Screaming at Breast

[cminer]

I had to give him a bottle this evening before bed as he screamed when I tried to breastfeed him.  Granted he was tired also.  He took the bottle and drank 4 1/2 onzes.  I have him on the 4 hr EASY already.  I spoke with our Public Health Nurse and she recommended following his feeding cues and not watching the clock.  I will have his ears checked.  It breaks my heart to think he is in pain.  He does drink the breast milk I have expressed in the same day (so maybe it isn't hormonal.) 

[charlibabes]

I had to give him a bottle this evening before bed as he screamed when I tried to breastfeed him.  Granted he was tired also.  He took the bottle and drank 4 1/2 onzes.  I have him on the 4 hr EASY already.  I spoke with our Public Health Nurse and she recommended following his feeding cues and not watching the clock.  I will have his ears checked.  It breaks my heart to think he is in pain.  He does drink the breast milk I have expressed in the same day (so maybe it isn't hormonal.) 

My LO did exactly the same thing at about 9 weeks, never did find any cause but it wasn't pain, as soon as I sat her upright she stopped crying, I tried everything from colic drops to cutting dairy out... nothing worked.  THere is good info on the La Leche league site about Nursing strikes. http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/strike.html Lots of skin to skin contact is important, feeding in the bath can work... for us it was latching her on standing up walking about!  I know that is hard, I wish I had a 'Freedom sling' then as it would have been so much easier to breastfeed standing, but instead I just knackered my arms!

ONe thing I would be careful of is Bottle feeding, it can lead to her not wanting the breast again if she has an easy alternative - perhaps use a syringe if she is desperate.

I used to get the breast out and walk about with her near it all nonchalantly, unti lshe looked interested and calmed down.

I hope it goes well.

[cminer]

Today was a good day so far.  He ate well at each feed.  No crying.

[Jahmum]

Yeah 

[cminer]

Yesterday was not a good day.  My lo cried everytime I tried to feed him.  He did not eat much at all yesterday.  My husband was able to give him 2.5 oz from a bottle as I was out for the afternoon.  He refused to take a bottle or breast feed very long from me.  He did not have very wet diapers during the day and did pass gas with some stool in the evening (in the bathtub!)  He was in bed by 8pm and woke at 10pm, breastfed without any difficulty at all.  Woke again at 2am and 6:30am and breastfed without any crying.  He did however, pass gas several times when eating during the night. 

Wonder if he is gassy and that effected his appetite.? I am not ruling out teething.  Plus he is a baby with reflux.  He does sleep well, and does not need his bed raised.  I try to keep him upright and sitting as much as possible during his waking days.  I've tired gripe water and Oval (minimal benefit.)  I just don't know what to think.  He hasn't eaten again since 6:30am.  He is on a 4 hr EASY and due to eat shortly.  He is currently napping.  He has been napping well during the day and sleeping well between feeds at night.  I hope he has his appetite back today.  It was stessful for me that he wasn't eating yesterday (I had a few tears.)  He cried for me as soon as I came home and until I put him to bed at 8pm.  My husband said he was good for him and did not cry or fuss at all.  Any suggestions or insights?

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Is he on any meds for reflux?

{{hugs}} to you. I am sorry you're having such a rough time! 

Sharon

[cminer]

No he isn't on any meds for reflux.  What should I enquire about?  Are there any in particular that you have in mind or have heard about?  I enquired with a Walmart Pharmacist and he suggested Oval, but isn't that for gas?  Even yesterday he fussed and didn't eat well in the afternoon.  I did manage to feed him after this supper time nap and he ate well then.  He ate again at 8pm and received his dream feed.  He slept 7 hours straight last night.  He seems to be comfortable enough to sleep.  It is when he is awake and I try to feed him that he gets irritated with it all.  He is passing gas when he eats or I am doing the pat/shush to sleep.  He can spit up quite a lot after he eats, I never pat his back to burp him.  He can spit up several times between meals, even up to a few hours after he ate.  He did not show any signs of distress until last week (he is turning 15 weeks this Sunday.)  Fortunately he ate well this morning.  I hope he continues to eat well today. 

