Breastfeeding - Novato, CA

Hello A.. I too am a first time mom to a 3 1/2 month old boy. We are still breastfeding him as well as using some formula. I had the same experience as you as far as the little guy wanting to suck just to suck sometimes. I gave Caleb a pacificer and it's been wonderful! Have you tried that yet?

Thanks,
A.

Comment to Janet:
What I have learnt from the lactation people is:
Actually pumping out to see how much you have won't help. Usually the babies can suck out much more milk than the pump can, so pumping doesn't tell you anything about how much you actually have. And, remember over 90% of all women have enough milk, it is just a question of breastfeeding often enough so that you keep producing new milk.

Hi A.,
Congratulations on Che's birth and on breastfeeding!

It sounds like you may have an overactive letdown reflex. Here's a useful link:

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

Keep up the good work!
-C.

A.,
You've gotten some great advise and some which needs some clarification.
1. It seems this is related to either latch or milk production -- either heavy letdown or less milk. A LC (Lactation Consultant) will help you diagnose which it is. If you can't get to one (no matter the reason), please call a Le Leche League (LLL) leader in your area -- they are listed on their website
http://www.llli.org

2. Until you know which it is, don't assume it is low supply unless you definitely know your baby boy is producing fewer wet/poopy diapers. Ask a mama near you if there is a hospital where you can do a weigh-feed-weigh. El Camino in Mt View has this available for free. This will tell you how much he is getting at a specific feed. If you need to increase your supply, pumping after he nurses, taking fenugreek, blessed thistle, mother's milk tea, or Mother's milk tincture all may help. The hospital's shop, Mothers Connection, has many products that may help; the site www.herbelore.com also has helpful products.

3. Your breasts make the right food for your baby; as he feeds he "tells' them what he needs (unless there are definitely low supply issues which can be addressed too). To make this happen, the baby needs to be at the breast directly. As he feeds, he gets antibodies from you, and gives you information on what he needs through his sucking. The more he sucks, he tells your breast he needs more milk and your body will respond. Nipple shields may adversely affect this relationship. If he hurts you when he initially latches, a sheild will lesson the discomfort but not correct the latch. A LLL leader and/or LC will help you with latch issues.

4. This could just be a passing phase. You are giving your baby the best start in life. Keep up the good work. With time, you both will figure out how to make this work.

A.! I am excited, because I think I know what this is! Your wonderful body is just working too good! You are doing nothing wrong, you probably are getting strong let-downs and he is "drowning" in milk and has to step back, swallow quickly and breathe. We just went through this and my girl got bad gass from all the air gulping. Just take it slow. Your milk production will ease up when body figures out what baby needs. Also, he'll become a more adapt eater as you go. Don't be scared and enjoy nursing slowly - I placed her tummy down on my breast. Eating (upside down) like this made her relax because milk didn't run straight down her throat.

Dear A.,

How are you holding your son while you breastfeed? You want to make sure his body is turned into your body and not turned up so his tummy is facing up. You want to make sure his tummy is against yours. Also you may check to see if his nose is clogged with mucus, snot etc... It sounds like he's having trouble breathing while breastfeeding.

Hi,
The reason might be is that he is not getting enough milk babies tend to be agressive when they are hungry and can't quite feed as they would like. Try adjusting the nipple in the Che's mouth when this happens it will help.

Hi A.,

I'm a doula and childbirth educator. What this sounds like to me is that she is wanting the milk to come out faster, or get to the let down faster. She may be going through a growth spurt so she wants to eat more so you will then make more. I would recommend finding a new moms group in your area. There might be one at your local hospital. The ones in my area are free. You could also find a La Leche group in your area. To find one go to thier website. They are also great at anwering phone calls and offering some support there. I hope that helps.

A from San Jose, CA

Does it fell like enough milk is coming out. If you look at the milk coming out of your breat after you have started nusing is there plenty coming out. When he sucks does it feel like he is have to suck alot. Maybe to flow is not enough for him. Sometimes the ducts in a woman's breast get a little blocked up.
Also are you eating lots of healthy nutritious food that is good for breast feeding. For instance when a mother eats oranges or drinks orange juice some times the baby will not feed well.
Your OBGYN should having some nursing specialists to advise you. I wish I had consulted one.

