My one month old gets angry when my milk isn't flowing fast enough what can I do?

Amy - posted on 03/10/2009

He has been a different baby since I cut coffee out... It has only been 3 days and he is doing so much better. He is much happier also I think he might be going through a growth spurt it is week 6 for him. So im trying to keep up my fluids, and hopfully he'll be the little angel i know and love haha. He actually has started to go down for naps now too which is wonderful. My little viberatting hand massager is the best haha i stick that down beside him when i put him down (awake i might add) and he'll drift off in 10mins then i turn off the vibratting and he'll stay sleeping its been a life saver!!

Carmen - posted on 03/10/2009

try 2express some milk so that ur body makes more milk, also make sure u drink plenty of water or juice. i found that i started drying up until i decided 2drink alot more water lol. tea, coffee n fizzy drinks don't really help though when it comes 2milk making lol. hope this helps. :)

Shannon - posted on 03/10/2009

I'm glad to hear that it seems to be going a bit better for you... and that if you were able to give formula that it probably isn't milk. I too cut out coffee... now with my son at 6 months, I do one cup of half decaf a day when I get up.... and he has been fine. I couldn't drink it when I was pregnant, so I pretty much new that was part of my problem.

Katherine - posted on 03/10/2009

We're dealing with this right now because I used the "wrong" type of bottles and paci. My baby is 6 weeks old. We've been using Soothie bottles for supplementing and the nipple allows the flow to be to fast. That has just about destroyed our nursing relationship.

I had a LC come out yesterday and she suggested Playtex Vent Air bottles with the slowest (newborn) nipples. And, if you need a paci get the "mini-Mam" one.

Hope that helps, that was the advice I got after a $95 consult.  Glad I can share it!

Cynthia - posted on 03/08/2009

Warm showers also help with faster let down or wet compresses (as hot as you can stand) just before you feed him will also help. If he gets frustrated simply soothe and keep him on the breast. switching breast lets him think he is in control.. I keep putting my son back on the same breast until he empties it. He was getting frustrated too, but once he figured out I was only going to make him finish the boob he started he would resign himself to eating what he was given.

Katie - posted on 03/08/2009

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/foo...

Kellymom says that it can take between 10 days and 3 weeks for the dairy to completely come out of your system. You may want to try some Gripe water, which you can get at Walgreens in the baby section. It just has some ginger extract, fennel extract, etc to help settle his stomach and may help him while you find what's bothering him.

If you gave him formula, though, and he was fine then I don't think it's a dairy allergy, seeing how formula is made from dairy.

I hope that cutting out the coffee works, but if it doesn't then maybe try a new position, like laying beside him in bed. My 7 month old has been doing similar things to what you described for quite a while and I have always thought it was a flow problem. He's fine for a minute, then he sucks and pulls away several times and whines at me. I switch sides and he does the same thing. He's fine after, though, but he still nurses every 1.5-2 hours even now that he eats a couple of ounces of solids a day. At night when there is nothing else going on and it's quiet he lays beside me and nurses for about 15 minutes, way longer then at any other point, and he sleeps pretty good.

Tamara - posted on 03/08/2009

When you're nursing, have you tried doing breast compressions on the breast he's nursing on?

Melissa - posted on 03/08/2009

It sounds like he is really hungry in the morning and thats why he wants the milk fast. How long is he going at night before he feeds in the morning? Do you feed him as soon as he wakes up? You really shouldn't drink coffe because it could be causing him to be extra gassy and irritable.

Amy - posted on 03/08/2009

Well I've been giving him formula last night and this morning and he has been like a different baby. So it is something I am eating... I've pumped and tossed all the milk that i've been producing for the last day and have started to breastfeed again *coffee free* (which in searches is right up there with milk in upsetting babies tummy, my doctor suggested to get rid of it because it is easier to eliminate than milk because of the hidden milk... I've also in the past two weeks have upped the amount of coffee i've been drinking because the lack of sleep has caught up with me) well so far today he has been burping wonderfully and actually settled for a nap today for the first time in 2 weeks *yay* 

Shannon - posted on 03/08/2009

Does he do a lot of gulping?? At about the same age... and even a bit younger and older, I had a problem with my son literally screaming while he would try to nurse... I cut out dairy, soy... all spicy foods... you name it I had such a bland diet it was horrible for me!! However, after meeting with a lactation consultant, we found that my let downs were too fast and too strong. He was getting the sugary portion of the fore milk, and none of the hind milk, causing lots of tummy upset and gas..ohh, he had gas!! I ended up having to pump an ounce out prior to nursing... most of the time I just manually expressed about an ounce, and then saved it for later... which came in handy when I went back to work... I would put each ounce in the fridge till I got 4oz, then put them all together and freeze it.... after about a month of doing this, my milk regulated itself better and no longer had to express any... he is now 6 months, still nurses 6 times a day when I am home and has no belly issues anylonger!

Bobbie - posted on 03/08/2009

It can take up to a full month for all milk and dairy to get out of you and your babies system. Milk is one if the biggest reasons these kind of things happen to babies. Also watch out for all the hidden dairy. It is in everything! If in a month of taking out dairy I would consider talking to a Dr. about it.

Amy - posted on 03/08/2009

I have tried to cut out milk... it didn't affect him at all. I read only 1 week on the website I was researching on... mhmm well better safe than sorry 2 weeks just to be safe.  :)

Maja - posted on 03/08/2009

try stop drinking milk and things of milk...that is usualy first thing that babies stomach cant handle...also keep in ming that sometimes takes 2 weeks to body to get rid of some substance...

Amy - posted on 03/07/2009

Well my grandma came to visit today and I explained to her the problem and she saw how he was acting during the feeding and after, and she said my inital thought that it was gas was right. He is colicy and he was crying not beause the flow was to slow but because his tummy hurt everytime he'd swallow. We decided that I am going to stop drinking coffee for a week to see if that helps as well as in the morning I am going to give him a bottle of pumped milk because it is a constant flow and that way he will be less inclined to gulp and create all that gas in his tummy. thanks for the input though :)

Manar - posted on 03/07/2009

try to give each side 15 minutes or 10 minutes, then he will use both  in same balance.

Manar - posted on 03/07/2009

the  best  thing to do  is  to take a hot shower before feeding, or put a  warm piece  of cloth on  boobs before feeding, i have done both  when i had my baby,  in the beginning,  the glands are not  very strong, message is good as  well, need to  evoke these glands   to produce more milk. sometime, the baby feels tired of sucking, so he  is hungry  and tired too, so he get angry. pumping milk will help both (you and him) the more you empty you breast of milk (either by pumping or feeding) milk glands will produce more

my son is 1 year and 3 month and i am on breast feeding.

Maja - posted on 03/07/2009

There is a medicament, called sintocinon (you can check back there they have something similar, its works on base of hormone oxitocin). You can use it before feeding. Anyway in time baby will get stronger and he will suck better.

Jaime - posted on 03/07/2009

You can try pumping a bit on the slower side first to start the letdown. He should get used to the delay between letdowns after a while. You can also put some pumped milk on your breast (put it all over your nipple) so when he comes on he gets instant gratification. Keep in mind it is normal for babies to prefer one breast over another, your body should adjust to him.

My little one sometimes gets mad when the letdown is too strong, so that could be an issue too.

Jodie - posted on 03/07/2009

hey hun leaning forward can increase the flow other than that im not sure but try that good luck