nursing in motion??

[MackMum]

I've got a weird one for you. I posted a few days ago all stressed out because my LO was arching back off the boob only partway through his feed, then crying for more but repeatedly bobbing off again and finally refusing to take the nipple at all - getting more and more worked up until he's fairly beside himself.

Well, I stumbled upon a solution the other night - LO has a habit of calming down when you walk around with him, so mid-bawling while I was trying to feed him I stood up and walked a few metres to calm him - and he latched on again! Yep, it appears that when he's like this he will only continue to drink if I keep pacing around the floor  . If I stop moving and try to sit down again - off he comes again and the fussing starts again. So I've finally been able to get some decent meals into him again and much of his fussy behaviour has settled down but I'm now having to do this pacing about for virtually every feed - even nightimes sometimes. Has anyone had this happen with their LO and does anyone know why it would make a difference? (I do burp him regularly but it seems to make no difference).

I really hope it's just a phase because he's only going to get heavier and what if he expects to be walked about when we get him onto bottles  Plus I miss the calm and rest of sitting together nursing quietly!

[RachelC]

I am sorry I have no advice for you... I am assuming rocking doesn't cut it 

Hugs!

[Carter'sMama]

Wow .. atleast you are getting your exercise!!    All kidding aside I do feel for you.  I remember being a zombie in the middle of the night for feedings and I would hate to have to walk around the room.  Does rocking work at all?  Maybe if you rocked very deliberately (quickly and exagerated) he would calm with that and then gradually you could reduce it to a slight rock and then maybe get back to snuggling in the chair with no movement.

I must admit I have never heard of this before 

Let us know what happens!
 

[jbepko]

I have heard of it before..never experienced. Some moms are able to nurse LO's while wearing a sling...it would save your arms from lifting him!

[Samuel's mum]

Sam went through the same phase!!! He was around 6 months and a real lump!!! I used to walk around the house. We used to do a little guided tour but it wasn't quite for the same reasons as you.  Sam would feed when still but was just really quick so walking around got longer feeds in him. However if he ever fed at night he was always back to sitting/lying. That must be tough!!!

I think a sling as suggested would be a big help but I suppose the long-term solution is to think about what might be going on. Is he just feeling a bit antsy and needing some kind of distraction? Would singing cut it or some other kind of rocking motion as Rachel suggests. Do you have a rocking chair? However babies do have some super-power that tells them when you are try to sit down!!

Perhaps more likely it has something to do with the change in positioning when you are feeding and perhaps the way your bodies are shaped. You could try and get someone to observe you feeding standing and sitting and see if there are any obvious differences. It could be about 'tension' in your arm muscles or the way his head is positioned in relation to his body. Do you hold him differently? Perhaps he likes the feeling of being less 'compressed' when you are walking around. You could be like an Olympic athlete and get someone to video you and then study the playback.

[MackMum]

Well, thankfully I have a bit of good news - seems that the walking about thing was to do with distraction like many mums said in reply to my post a week or so ago. I tried lying down like one or two mums had done successfully but no luck. I also tried singing, patting his bum, jiggling, dangling an interesting necklace off my chest, dark room etc. But what has worked (so far) has been a light blanket over my shoulder and DS's head, blocking out all visual stimulation. It sounded silly but I had wondered if the pacing meant that the scenery was always changing so DS couldn't focus on any one thing at a time and get distracted - and that was why it'd stop working the moment I tried rocking him in one place - seems I may have been right after all!

Anyway, for the moment we're back to much more peaceful feeds and he even gets nice and sleepy under there which is great cos he feeds for much longer and slower - swallowing less air and getting lots of hindmilk 

Thanks for your support!