Hi A.,

I would recommend you call Karen Evon at Maternal Expressions in Folsom. She has helped me through nursing my three babies, as well as getting a breast lump checked out. She will watch what is happening and be able to help you, I'm sure. Good luck,
Deni, Carmichael

I think your baby is not getting satisfied with the feeding.
most likely your breast is not producing enough milk for his needs. I suggest you talk to your Dr. you might have to do a combination of breastfeeding and formula. I had to do that when I was breastfeeding Hope this helps.

Try using a nipple shield. You can purchase them at Target or Baby's R US

looks like you got some great advice... maybe growth spurt, letdown too slow, etc. Can you still see a Lactation consultant free of charge with your hospital? I gave birth at a non-profit and could go as many times as i wanted. if you have this option, take advantage of it or find a LLL meeting. I recently had problems with my nursing toddler and sleep when I became pregant and the leader was amazing - she did a phone call session with me and even though it wasn't an "all-solution" type of thing, it made me feel so much better and reassured me I was doing the right thing. So even if the next meeting is a month away, someone will still probably talk with you over the phone.

good luck, hth!

That motion helps the let down. Cows do the same thing by butting their heading into the utter. My five month old only does it when he is trying to squeeze the last bit if milk out. If your baby is not getting enough milk, you might want to see a lactation consultant. If your baby is getting bigger and sees happy after feeding, then don't worry about it, though you do need professional advice on how to get the milk to him effectively.

he may be teething and the nursing is putting pressure on his gums that are becoming sore. all three of my kids had their first tooth by three months of age and did the same thing while nursing.

Sounds like it could be a growth spurt. The first two typically happen around the 3 week mark and the 6 week mark. A growth spurt includes increased eating and crying. Do the best to feed and soothe your baby it should not last too long. Sounds like you are doing everything right.

I agree with the previouse message, have you tried pumping to see how much milk you are acctually produsing? I breastfeed both of my boys and know how important it is to stick with the breast milk only but you minght try getting some formula, there are some real good ones out there now and see if he seem more satisfied after that, if so then he may not be getting enough from you. My sister-in-law had that problem with one of her children. If he has a problem taking to a bottle like my first boy did there are also bottles out there now that are suppost to mimic the breast. I hope this helps.

Is he properly latched on? My two week old will cry when she tries to latch on and can't. This usually happens when I'm engorged. When this happens I pump out the milk and bottle feed her.

Even though he is 3 weeks old, I would try to swaddle him. Get him comfortable, with arms tucked in, and see what happens. Good luck!

yeah, it sounds to me like he wants more milk. Try feeding him more often, and let him nurse until he stops on his own.

Hi A.,

My second son did this for awhile and the nurse told me that he was not getting out as much milk as he wanted to at the time. Basically he was being impatient and wanted it to come faster and when it didn't he was getting frustrated. Give it a couple of weeks and the milk flow will catch up to his demands. Mine did and everything will work out alright. Good luck.

C.

All of my kids have done that while breastfeeding. As far as I can tell, it's just a response to trying to comfortable, or maybe just exploring the various sensations of making the milk "squirt" a little faster by squeezing. To help him calm down, just be sure that his latch-on is good, ie, that his mouth is really open and that he has the areola, and not just the nipple in his mouth. Then you might want to use your free hand to gently hold his flailing hand, and just play with it a little, intertwine your fingers, and let him have somewhere else to wiggle his exploring hand. Another thought may be that he's responding to a really fast let-down of milk. If he's coughhing or pulling-off the breast for air, he may be having a little temporary trouble with how fast the milk is coming. Try elevating his head a little with your supporting arm (in "cradle hold"), so that his feet are a little lower than his head.

At three weeks, he may be going through a growth spurt and is actually trying to encourage you to make more milk, so he's squeezing and rooting around as if he could suddenly get more of what he's looking for at that nursing session. Try letting him nurse frequently, while you increase your intake of fluids. Let the housework go, ignore the phone and just let Che have more nursing. It's not "aggression", so don't worry, and it's not a sign that you're doing anything wrong. Just enjoy your "babymoon"--the first month, as you each learn about each other.
-Val

Have you checked to be sure you are producing milk?

