My son is 5 1/2 weeks and started screaming at the breast during our last feed of the night (anywhere from 8:30-10:30pm) at about 3 weeks of age- he latches, takes a few sucks, then pulls off & screams bloody murder. We've been dealing with it by my husband calming him down for few minutes (while I leak milk into a towel!) and bringing him back to me..after a few rounds of this he usually settles and feeds pretty normally. I think the problem is overactive letdown...but the issue is that now it's starting to happen at every feed - even when I don't change sides and the side I'm feeding him on is quite soft (not empty, but not engorged), he still fights it and screams like crazy. I have started crying at nearly every feed because it feels like he's rejecting me, and his latch is suffering because he's on and off so much, and obviously not concentrating cause he's so upset. This doesn't happen through the night - he feeds either once or twice a night and latches on great, does a 15-20min feed on one side and falls straight back to sleep.
Does anyone have any advice? I'm starting to get really upset about it, I snapped at my mother today when she took him away from me after trying to feed for about 20 min (was not happening). My husband isn't always around to soothe him. Help!!!!
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It also sounds like it could be reflux. I have some posts on the blog about our experience with that. Does He arch his back when he's crying during a feeding? Even if he's no spitting up, it could be what they call "silent" reflux.
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Hugs! Breastfeeding is hard, my husband never understood the emotions involved and why I'd feel rejected and like I'd failed.
Hang in there!! It sounds like it could be a forceful letdown or oversupply, which hand expressing a little before feeds helps. Is it just before his last meal of the day? He could just be tired or it could be his witching hour.
I think 6-8 weeks is the peak of crying and there's a growth spurt and possibly a wonder week too, all of which could be contributing.
Hopefully it's a phase and will pass quickly. Be kind to yourself
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Everything you said reminds me of what I dealt with those first 2 months! I hated nursing and would cry and practically thrust the baby in DH's arms because I'd get so frustrated at all the on/off latching and screaming cries. I also had oversupply so I felt like I was drowning my baby. Do you think you might have oversupply?
I hated every feed! I was miserable those first 8 weeks until things started balancing out a little.
I got a lot of good tips from here:
http://www.llli.org/faq/oversupply.htmlLike I would lean back in my glider and feed that way so that my milk isn't dripping DOWN into DS' mouth, preventing some of the choking and sputtering. I would hand express milk before I fed him, and sometimes I'd pump just for 5 min to release some of the milk (they say not to do this if you already have oversupply though, but I didn't mind because it just added more to my stash).
Here's another link from Kellymom about forceful let-downs: http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/fast-letdown/
I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, but it did get better once the baby got bigger, and my supply regulated a little more. I pushed through it and really started enjoying our breastfeeding relationship around the 3 month mark. I just weaned him last week at the 14 month mark. Hang in there!!
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I have a really overactive let down. I have a manual pump and pump an oz or so and then have her latch. She was choking and freaking out because the milk ejection was so strong.
If arching back-probably not letdown and more like reflux.
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His back doesn't arch, he just screams! One kind of funny thing is that he gets slightly milk drunk off his first few sucks so he'll scream, sleep, scream, sleep - if I wasn't so upset I'd laugh as he was doing it!
Update - we just had a solid 20 minute feed with no screaming. What is it about writing a post that makes things go back to "normal"? I'm not expecting this to last, but it was nice to not stress about it for one moment today. -
Did your LO arrive in a hurry or have a particularly traumatic delivery? Sometimes treatment from a cranialsacral osteopath can help with feeding issues that stem from physical discomfort or imbalance.
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I would try out pumping for a few minutes before the feedings.
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@Mrs. Blue: Thanks for the info - i went and read your blog post and he does have a couple of those symptoms, but I'm not totally convinced...he's not fussy really at any other time, after feeds he's fine to be laid down on his back right away, and he doesn't spit up much..i know silent reflux is still a possibility and I'll definitely keep an eye out for more symptoms.
@Applesandbananas: @Mrs. High Heels: @matador84: @Kemma: @lemondrop: Thanks so much for the advice. I wrote this while I was in the trenches so to speak - even a few hours later I'm seeing things in a better light!
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@ScarletBegonia: Did you find a solution to this? My DD is starting to do this too. She eats great in the middle of the night, but during the day, she pulls off after a few minutes. I usually end up switching sides. Then she does the same thing on that side. She isn't getting enough to eat with all of the commotion, so she is constantly fussy. Maybe it's a growth spurt and we're almost through this? Hope you've gotten through this because it is not fun!
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HUGS! We went through something like this as well and (I think now) was because of my over active letdown. I felt the same way as you and my poor husband had to deal with us both crying! I don't know if we really fixed things or with time she just got more mature and better at getting through the letdown. The lactation consultant have different suggestions to unlatch her at letdown or pump to get the letdown and put her on after it was over. You can try these things but I honestly just felt like I was in a circus doing a juggling act. We tried different positions which somewhat helped but she also started rejecting a side so I dont know. I just wanted to give some encouragement . You can get through this just keep trying! Breastfeeding is really hard and if it is something you feel strongly about its worth it to preserver. After all of our struggles in the beginning it really did get easier and we continued on until DD was 13 months old. Hang in there!
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