Why does my daughter cry whenever she tries to nurse? ?

Question

She is 7 weeks old and up until now, she has been great at nursing. However, just a few days ago, every time she tries to nurse, she cries. She gets the breast in her mouth, sucks for a few seconds then lets go and cries. She will do this little routine for about 4 to 5 times then settles down and sucks. It's so frustrating.

Answer 1

maybe she is sick

Answer 2

My baby is 8 weeks old, and he'll sometimes cry and fuss before he finally latches on.  Maybe your milk is coming too fast?  Maybe it's just a stage ... your body is adjusting to her (like is she sleeping longer at night, so you're fuller in the morning and that's when she cries more?).  Or it could be something as simple as gas!  Burp her and see if that helps.

Answer 3

her appetite is increasing and patience is not really in her program right now since it takes a bit to get the milk she becomes irritated it might help to massage your breast to get the milk flow started or pump it out put it in a bottle and give it to her OR the taste might be a little off because of something you like to consume garlic coffee decaffeinated drinks can leave breast milk unpalatable check with your doctor how you can eat and drink stuff that Will make your baby want the milk

Answer 4

The only two reasons any of my kids ever did that were

1.  Thrush- their mouth hurts- give good bacteria in powdered form (refrig. case in Whole foods or health food store)

2.  I ate something spicy.  Only my 3rd child minded that....

Answer 5

She's mad because your milk isn't letting down fast enough for her. You can try to do some breast compression when she first gets on to help it flow a little faster.  

Answer 6

One of a couple things: Either your milk isn't plentiful enough for her, she has gas, or maybe she's even getting a tooth. My nephew got his first tooth at 2 months old so it isn't unheard of. Check with her Dr. if it doesn't improve after a few days. As long as she does eat and seems full afterward I wouldn't be overly concerned, but ultimately go with your gut. If you think somethings wrong call her Dr. Better safe then sorry!

Answer 7

has she had a bottle at all because alot of times a child will prefer the bottle over breast and the way you explain it it sounds like she is not getting it fast enough and is getting frustrated.

Answer 8

Sounds like an over-active letdown.  I went through the same thing at about 8 weeks.  Check out this site, for tips on how to get around an over-active letdown.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-l...

Answer 9

It sounds like your let down isn't fast enough for her! Next time, try to massage your breast while she is feeding and that should help you let down a little faster. Start from the top of the breast and aim towards your nipple. Around this time is a growth spurt and they tend to want food faster and more of it!

Answer 10

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby...

Determining the problem

Here are some of the problem-solving steps I go through when my baby is fussy at the breast or a mother asks me why her baby is fussing during nursing:

How old is baby? Most babies go through growth spurts during the first few days at home and around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, etc. Many babies are fussy during growth spurts.

Is baby working on anything new developmentally? Babies who are starting to notice the world around them can be notoriously distractible. Any kind of new developmental step that baby is working on can affect nursing temporarily, whether it be fussy nursing behavior or simply more frequent nursing.

When is baby fussing? To figure out the cause it's helpful to pay attention to when the fussy behavior happens, both during the nursing session and during the day.

If baby is fussy right when your milk is letting down (or immediately after), there's a good chance that the fussy nursing is related to a fast let-down. If baby is fussy before let-down, or a few minutes into nursing (and a while after let-down), then baby may be impatient for the fast flow of milk that comes with let-down. Fussing at the end of a nursing session (or what seems to be the end) may mean that baby needs to burp, or is ready to finish nursing, or just wants to suck (and doesn't want to deal with a new let-down at this point), or wants to continue nursing on the other side or with a faster flow of milk.

If the fussy behavior is mainly in the mornings, it might be due to a faster than usual let-down if baby has just had a longer sleep period and mom's b*****s are fuller than usual. If baby is fussier during evening nursings, it may be due to the normal fussy time that most babies have during the evening. Although most babies don't react to foods that mom eats, some do. If you eat a particular food at about the same time each day (or most days) and baby has a regular time where she fusses during nursing, try not eating that food for a week or two to see if things improve.

Does fussing occur on both sides equally or only on one side? Most moms have a faster let-down and/or a more abundant milk supply on one side than the other, so if your baby fusses more on one side, it may be due to these differences.

What else is going on with baby? Is she sick or teething? Is something new or different going on in her environment? Has she started solids or is she trying a new food? Is she exhibiting other symptoms besides the fussy nursing?

Below are discussions of some of the different things that can lead to fussy nursing behavior. Keep in mind that the problem may also be a combination of several things.

Answer 11

Could she have an ear infection? Or thrush? Have you given her a bottle?

If you've given her a bottle, she's probably doing this because bottles flow faster and she doesn't have to work for it. When she's on the breast she has to work to make the milk come out.

If you haven't given her a bottle I would definitely check for thrush. If it's not that you might want to take her to the doc to get her ears checked.

Beyond those things, I don't know.