My baby gets angsty if milk isn't flowing fast enough and the advice on "kellymom" is useless!?

Question

My baby is 6 weeks, he tends to have a long afternoon sleep and has been quite angsty wanting to feed all evening but fights the feed after the first few minutes on each side - scratches me, head buts me etc (its *not* a latching issue) we have established he prefers milk to be fast flowing and the advice on kellymom (someone attached a link here for me - I'm actually a UK mum) is useless - he's STILL not satisfied even with compression and massage and its a real effort to occupy him all evening while we wait long enough between feeds to solve the problem - he won't accept a dummy (pacifier)

anyone got any advice?

Answer 1

Some times when you are anxious this can affect the flow of milk, this may sound silly but you must try to relax and be calm yourself it may help. Also is it only the evening feed your baby has problems with or all feeds, if it is all feeds it could be a reflux problem where milk comes back up the throat.

But the best advice of all is to talk to your health visitor they will help you and direct you in the right direction.

Best of luck

Answer 2

I had massive problems with getting my 3 month old son to sleep.  He would just lie awake and cry for hours, then when he finally went to sleep he would wake every hour or two hours through the night and cry again!  Talk about pulling our hair out .... we were absolutely desperate for sleep!

It was a baby sleep audio program recommended by a friend that finally saved us. We followed the advice and began by creating a baby sleep routine which included bathtime, dimming of the lights, putting Paul into his crib, final nappy change and then lullabies. We also made recommended changes to his naps during the day and used some of the other recommended techniques. Within two weeks he was sleeping through the night most nights with just the odd night where he would just wake once!

Definitely start by creating a good baby sleep routine though and you could find that solves most of your baby sleep problems.

Good luck!

If you want to take a look, the audio program is at http://www.babysleepsolution.com

Answer 3

Have you tried the haberman feeding system, look up www.taraschoice.com

Habermans let milk out at babies pace, without wind probs! I obviously meant with breast pumped milk!

Edit,  why are you making him wait between feeds, if he sleeps a lot in afternoon, he may want to feed ALL evening! He may be over hungry! In fact I think thats the problem, and then he is crying and getting windy! Try feeding as much as he wants! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 4

sqeeze your breast a few times first so that it gets the milk flowing.  If that dosent work then pump because drinking a bottle is faster

Answer 5

Oh boy, do I remember those days with my son. That is exactly how he acted... and it scares you, doesn't it? At least it scared me. Anyways, I went through a lot of pain with him because he would actually put tears or cuts, I'm not sure which, in my nipples and because he did it every time he fed, they didn't heal, and only got worse over time. It got to the point where I would actually have to muffle back a scream when he latched on. Every one insisted it must be an improper latch, but no one actually ever watched me feed him. Finally, I came across a lactation consultant that watched me feed him and could see that it wasn't the latch. She recommended a nipple shield to me so that the wounds would have time to heal, as everything else - from sleeping topless to using lanolin - wasn't working.

So from then on I nursed him as much as I could naturally, and then if I started getting thrashed up I used the nipple shield. And by the time he was three months old he was so much calmer during nursing that I stopped having to use the shield and haven't used it since, in fact I have no clue where it is right now.

One thing you can really do to calm him down during nursing is swaddling him tightly and securely before you feed him. That keeps him from thrashing about, and it also soothes him. Another thing you can do is rock him in a rocking chair while you feed him (and also during that awkward moment before when you're trying to get your breast out to him, lol). And keep offering the binkie. He'll steadfastly refuse it for a while but one day he'll just take to it, and then you can use that to calm him down before you actually feed him. Some time after three months though if he doesn't wean himself from the binkie make sure to gradually wean him off it yourself, as it's supposed to get a lot harder to wean them from it the longer you wait after four months.

Answer 6

Have you considered maybe pumping and giving him the milk in a bottle when he wants it to be faster flowing than you can manage?

Answer 7

It's a pain in the bum, but you could try expressing and giving him a fast-flow teat with the bottle?

Answer 8

Fenugreek.  

Get it in capsule form at your local health food store.  It helps improve milk production, but be warned, your perspiration will smell like maple syrup.

edit:  Consider rousing your baby for a feeding instead of letting him sleep for a long period of time.

Answer 9

same issue with mr. buffet over there  <-.  And 22 hours a day, I have a fast, strong flow, so in the evening, when I am tired and supply is naturally lower, he fusses and flips.- no patience at all.

yes, kellymom is worthless. she seems not to know that babies are individuals.

Have you tried timing fenugreek so it's kicking in as he hits that stretch? Double it. Add blessed thistle to it as well. Drink plenty of water in the afternoon. Seems to be helping here.

ETA- yes, swaddling might help with the frustration / agitation- I know it helps <- Isaac, but I didn't think to add that until I read the answer above.

Answer 10

Ok, don't faint with shock and disgust, but I think you should top up with one formula feed a day (or as much as you need).... The best one on the UK market is Aptamil, which is more expensive than the rest, but the closest you will find to breastmilk - and recommended by health professionals to me when I needed it.  If your little man really is hungrier than you are able to provide for him, then it will be obvious when he drains a formula bottle on a medium/fast flow teat.  If its not hunger, then he will fuss with the feed and not take it as you might have expected.  When you are giving him a formula feed, express and store your breastmilk.  As you do this, you will be able to store more breastmilk for use when you run dry and he still wants it, at the same time as stimulating your flow.

Good luck!  It sounds like you might just have a hungry one on your hands!  xx

Answer 11

I think you've had some good answers here, and I know you don't want to use formula, but if he's unhappy, and unsatisfied you may just have to do it. You can still breastfeed, but he's a big boy, and as much as people tell you that you will produce what he needs that's just not always true.

Breast is best, but he will get all the goodness he needs from the breast milk that he *does* get, so some formula can be used as a supplement.

Babies happiness and health comes first hun.

I would say persevere, but if he becomes constantly unhappy, or stops gaining/starts losing weight, bite the bullet.

Answer 12

You *sound* like Joan :)

Answer 13

Babies at that age are just sometimes fussy at the breast. It's normal, it doesn't mean there's any need to use bottles, and that will _just make the problem worse_. If you want to breastfeed, breastfeed; don't express and use bottles.

I called them 'fuss-and-feeds' and just rode them out, though I did find it helpful to nurse in the bathtub, and when baby was _just_ waking up and hadn't quite yet figured out she was hungry.

Baby is now 12.5mo and latching her is as complicated as using velcro. You just have to hang in there and ride out the fussy feeds. No bottles, no formula, just patience.

Do read

"Cluster Feeding and Fussy Evenings

... My baby nurses and fusses all evening! What's wrong?"

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fus...

"Breast Compression"

http://drjacknewman.com/help/Breast-comp...

Also (looking at the other answers), I would be wary of advice from anybody who hasn't successfully nursed a baby. Eg, anybody telling you to use a breast pump or formula. :-(