What causes baby (6.5 weeks) to scream and pull away from the breast?

Geri - posted on 05/05/2013

This happened with my daugher, though she didn't scream. Now that I have stopped eating gluten, she is finally nursing normally at 10 months

Brittany - posted on 05/02/2011

I had the exact same hing happen to me with my daughter around the exact same age. I finally took her in to her ped & we discovered she had reflux....although she didn't vomit as much as other babies are known to do. Just a thought. Also, I saw others said this too....but sometimes babies can't tolerate certain things in our breastmilk. I had to give up cow's milk (Weird, huh?) until my daughter was around 6 months, when she finally got over her aversion to it. It may be worth calling her doctor to see what he/she has to say. Better safe than sorry & once you have it figured out you will feel a lot better. (P.S. I know she's kinda young, but maybe she's teething too. Both my babies had difficulties like this when teething came around, although it wasn't until 7-8 months. However I know a few babies who broke their first tooth around 3 months.)

Gillian - posted on 04/27/2011

Is it possible that you and she are sharing a mild case of thrush? I'm guessing that could make her mouth sore, even if you're not experiencing any symptoms yet?

Other guesses would be reflux (GERD as someone already mentioned), or maybe even VERY early teething?? My little boy had 2 teeth by the time he turned 4 months, and my friend's little girl was born with a couple, so it's not completely out of the question.

Hope she's feeling better soon! Poor little lassie, and poor you worrying about her!

Congrats on your beautiful little girl, btw. Hope you and she have a wonderful, long life together. x

Robyn - posted on 04/26/2011

For us, it was bad food allergies that caused my DD to scream every time she fed. She would try to feed since she was hungry, but the food was irritating her throat and tummy. I felt like I was poisoning her! :( Side effects were bad gas, reflux and a target rash (loos like a diaper rash, but it doesn't go away with treatment).

Madichaba - posted on 04/26/2011

Maybe she has an ear infection, its painful when they latch.

Shannon - posted on 04/26/2011

my children never latched on after we got home..but I'm thinking baby could have thrush.

Jacci - posted on 04/26/2011

maybe your milk supply is low? or you arent having a let down fast enough for her... take her off when she is frustrated like that and try pumping her legs, maybe she has too poop or burp? My daughter does that to me sometimes too...

Kathy - posted on 04/25/2011

Have you had her assessed for reflux? My son had a mild case that started around 4 weeks and did some similar behaviors. It was devastating, but a lactation consultant helped me deal with it without medication (another friend's son needed medication for his).

Cherri - posted on 04/22/2011

My 3 month old baby has been doing the screaming thing every time I try to feed her (bottle fed) something new and also when I put her down to change her - she has had a very bad ear infection about 6 weeks ago and I didn't think that that was the problem everyone said she is teething, but actually ear infection is more probable as she appears prone to them. thank you.

Tosha - posted on 04/21/2011

Could be an ear infection. Swallowing can be painful during an ear infection. Sometimes kids pull on their ears when they have one, but not always. I'd make an appointment with her doctor.

Kara - posted on 04/20/2011

It's probably acid reflux/GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) my oldest son had it, and did the same thing you are describing with your daughter. He would latch on and eat a few minutes and then pull away screaming. He started waking up more at night to eat, but then not really eating, and he had always been a great eater, and a good sleeper. Basically because the acid in his stomach was burning his esophagus when he ate the milk running past the burnt part was iritating it and he'd pull away screaming. The doctor put him on ranitidine (generic version of zantac) and he went right back to eating a sleeping like a champ! It took till he was almost 1 before we could take him off the ranitidine and now he's fine.

Nichole - posted on 04/20/2011

Acid reflux! My daughter was doing the same thing so I brought it up to her doctor and she prescribed her Zantac. Within 48hrs she stopped completely.My dr said that when they have high acid, it actually burns thier esophogus when they spit up, or even when they just start to spit up an ir doesn't come all the way up. Does she get the hiccups a lot? That can be an indicator too. She's latching on because she is hungry, but is crying because it hurts. I would taker her to the dr right away so that both of you can relax:-)

Bec - posted on 04/20/2011

I have 2 thoughts. The first is a suggestion, I would take her to an osteopath. It might sound strange, but you'd be surprised what they can do!! Perhaps she has a stiff neck or a tummy problem they can sort out for you.
The other thought is that perhaps you have a milk supply issue? The time taken to burp her, etc might just give your body enough time to let down more milk. The reason she wouldn't be doing it at night is perhaps because you've been resting and haven't fed in a while and so have more milk already let down? Just a thought.

