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guyshahar · Sep 6, 2009, 01:57 PM

Hi

Our 3 week old baby, Daniel, often sits at the breast as if he has forgotten how to breast feed. He keeps his mouth open, keeps looking around for the breast (even though it is already in his mouth) and doesn't latch on to it. Then he cries loudly and gets frustrated because he is not getting milk. Sometimes this goes on for hours and hours, which can be very distressing for him and for us. Sometimes this happens right at the start of a feed, other times, half-way through.

Does anyone have any idea what might be going on here and what we can do to help him.

I don't know if this is relevant, but he has also stopped wanting to sleep in his basket. For the first week, he was very happy in there, but now he cries as soon as we put him in it - even if we are still holding him.

redhed35 · Sep 6, 2009, 02:03 PM

I'm not a expert at breastfeeding I'm only going on my own experience..

Sometimes the baby is so hungry they get frustrated and can't find the nipple or latch on.
If you express a little milk onto your nipple and make sure he is in the right position... belly to belly so to speak,sometimes laying the baby on a cushion helps.

Make sure your relaxed,its so important for your milk flow and for him.

As for the basket,babies are smart little creatures,they know if they cry you will pick him up.

If you feel he is not feeding well at all or concerned about him,a quick call to your dr,or health nurse may help to ease your mind.

Also check that he is winded.

rockie100 · Sep 6, 2009, 02:16 PM

I don't know where you live but where I live there is a nurse that will come to your home in the first couple of weeks or months as needed to see how you and your newborn are doing. One thing I do know is a baby will never starve itself. If he has suckled before he will not forget how. At times a newborn will have some days when they are not so hungry. They usually return to have a better feeding day soon after. He and you are still ajusting. Remain calm during and before feeding. This helps the milk come in and you baby can sense your aggitation and reponds to it. Sit in a Quiet room. Relax yourself. You could have just ate something in the last day or so that he does not like. That could turn him off for a while. Could also make him feel restless at times. Good luck to you.

artlady · Sep 6, 2009, 02:31 PM

You may have to be a little bit more forceful.Put the nipple in his mouth ,make sure some milk has been expressed and that he is in fact getting milk.Can you hear him swallowing?
If you become too tense,it can interfere with your let down reflex.
I would contact someone from your local Leche League.They may have someone who is willing to do a home visit.
LLLUSA

ang8318 · Sep 7, 2009, 05:30 PM

The same thing happened with my first son. He would start to nurse then about 10 minutes in started rooting around and screaming. I talked to my pediatrician about it and they told me to pump to see how much milk my son was getting during a feeding. I found that after pumping for 15 minutes I could only get 0.5oz of milk and my milk would be gone. At that point I decided to quit breastfeeding (keep it up though, I wish I would have) and my son was drinking 4oz at a time (he was a big baby) and became much happier. I do wish I did not stop, I know it is better for the baby, but my son clearly was not getting enough milk from me. I do not know where you live but try to get in contact with a lactation consultant. Most hospitals have them, they are trained to help women breastfeed and are very helpful when problems arise.

DoulaLC · Sep 14, 2009, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by guyshahar

Hi

Our 3 week old baby, Daniel, often sits at the breast as if he has forgotten how to breast feed. He keeps his mouth open, keeps looking around for the breast (even though it is already in his mouth) and doesn't latch on to it. Then he cries loudly and gets frustrated because he is not getting milk. Sometimes this goes on for hours and hours, which can be very distressing for him and for us. Sometimes this happens right at the start of a feed, other times, half-way through.

Does anyone have any idea what might be going on here and what we can do to help him.

I don't know if this is relevant, but he has also stopped wanting to sleep in his basket. For the first week, he was very happy in there, but now he cries as soon as we put him in it - even if we are still holding him.

A few things can be going on... if you already have a good supply going you may be experiencing a overactive letdown. Sometimes, if the milk actually comes out too quickly when baby is first on, they will come off, sometimes being fussy. Let down can occur several times during a feed as well so that may account for him coming off part way into it. If you suspect this could be the problem, trying pumping just a bit or hand express to get the initial let down and a more regulated flow going before putting him on. You can also try leaning farther back with him more on top of the breast so that he has to work against gravity a bit.
It could also be that getting things started for him will help... again pumping just a bit or hand expressing to get the flow going for him. This can be necessary if he hasn't gotten the breastfeeding down real well yet or if you have had some supply concerns. If you are supplementing with a bottle at all, you may want to hold off for awhile until he gets the breastfeeding down again. Early bottles can cause some babies to balk at going back to the breast since they have to work harder at the breast.

Unfortuantely, as was Ang's situation, pumping to see what you are producing is not the best way to determine if you are producing enough. Some women will be lucky to get an ounce or two after pumping for half an hour but baby is gaining weight just fine. Others will say they can pump enough to feed the neighborhood. It works well for some women, but not for others. So if you do pump, and aren't seeing much results, try not to get discouraged.

As others have said, definitely try to get a visit with a lactation counselor either at your local hospital, birthing center, or perhaps your ped might have a recommendation. Often being able to actually see what the baby is doing at the breast can help find a solution. Good luck!

Silverfoxkit · Sep 14, 2009, 04:29 PM

Have you already given your baby a pacifier?

I have read on several sources recently that giving a youg baby a pacifier could cause trouble with breast feeding since the act of sucking on the breast and on the pacifier are different. If you have perhaps you should remove the pacifier for a while until he is back on track.

Silverfoxkit · Sep 14, 2009, 04:33 PM

Here is something else I just found on the subject I just mentioned:

Why should pacifiers be avoided for the first month?

The quantity of milk a mother makes in the long-term is largely determined by how well the baby drains the breasts in the first weeks. For example, the more frequently a baby nurses in the first week, the more prolactin receptors develop in the glandular cells of the breast, and the more milk the mother will make. It makes good sense, therefore, for a mother to breastfeed any time her baby shows a desire to suck. In a newborn, sucking is a hunger signal.

Over the next several weeks, a baby's increasing appetite will increase the mother's supply, until it reaches a plateau at around one month. The quantity of milk produced is largely regulated by a substance in the milk called feedback inhibitor of lactation (FIL). If too much milk is left in the breasts, then FIL will decrease milk production. However, if the breasts are drained, then the supply can increase. Pacifier use can break the milk production cycle and result in chronically low milk production.