It could be that your milk is coming down too fast or too slow and your baby is not able to control the flow. If it is coming down to fast, it could help to squeeze out a little milk before you nurse your baby to decrease the pressure.

My daughter (6 mos) the same thing as a newborn. It ended up being gas. Our pediatrician recommended probiotic drops. We got them from a company called BioGaia, they are all natural live cultures that help newborn digestive systems and we gave her Mylacon. Our pedi. explained that newborn's digestive system is so new that they don't have any bacteria that we have to digest what they consume.
All I know is that after 3 weeks of sleeplessness and a screaming baby, it worked. She calmed down right away and took my milk without any otehr problems.

It may be reflux (GERD) but you should talk to a lactation consultant and your pediatrician. Both my children had it and did similar things as you're describing. They do grow out of it. Mine did at around 6 months.

Contact La Leche League, they're very helpful and knowledgeable. They usually pinpoint the problem and give solutions pretty quickly. If not, they refer you to someone who can.
Good luck!

Does he have a good latch? Normally, when babies do this it is when they are much older and just can't stay still while doing anything, let alone, drinking milk. But since your baby is only weeks old, I am guessing it is his latch. Also, you may have a plugged duct and not know it. Some women experience very painful plugged ducts, and others may not know it until it turns into mastitis, a breast infection. Soak your breasts in warm water for ten minutes several times a day. Hand express your milk, get it started, then feed him. Do you have the Le Leche book on breastfeeding? I found it to be extremely helpful. I can offer more advice if this doesn't work.

T.

Hi A., congratulations on your new baby. I'm not sure if you know this, so if you do - forgive... But the sucking reflex, is sometimes just that, a reflex. Babies are not always indicating that they are hungry when they do this. Could be he just needs a pacifier. As for the pushing/pulling/tugging - that may be just his personality. Have you considered your milk supply?

I had something very similar happen with my daughter when she was a newborn. Someone suggested that purhaps she just wanted to be at the breast, but wasn't hungry. They suggested that I keep her at the breast, but give her binky to her while there. Sometimes newborns aren't really sure what they want because it feels good to suck, but they aren't really hungry. It helped me a lot. Good luck with the breast feeding and congrats on your little one.

Sounds like he is impatient - its very normal. My daughter did the same thing. However I would go to the lactation center at your hospital and talk with the specialists there. That's what they are there for. They will be the best to take advice from.

Hi A.,
without more information and preferably observation it would be impossible to give a reason for this behaviour with any confidence. If your son is nursing at least 8 times, peeing at least 6 times, and pooping a normal liquidy yellow stool a few times each 24 hours and there has been no significant decrease in output then he is most likely recieving enough milk from you.

The behaviour indicated could be related to flow (too fast, too slow, not soon enough), comfort (trying to poop, gas, reflux), or several other causes including "unknown" or "just a phase".

My suggestion is to arrange an evaluation either with a qualified Lactation Consultant (you can find one at www.ilca.org, the website for the International Lactation Consultants Association) or with a trained peer counselor (through either Nursing Mothers Counsel or La Leche League)who should refer you to an IBCLC if it is out of her scope of training.

You may even find that discussing the issue over the phone when questions can be asked and full information obtained is sufficient, otherwise a visit may be in order. Some consultants are willing to do a home visit in order to see exactly what is happening and to make it easier for the family with a newborn.

K. H.

Hi A.--

My son did the same thing. I would take him off the breast and burp him or just change breasts. Sometimes he was not latched on properly. You might want to try feeding him more often if you think he is feeding when he is too hungry. Babies are wonderful! Good luck!! If there is still frustation, Good Samaritan Hospital, San Jose, has a lactation group and they might offer some help.

