My 4 1/2 Month Baby Keeps Screaming After a Few Seconds at the Breast

I would call Cynthia Epps a pediatric medaboilc specialist and lacation consulatant. She may have an idea but to me she sounds hungry.

my guess is that she's teething...sounds very typical for this age.

I think breastfeeding your baby is great and your will power to strictly breastfeed her is admirable but it can cause a lot of unnecessary stress for you and your baby. I am an advocate for breastfeeding but having gone through the process myself, I can say it is not worth all that stress. I am a first time mom and started out trying to strictly breastfeed my babygirl. I had problem with milk production because the baby would constantly fall asleep at the breast. She did not gain appropriate weight after her first couple of visit to the MD. She was fussy a lot of the time. After the second visit to her MD, we decided to supplement her with formula with the advice of the lactation counselor (i.e. using feeding device - feeding tube basically). I eventually gave up with the feeding tube because I wasn't comfortable with it. Long story short, we supplemented her with formula and she caught up with her weight gain. She is also less fussy and cranky.

The screaming from your baby also could be that your milk isn't coming in fast enough for her and she is frustated. You may try to get your milk to letdown before putting her to her breast.

As for the sleeping bit, my babygirl did the same thing at the turn of four month and it freaked me out. Her ability to fall asleep became more difficult. I am sorry to say that it may not get better as the baby gets older. My babyg became more alert and aware of her surrounding. Every time she turns one month older, she wakes up completely for one hour in the wee hour of the night (for a couple of night). As the baby gets older, he/she goes through teething stage, etc. and it disrupts the sleeping patterns/habits. I think you just have to ride it out. I don't believe in letting the baby CIO so I just have her cosleep with me and try to nurse her back to sleep before she wakes up completely. There is a book by Elizabeth Pantley - No Cry Sleep (I think that's the correct title). It's not a quick fix solution book but it gives some guidance and reassurance that eventually the babies will sleep through the night. I think she says at 10month they become better at it. I am not as lucky as my friends who have babies who sleeps through the night (so they say). But this phase will eventually pass.

Good luck, hopefully this helps some.

Hi M.,
I taught Lamaze classes for 14 years and also had a baby that screamed at the breast. I am also a Child Development Specialist with a Masters Degree. It turned out that she was alleric to the tomatoes that I was eating. You should consider taking all possibly allergenic foods out of your diet such as tree nuts, wheat, dairy, peanuts, tomatoes and also strong tasting foods such as onions and garlic. See if that helps. Please don't give up on breast feeding. Your diet will be boring for a while, but you will be doing what is best for your daughter which is w hat parenthood is all about. Your daughter is probably wakinb up more often because she is growing. Please make sure that you change her and nurse her in a dark environment and do not interact with her other than to do those things. You don't want her to get up in the night to play with you. Once her growth spurt is over she will go back to sleeping through the night as long as you are not stimulating her to play. Hope this helps.
F.

Have you tried pumping and feeding her breastmilk from a bottle? Just to be sure that it's not the milk itself. It's just so rare for a baby to be allergic to breatst milk, but people will tell you that all the time, making you think you must use formula. It could be that your letdown is too slow for her and she's hungry. I don't think that 4 months is growth spurt time (usually 3 and 6 months), but she could just be very hungry. That doesn't mean to start solids! The current recommendation is no earlier than 6 months and even then be cautious because your milk supply will drop. The waking in the night could also be from hunger.

My baby is also underweight but has gained an appropriate amount of weight on a curve. Even as a slow gainer, it was consistent. The ped tried to talk me into formula and I just ignored her. Don't give up the breastfeeding! You are doing the right thing.

Oh, and in my experience (and that of all my mama friemds) whatever a baby does for a certain amount of time, like sleep through the night, is only temporary. Things change often as the baby goes through different stages. I never rely on anything to stay the same these days! Also, 4 1/2 months is really young for a baby to sleep through the night.
Good luck!

She may be ready to start solids. Some babies are ready for a little rice cereal mixed with breast milk at that age.

M.,
My son went through something similar when he was small, it seemed like we couldn't satisfy his hunger, even after nursing and formula. They go through growth spurts that cause them to be continuously hungry. I would nurse your baby, and try some formula. Don't worry, you won't dry up. God knows I didn't, I nursed my son until he was 2 and a half!

Babies prefer one breast to the other - one always makes more milk, one just simply "fits" better. For some strange reason, the side that they tend to dislike, is often the side that makes more milk. It may be that the milk comes out to quickly, it may be that the nipple feels strange in her mouth (from that side). Have you tried a different position on that side? If you always use the football hold, try the cradle or cross cradle. It could be gas. Have you been burping her in-between breasts? If so, stop. Try this: nurse her on one breast, then immediately change sides (without burping in-between). After a full nursing, burp.
I would NOT recommend introducing solids, unless suggested by your doctor - and even then, it's not necessary if she is gaining weight. And I would NOT stop BREASTFEEDING if she has a dairy allergy? The way to prevent that would be for YOU to stop consuming dairy. Babies have never been allergic to their own mother's milk, but rather, the foods their mother's are eating.
Just know that you are giving your baby the best nutrition out there - and there have been women who have only nursed from one breast, successfully, so if she really prefers just the one breast, let her "go to town" on it, and then "top off" with the other side.
Good luck.
J.

Have you checked to make sure she doesn't have an ear infection?

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/index.asp

This site is great for tips.

Definitely don't give up on breast-feeding. Formula will fatten her up quickly, but it will give her scores of other problems. Contrary to what many believe, it is normal and healthy for young babies to wake up in the night and want to be nursed -- especially if she is underweight. Have you tried co-sleeping? She will wake up to nurse and then go right back to sleep. There are many benefits to co-sleeping. We are the only animal I know of that doesn't sleep with their nursing offspring -- can you think of any others?

