nursing strike??? or what???

[CJF]

HI
I was just wondering if anyone experienced a nursing strike as early as 2 months old?  My ds is 2 months and he seems to be VERY fussy at the boob, yesterday during the day and today so far.  Everytime I put him on he eats a little, maybe 5 or 10 minutes and then gets very fussy and bobs on and of and cries.  I defiantely burb him and wait a few minutes and hold him upright and try again but the same thing happens he sucks for a minute or so and acts the same way.  Now last night before bed and during the night he ate fine.  He does seem to be an efficient eater, but just from his actions it seems as something else is going on rather than being full.  I should mention that yesterday when he did this, I gave him bottle (because I knew he was hungry) and he took that fine and it was formula!!!  He took another bottle later, which was bm.  We have his 2 month checkup tomorrow and I am going to ask about reflux ( I think he may have it) not sure.  He just seems to be getting more and more fussy especially after eating!!
Well, thanks for you help in advance!!  Babies are so confusing!!!!!!!!!

[rosie and joe's mummy]

fussy or starting to look at what's going on around?

how often are you tryin gto BF him?  it might be you're feedin gtoo frequently?  sometimes if you feed them too often they get quite gassy and that makes them uncomfortable. theyalso don't really get hungry enough to feed very long either. It could be you're feeding him when he doesn't really need any and he's getting frustrated?

[CJF]

yeah, i was thinking the same thing about feeding too often.  i do feed him about every 3 hours give or take, although this morning and yesterday morning he was extra fussy so i thought he was hungry so maybe he wasn't hungry just something else bothering him.
as far as looking around, he does seem to be more alert now and trying to look around esepcially when his 2 year old sister is making alot of noise.  however, yesterday and today he was FUSSY!!!!  maybe he was just extra gassy, which he was making alot of toots!!!

to piggy back on my last question, is it possible for one side to start to decrease in milk supply?  the reason i ask this is, as i stated before, my ds was very fussy eating, seemed frustrated.  when i fed him before he got very fussy and cried and i thought he was in pain or possible nursing strike, but i fed him 2 hours later (which he was pobably more hungry) on the OTHER side and he ate just fine, got a little fussy, but not as bad as he did on the other side earlier.  i have been bf all along with an occasional bottle here and there so i don't think that would diminish my supply, but i have been nursing him on one side for 2 feeds and then switch sides (per my lc because of gassiness and frquent spitting up). ( my lc actually said to feed for a 6 hour strech on one side and then switch, but i am just sticking to 2 feeds).  anyway, my ds has recently been doing  5 hour stretch at night in the beginning of the night, 7-ish to 12-ish and then about every 3 hours after that.   he wakes up ate well at 12-ish and then a little bit at 3-ish.  i tried to think back to see if the one side he was fussy on the the non-feeding side during the last few nights before his 5 hour stretch and i cannot remember (sleep deprived  ).  but do you think my milk supply could diminish from nursing on one side for 2 feeds coinciding with a 5 hour sleep stretch at night?
sorry so confusing!!

[rosie and joe's mummy]

oh yes one side can definitely decrease.  I actually have a great right side and a poor left one. it's my own fault as i feed rosie lying down and i prefer to lie on my right. i try and make sure i use the lef tbut it's just not as well stocked as the right.

I know your LC said to do two feeds on each side but i would disagree. that would be she's thinking you're going to be giving him less foremilk if it's the same side and therefore less gas?  that would be right if you were feeding him every hour or so, but after an hour or two (or three) that side is going to be back where you started and just as much foremilk as at any other time really. I wouldn't have bothered with that, it sounds like to much hassle.

Come to think of it, when rosie was that age she started takeing from both sides at each feed. so whichever side i fed on last she'd have a few minutes on, grumble, pull away and then i'd swap her back onto the new side and she'd feed well.  I never found she fussed because there was nothing there at all, there always was, but it was clearly not as easy to get as the full one!  maybe that's the point. maybe your feeding from the same one twice ina row is actually upsetting him because the second time he's finding that it's more difficult to get enough out?

[CJF]

oh maybe you are right...maybe he is draining the boob and wants more milk, but there isn't anymore.  hmmm........   you know i was thinking the same thing about feeding on one side and if my ds eats again 3 hours later then the boob refills with all 3 milks again.  yes, we were trying to solve his gas problem, but feeding on one side didn't seem to help too much anyway.
thanks for you advice!!!

[rosie and joe's mummy]

well i was thinking this morning, you're having this happen:

first feed is a full breast which flows quickly and easily, then you give it a 3 hour break and it hasn't necessarily quite filled up yet, so it's really slow and hard for him to feed from, then next feed you swap breasts and it's another full and fast flowing one, but next time it's slowed right down again. poor baby can't work out what's going on, and your breasts - well they're having a 3 hour break, then a 6 hour break then a 3 hour break.... it's  not consistent enough and you must end up with either breasts that aren't filling quickly enough, or breasts that are getting very full, uncomfortable and leaking?

[CJF]

ahh...haa...i think that is exactly what is going on!!  Joey is getting frustrated because every time he is on the boob it is different...fast...slow...not enough  milk...whatever!!  and yes, my boobs get uncomfortable and leak and when my boobs get full (i am sure everyone's is like this) they get very round and it is hard for him to latch on.
thanks for thinking about it and letting me know what is probably going on.... sounds about right to me!!   

[rosie and joe's mummy]

  big round hard to latch on, yup been there. and once he gets on - pow it all shoots out - does he sometimes cougha dn splutter after a few minutes on a full boob?  that's if the milk just fires out too fast for him to swallow. and then when you offer him a soft easy to latch on boob there's hardly anything there and he has to work really hard at it!  poor love!! never mind, it'll probably settle once you get back onto alternate boob feeding!

[CJF]

thanks!!!  yes, i am back to alternating boobs each feed now and it already seems a bit better.
thank you so much for your thoughts and advice!!