5 month old latching and unlatching repeatedly after initial letdown

[erind1983]

My 5 month old son has started to stop eating after my initial letdown which is quite fast. He will eat for 5 min tops and then he starts unlatching and latching repeatedly. He literally throws his head back which can be so painful! Sometimes he will whine while he does it but then relatches right away only to suck for a couple seconds and rip off again. I have tried feeding him in the dark because I thought maybe he was distracted but he does it even then. It's like it's too much effort for him. The breast is not drained because i can squeeze and milk comes out. He eats every 2.5-3 hours and seems satisfied with what he's getting however he is not gaining weight as fast as he should so I am worried. Sometimes singing to him can keep him latched longer and I have been determined to feed on both sides the last few days but it's so frustrating for both of us. I have also tried feeding from the same side a second time during his awake time just to make sure he is getting more milk.

Any idea why he is doing this?? Or suggestions on how to keep him latched longer? I spoke to a LC who recommended a nipple shield- any experiences with these?

Thank you in advance!!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Have you tried breast compression?

 Breast compression

Otherwise if he is satisfied between feeds then he has probably just become more efficient. What about his weight gain is worrying you?

[lauradj]

Good lord you are me!  I have been going through this exact some issue.  My DS is actually quite wee, the doctor is having me come in every two weeks for a weigh-in  , so hubby and I have made the decision to give him on feed of formula a day.  I don't like it, I actually broke down in tears last night when we talked about it but we also need his weight to go up.
HOWEVER, I am in no way suggesting that is what you should do!  Maybe your little one is ready for some solids?  I agree with PP, if he looks healthy and is alert and content, don't sweat it.

[roseola]

Following along.

[becj86]

Do you think he might be trying for another letdown? If so, breast compressions could well work for you. L did his own compressions...

DS also was often shocked by a second letdown and would clamp and shake his head around like a dog with a toy and that hurts! Lying back in the recliner chair when he did that helped, just to take the edge off the flow.

Is he more physically active than the other kids his age that you know? L's weight gain slowed earlier just because he crawled and climbed earlier than normal so it looked like he was dropping down the centiles but within a month or two when everyone else was moving too, he climbed back up the chart as everyone else's growth slowed.

[*Ali*]

Do you know what the LC thinks a nipple shield will achieve?

Could he need burping? What if you take him off, burp, change his nappy maybe and then offer again?

Have you checked out this FAQ?
Oversupply and Overactive (Forceful) Let-Down
Maybe  he is getting an oversupply of foremilk if you have this? 

[erind1983]

Well after 3 days with the nipple shield, things have improved! The first time I used it, he ate for 17 minutes on one side with no break and then another 6 on the other.  The LC says that the nipple shield will give a constant flow instead of a fast flow initially and then a slower flow after letdown.  And that's totally what's happening because his sucking and swallowing rhythm is consistent. Not every feed goes so smoothly, but way better than before.  Sometimes when he does unlatch a few times, I will burp or take a short break (like 3 min) and go back and usually during that time he is anxious to get back to eating and does much better.

A new problem popped up though- he is biting the nipple shield.  When he starts to do this, I take it off and he continues eating fine without it. This is usually after the initial letdown so the flow is pretty much the same without the shield.  I was hesitant to get the nipple shield because I was worried it wouldn't be "breastfeeding" without the skin to skin contact, but it's not that bad and like I said, I sometimes finish a feed without it so we still get that bonding!

I would recommend giving it a try at least to see if things improve!

[*Ali*]

Great update.  And using a nipple sheild is totally still breastfeeding! 

[debo620]

I'm wondering if spacing out your feeds a bit more would help. My daughter was doing this too because she wasn't quite hungry enough.  Could he go 3.5-4 hours. He may be more interested then?

[juliana.s.burgess]

This happened to me too! I realized that it happened when he was going through his 3-month growth spurt, and he stopped doing it after a few days. It was just a phase.  Also, are you giving him bottles for any other feeds? When I started giving him a bottle (when I went back to work), he started doing this sometimes and I made sure to use the level one nipple or premie nipple so that it didn't come out of the bottle fast.   

[erind1983]

I sometimes wonder if he is not hungry enough but if I do go to burp him he whines and roots so I think he is hungry. I will maybe try spacing them out.

He does take a bottle probably once or twice a week if I leave him with my husband or my mom and he uses the size 2 nipple and does okay but I see what you mean about using the newborn one so he gets a slower flow.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and replies! This was my first post on these boards and so far I find it very helpful! 

[becj86]

At five months, feeds would typically be further apart, on a 4hr+ EASY. A times should be up around 2-2.5hr by now...

Have you thought about whether he's rooting because he's tired? L did that...