Having a REALLY hard time breastfeeding

[mjohnson102805]

My son is 6 weeks old and we are not having an easy time breastfeeding. There are TONS of problems that we are coming into contact with and I am REALLY leaning towards formula...so if you could help that would be GREAT. First problem is that is he seems to be very fussy and gassy at night time. For the last 2 nigths my husband and I got NO sleep. He will cry non stop unless he is being held and rocked. During the day he will sleep a little more, but when he is awake he wants to be held or rocked. Second problem, when I am feeding him he will latch on and eat, but then he will pull away and then franticly try and find the nipple again, and he will do this constantly....until he gets so frusterated that he starts to cry. Third, he seems to be hungry ALL the time, just when I think I am done feeding, he will wake up and be hungry or want to eat. He seems to eat every 20-30 minutes. And the last problem, when my milk first came in, my let down was very heavy and fast. And it has seemed to die down some, but when he is eating he sounds like he is having problems, he very nosiy and gulping and breathing very heavy. So if you have any advice I would really appreciate it. Thanks

[Marsha_Bearden]

A forceful let down can be a problem for babies, but if this seems better, this may not be the problem. Do you feel like you have an oversupply?

As far as your baby coming off the breast and trying to find it again, this can be normal. I've seen babies bob their head around trying to find the breast even when they were nursing for weeks.

The nursing very frequently is also normal. I've seen ‘high need’ babies that did want to nurse very often. If he doesn't complete a feed, then going back to the breast 20 minutes later would be expected. How is your baby’s weight gain? Pees? Poos? Do you feel like your milk supply is adequate?

I do think that the heavy breathing and excessive crying should be reported to the doctor. Your baby may be dealing with reflux or another medical condition that may require treatment. If this is reflux, then breastfeeding will be highly protective from respiratory infections.

I think it would be a very good idea for you to not only contact your pediatrician ASAP, but also have a local LC evaluate your baby at the time of day this behavior is going on.

Is the heavy breathing only with feeding? You may want to talk with the pediatrician on call tonight about this instead of waiting for an appointment.

I do pray that this will be resolved soon for your son as well as for you and your husband. I understand your concern, but sometimes Breastmilk gets blamed for things that have nothing to do with breastfeeding.

Giving formula could complicate the situation, so if you decide to go that route at a later date, do protect your milk supply by pumping in case things get worse so your milk supply will not be affected if you go back to the breast.