Fussy When Breastfeeding

Have you tried Almond milk? Thats what I did when my kid was sensitive to cow dairy in my diet...they sell it in whole foods or Traders Joe..you can even find a make at home in Dr. Sears book or on the net.

We had the same problem with our son, but it seemed to peak earlier than with yours at about 6 weeks. I ended up going back to the hospital to meet with the lactation consultant and it was very helpful. She suggested a few new positions to use during nursing and it helped. She also suggested to pump before each feeding to ease with the "let down" that occurs when you begin each feeding. She also said to try burping him every 5 minutes to help ease the air bubbles accumulating as he gulped so much air trying to keep up. Our little guy had a terrible time in that I had an overabundance of milk and he wanted to drink everything, but just couldn't keep up with the initial phase and that upset him to no end. It was really awful and we tried putting my milk in a bottle, but he had a hard time with the bottle too. I didn't stop nursing and I hope you hang in there. Another suggestion from an osteopathic physician was to put my son on probiotics. We put 1/8tsp on a large spoon and mixed it with a little bit of my expressed milk. We then put it on a pacifier (we put half of it on, gave it to him and then the other half) and got it in that way and did this twice a day. It really helped my son's tummy with the gas and discomfort of handling all the changes he was experiencing. Mylicon drops and Gripe water never eased his discomfort, but the probiotics really helped. The brand we used is from a company called Natren and they have a specific type just for infants. I continue to keep the probiotic in the fridge and use it when I notice changes in his bowel movement or has an upset tummy. I also did what many moms suggested as far as watching what I ate; I eliminated dairy from my diet, but the osteopathic doctor never thought that was the issue. She said to start up slow on dairy with yogurt and then gradually add other things to wait and see if there was an intolerance. I did choose to stay off of regular cow's milk and only drank soy milk, but I went back on a little dair. I think the things that really helped us though were the new nursing positions (my son was more propped up so nursing was easier for him), frequent burping, and the probiotic supplement. I feel for you and hope you hang in there and find the answers you need for working with your baby. I am so glad I didn't just give up. I nursed for over a year and am so glad I did...even though it was very hard, I have no regrets.

All the best to you, M.

I totally agree with one of the posts about learning to have a b.m. For example, my youngest little guy needs to have his body in a special little position to have a b.m. My second one needed less stimuli and a much quieter environment and my oldest could have cared less and would poop no matter where we were or what we were doing. I'd say just go by your baby's lead and help his little body move the way he needs to during his b.m.s, he's learning what works for him and what doesn't. Also, during this time, it would probably feel better for you both to take him off the breast (as long as he's not avidly nursing or if he really is fussing) until he really needs it again. Breastmilk is supply/demand and as long as he needs it, you'll have it (though if he requires more at some point, like for a growth spurt it does take a few days to catch up), so he is getting what he needs (your body is a miracle, it makes just what he requires!). Additionally, as they get older they can tend to nurse for a shorter amount of time, and that's normal...we call it power nursing and it's ok as long as he's happy with it. If it's being cut short because of discomfort, it could be a result of specific foods you're eating...by eliminating various groups of foods in your diet it may help ease his little tummy! Try this website -- it's from la leche and is great info as far as foods to avoid and also breastfeeding myths/misconceptions and is really fascinating, the website is: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/avoid.html

You're doing things right; just nurse when he needs it, watch your diet, help his body change position for a b.m. or gas when he needs it and (this has always helped with my boys) try a little fresh air when he gets extra fussy (even just a few minutes is great). The change in climate/wind/etc. may not only help him focus on something else and relax him, but it will be good for you too! Good luck and I know you'll do great keeping up with the breastfeeding and just remember that this too will work it's way through; they change so rapidly that it's sometimes hard for us to keep up!

P.S. If you're talking about soymilk for yourself, go for it -- it was much easier for my second one to digest than the cow's milk I was drinking.

I breast fed 4

Check YOUR diet

Something HAS changed, and your baby doesn't
like the way it tastes, and it upsets him.

It could be something you are drinking,
or a medication or even a new vitamin.

I now fast and pray for others all the time.
I will add you and your baby's health to my list.

Good Luck N. and God Bless you both!
M.

You might want to try pumping and giving him a bottle to see if this helps. He might be just having a hard time staying on the breast and it sounds like he's just getting too much air. I would also try different positions for feeding to see if this seems to help. You can always contact LaLeche League as well. Try to find a group close by you by searching on the internet. Good luck!

Hi! My son does the same thing. He's 10 weeks and it's a poopy thing for him. When he's fussing and hungry but "angry nursing" as I call it, I put him down for tummy time or on under his play gym to work it out. After he clears it all out, sometimes after 4 diaper changes...he feels better and is able to nurse again. I hope this helps you :)
~R.

I wonder if he's getting enough milk?

Just a thought - you could try expressing / pumping milk, and then feed him from a bottle - see if that produces the same effect or different.

You could try cutting out anything in your diet that could create gas for him eg cauliflower, onions..