I have 3 ideas for you.
First, do you think he is latched on really well? If his mouth isn't open very wide and not covering all or almost all of your areola, his sucking might not be very effcetive and that might be frustrating him.
Second, he may need/want more milk so he is working at increasing your milk supply. Because your baby will hit several growth spurts, each time he will nurse more often and maybe more aggressively until he gets the supply up to where he wants it.
Third, your milk might be letting down really fast. I had this problem with my first. My milk came in so quickly that she could not swallow it fast enough and she got very mad about it. She wasn't happy when nursing and she wasn't happy when I took her off. With help from a lactation consultant I figured out what was wrong and I learned to nurse while laying back in a reclined position. Gravity helped keep the milk from coming out so fast and then she could keep up with the flow. We had to do this for a good month before she was able to nurse in a regular position again.
I highly recommend seeking help from a lactation expert. It is so wrth it! Here is a link to some local help. I have heard they are great and very helpful! http://www.placerbreastfeeding.org/breastfeedingservices....
I hope this helps!

My baby, now 7 months old, went through a few similar phases. One that really freaked me out was that, for a while, she would latch on and then start screaming. I asked the doctor and we were misdiagnosed with thrush. I think what the doctor should have told me, and what I tell you, is that babies just go through weird stuff like this and it usually passes. If he stops gaining weight or seems otherwise less than healthy, then you might have cause for concern. Otherwise, just try to roll with it. To ease your mind, you might talk with a LLL or other lactation consultant, but I would advise not to talk with your pediatrician about this. He or she is likely to prescribe unnecessary treatments.

Hi A.... My son used to do the same thing. Do you ever give him a bottle? If so, then it could be because the milk from your breast does not comme out as quickly as it does from the bottle, so he is just getting frusterated. If you do give him a bottle, make sure the nipple is a slow flow nipple, so that he will feel the milk coming at the same speed. I hope this helps,

Is he getting enough to eat?

Hi A.,

The 3 weeks old breastfeeding is alwasy tough. One idea is that he may not be getting enough milk. Sometimes my daughter gets frantic while feeding because she is so hungry. Her arms are going everywhere and she moves her head side to side aggresively (ouch) Just keep working at it. It will get better. You may also want to consult a lactation consultant. They are usually quite helpful with a few little hints that go along way. Find out if your hospital has them and go through there (they usually consult for free or very inexpensively for the new moms)

Hi A.!

I have a 3 month old son who did the exact same thing and it was gas. His stomach was always a bit bloated and he was clearly very uncomfortable. Burping etc. didn't always help either. My husband and I tried everything, we eventually went to a holistic pediatrician (also a M.D.)in San Carlos who did acupuncture on him and gave him a supplement which really seemed to help. Jasper is 3 months now and has mostly outgrown the problem and is feeling much better. I think it's very common, it's part of that 4th trimester everyone talks about - it's like their digest system isn't fully developed or ready to handle being outside of the womb. It could also just be that he's wanting your milk to come down faster? Is your milk supply pretty good? Hang in there - it gets better. Let me know if you want the name of the pediatrician. Best of luck!

Congratualtions on your new lil' guy! His behavior could mean he is going through a growth spurt. How is your milk supply? You could pump 20 min after a feeding and then give him that. Keep at the breastfeeding. It's hard but soooo worth it! Good luck!

My baby had similar reaction...I produced so much milk when my baby was newborn that the amount was overwhelming and she was fussy and sometimes had a hard time...it is also just really hard work for them...be pactient and I recommend pumping if you think you may have too strong of a flow, it may releave her a little. At 3 1/2 months my milk production regulated and this was no a longer an issue

In my experience, this combative behavior is either associated with slow milk flow (the baby is frustrated because he's not getting enough to eat fast enough) or he is trying to poop without success. Both of my kids fed and pooped simultaneously while nursing. My son, who is 4 months old, often sucks like a vacuum while pulling and tugging. The preoccupation with needing to fill his diaper makes nursing a little challenging. If you think your baby is getting enough to eat and feeds normally most of the time, I would bet he has to "go."

