Hello, my child is 4 month, and he was crying very often, our doctor said that he had no pains, he was eating very good, and also he had some problems about constipation but now he is doing well. Two days ago he began to cry again, and he is eating (breastfeed) every 2 hours for a ten minutes and he sleeps very bad. We are very concerned about it. What we can do?

My child is male, 4 months, 67 cm and 8 kg

Take him back to the doctor,and keep going until you are satisfied your baby is well.

Some babies cry just to cry,but I'm an avid believer in a mothers instint.
Go with your gut,you know your baby best.
Go back to the doctor,or call the district health nurse.

Breastfeeding for 10 minutes at a time is not very long for a 4 month old. Are you sure he's not hungry?

Well I will see a doctor, but I'm not really sure that he is hungry, doctor will see it, thanks for advices

10 minutes for a 4 month old is basically only enough to get the foremilk down. While 10 minutes is good for a newborn, the length of time breastfeeding should increase with age.

If your son is well medically, there are a number of things you can try to see if they ease his crying.

Lots of babies at 4 months of age are able to drain the breast in 5 minutes, some less, so I don't think his problem would be one of hunger but to be sure of this, there are a few things you can look at - How many wet nappies does he have a day? Your baby is normally getting enough milk if he is having at least five heavily-wet disposable nappies (or six to eight very wet cloth nappies) in 24 hours, provided no other fluids or solids are being given.

Also, what are his poos like? Are they mustardy? If not, what colour are they? Is your baby feeding from both breasts in this 10 minute period or just one side?

It is great that you are feeding every 2 hours - breastmilk is produced by a supply and demand response so, the more you feed, the more milk you make. Women who have supply problems tend to feed by the clock rather than by the baby's demands and spacing feeds out causes supply to drop.

It may help for you to know that this is very common at 4 months of age. There is a developmental stage of the breastfeeding baby that begins at about four months and can go on to 6 or 7 months - where breastfed babies start to wake more through the night and want more frequent night feeding. This is a normal developmental stage that will pass. It is NOT normal for babies this age to sleep through the night, particularly breastfed babies.

Feel free to ask any questions and just remember that this is most likely a developmental stage that will pass.

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Originally Posted by J_9

10 minutes for a 4 month old is basically only enough to get the foremilk down. While 10 minutes is good for a newborn, the length of time breastfeeding should increase with age.

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I hope you don't mind me correcting you but babies become more efficient at emptying the breast as they age. Many babies can drain a breast in 5 minutes by 10-12 weeks of age while many newborns will feed for up to 45 minutes at a time.

Babies, younger and older ones, will also often continue to comfort suckle once the breast has been drained. Strictly speaking though, the breasts are never empty so there is no such thing as a non-nutritive sucking.