Screaming at Breast

[Jenifer]

My 9.5 week old daughter has started something new .. Screaming when you put her into feeding position and then refuses to latch on (crying, stiff back, etc.).  She cries a real cry (tears) and is REALLY upset.  It can take 15 minutes to get her to calm down.  She may latch on then, or may start screaming again.

What I have done is get her to calm down with a soother in her mouth and then eventually swap the boob for the soother. 

She started this once on Thursday night (5pm feed), once yesterday (same time) and now the last two feeds.

What is going on?  Is she just not hungry yet?  (She's on 3 hour EASY.)  Is she telling me its time to start stretching out toward 4 hour EASY? 

[Jahmum]

Here are some thoughts you might not have thought of yet:
Have you been eating something differently?
Have you tried different feeding positions?
Could baby be overly tired at that point?
Have you tried pumping to see how much milk u have around those times....maybe u have a slower flow at those times?
You can never tell what it is...but maybe these questions might help u to pinpoint the cause.
Good luck and hang in there 

[Jenifer]

Well, up until the last feeding I thought maybe it was because she was tired.  But this last time she had just woken up ...

Could be the flow.  I hadn't thought of that ... 

[Petunia]

Wow!  That must have been a shocker for you to have her suddenly screaming at the breast like that.

Here's information on babies fussing at the breast and diagnosing the reason:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/fussy-while-nursing.html

[Jenifer]

But she cries hysterically BEFORE even latching on ...    As soon as I got her in position she started.

[daisymelan]

Can you try a different position?  See if she still cries.

Also, do you have a fast letdown.  I noticed in your other post you talk about green poo and that can be related to fast letdown.  If so, try nursing from a laying position.  Perhaps other moms have some tips to slow a fast letdown.

[CaedensMama]

I have heard for fast let down you can pump for a few minutes before nursing and that may help it not be so much for the baby.

You could try moving to a 3 1/2 hour easy and see if she is ready to move further apart in the feeds, but my guess would be that it is something else. Most BF babies hang around that 2 1/2 -3 hour point for awhile 

[Petunia]

But she cries hysterically BEFORE even latching on ... As soon as I got her in position she started.

That's because something about the feeding is upsetting her.  She knows that when you put her in position the feed is going to follow, so she wails because she knows what's coming.

I'm assuming she feeds fine once you use the soother and switch it out for the breast.  That makes me go hmmmmm.....If she was in pain, wasn't hungry, your let-down was too slow, or something else you would think that she would continue to fuss after you started the feed.  Although if you're problem is a fast let-down than once the let-down faze was over she would settle in ok.

Think hard and try to figure out if something happened recently that could have upset her and make her wary of breast feeding.

Something else comes to mind...though you would probably already have thought of this.  Could she have an ear infection?  If she hasn't been sick than she shouldn't have one.  Is she maybe sick with a cold?  I remember being really confused about my son's sudden, irratic refusal of the breast when he was four months.  Turns out he had a whopper of an ear infection.

[Jenifer]

No she hasn't been sick and tried other positions / chair / boob.  But you've made me think ..
The very first time this happened was in the doctor's office right after her first shots.  The doctor told me to sit and try to get her to breast feed (to calm her down) and she screamed and screamed (while I'm trying to calm her with the breast - did not work).  Is there any way this could be related?
If I do have a fast let down and express some first won't that make the problem worse?  Won't my body continue to make that milk?  Wouldn't it be best to just let baby regulate it?
Is it too early to start moving her toward a 3.5 - 4 hour EASY?  (She's 10 weeks on Thursday.)

[daisymelan]

You should follow her cues and if she seems able to go longer, then let her go 3.5 hrs between feeds. 

Pumping off the first bit of milk will keep the supply up, but your little one won't get the gush of letdown.  Again, women say nursing from a laying position slows the letdown so the baby is not overwhelmed.  The baby can't regulate letdowns, only the amount they get into their belly.  Fast letdown usually leads to gas issues as they gets into them too fast.  Some babies actually sputter and choke from letdown.  But again, do you know if you have a fast letdown?  If you don't than this wouldn't be the problem.  You could used the pumped milk for a dreamfeed, or stockpile it for a night out, etc.  Have you tried the football hold?  How about walking around with her in a sling? 