Cosette - posted on 04/20/2011

sadily for me my bundle of joy is 8.5 months im still breastfeeding and she still is not sleeping through the night. Im up now every 3-4 hours. I want to take her off but really she is not having it. As for the screaming while latched I think she is just being ugly Morgan use to do the same thing and I would take it out until she calmed. I would tell her "you can't cry while you have the boob in your mouth. She did stop..lol

Robyn - posted on 04/20/2011

It could be here ears the equilibrium could be getting thrown off you may want to contact her doctor

Rebecca - posted on 04/19/2011

I didn't read all of the comments, but my daughter had a little cold at around 5 weeks and her nose got stuffed up, but not enough that it was a REAL problem unless she was feeding. The feeding mixed with the fact that she couldn't breathe as well through her nose AND the fact that I was making a lot of milk, had her pulling off the breast and screaming, I had to suction out her nose before every feeding for the week or so that she had the cold.

Lexi - posted on 04/19/2011

Have you ruled out thrush or teething making her mouth hurt? Does she get bottles at all during the day? My son started doing this after a few months of getting bottle fed by his daddy while I was at work during the day. He was 8 months old. For awhile he nursed just fine at night and morning, but then he got nipple confusion. Basically that means he decided my nipple was way to much hard work and the bottle was easier. He weaned himself off nursing and I just kept pumping for a few more months until I dried up. You could try getting help from the la lech league. People told me after the fact that there are ways to work through nipple confusion. I would definitely make sure to rule out any medical issues too tho. Good luck! I remember how much it killed me when my son would scream every time I put him to my breast. I felt so rejected.

Amy - posted on 04/18/2011

prolly cant breath. are you large breasted? PLEASE call ur local LLL leader and have someone come over..

Elise - posted on 04/18/2011

I had this same problem with my son. It all started when he was a couple of weeks old. He is my second so I thought I knew it all. I was feeding him from both sides every feed which led to horriffic wind. He was getting double the fore milk (watery/thin milk) and not much hind milk (fatty/thick milk). The hind milk helps them stay fuller longer and stays in their stomach longer for digestion. With my son the milk was making it to his intestines faster than it should have been and causing more gasses to form. So everytime I went to feed him after a few minutes he would pull off and start screaming in pain from the intestinal cramping. He also had explosive poos upto 5 times a day from it. I started to feed him from only one side per feed and if he wanted a top up feed within 3 hours I would return to the same side. This helped him a lot. By the time I found help his intestines where stripped and raw from the constant pooing. Our lactation consutant and I tryed everything to try and get him back to normal and finally we found a combination of omega 3 fish oil pills for me (to make by breast milk fattier)and pro biotic powder for him (to help restore the good bacteria in his gutt). He was a different baby within days of starting the probiotics. (I thought probiotics was just a marketing ploy and a bunch of bull, but turns out thy really work!) I also found if I ate too much bread he will have a few bad days. Google 'lactose intolerance and colic in breastfed babies' by Robyn Noble. It explains it all. It was a life saver for me.

Jessica - posted on 04/18/2011

She might be getting to much milk at once. Goggle "laid back nursing" and see if that helps :)

Carri - posted on 04/18/2011

My daughter used to do this too when she was very tired, or the milk wasn't coming out fast enough for her (when she first latched on and it took a moment for the milk to flow)

Ioana - posted on 04/18/2011

geez, sorry for the typos! hope you can get the message, though:-)
x

Ioana - posted on 04/18/2011

oh, and maybe you use another position for the night feed? or does your sweetie associate the feedings during the day with something unpleasant? maybe also things to consider.

Ioana - posted on 04/18/2011

Hi! I ad the same thing with my son when he was 6 weeks untill I kinda realised what it was in our case (it lasted like two weeks but it was only in the evening, after 18.00 or so, and it was driving me nuts!! I also had too juch lae down but at the time I did not know what to do about it, so I didn't.. but what solved it for us was that I realised that he was in the same time extraordinarly tired and actually he wanted to sleep and to drink (and he used to cluster feed, epecially in the evening, sometimes 3 hours in a row!).. He was frustrated and mad at being too tired to drink.. It was more as a hinch for me, not something I read or heard, and I think in our case I was right, because at almost 2 years he still finds it frustrating to go to sleep but also to be tired.. My solution was to put him in a sling and rock him while feeding, he could doze off and then wake up and not really realise the transition, being still with the breast attached.
I hope you get your solution soon, just hang in there!