I don't know that this is advise but my son does this as well--he is 11 wks old now and from birth sometimes gets very aggressive when eating. I noticed he does it mostly when he is tired --or too hungry ( I waited too long to feed him ) I try to feed him before he is too upset when he is still calm and I think he is hungry--or if he is tired I try to get him to sleep by patting him ect. If he starts biting which he does sometimes I put the pacifier in his mouth hold him next to my breast and pat him on the back pretty hard. Often times he passes out--just wants the comfort smell not really hungry. Sometimes changing his diaper or just changing location makes him forget that he wanted boob. sometimes he is hungry and I just try to keep him latched. Also check with a lactation consultant that there is a good latch--my son was tongue tied and it was causing a lot of frustration because he couldn't stay latched--he go it clipped and it has been much better--but he is still fiesty--good luck

This is the second time responding with this today.... My son also did/does that and I realized he does this for two reasons. 1) he's tired and trying to go to sleep; if he weren't breastfeeding he'd be having a meltdown. and 2) he needs to poop. Around five weeks we started Natural Infant Hygiene or Elimination Communication, which means that i take him to the potty when he needs to go. i look for cues or signs that he gives when he needs to go to the bathroom and then i can get him there on time. i found that when he was popping off while eating he was trying to work one out, so i started taking him to the toilet. it's great and he loves it! he's five months old now and i've only changed one poopy diaper in the last week, and that was because we were running errands and i didn't take the time to potty him after a feeding. you can get more information on this by looking up those terms online, which will point you in the direction of literature you can get.

Greetings A.,

When I read your story, I starting laughing. Not laughting at your situation, but laughing because I can identify because both my little ones did the same thing. Most of the time when they did it, they were sleepy or just over excited about getting the breast. I just held their head steady while gently guiding their mouth to the breast while at the same time holding my breast to make it more easier for them to grasp. Hope this helps some.

A. - have you tried expressing your breast to see if milk is coming out? I was thinking his appetite may have increased and he's needing more milk. Maybe your body hasn't caught up to his need. Try increasing your fluids too. Good luck.

I went through the same thing with my baby. His pediatrician is also a lactation specialist and told me that, since I was so engorged, that my flow was too strong for him and coming out so fast he felt like he was choking. She said to hold him up higher while nursing. Gravity actually pulls milk down faster, so hold him at breast level. She also said to feed him for as long as he wants, so I stopped timing and scheduling his feedings. And they say to get the baby to latch on with most of the areola in his mouth. Whatever! My areola and nipples did not get big at all, but my boobs got so huge (DDD) and were so hard with milk that it was difficult to get my nipple to pop out enough to do this. In that case, lay down and press around the nipple to soften the area around it right before nursing for easier managability.

He is now 6 months and he still does the sucking reflex when I pull off, sometimes even does it in his sleep. He'll either wake up if he wants more, or stay asleep if he's had enough. But sometimes I can tell the difference now between him nursing or pacifying (he won't take a binky). All I can say is to not give up. It took about 2 months before nursing became comfortable.

I am a mother of two boys, my first son nursed for 7 months and everything went well. I actually had a simular situation with my second though. He was getting very frustrated at 2 weeks, so tried supplimenting with formula and the frustration went away. My milk was not coming out in the quantity or just wasn't enough for him. I was really upset at first, because I really wanted to nurse him longer than that, but after about a week of supplimenting, he only wanted the bottle. I am a huge supporter of breast feeding, but you should probably talk to the pediatrician or a lactation nurse to find out what is in your sons best interest.

Sounds like your son is getting frusterated waiting for a letdown. My son does the same thing, unlatches and moves his head back and forth around my nipple. What works for me is to stay relaxed as this can be just as frusterating for mom, and gently hold his head in place encouraging him to suck a little harder to get the next letdown. I hope this helps! My son is 5 weeks old so it sounds like we're in the same boat.

My baby boy (4 weeks) does the same thing in the evenings. I was told that this is normal and is a phase that will eventually pass. I was also told that this tends to happen in the evenings when mommy's milk supply is lower and so baby gets frustrated. We ended up taking our baby for a quick walk outside and it really calmed him down. Good luck and let me know if you find something that works.
SAH

Hi A.,

First of all, congrats! Isn't parenthood amazing!?!!

I have had a lot of issues with breastfeeding my little guy (he is 5 months). I go to a breastfeeding support group at the John Muir Women's Health Center. It is called Breast is Best and is on Wednesday mornings from 10-12. It is free and Linda is the Lactation Consultant that runs the group. She is very good and could help you.

My suggestion if you can't make it to the group is to let him nurse as much as he wants. He will pull off when he is completely done. If he does have gas, I would try Mylicon drops. They can be used after every feeding, and they seemed to help us out a lot.

