Recently my 6 month old has become very grabby and reachy wich I know from my first daughter who is now 2 that this is normal at this age. The problem i'm having is that when I nurse her, even in a dark quite room she will not stay still. She literally beats her fist against my chest or is smacking and reaching to squeeze any part of my face she can get. She does get easily distracted and is showing symptoms of teething. When I lay down to feed her she acts hungry but she won't stop squirming wich leads to her unlatching and then fighting to latch back on. I pumped to see if it was a supply issue and I got 4oz an hour after feeding her. She actually stayed still when taking the bottle and didn't fight at all. I don't pump very often cause I am a SAHM and it's hard to do with my 2 year old daughter around. She also seems to get fustrated that her body won't do what she wants. She doesnt like her bumbo seat for very long but insists on trying to sit up. She will lean forward but cant get herself up and get's mad. She does have cereal in the morning and two sometimes three naps a day but night time is a bit of a battle but getting better. I'm concerned because when she is awake she is crying or whining about 80% of the time. I will ask her pediatrician at her check up next week but I just wanted some opinions or if any of you have gone through this. Should I start giving her a bottle more regularly? Her diapers are fine, she isn't gassy and she's fine when i pick her up. Her crying is exausting me and my husband not to mention stirring up my 2 year old's tantrums. I've also tried everything from tylenol to teething tablets for her teething. Could this just be her temperament?? I'm at my wit's end and I have mom brain so any advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you mama's for the advice, after reading your answers I realized she is going through a growth spurt. She is hungrier but not getting enough because the teething is making it uncomfortable for her. I got the ok from her pediatrician to give her motrin wich is working a lot better. He also recommended feeding her solids three times a day after nursing sessions and this has made a big improvement. She has always been a little behind on weight so i've been hoping to not have to supplement. She has always gained just not as much as she should but over all she is very healthy. My 2 year old is very bright and strong willed so it looks like the little one is gonna give her some competition. She is doing a lot better and so are the rest of us, Thanks again.
my son went through the same thing, it passed! It was just impossible to do any sort of "discreet" under a blanket anymore. And I have red marks all over my chest from him pinching me, smacking me, etc. Hang in there!
This tell me everything:
"She doesnt like her bumbo seat for very long but insists on trying to sit up. She will lean forward but cant get herself up and get's mad."
Your dd is on the verge of a growth spurt and is about to start sitting up and crawling. Her brain is telling her she can do it, but her body isn't yet ready to. It's developmentally appropriate that she would be frustrated and squirmy any time you try to keep her confined, even breastfeeding. Try walking around with her while you are breastfeeding, put her in a sling if she's too heavy to carry, and get a nursing necklace for her to pull and tug at.
This will pass, but I suggest you stop laying down with her to nurse. And DON'T give any more bottles or you will see your milk decrease and her latch suffer (what you pump is NOT the same as what she is getting when she's nursing). I found my sling to be the best solution for these times. It gives them a sense of security while also allowing for some movement and a point of view that is different than her normal one, which stimulates her brain. And it allowed me to get stuff done instead of being stuck in a rocking chair trying to calm the baby.
GymNURSEtics! It's a phase, and it WILL pass! Until then try a nursing necklace or small toy she only gets to fiddle with while nursing.
And maybe try a LLL meeting-- they might have some ideas and it's always great to meet moms in the same boat in person! You can find one near you at http://www.llli.org/webus.html
Maybe, she seems to prefer the bottle.
Bottles are easier to suck from... it is just gravity.
With a breast, they have to get the letdown going and latch on and then suck... which uses their tongue and mouth coordination.
Nurse..... BEFORE solids. Not after. Or she will be too full to nurse after solids.
And with teething, they often seem to "reject" breast, because it hurts.
Both my breastfed kids were like that as babies, whenever they were teething.
But, she still needs to intake... of breastmilk. Solids, is NOT as nutritionally dense, as solids. And nurse on-demand.
It sounds like she is getting too much air when she latches on so she is fighting it - with the bottle that you pumped - she didn't get as much air so she didn't need to fight.
Talk to a lactation consultant to ensure she is latched on properly.
If she is - then are you using something like a bobby pillow to help nurse? I know that was a life saver for me - My arms got tired holding my kids - I admit it and the pillow allowed us BOTH to be comfortable.
Instead of fighting her - pump and give her the bottle until you can get with a lactation consultant to ensure she has a great latch. Otherwise - the more you fight her, the worse it will get. She is trying to tell you something isn't right...I would guess it's too much air.
You are a GREAT mom for recognizing this and keeping up! YOU CAN DO IT MAMA!!!
I do agree that she may be getting ready for a growth spurt, but I also believe that this is her temperment and you have a spirited child.
I would definitely pump since since she is calmer. (At least you can pump - not everyone can!)
Keep working toward her sleeping through the night. She is old enough to not nurse in the middle of the night, and it would help you with mom brain, I promise.
You might start reading about very active children in the 1 to 2 year stage. You may need to learn some strategies for dealing with strong willed personality types.
Dawn
My ds started this about the same time, to the point he quit latching all together the lc told me it was fine, and we moved to bottles from there, I pumped every feeding everyday and actually just within the last 3 weeks to month quit pumping but then again he is 1 now, hope you can get everything worked out, I ended up making something to strap the pumps to my breast so I had hands free while I fed him. Good luck
You could try one day to give her baby ibuprofen about half an hour before feeding and see if it is teething pain that is making her do that. The Ibuprofen also helped my kids sleep longer at night since the teething pain was waking them up. Tylenol did nothing for my kids.
She sounds an awful lot like my older daughter. One thing that has been crucial for me is to focus on how awesome it is that she is so determined... otherwise it's pretty frustrating.
I do believe the nursing issue is completely normal. If you can just wait her out, she'll settle again. More bottles will equal more bottles and pumping (I have a love/hate relationship with the pump).
The one thing you might try while nursing is to drop her bottom more. If teething is exacerbating the squirmy nursing issues, it could help to keep her head elevated.
sounds like maybe she is hungry and not getting the food fast enough. maybe try giving her some babyfood during the day and see if that helps. I would not lay down and nurse.
When did this start? Could it be her ears? I know when my first had some issues it was bc sucking was hurting his little ears and I had no idea. So I would maybe ask the pedi to check that out, just to rule it out. Good luck!
SOOOOOOO normal, it started with my 1st around 5 months and with my current infant about almost 3 months.
There is a great site about what to do about an infant's distractibility...
