13 months because he wouldn't have it any other way coming from me. But, anyway, you said your daughter has a little cold. Have you noticed whether or not she's got a stuffy nose, or an ear ache? I know my son used to get a little cranky when he wasn't feeling well, and he was hungry. Also, if it's not because she is not feeling well, try humming to her in a quiet room to calm her first(any tune will do). You have to make sure that you're relaxed also. I've noticed, from babysitting and having my own, babies tend to be wrestles when mommy is also tensed. Take some slow deep breathes. Hope I helped :>

You could call the lactation department at the hospital where you had her. The lactation nurses were very helpful where I had my children whenever I called. They may have some tips that could help you. Also, you could take her to the dr. and make sure she doesn't have an ear infection or something that is making her fussy.

Speak with your pediatrician about lactose intolerance. My son became fussy after a couple months of breatfeeding and it turned out that he was lactose intolerant(inability to absorb the natural sugar in breast and regular milk). It took awhile for the natural sugar to accumulate in his system, so it did not manifest at the beginning of breastfeeding. I had to discontinue breastfeeding and put him on a Soy formula (Prosobe)and he did very well. Once he went off formula he began drinking a diluted, liquid dairy creamer such as Mocha Mix and Coffeemate. You dilute equal parts of purified/spring water and the dairy creamer. I have used this diluted version every since (meaning with all my babies) and into adulthood. I also drink only this mixture of milk also.

Just a thought, so hope this is -- if nothing else -- at least educational and worth asking about.

Are you sure about your supply? Is there plenty or is she getting frustrated?

I've been throught the same thing. Talk to her doctor ASAP about reflux. Some babies with reflux don't spit up a lot because they swallow it or it only goes part way up. It still can give them an ulcer, which is very painful. The right medicine will make the world of difference.

Other signs:

spitting up 15-30 minutes after feeding, preferring upright position instead of lying or sitting, extreme fussiness when feeding, slow weight gain or weight loss.

As I said, the only symptom may be severe pain while nursing! THat's what happened with one of our sons. It took us amost 6 months to start treatment and get the right medications. Once we did, he stopped writhing in pain when he ate.

Ear infection? Sucking could trigger pain.

J.

She could have an ear or throat infection going on. Many times when they don't want to eat when they are this young its because of the pressure on the ears. You might take her in to have her ears checked.

she may be letting herself get so hungry before letting you know that she gets frustrated with the time to get situated and latched. try offering the breast to her at regular intervals to see if that helps.

My son did the same thing last month. I took him to the doctor, had him checked for an ear infection, teething, etc. After no explanation, I read that nursing strikes are pretty common. This website saved my life when it comes to breastfeeding questions: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/index.html

It did pass after a week or so. The kellymom website has answers to just about any question you could have.

you might want to take her to your pediatrician and have her ears checked because if she has an ear infection it will hurt when she sucks to eat and if she has a cold this could definitely be what is wrong with her. good luck!

fussy can be because she is stuffy and breathing is difficult when breast feeding. try some saline drops and robitussin plain to thin out secretions try to clear out her nose good with bulb syringe before feeding.

I also had trouble breastfeeding...I could only do it for 6 weeks..My problem was that she just wasnt getting full and I had cut everything out that would bother her...you might want to try that too, chocolate, caffeine, spicy foods, gasy foods, etc. Try one at a time and see if that helps. Also if she has a cold as the others have said it will be hard for her to breathe. Also your milk may be coming out to fast for her to and you may want to pump and put it in a bottle and try that. I did that too, but she just couldn't handle it. If your ped. is wonderful ask their advice as well. Hope this helps.....