Do you nurse on both breasts? He may be telling you that he is ready for the other breast. I don't know, something to try.

The other thing, some babies love to suck. My little guy loved to suck, maybe offer him your finger and see if that helps. I know they say not to offer the pacifier, but if you know he is not hungry, you maybe could try to give him one.

I don't know, these were and are things that have helped us.

Good luck, I hope some of this helps!

S. D.

Hi, A.. My son was the same way and at 5 weeks we found out he had GERD (acid reflux). The Dr put him on prevacid solutabs and it worked great. He only had to be on it till about 6 months I think. He didn't spit up a ton like you would assume with acid reflux. The thing that made me know something wasn't right was within a few min of him starting to eat he would throw his head bach and scream and he would throw punches and then he would try to suck again and then the same thing would happen, you could just tell something wasn't right. Hope this helps you and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

both of my kids did this too. they seemed to just want to suckle but didn't want the milk. they were full but wanted the comfort. they tended to hit this about the same age. i just changed the subject, walked around, but quit nursing and told them to be gentle. they were fine. you can go back to feeding again if this doesn't work. some times it is just a bubble in the belly and the shift will help this too.

First, it is marvelous that you are breast feeding--the best thing you can do for your infant since human milk is the perfect food for human infants!

And, it is possible he is not getting enough milk. This is temporary. After three weeks of nursing, you may already know that breast feeding is a two-stage process, from the point of view of the breast. First it manufactures milk, then it has to let it down so the baby can actually drink it.

Breast feeding is not instinctual, it is learned. So mothers must learn to "give up" their milk to their infants.

When my first son was born my mother sat me down with two ounces of Guinness stout. I drank that to relax enough to learn to fall into the pattern of nursing. It did not take long and I did not drink the stout for more than a week. But it trained me to recognize the sensation of milk "let down" so I could do it on my own. It always took relaxing into a quiet moment to make sure my sons got my milk.

Also, as the baby grows he needs MORE milk and it takes a little time for the breast to respond to his needs and produce more. He might be "working" to stimulate the breast to produce more. Three weeks would be about right for an increase. Often it is gradual, not even noticeable, but then the baby will go through a growth spurt and milk production has to increase too and it can take a few hours or later, a day or two for production to catch.

If you are overtired, you may not produce as much milk so be careful to get all the rest you can. Taking care of yourself is the same as taking care of your infant. Eat well, drink enough water.

Breast feeding is so good for the baby in every way, and so satisfying for the mother it is good to make it a priority.

On the other hand, if you are squirting milk, something else is going on.

Also, contact the La Leche League in your area for more personal help--always better than disconnected voices on the internet.

Hang in there. Life with babies continuously changes and keeps us Moms on our toes always finding solutions to daily issues.

And, it is always good to keep your pediatrician informed about what is going on. I have known women whose husbands were nothing short of giants (6'-6") and these small women could not produce enough milk for their rapidly growing babies who turned into giants like their fathers. They had to supplement with formula. But that is a slippery slope since the breast stops producing if it is not sucked on. But it is good to just let your pediatrician know what's happening. Your's is probably a very simple problem and between La Leche League and everyone here you will forget it even happened very quickly.

Having you tried contacting a Le Leche consultant (call info for the 800 #) or the nursing consultant from the hospital. Breast feeding is the single most difficult thing you will ever comite to. Your awesome for even concidering. Babies will feed off Mom's feelings. If you are nervous or frustrated your baby will know and it will affect his eating habit. Chances are you milk flow isn't coming in full speed yet. It takes a while for your milk to adjust to your babies needs. It can also be possible your baby isn't sucking hard enough. Size of nipple versus size of mouth, that whole thing. Consulting a nurse who specializes in this area is your best bet. Nursing has so many ups and downs it is safe to have someone to help with questions and confusion, now and 10 months from now. The hospital you have birth at will have references for you, or you can always call Le Leche. Good Luck!!

P.- Mom of 2- Nursed both my children up to 1 year old.