It could be related to the dr's office, but that's a bit out of my reach of knowledge.  Also, around 2.5/3 month mark, the soothing properties of my breastfeeding quickly dropped.  Maybe it was just a coicindence that happened. 

[matthewalorenz]

Hi Jennifer,

My 13 week old daughter started having the same problem when she was  about 9 or 10 weeks old too. It seemed like one day she started screaming  before or at most of her feedings which I found very distressing. We even tried giving her breastmilk in a bottle and she would scream sometimes too. I consulted her pediatrician and investigated the possibility that she had reflux. She prescribed Mylicon drops and gripe water and monitored her weight. A week later, she only gained 2 oz, but toward the end of the week. I noticed that she was eating better so our pediatrician monitored us for another 9 days days. At the end of the 9 days, she gained 8 oz and her pediatrician was no longer concerned. Most of the weight gain was due to her waking up in the night hungry.

One of my suspicions is that my daughter did not want to eat because she was too distracted by the world. I noticed that she would start this behavior if I talked too much to her or diapered her before eating or if my husband came and talked to me while I was feeding her. Anyway, I have been having luck trying to feed her immediately in a dim quiet place after she wakes up and I try not to excite her too much before or during her feeding. She hasn't screamed for few days so far.

Sometimes if she started screaming while I was feeding her I could get her to eat if I walked around and fed her  or turned on the hair dryer to relax her during feeding. Also, my husband could often get her to eat from the bottle if we put her in car seat with the sun visor pulled tp limit her stimulation and rocked her to calm her down.

Her screaming really upset me but I am relieved that she rarely does it any more and that she is healthy and can smile big.

I hope that your daughter is better soon.

Katherine

[Jenifer]

She had her first vaccines last Thursday - the first day this started!   This is common?!??!   
She hasn't done it yet today ... hoping she's forgotten all about it!

[daisymelan]

Let's hope she keeps this up!!  Let us know how you make out.

[cminer]

I too have been having trouble with my 14 month old screaming when I lay him down (cradle position) to breast feed.  He will latch on, suck for a few minutes and pop off.  He will cry when I try to bring his head back onto the breast.  I have tried to wait for a half an hour and try again (thinking he wasn't hungry a the time) and he has still cried.  I have given him a bottle because I don't want him to be hungry and don't want his sleep disrupted at night because of hunger (he has accepted the bottle.) 

I hadn't considered fast let down.  I know that mine can be quick but it is only in this past week that he has reacted this way. I hadn't considered an ear infection either.  I had wondered about teething?  But no teeth have errupted.  I have discontinued taking the pill because I noticed my milk diminished when I had a period.  My period ended last Friday.  Could he be responding to a change in my hormones?  I have noticed that I have the sensation of fullness in my breast between feeds that diminished while I was on the pill.  Mabye it is a flow problem. 

Basically this behaviour started this week onTuesday, Wednesday and again today.  He was fine yesterday and ate well at each feed.  He doesn't react this way at night.  I'm puzzled because this behavior is not consistent with each feed.  I'm wondering if he would do better if I switched him to a bottle.  Maybe he is rejecting the breast now?  Any suggestions?  I really want to continue to breast feed (it was a stuggle to get established) but I do not want my baby to be hungry and in distress.  HELP!

[CaedensMama]

cminer - it could be ear infection or teething - maybe take him and rule out the ear infection first. Teething could take a little while to show up
It also for sure could be the hormone change - I know I noticed a difference around that time of the month, esp in the early months.
If it's not consistent I would think it is a supply issue or teething - the teeth bother at differing times not usually continually. How often is he eating now? Is it time to space the feeds a little further apart to allow for a good supply and make sure he is hungery? He is old enough he may just expressing his opinions on a matter.