baby pulling off...help

[magicflute82]

This past week my son (10 weeks old) has been pulling off my one breast alot. It's only the left one he does this with. If I try to help hold him there he gets upset. Also if he doesn't pull himself off right away he starts wiggling and ends up crying. He doesn't do this with the other breast. I also know it doesn't have to do with him being finished because he's done this after only 1 or 2 minutes on the breast. He does this no matter if the left one is first or 2nd.

Why is he doing this and what can I do to help change it?

[devoted]

I am no expert, but my son (11wks) does the same thing. Although I havent noticed that it is the left or right. It may be the position he is in on the left side. I have figured out that when my son starts to squirm, wiggle, and pull off he usually has a gas bubble. I will put him up on my shoulder and pat his back for a while. He almost always burps. does your milk let down quickly? Mine does and causes him to swallow air in the first few gulps which causes him to squirm and pull off. hope this is helpful. :)

[StillSingingMom]

Could be the position. It could also be (this is common) that one breast produces more milk, more quickly, than the other, and that your little one isn't comfortable handling the flow yet.

Also, if you have a fast flow, a little baby can fill up surprisingly quickly. You read and hear from moms who have infants that nurse from twenty to forty minutes at a feeding, and you think, well, my baby can not possibly be full yet.

But I have a superfast flow and a lot of milk. My nursling is often done before five minutes have passed...

[singin_mama]

Ditto what SSM said.

Sara is a super fast nurser. She will nurse less than 5 minutes and be done. And she's been that way since she was just a few weeks old. I had one other babe that nursed fast like that.

[magicflute82]

I guess that is possible, especially because I have to supplement b/c I don't have enough milk. I'm just always afraid of having him finish too soon on a side. I have a low supply as it is, and I don't want to dindle it to nothing if he doesn;t nurse long enough on it.

I do know the flow and supply is slightly better on the right side and that he has always preferred that side. He's just never wiggled, pulled, fussed, and pulled himself off the left side before.

[devoted]

If you are worried that your supply will diminish due to him pulling off too soon then you can pump after those times. But maybe you have more milk than you think. Stick with it...I went through this with mine for a couple of weeks and now he's back into nursing both sides wo pulling off as often. Maybe he doesnt want to work for the breast milk when he know's he will get a bottle. Maybe he is pulling off out of frustration that it doesnt come out as quickly or easily as it does on the other breast and the bottle. Sometimes supplementing with a bottle will make them lazy nursers. But it sounds like you are just doing what you have to do. Good Luck...it will get easier. Again this has just been my experience...I am no expert. :)

[Amy_G_]

If you are worried that your supply will diminish due to him pulling off too soon then you can pump after those times. But maybe you have more milk than you think. Stick with it...I went through this with mine for a couple of weeks and now he's back into nursing both sides wo pulling off as often. Maybe he doesnt want to work for the breast milk when he know's he will get a bottle. Maybe he is pulling off out of frustration that it doesnt come out as quickly or easily as it does on the other breast and the bottle. Sometimes supplementing with a bottle will make them lazy nursers. But it sounds like you are just doing what you have to do. Good Luck...it will get easier. Again this has just been my experience...I am no expert. :)

I'm not an expert, but I've been here for shoot almost 9 years now, and this is right on the money. Can be bottle preference (some call it nipple confusion, but baby isn't confused, they know what they want!).

How do you know you have such a low supply that you need to supplement? Supplementation leads to low supply, more often than low supply leading to an actual need for supplementation.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#supply

[Amy_G_]

If you are worried that your supply will diminish due to him pulling off too soon then you can pump after those times. But maybe you have more milk than you think. Stick with it...I went through this with mine for a couple of weeks and now he's back into nursing both sides wo pulling off as often. Maybe he doesnt want to work for the breast milk when he know's he will get a bottle. Maybe he is pulling off out of frustration that it doesnt come out as quickly or easily as it does on the other breast and the bottle. Sometimes supplementing with a bottle will make them lazy nursers. But it sounds like you are just doing what you have to do. Good Luck...it will get easier. Again this has just been my experience...I am no expert. :)

For the bold? Baby doesn't have to nurse on both sides to be happy and grow at their potential rate. Nursing on both sides often leads to a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance--especially in the early months--so that baby spits up more, is fussier and often has green slimy poops. Nursing on one side is closer to what nature intended--to ensure baby gets enough formilk and hindmilk in the proper amounts. You have two breasts so you can feed two babies, not cause it takes two to feed one baby. ;)

[StillSingingMom]

I guess that is possible, especially because I have to supplement b/c I don't have enough milk. I'm just always afraid of having him finish too soon on a side. I have a low supply as it is, and I don't want to dindle it to nothing if he doesn;t nurse long enough on it.

I do know the flow and supply is slightly better on the right side and that he has always preferred that side. He's just never wiggled, pulled, fussed, and pulled himself off the left side before.


How do you know you don't have enough milk? We'd be happy to help with supply issues; tell us about that.