Baby sometimes cries while nursing.. GAH.. Advice?

Michelle - posted on 10/05/2010

I nurse my 10 month old daughter on demand. We had this problem intermittently over this time, especially now that she's on solid foods & sometimes I'm much fuller than others. Blocked/scheduled feeding doesn't suit her at all!!! So, I nursed in many positions and walking, keeping her more upright. It works best for us and corrected problems from her pediatrician saying I NEEDED to have scheduled feedings, which really brought down my supply & made her miserable. Do what you feel is right & works for you. Good Luck!

Katherine - posted on 10/04/2010

I agree with the first few posts on here. Id say that your milk flow is a bit too fast for her to handle and the carrier uses gravit to slow the milk flow. Another wa is to express a little bit before feeding her. I had the same problem when my little girl was about that age and i found that expressing a little bit of milk by hand before feeding her helped heaps becaused it released some of the pressure and slowed down my milk flow. Then she would latch on fine and stop grizzling. Good luck and keep at it!

Michelle - posted on 10/04/2010

I am currenty BF my third child and all 3 children would cry at the breast when they needed to burp. I have a fast let-down so I would have to burp them right away after the initial let-down and then again before I switched to the other side. Hope this helps!

Nicole - posted on 10/03/2010

I agree with all that has been said so far. Especially the comments about fast let-down and oversupply. Blockfeeding can help with this. Also try feeding her as she is sitting up (kind of in the football position but more upright-mimic how she is in the carrier). If you suspect that it is a problem with fast let-down, don't lean over while feeding. This will make the let-down heavier.

I also love the comment about sensory. I have a child with sensory issues and helping him to relax during feedings was a constant effort, but well worth it to continue nursing.

If you think your ped looked well enough to rule out ear infection or thrush, then it may be something else. If you think the ped didn't check for those things, have them checked again.

Good luck! And hang in there, it will get better! You are doing great so far!

Lara - posted on 10/03/2010

your situation sounds somewhat familiar to mine, except that it's my husband our littlest one won't sit still and eat for! If he is giving her a bottle, he has to walk with her! (She nurses laying down for me in a quiet room but we're having teething AND distraction issues at this 7 month mark).

Good luck!

Kelly - posted on 10/03/2010

If she does well in her carrier, I think it is a sensory (feeling) issue. Have you tried to mimic the feeling she gets from the carrier by swaddling her in a blanket or holding her in a different position?

Nellie - posted on 10/03/2010

I agree with Jessie, it might be thust. My daughter had it for well over a month and none of the doctors could figure it out, thy just told me that she wasn`t beingburped properly (which is BS). I know it`s not always eays, but try to get a good look inside her mouth and you csn`t always see white spots, so keep looking. Also, does she spit up a lot, because it could be acid reflux. Mydaughter had that as well and it ws sometimes so bad that she had a hardtime eating. Hope this helps. Oh, AND dont always trust what the doctor says cause the doctors told me that my daugter was ffine when she wasnt so they dont always know whats best. You know your daughter best, no one else, so kee looking for symptoms, research, and THEN onceyou thik you know whats wrong go to the doctor and explain. From personal experence, I found thisapproach works best.

Jessie - posted on 10/02/2010

maybe she has thrush in her mouth or is teething. you can't always detect thrust/yeast by white patches in the mouth that are typically. sometimes it is just a bit red and can be very painful for baby when latching and suckling. did they check her ears? if she had an ear infection it could be painful for her to suck. just some ideas

Minnie - posted on 10/02/2010

Block feeding is a really good suggestion for a mother with an oversupply.

Daniela - posted on 10/02/2010

I had an oversupply due to lots of expressing for the freezer when my baby was around 3 - 4 months old and it presented itself a bit like you are discribing. Nina was extremely fussy at the breast. She'd go for it for a short while and then she'd cry and hit it in frustration. I could only feed her when she was sleepy, lying down and after I had pumped a good bit of milk beforehand (which is totally counterproductive, so I don't recommend that!). If you think, you could have that problem, you could block-feed for a while - feed her from only one breast for a few hours and then the other breast for a few hours. You could also try hand-expressing just a little bit of milk before you feed her, it might make things more comfortable for her. Also, check out the foods that can increase milkproduction and cut them out. I was drinking lots of fennel tea at the time and only learned afterwards that that increases milk production. It might take some time, so don't be discouraged if you don't see results straight away. Good luck

Dara - posted on 10/01/2010

I would wonder if she is struggling with too much milk in the letdown as well. If she has to gulp a lot of milk quickly, she will inevitably swallow air too, causing gas and upset tummy. I would keep trying different positions. My daughters loved to lay beside me in the bed and nurse.

Also, have you tried feeding her in different places? A dark, quiet room can be quite helpful if baby wants to look around instead of eat. My almost 1 year old will only nurse in the bedroom now. If we're anywhere else she gets upset because she can't interact with everyone else.

Hope you figure something out! If not, at least you've got the carrier, and it should eventually work itself out.

Minnie - posted on 10/01/2010

That sounds frustrating!



How is your let down? Is it a fast flow? Some babies can struggle with a fast letdown and it can give them a sort of love/hate relationship with breastfeeding. One way to help her handle that flow is to make the milk flow against gravity and it sounds like you've already discovered a solution to that- nursing her upright.



Another possibility- might there be a possibility she might be in pain while being held a particular way and the carrier is more comfortable?



Good for you for listening to your instincts and not nursing her only every four hours. Good milk production is dependent upon frequent feedings and the best way to do that is to follow baby's cues for wanting to nurse.