As for the screaming after a few seconds... breastfeeding is not instant gratification like a bottle. She must suck vigorously and then wait for your milk to come in. She might be impatient... or on the flip side, she might be overwhelmed when the milk suddenly comes down. Encourage her... Coo her through the tough part. You both need to keep practicing until you have perfected the art. This will happen & it will give you both enormous confidence when it does.

I found that in the early days of breastfeeding, it helped to visualize the milk coming in and feeding my baby. I would even say a little mantra in my mind, "Feed my baby, nourish my baby." It definitely helped.

Best of luck & congratulations on becoming a mother!

Hi, M..

My daughter did the same thing when she was three-months-old. I figured out that the problem was my let-down reflex was fast so milk would come out spraying faster than she could gulp it down.

Before you nurse your baby, if you have a pump, you could even hand express, pump for about 5 minutes to eliminate the foremilk, the milk before the hindmilk. The foremilk is really watery and only quenches a baby's thirst, but doesn't satisfy their hunger, as well as tends to make them gassy.

Removing some milk seems to slow down the speed of the milk which makes it much more comfortable for the baby. I know when I pumped before nursing, I noticed an immediate difference in her response. She didn't cry and would settle into each session so much more quickly.

My daughter just turned eleven-months-old and I'm getting ready to wean her which saddens me a little. Breastfeeding your child is such a special bond. I wish you much success at this!

Good luck!

E.

Hi M. -
My son did exactly the things you have mentioned at exactly this age. My letdown was flooding him out and I ended up having to pump a bit first and then nurse him - that helped a lot. He also woke up 3-6 times a night (something he hadn't done when he was younger). It will pass - hang in there!
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center has a great breast feeding support group if you are interested. ###-###-#### ask for Babywise.
:)
A.

you could have a slow letdown or a too fast of a letdown..here is my list on how to build your supply

1. rent a hospital grade pump..Medela Classic is what i'm using..it's $3 a day and totally worth it! OR better yet buy one off ebay and when you're done you can re-sell it on ebay and get your money back. i bought one and it works great..the medela classic is supposed to be the best pump out there.
2. get the Easy Expression bra www.easyexpressionproducts.com it holds both cups over you bb's and it's better to pump 2 at a time
3. eat oatmeal ....get the healthy kind i add bananas also i would think pasta would be good b/c it retains water
4. Take "Lactation Supplement" by Gaia Herbs you can find it at the health food store
5. try to pump at the same time every day...also try power pumping..10 minutes pumping..then stop for 10 then 10 again and then stop and so on. even pump if you aren't getting anything.
6. Make sure the white membrane thingies that attach onto the cups are fairly new ..over used ones affect how much milk you get
7. Drink lots of fluids including Nursing Mom's tea or Mother's Milk tea or the tea i prefer is www.breastea.com ..also drinks with electrolytes like Recharge...Smart Water...Gatorade i notice on days i drink a lot of fluids i have more milk
8. Eat barley..Barley Grass supplements are great. also..they have barley bread at Trader Joe's if you have a Trader Joe's where you live..or just buy barley. I buy a delicious barley tea at the japanese market and i drink a couple of cups a day..it's decaf and yummy.
i also drink Healthy Mom's drinks by Ensure
9.A warm wash cloth helps too ..apply to breasts before pumping or try the breast heating pads that you heat up in the microwave.
10. Keep taking your prenatal vitamin..not getting a lot of milk could mean a vitamin deficiency
even if you pump just a little ..save what you get and start adding them together and then supplement with the milk that you pump..that's why it's also good to pump after they've gone to sleep..then you help build your supply and you also have more bb milk for baby..
11. nurse nurse nurse..triple up on nursing..you're going to have to dedicate a week to it
the more you pump the more milk you'll begin to make.
12. LOTS OF REST..nap if you can ..milk builds when you rest
13. DHA supplements also are great for lactation..also found at the health food store*
14. Alfalfa supplements are also great.
i think that's it..
15. Try a whey protein powder drink.. i use "Whey to Go" by Solgar..you mix it with milk add some berries and a banana. it says to check with your doc before using if you're bfing..so ask your doc..i only drink one a day and i add a some Motherlove's "More Milk Plus" to it.
16. Again you should double pump when you're pumping so make sure you get the bra to make it easier on you!
17. Goat's Rue herb is also supposed to help boost
honestly drink LOTS of liquids
keep yourself moist ...don't take any birth control pills.
18. there is also this stuff called Motilium aka DOM a lot of mom's use this ..it's for reflux but it builds up your supply.. you can read about it on Kellymom.com http://www.kellymom.com/newman/19a-domperidone1.html
and you can buy it here... http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/general/motilium.html

Waking up 3-4 times a night at her age is pretty normal, more normal than sleeping through the night, you may have just been lucky up to now! As for the crying, my girlfriend had a similar problem and when she went to the lactation consultant they found out that her daughter's clef (that flesh part between the inside of your upper lip and upper teeth) was not allowing her to get a good hold on the nipple, so though it APPEARED she was feeding she really wasn't and wasn't gaining weight. She ended up switching to formula. My daughter fusses and cries when I put her on my right side (she is now almost 1 year old) but always loved the left side. I say go with your instincts, stick with the breast milk. Pump it and give it to her in a bottle if it is easier for her. One other POSSIBLE reason for the screaming and night waking is pre-teething. MY daughter went through that at around 3-3 1/2 months and it lasted about a month or so, then stopped. No teeth came in, but she loved chewing on a teething ring. The suckling can actually irritate if a child is teething and of course the waking up is a given. Good luck and stay strong!

You might want to ask your pediatrician about allergies your daughter might have. My daughter is allergic to diary and was bothered breast milk. Formula was a blessing in our house.