Crying when feeding

[Rachel600]

Hi

Has anyone got any idea what I can do to hlep my dd3 feed? She latches on fine but after a while she cries then goes back on then off cries on, off etc. This is on one side at the moment although it is starting to happen on the other side more often now. The only way i can get her to feed well is by takiing off her clothes so she is in her nappy but even that is losings its appeal. she is constantly knawing her hands despite feeding for ages. she is crying imbetween feeds and is struggling to nap or sleep at night well. there are no independent naps really although i have spent time trying to help her to do this but it is hard with two other dd's around most of the time. the baby carrier is my lifeline at the moment.

she hasnt had a bottle or dummy. Dh is fed up and has got dummies ready to try and wasputting them in her mouth this morning when i was trying to get the girls up. he also wants me to give her bottles.

what should i do?

[becj86]

How old is she?

What's your letdown/supply like? Any chance you have an overactive (forceful) letdown or an oversupply?

Any of this ring true? Reflux 101 - General reflux information
Here are some settling tips - not necessarily only for use with a refluxer tips for calming my refluxing LO

Here's some info that may be useful: http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/child/back-to-breast/

[Rachel600]

Hi

She is 6 weeks old. I haven't had a problem with oversupply or forceful letdown before but it could be that. She just doesn't take a whole proper feed anymore, just on and off until we just give up. I will look at the links.

Thank you for the reply

[Fiver]

Has this been the same for the last 6 weeks or is this something that's just started recently?

[Rachel600]

She found it hard to latch on to that sidebut then was fine for about two weeks but the last two weeks she has sTruggled with it, she seems to be struggling with both sides now though so its just getting worse. I just don't know what to do, it's upsetting to see her so upset and she is clearly not getting enough milk as she is constantly eating her hands

I don't think it is reflux but maybe it's fast let down, I just feel like I can't get anything right for her and what's worse is that in the evenings she cries a lot and my husband doesnt like it and starts telling me to put her on bottles.

Will this improve with age?

[becj86]

What about tongue tie? That can prevent milk transfer and be frustrating for LO. Can you find a LC who can help you with a weighed feeding so you know how much milk she's getting? The LC should also be able to have a feel inside her mouth and see if there's a tongue tie.

What shape is your nipple after she feeds? Any pain for you?

[Erin M]

Will this improve with age?

It depends on the cause.  Like PP said, this might be a good time to find some IRL support to check on how she's doing.  There are some places to start here: "In real life" help, Useful websites, helplines and depending on where in the world you are, a lot of hospitals/birthing centers will be able to hook you up with some help as well.  I know all of the hospitals where I delivered my LOs had BFing support groups where you could go and have a latch looked like, get your baby weighed, etc. 

[Rachel600]

Hi

I saw a LC for the first few weeks with dd3, she doesn't have tongue tie, dd2 did and that was hard, she eventually had it snipped. Latch is now good, no misshapen nipple. I watched her closely earlier, when it got to the let down, she started to cry so I manually pumped then put her back on and she was ok, but she also was exhausted. I will try that next time. I also made her sit up more when feeding as this seems preferable to her.

[becj86]

I also made her sit up more when feeding as this seems preferable to her.

Lying back in a recliner chair or something can have a similar effect.