Maybe he is not getting enough milk from your breast. I know my daughter does this at times and she is 8 months old. Sometimes it takes a little time for the milk to come down.

if you are having problems with having a let down sometimes this can casue frustration for yor baby, it maynot be coming fast enough for him, and thinks that tugging will help. If you can i would suggest seeing a lactation consultant who can help you see if their are other problems. i have been through this with my 2nd child, with her my let down wasnt coming fast enough for her.

I went through the same thing with my daughter. My lactation consultant said that she was trying to encourage better letdown. The good news is that it doesn't necessarily mean that you're not producing enough milk. In my case my daughter was just really hungry and wanted to eat faster than my breasts would accommodate. It didn't take long for my body to figure out what she wanted and it all worked out. Now I let down so fast that she sometimes chokes when a little milk goes down the wrong pipe.

Any way try not to stress about it. The next time he starts up take a deep breath and think of waterfalls of milk (this was recommended to me by another breastfeeding momma and it seemed to work.) As long as he's putting on weight and making lots of wet and dirty diapers he's fine.

Good luck and congratulations on your new little boy.

Do your nipples hurt? If so, maybe he's not getting a good latch. If your nipples are fine, maybe he's just an enthusiastic eater. Let him nurse until he pulls off. If it really bothers you, switch him to the other side everytime he's too aggresive.

I had the same experience with my son. I would put him on his back on my lap and take his legs, bend them and push them to his stomach (gently he is a baby). After doing this 5 - 10 times I would sit him up across my lap lean him forward with my one arm supporting his stomach and holding him to support his neck also very important. If you burp him in this position by patting him on the back it will be more productive. Not too softly but never hard, we tend to over soften when we burp.

After feeding I also would lay him on his tummy on my lap and gently rub it and pat it and not only would any remaining gas leave, but he would fall asleep.

Best of luck, you are doing the best thing ever and it is the toughest thing also. Try calling the La Leche Club (SP?) they can also support you if it is this.

The other thing I found is he was extremely lactose intolerant and I had to stop all milk products and I MEAN ZERO. I survived with tofuti cuties - soy ice cream sandwiches and soy milk with cereal. No cheese, yogurt, milk, many products have it if you read your ingredients. I also (realizing even during pregnancy) had to stop eating pizza, spaghetti or tomatoe products as it seemed to aggravate his system.

These two things gave me the most peace and I hope I described it enough on the burping. A mom showed me it and it was worked wonders.

Hi A.,
Three weeks old is very young and both of your are learning the proverbial ropes of breastfeeding. One little piece of advice that you may laugh at is to relax...as this might seem impossible with a new baby, but sometimes the stress and tension has been building up over time and needs to be released in order to really take that deep breath. Releasing stress after giving birth is helpful in more ways than I can mention– for both you and the babe.

One way to do this QUICKLY is with one of the groundbreaking energy meridian processes. A very easy and effective one is EFT. It's quick to learn and I'd be happy to demonstrate...just send me an e-mail.

Warmly,
L.

It sounds to me like your milk is running out. Try changing breasts after burping. If you runn dry, don't suppliment, just keep letting him nurse. Your body will respond to the demand by increasing the supply as long as you are eating well and getting enough rest.

Could it be he's trying to get a let-down. When does it happen? If it's after he's sucked a little, maybe the milk has slowed and he wants a faster flow. Could be you're not as relaxed during nursing, have more on your mind, need to drink more water, he going through a growth spurt...

I'd take a look in a breastfeeding book as a reference.

Look to see if it occurs after you've eaten certain foods. My son does it when he doesn't like the milk!

Have you talked to your OB or midwife? Perhaps your little guy isn't getting enough to eat or fast enough? I am assuming that you BF exclusively.... so perhaps he's not latching on correctly and is trying to tugg/pull to get more at a faster rate. Has his weight dropped at all? Perhaps you can call the la leche league and get some advice.... I hope it all works out! Congratulations on your new little one!

He might be trying to get you to let down. How is your milk production?

It could be that he's not getting enough breast milk. Perhaps you could try pumping to see how much milk you're actually producing. Drinking lots of water and other fluids really helps to produce milk. Sometimes you don't have great milk flow if you're a little stressed or tired, which is virtually impossible not to be if you have a new born. Good luck and I wish you all the best with future nursing.

