Fussy nursing baby « Hellobee Boards

Fussy nursing baby

By Pepper Jul 4, 2013

LO is 9 days old, and if he's hungry, he will cry and yell and claw at my chest without latching on. It's like he completely melts down if he doesn't latch in 2 minutes. I just spent 20 minutes trying to calm him down enough for him to latch. Now he's milk drunk and happy, so he easily latched to the other side.

I wonder if I'm doing something wrong for him to be so fussy at first? I notice he's always like this in the evenings or early mornings. Once he gets latched he's fine... but these 20 minute latch attempts are so frustrating! Has this happened to anyone else?

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16 comments

SleepyMonkey
grapefruit / 4006 posts

Jul 4, 2013

is he getting too hungry? my lo used to get frantic like that and meltdown when she was too hungry and get frustrated when she couldn't get to the milk right away! maybe you could start the feeding a little earlier so he's just a little hungry and not REALLY hungry yet?
heartonastring
pomegranate / 3895 posts

Jul 4, 2013

Do you have either fast or slow letdown? Either of those could contribute to fussiness at the breast.
Cherrybee
papaya / 10570 posts

Jul 4, 2013

I don't have any experience at all, as you know! But I thought I'd share what I learned when I met with a LC the other day - in preparation.

One of the things she talked to me about was early feeding cues. She said that when the baby opens and closes her mouth, sucks on her lips, tongue or hands or starts smacking her lips I'm to shove a boob in her mouth. Apparently, if you miss those subtle signs, the baby starts to get a bit more frantic and then starts crying for food - and then it can be hard to get them to calm down enough to latch properly.

Do you think this is what is happening with your LO? His early signs are a bit too subtle or maybe he's going from 0 to "agh, I'm so hungry!" in seconds?!
Pepper
pomelo / 5820 posts

Jul 4, 2013

@SleepyMonkey: @Cherrybee: I think this could be it. He only acts like this in the middle of the night, and usually because he starts to fuss, which wakes me up, and it's too late by that point! I do notice hunger cues during the day, and I always feed him before he melts down. Not sure how to prevent this from happening when I'm asleep though! Short of waking him up to eat...

@hergreenapples: Judging by what I see when I pump, I think my letdown is pretty normal, but I have no idea if that's a good indicator!
SleepyMonkey
grapefruit / 4006 posts

Jul 4, 2013

@Pepper: totally hear ya. mama needs her sleep too! good news is that they grow out of it once they learn to latch better. i know you don't really want to hear that right now, but it will happen! i used to have DH calm her down and we'd have to make very slow, calm movements in getting her latched on. i used to get so frantic because she was, and she would pick that up off of me too, and it would be meltdown city. i also would have to keep a cloth near to wipe my nipple off because she'd slobber all over it and it would be too slippery for her to latch on. good luck!
hilsy85
squash / 13764 posts

Jul 4, 2013

Maybe try soothing him with a paci for a few minutes before lathing him? Although that might make him angrier!
hilsy85
squash / 13764 posts

Jul 4, 2013

@SleepyMonkey: ha yes to the slobbery nipple. Good times!
Cherrybee
papaya / 10570 posts

Jul 4, 2013

@Pepper: Agh! That's nightmarish! How long is he going at night between feeds? The notes I made for myself say that I should wake the baby at least every 4-5 hours at night for a feed if she doesn't wake up on her own. But as it takes about 2 hours for the milk in their tummies to digest, is he getting hungry quicker than that? It seems crazy to set your alarm for every 2 hours to shove a boob in a sleeping baby's face!!!! Lol!
Pepper
pomelo / 5820 posts

Jul 4, 2013

@SleepyMonkey: At least there's an end in sight! I have noticed that shushing him and rocking him then attempting to get him to latch again will work... After several tries!

@hilsy85: May try that too!

@Cherrybee: He doesn't sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time, so no longer than that! I think he may be going through a little growth spurt because last night he was hungry again after an hour.
Cherrybee
papaya / 10570 posts

Jul 4, 2013

@Pepper: Ahh, I wonder if that's what it is! A growth spurt. So the solution is to sit there all night without even trying to sleep yourself, waiting for early hunger cues. Excellent. I'm glad we've got that cleared up. Babies are confusing - I hope mine comes with a manual!
Pepper
pomelo / 5820 posts

Jul 4, 2013

@Cherrybee: Hahaha pretty much!
Boheme
papaya / 10473 posts

Jul 4, 2013

My LO was like this at first, and it has gotten better! Now that C is sleeping a little longer he's also less frantic when he wakes up. I bet given a little time he'll calm down and realize he's going to get fed
Kemma
grapefruit / 4291 posts

Jul 4, 2013

Giving a paci or a clean finger to baby to suck on is a great idea! A few sucks is often all that's needed to remind baby that sucking is the answer to all their problems and it helps them coordinate their suck when they do latch!

@Cherrybee: smart Mama meeting with an LC before baby arrives!
Cherrybee
papaya / 10570 posts

Jul 4, 2013

@Kemma: Thanks!! She was brilliant! But she did crack me up - she had a knitted boob and a scary looking plastic baby with her. While she was showing me the correct position for the baby, the boob rolled down and behind her on the sofa. When it came to "bringing the baby to the breast" she had to grope around behind her for the boob. I thought jeez I hope mine don't sag that much!! Lol.
allison
pear / 1895 posts

Jul 4, 2013

This article was my go-to source during the early days of breastfeeding. Maybe it can help you, too!

http://www.mobimotherhood.org/mm/article-milkflow.aspx
autumn865
persimmon / 1147 posts

Jul 4, 2013

I agree that it sounds like he's in the late hunger stage. In those early days my philosophy always was when in doubt offer the boob! I also had over supply and a fast letdown in those early months. Is he gagging and sputtering through your letdown? Is he less fussy once the letdown is through?

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