Lori - posted on 04/17/2011

sounds like too much milk. Block feeding is good. You hind milk should help with the gas. I might try some warmth to her belly after feedings.

Tanya - posted on 04/17/2011

may be because she's overtired and just wants to sleep, not nurse. My son will act like he wants to nurse when he's tired but if he's full then he'll scream bloody murder. he'll do the same as your daughter, latch on and nurse voraciously for 5-10 minutes then root so I put him back on, but scream once he;s on. After a few tries and burp attempts, I take him off and soothe him to sleep (usually by rocking or jiggling and shooshing)

Loree - posted on 04/17/2011

I have the same problem with my 4 month old son. Most of the time when he is doing this, he's overly tired and is just fighting sleep. What I try and do is if he's fussy on one breast, I will try and feed him on the other side. If that doesn't work, I'll try to rock him to sleep and that usually does the trick. :)

Layla - posted on 04/17/2011

You could also take your baby to a chiropractor who is trained to work with babies. Sometimes there is a little pinched nerve that cam get stimulated when they turn their necks to nurse.

MOMMBY Mom - posted on 04/17/2011

My son use to do the exact same thing when he was bottle feeding and for him it was reflux - http://mommby.com/Medical/Reflux/About.p...

My daughter only breastfeeds and when she occasionally pulls off it is because she needs to burp or is full.

I could see the overactive letdown being a problem as everyone already discussed. If you continue to have problems; I'd definitely look into reflux. My son had to take medication for reflux and he always ate best when he was sleeping due to the reflux.

Good luck!

Jessica - posted on 04/17/2011

I had this exact problem and it was acid reflux. You might want to read about it and see if it fits for her symptoms. It requires medication to ease the pain.

Sharlene - posted on 04/17/2011

Pumping before you feed and block feeding (sticking to one side for a couple feedings) are probably helping because your baby is getting gas pains from the foremilk. Hind milk is higher in fat; so it settles their tummy better. It will also help to massage the upper breast while nursing as this has been shown to increase fat content in breastmilk. Nursing one side each feeding is often the best solution for young infants who aren't spending enough time on one breast to get enough Hindmilk. Good luck and I highly recommend contacting a Lactation Consultant in your area.

Tanya - posted on 04/16/2011

My baby did this and it turned out to be an ear infection. Might be worth checking her ears!

Heather - posted on 04/16/2011

My oldest did the same thing whenever I ate chocolate it turned out. Maybe it's something you're eating that doesn't agree with her or is causing her stomach upset?

A - posted on 04/16/2011

It does sound like it could be gas, but my other thought is- are you wearing perfume during the day? Or lotions that she may not like? Perhaps you don't smell the way you're "supposed" to? (like au naturale)

Just a thought.

Bex - posted on 04/16/2011

It is most likely wind, or possibly when you let down it's a bit overwhelming for her, tho if she's screaming it's more likely to be pain. If it's forceful let down the most she'd do is turn away from it.

I had this problem with my first a lot more, and now with my second daughter I am better at winding (or she is easier to wind) and this is the most common cause for it. I know you say you wind her but sometimes there can be more than one in there. Also sometimes it may need to come out below or it can be uncomfortable for her. A good tip to sometimes help nurse when holiding seems uncomfortable for them is to lay down and feed. Mine seems more relaxed that way and often only willing in that position when she wouldn't feed otherwise.

At 6 and a half weeks there's probably a few kinks in her system, so to speak, and she'l work it out soon and won't have so many windy issues.

My best burping position is to 'sit' them up propped against one hand (facing forward on your lap) and rub her back clockwise with other hand. The extra pressure from sitting seems to help. I never remember doing this one with my first, she only seemed to produce burps over my shoulder, so just may be worth a mention if you haven't tried it. Also lay her front down on your lap and rub her back as that can help and you can alter the level of your legs to change her angle and try and release some air.

good luck and congratulations too x

Daniela - posted on 04/16/2011

If it is over-supply only pumping off a little before feeding will not help you in the long run but make the problem worse because you'll start producing more. As Charlotte suggested you should block-feed as well, where you stick to the one breast for a few feeds. Not using the other breast will reduce supply. I had that problem too, it's so upsetting when your baby doesn't seem to be happy with your boob! Good luck to you.

