My 2wk old DD has gone from being a peaceful sucker with a perfect latch, to now barely opening her mouth, and after 3 mins of sucking, shakes her head from side to side roughly (with nipple still in mouth.. OUCH!) and then pulls off, screams at me, I re-latch her, and same thing again.. and again and again, and then she just gives up and falls into a grouchy, agitated sleep. It just started in the last 2 days, though we had a lovely feed this morning (still with very lazy latch). Can anyone explain what's going on?
Misty, congratulations on your new DD. The early days can be so confusing, can't they!?
It is hard to know what is going on from the information you have given. Could you let us know a little bit more about how her feeding was/is going - eg how many feeds in 24 hours, how long they were before, number of wet and dirty nappies in 24 hours. Also, was your birth straight forward, and did your DD latch on easily at first?
Sorry for all the questions hun - I'd rather make sure you get the right information.
Also, whenever you are concerned, you can call the toll-free 24 hour ABA helpling - 1800 mum 2 mum. They are very supportive.
In adition to Manta's questions - I wondered if your little one has been weighed at all since birth - could you tell us what she weighed at birth, at hospital discharge and at her last weigh (if there has been another one - may not have been)
I had a normal vaginal delivery, she was healthy, I am healthy... She generally feeds 6 - 8 times a day (with the exception of several days of exhausting hourly feeds) and generally has about 8 wet nappies, maybe about 4 are soiled on average a day.
today she has been feeding nicely for 2 hours, with a 10min nap, nappy change and 5 min play within this time frame and she has just fallen asleep.
I've noticed her lazy latch is much more noticeable on the right breast than the left. It doesn't hurt, more just a tiny bit unpleasant. I've also noticed that the strange fussing at the boob is less likely to occur if I lean forward rather than relax and lean back (cradle position).
Also, she weighed 2.9kg (6.6 pounds) at birth, lost more than 10% after 3 days, and went back to 2.9kg on Day 4. Unfortunately she hasn't been weighed since, though on approx Day 9 I used a very inaccurate form of measuring and she weighed 3kg.
It's possible that she is hitting a growth spurt and by this age newborns are generally more alert and awake and they will let you know it! So she could just be a bit miffed that your let down could be a bit slower until it catches up with her. When you lean back to feed, it can slow down your letdown - this is a common trick that Mums try who have a fast let down to slow it down a little so if try to avoid leaning back while you feed it could help
Today sounds like it's been much better for you - that's great. Most babies that age will have 8 - 12 feeds in 24 hours, and it sounds like this is what your DD is heading to. Certainly the nappy count is great and suggests that she is getting enough milk - at least 5 heavily wet disposables or 6 - 8 clear wet cloth nappies is a good sign, and the dirty nappies sound really good too (well, not for you changing them but they show that she is getting enough milk which is good).
It does sound a bit like your let down is a bit too slow for your DD's liking - so if leaning forward works, that might be one thing to keep doing as long as you are not hurting your back by doing this. Side-lying might be another position that works for you - it can take a bit of practice but many mums find it's very restful feeding lying down also. Another option is to express a little bit before the feed so that your DD doesn't have to wait for a let down.
One other thing that many mums find is that crying is a late sign of hunger. If your DD is crying when you attach her, it can make it more difficult. It might help to offer her a feed a little bit earlier - if you see signs of her mouthing or sucking her fist, or if it's been about 2 hours since the last feed and she's awake.
See how that goes for you, and let us know. Best of luck hun.
Overall, you are doing a brilliant job with your little one - she sounds like she's gaining weight and doing all those things a newborn should do, including making her mum scratch her head trying to work out what is going on. I wonder if your breasts seemed particularly full those days? Sometimes when your breasts are very full, it can be hard for them to latch on - kind of like trying to latch on to a basketball. Many mothers find it helpful to express a little before feeds if their breasts seem a little hard. Just enough to soften them a bit.
Thanks for all your advice guys, and I'm really glad to know that my DD is getting all she needs, despite the strange behaviour.
I have found that leaning forward has been helping, but she still seems to fuss. Yesterday she was feeding for 5 hours, but it was useless feeding, 5 minutes and then agitation. I made the mistake of switching breasts everytime, thinking I must not have enough milk for her growth spurt. After discovering with dismay her usually lovely yellow poo had become green, I did some research and found that her iffy feeding pattern combined with my switching, had resulted in her getting too much foremilk... that could explain why she couldn't get full!
So with my new knowledge we are doing better, but she still fusses quite a lot and it's quite irritating, especially with the night time feeds, regardless of whether my breasts are particularly full, or not so full, and also doesn't seem to make a difference whether she had a feed one hour ago, or 2.5 hours ago..
Also, I'd like to know, if you feed with one breast for 10 minutes, take 10 minutes for nappy change and nap, and go back to that breast, is the milk at the same stage as you left it, or is it full of foremilk again?
The easiest way to deal with the green poo issue is to use one boob for all feeds for either a couple of hours, or until it feels soft and empty, or until the other one is uncomfortably full. And then switch.
You also need to be aware that bubs can "feed" for lots of reasons other than hunger - being able to suck on a warm mummy makes them feel better. And they control their sucking so that when they aren't hungry they don't actually eat that much.
So the agitation may not be hunger-related at all - try a walk outside, or rubbing her tummy gently or playing some music! I had to accept that crying as though the world was ending for a couple of hours a day was just something my bub did for the first few months - he grew out of it though.
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New Lazy Latch and Fussing at Boob
but they show that she is getting enough milk which is good).
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