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Yes, Oval is for gas. It doesn't help reflux.  How did you get the initial diagnosis about reflux? I would bring him back in to the doctors and see what they say. It is great that he can sleep at night and eats well most of the time but I would ask the doc anyways as untreated reflux can cause esophageal damage and can also create eating aversions. Sometimes too, refluxers will only eat a bit until they feel full (as they are obviously hungry) but will then stop because they know the pain is coming, kwim?

{{hugs}} to you!

Sharon

[knackered]

Exactly the same thing happened to me around the same time - my DS would hardly eat anything during the day, but would make up for it at night (a situation I'm still trying to remedy some months later!). I think it was related to a couple of things: Firstly a fast let down - my DS would freak at roughly the same time that I felt the let down reflex kick in. I consulted a lactation consultant and she recommended that I block feed for 3 days - basically, rather than switching sides each time you feed, you feed from the same side for a 6 hour period. This would tell your body that it's making too much milk. This had some success.

But I think position is the key. My baby is definitely a spirited type and when I feed sitting down, he's constantly pulling away to look at things and gets frustrated when I try to pull him back round. There were times I have to admit that I was trying to force his mouth on, not a good idea, cos then they get negative associations etc etc. Now, I take him into a my bedroom, pull the blind and feed him lying down and it works a treat. In fact he'll feed lying down even if we're out and about - you have to be a bit more creative as to where you feed when you're out of the house, but I've done it on a sofa in a restaurant, in the park etc.

If you lo is feeding well at night and you do it lying down then, maybe this would work for you?

Best of luck

[cminer]

Thank you for the suggestion of changing position.  I will try feeding him lying down.  He ate this morning at 5-5:30am and awake at 7am.  I tried to feed him at 8:30am (cried), again at 9:30am (cried) and then again at 10:30am (he ate for 45 minutes, 30 minutes one side, 15 minutes other side.)  I gave him his 10:30am feed in his room (blinds pulled, I sat in the same chair I sit in for his night time feeds.)  I have tried this before and it has been a hit and miss.  I am also going to reduce my dairy intake.  I have read that many Mom's do this.  I'm not sure if let down is so much of a problem.  I have tried to pump before feeding to slow it down and he still cried.  Perhaps he just isn't hungry.  It has really thrown our EASY routine out of wack.  I still get him to take his morning, afternoon and evening nap (not necessarily at the same times due to trying to encourage him to eat.  I do still try to have him in bed by 8pm (last night he didn't settle until 9:30.)  He was in bed at 8pm, wouldn't eat before or after his bath.  He would not settle by 9pm, I fed him with success and he was sleeping by 9:30!  He is such a little stinker   I am trying to go with the flow.

I have not had a diagnosis of reflux, but it is my intinct that it is a problem for him.  Although he has had minimal spitting up in the last few days.  Some days he doesn't spit up at all, and other days he has to have a few outfit changes because of it.  He is now drooling like crazy!  I am still wondering about teething, but no pearly whites yet. 

I feel conflicted.  I want to get him into a schedule but yet I don't feel I am respecting his want to eat.  Prior to this starting last week, he was eating every 4 hours without any protest.  Now he protests often and will go for up to 6 hours in the daytime between feeds.  I do dream feed him also and last night he took 4 oz (he usually only takes 2 oz.)  And he was up twice during the night to eat.

[Petunia]

  Prior to this starting last week, he was eating every 4 hours without any protest.  Now he protests often and will go for up to 6 hours in the daytime between feeds. 

Wow, so this all of a sudden started last week?  I went back and read your posts again and it is maddening that he just all of a sudden started refusing the breast the way he did.  It definitely seems like something is up.  I don't think that starting EASY with him would all of a sudden start him protesting.  It's not like your trying to feed him when he's not hungry - 6 hours between feeds is a long time.  Although....do you think he's trying to drop a daytime feeding and your still trying to give it to him?

Have you checked out the following info about fussy babies at the breast?
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/fussy-while-nursing.html

I'm not surprised that you say that he feeds well when sleepy.  Most babies who are protesting nursing for some reason - even reflux pain - tend to nurse well when sleepy.

Have you checked out this info on reflux to see if your baby might be a candidate?  If he truly is, you should do what you can to help him.  If he does have reflux it would absolutely explain his current behavior.

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=654.0

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=18509.0

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html