Deborah - posted on 04/16/2011

It seems from the conversation that it's not your problem, but babies can also get upset when they nurse if they have thrush.
http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tc/thru...

Christina - posted on 04/16/2011

In case you are interested, you can research 'Elimination Communication'. It isn't for everyone. But a baby can get upset when they need to eliminate, and pulling away from the breast can be a sign that they need to go, but are uncomfortable. My son is 6 months now, and he became a lot happier and regular with BM's when I started practicing this as I put him in a good position to eliminate and it makes him a lot more comfortable.
Anyways, as I said this isn't for everyone, so if you aren't interested, then just ignore this.
:)

Alisha - posted on 04/15/2011

Thanks Charlotte! I think it's a conbination of the overactive letdown and gassiness. It's nice to know the overactive letdown will stabilize. It's tough trying to nurse with a veritable gyser in your bra!!! I've been pumping or expressing before feedings and today she's done better. If she struggled or pulled away at all today, I've stopped and burpped her immediately. That's helped too. And tonight, after about four rounds of nursing and burping her I saw her eyes get the sleepy look and gave her the paci. I feel like she needs to suck to get to sleep and when my next milk letdown comes it might be too much for the sleepyhead. So with paci in place she went right to sleep with very little drama tonight! yay!

Charlotte - posted on 04/14/2011

Hi there - I had the same thing with my daughter and there were a variety of reasons as far as I can make out. Initially I had an overactive letdown and she would cough and splutter/scream. I spoke with a lactation consultant and was advised to pump for a minute (or around 1 ounce) before feeding, to release some pressure. Also I offered the same breast again once she was done, rather than switching. At 11 weeks, my supply is completely normalized and I do not leak/spray. The other thing was positioning. I found that she mostly came off the breast when I kept her somewhat flat during feedings. I thought that perhaps she had a bit of reflux (of note for what it is worth, I think that docs tend to over diagnose GERD or reflux and are all too happy to put babies on medication. I don't think my daughter had any real reflux issues, just an immature digestive system combined with lack of gravity while lying down!) Once I started to feed her at a small angle, she stopped having reflux and so stayed on the breast. Also a few times, she got all snotty and would pull of the breast because she could not breathe too well. This also stopped when I fed her upright as I think the milk would burp up into her nose and cause inflammation/snot later in the day. One final comment - it sounds like your LO is still swallowing fast and furious before she pulls off, but just in case her swallowing slows right down before pulling off, it could be that she is frustrated with slow letdown after the initial whoosh of milk? If so, perhaps massage the boobs while she is on starting under the arm pit? - don't give up breast feeding as all issues tend to resolve after a couple of months and I am sure a lactation consultant can help you also. Good luck.

Charlotte - posted on 04/14/2011

Hi there - I had the same thing with my daughter and there were a variety of reasons as far as I can make out. Initially I had an overactive letdown and she would cough and splutter/scream. I spoke with a lactation consultant and was advised to pump for a minute (or around 1 ounce) before feeding, to release some pressure. Also I offered the same breast again once she was done, rather than switching. At 11 weeks, my supply is completely normalized and I do not leak/spray. The other thing was positioning. I found that she mostly came off the breast when I kept her somewhat flat during feedings. I thought that perhaps she had a bit of reflux (of note for what it is worth, I think that docs tend to over diagnose GERD or reflux and are all too happy to put babies on medication. I don't think my daughter had any real reflux issues, just an immature digestive system combined with lack of gravity while lying down!) Once I started to feed her at a small angle, she stopped having reflux and so stayed on the breast. Also a few times, she got all snotty and would pull of the breast because she could not breathe too well. This also stopped when I fed her upright as I think the milk would burp up into her nose and cause inflammation/snot later in the day. One final comment - it sounds like your LO is still swallowing fast and furious before she pulls off, but just in case her swallowing slows right down before pulling off, it could be that she is frustrated with slow letdown after the initial whoosh of milk? If so, perhaps massage the boobs while she is on starting under the arm pit? - don't give up breast feeding as all issues tend to resolve after a couple of months and I am sure a lactation consultant can help you also. Good luck.

Alisha - posted on 04/14/2011

Oh, and during her night feedings she NEVER does this. She' s on the breast until she's full then she's right back to sleep. Any other time of day is fair game, but she mostly does it at her last feeding before doing down for the night.