You could consult a nurse or breast feeding consultant at your medical office - I got advice from one when my son was little that really helped us connect - she watched us, and made suggestions that really helped.

You could try giving him some gripe water ( chamomile & fennel extracts ) if you think it's related to his digestion.

Good luck! Hope you get it figured out soon - for your sake as well as his! I imagine it must be very frustrating and worrisome.

With best wishes - J.

Hi N.,
I suspect the culprit might be what you are eating, especially because of the gas. Try to cut out gassy foods or foods with strong smells, like garlic. That helped me when I was nursing 10 years ago.

Good luck!

Hi,

I have the same probblem, my baby is almost 3 month now, he still doing that (not all the time now) I found out that when he does it I burp him, usually he has some air that doesn't let him drink milk, even if he drinks from the bottle is happens the same. You just need to continue to feed him, after he burp try to feed him more and than again. Otherwise you milk prodaction will go down and he will be hungry. Well, this is what was with my baby boy.

Good luck !!

Oh, you must be so frustrated! If you are worried he isn't getting enough milk, try giving him a bottle right after he stops breastfeeding. This should help you rule out whther or not he is still hungry. I think you are definitely right in thinking he has gas, since he is turning red in the face and then poops later. I was very concerned when our daughter did this as well. My doctor said exactly this...."Pooping is a learned activity. Do you just sit down and poop? No, sometimes you have to work at it!" So maybe he is just really learning how to poop. Just remember that as time goes on, keep thinking of all the variables, and the solution/explanation will come to you.

Hi N. -

Have you changed anything in your diet recently? Sometimes your baby can be sensitive to something you are eating - the first culprit is dairy - you could eliminate it and see if it works.

The older an infant gets, the more efficient she gets. My daughter can typically get all she needs now with just 5 minutes - and can get fussy after that as she is done and bored and wants to see everything around her. She's now 19 weeks old but this started a few weeks ago. She used to nurse every half hour to an hour for a longer period of time. Now we're down to 5-10 minutes every 2 hours or so!

When she poos, it tends to be after a feeding but not after every feeding. I'd guess your son's fussiness is from boredom after having an efficient feeding. I'd recommend some stimulation when he starts fussing to see if that's all it is.

Also, sometimes by daughter gets fussy on one side and I switch her to the other side and she's fine. I don't know the exact mechanics of this, but it works! I also agree with the suggestion to try burping - I've also found this to be a culprit from time to time.

Hey, N.! I had the same problem with my son, and I had to cut out milk completely. I was fine with yogurt, cheese, etc, but had to switch to Lactaid (it was the only thing that even remotely resembled the taste and texture of my beloved skim milk! haha). I also had to give up green peppers until he started eating solid foods. Mylicon worked for his gas, and fennel seed tea worked for the belly aches. There's also a good product from Gentle Naturals called Tummy Soother (or something like that). The bottle has baby Disney characters on it, and it seemed to work just as well as fennel seed tea. I just didn't have to brew the tea every few days! Hope this helps! If you want to nurse, don't give up too easily....

I think switching your diet to a few goat products could help you. Yes, dairy is a typical culprit, but also certain foods like cauliflower can make you and baby gassy. I'm sure there's more helpful info to be found on the net! Good luck!

It sounds like a complicated situation. Have you considered working with a lactation consultant? That might help. My only contribution is that my daughter became much more efficient at nursing relatively quickly, and we also went down in time from almost a half hour to 5-10 minutes. We didn't have the gas issues. good luck!

L.

Hi N.,
My baby used to get fussy during and after each feeding. It turned out he has an allergy to dairy. It would usually last 10-30 minutes after I stopped feeding, he would wiggle, squirm and cry. I didn't figure out he had an allergy until he was about 10 weeks old.

Another possibility may be acid reflux. Babies experience discomfort while eating and sometimes refuse to eat. Even if you baby is not showing the classic acid reflux symptoms such as excessive or projectile spit-up he may still have it. Discuss his symptoms with your pediatrician. Good luck, I know I was going crazy because every time I would feed my baby he would get so fussy and seemed miserable.

It could be several things. One, it could be gas. He may be sensitive to something in your diet and that is creating gas for him. There are several over the counter remedies for babies with gas while you figure out what is bothering him. I would keep a journal each day and write what you eat and hoe he is feeding. Make sure it is detailed for each of your meals and each of his. Write down the times, you may find a pattern. Second, he could be old enough to want more milk than you are producing and while it is hard on both of you these constant little feedings will help you produce more milk. Don't suppliment him, it will only take a couple of days for your body to produce enough milk for him and he will be fine in the interim.
Regarding his bowl movements, babies at this age tend to explode, this is normal and doesn't mean they have gas (although I have often wondered what powers these explosions). He is learning to work all those muscles and he may be getting a little frustrated while he works it out. In the meantime get a baby massage book. There are some great massages on his tummy that will help the muscles and the bowl movements move along a little easier.
Good Luck,
L.
Mother of 6