Baby pulling off breast

[amanda1235]

Hey! So my 3 week old has been doing this thing the past 4 days where she'll drink, then pull off and cry hysterically, but refuses to latch again. She'll put it in her mouth, but won't latch even with help, and just cry. Then I'll sit her up, burp her and hold her, and she's still bobbing around and eating her hands. So I'll put her back, and she'll latch for a few seconds, and do the same thing. This can go on for hours (like 2-4). Eventually she will latch and fall asleep, or I'll take her off and rock her and she falls asleep. Not sure she's doing it because she wants to suck and not have milk? Went to see a lactation nurse yesterday, they suspected either my milk supply is low, or else she's not able to effectively nurse due to a small tongue tie. So I've been pumping after nursing. The thing is, I'm not convinced this is the problem, as when she pulls off sometimes, her mouth is full, and I can get a spray of milk if I squeeze my boob. Also, she's gaining 28g/day and has lots of yellow poopy and clear wet diapers daily. It's so frustrating and I'm starting to have a really tough time. It's heartbreaking to see her so upset and not know how to fix it.
Anyone have any experience with this? Could it be reflux? Colic? Gassy? She grunts a lot and pulls her knees up/arches her back. She seems so uncomfortable, I just wish I knew how to help her. Should I be going back to the paediatrician?
First time mama and feeling a bit overwhelmed!

 

[kajastarlight]

My baby does this sometimes with the boob and with the bottle while I am at work. We call it "vapor lock" - she is hungry but has lots of gas. Then she gets all frustrated and a frustrated baby just won't eat sometimes. Has drops help a lot!

 

[amanda1235]

How young can you start gas drops?

 

[IchigoMewMew]

Do you feel a strong letdown when she starts to suck? It could be coming out too quickly for her to cope with at the start of a feed. My LO used to cough and splutter a bit at the start of a feed when she was tiny. Have you tried a laid back feeding position (for you) and see if gravity helps slow down the first flow?

 

[amanda1235]

Yeah, she does cough and sputter at the beginning sometimes, but the pulling off happens towards the end. I know she's eaten a lot, but she pulls off, screams, but still seems hungry. I'm currently feeding her as I type this, and she was not latching at the beginning, so I held her on my chest, and she squirmed and grunted and then let out the most unladylike of gas hehe. She immediately started sucking on her hands and latched right away. Maybe it is gas like kaka said?

 

[IchigoMewMew]

Oh ok yes if she's pulling off at the end in discomfort it probably is gas. Sometimes my DD burps while she's still latched then carries on! Was the tongue tie properly assessed? DD would swallow a lot of air before she had hers cut because she couldn't make a good seal around my breast, her face would end up covered with milk!

 

[Beejing]

It sounds like gas. My DD started doing this recently and her doctor suggested gas drops. She is only 3 weeks but doctor says it is safe and it has helped tremendously.

 

[kajastarlight]

Gas drops are safe at any age

 

[amanda1235]

Made a dr appointment for today, will ask about gas drops! Also worried about possible reflux.

 

[lenorajoy]

I'd guess it's mostly just gas, especially if she doesn't latch well. Does she have any other symptoms of reflux?

 

[noon_child]

Sounds like gas (which can be made worse by tongue tie). Some babies confuse gas with hunger so chew their hands etc. but when it comes to swallowing it is too uncomfortable so they scream. I used drops from about 3 weeks to about 5 months with my LO as when she didn't take them she was such an unhappy baby!

 

[lenorajoy]

That's a good point noon! Not everything that looks like reflux is actually reflux. That's the trouble with babies - there are so many possibilities and it's so difficult to narrow them down to get to the real issue!

 

[amanda1235]

Thanks guys! So dr did say reflux, as she arches her back a lot, and seemed so uncomfortable/in pain especially after burping or spitting up. She does seem to be feeling better now though, at least she has times of the day where she seems happy. Interesting about the fact that they confuse hunger and gas. I have recently found out that she also will eat her hands, latch, then unlatch quickly if she's just tired. Poor munchkin doesn't stay asleep very long.

 

[lenorajoy]

I hope the reflux improves soon! It's no fun at all.

If you're open to homeopathic remedies, give nat phos 6x a try. It's cheap on Amazon, not sure if you can buy it in a store locally. Just dissolve one tablet in a tsp or so of water in the nipple of a bottle and give after feedings, up to 8 tablets a day. It worked for my baby! We did it for about a month, but I'm not sure if the symptoms of reflux went away long before that because I was slightly afraid to stop and have to start over.