It sounds like your son may be going through a growth spurt and needing to nurse more in order to increase your supply. Pulling, tugging and pushing are all signs that he is trying to get more milk from the breast. Growth spurts are very normal and last a few days so don't panic. Your supply will catch up to his new demands soon.

If it lasts more than a week or so you may want to consider some supplements like Fenugreek, Goats Rue, Mothers Milk Tincture or tea to give your supply a boost.

Congratulations on your new little bundle. Breastfeeding is not always easy but so rewarding. Keep up the great work.

I just spoke with a Lactation Consultant today because of that issue and soreness of the nipples. She encouraged me to make sure that my son's belly button and nose are in a line when feeding. If it is not (if you are doing a cross cradle hold) the baby is not positioned right. I have only fed him once since talking to her and it went so much better with pillows under him. With him in that straight line to feed he latched right on with no issues...Try this, hopefully this will help.

Double check to make sure your breast milk is coming out. Some times it takes awhile. I have 2 teen and 2 grown up.

D.

My son did the same thing at three weeks, and (after much upset on my part and his) it passed quickly. I figured it was a growth spurt and my milk production just needed to catch up with his appetite. Hopefully it's just this for you. At six weeks I was prepared for the spurt and not as distressed by it.

Hi A.,
Have you tried talking to a lactation specialist, they are easy to find, there are free support groups at the hospitals and La Leche League people are great, too! It sounds like your son is having a hard time getting or staying latched? Does this sound right? Let me know if I'm wrong. At three weeks he could still be learning how to breast feed. Maybe try limimting stimulation (lesson noise, light, etc.) And maybe keep him a little swaddled to contain him for his comfort. Make sure you have lots of support to hold him up, like pillow/bobby, etc. I know I had a terrible time breast feeding in bed, it turns out my nipple was slipping out of my son's mouth just enough to frustrate him and he would do the same thing your son was. Once I found a comfy postition on the couch with my son supported at breast level he could stay latched and didn't get frustrated. Don't give up! Breastfeeding is so very worth it!
Let me know how you're doing!
Love, S. B.

Hi, my 2nd child was that way. We never found the actual cause. She was just very aggresive. I had trouble feeding her and getting her to sleep. They told me that it was a milk protien defeciency, but never confirmed. I gave up all dairy for 6 months. Can't say it helped much but it was worth it to me just in case. By the time she was a few months old she was better. I would say just keep offering your breast often until he is ready. This kind of problem is hard on you both! God Bless

I had this same issue with my son (who is now 9 years old -- wow, time flies!). I ended up seeing my lactation consultant about it, based on everything I described, she determined that he was having a reaction to the dairy in my diet that was coming through my milk, and he was pulling off (and hurting my nipples -- ouch!) because his tummy hurt. Sure enough, when I cut out all dairy, he stopped doing it. It was a real pain to restrict my diet that way, but I was determined to nurse him, and when he was about 9 months old, I was able to reintroduce dairy to my diet without a problem. Good luck!

your baby may not be getting the milk flow he wants, try doing breast compressions while he nurses to see if it calms him & he continues to suck. Aother good trick to get the letdown reflex to kick in, is to bend at the waist & shake/jiggle your breasts before nursing.

Sounds like his appitite is growing. I think all the pulling and grabbing and tugging is their way to instinctively stimulate milk production. Both my daughter and son did the same whenever they were going through an appitite growth spurt. Even if you don't need to pump and store for future use, I would pump after each feeding to stimulate production and either suplement him with what you pumped or store it for when you want daddy or grams to feed him. It's a supply and demand thing and unfortunately its not always instant results when it comes to supply meeting demand. Also if you notice that he is particularly fussy or gassy, try taking note of what your eating - he may sensitive to the foods and drinks your eating (a log has always done me good in tracking foods that baby doesn't agree with and in my post pregnancy weight loss - my baby is now 4 months old now). Don't give up. It will be worth it in the long haul. Good luck!!!

A.,
He might not be getting the milk fast enough. That could be getting him frustrated. Make sure you are relaxed when you breast feed and try to imagine your milk coming down and releasing so he gets a good flow. Keep trying and soon he should get used to this. Good Luck!