Crying during every feed

My dd2 (5.5 months old) and I have had a bit of a rough breastfeeding journey but we were managing okay. Recently though she has become ridiculously fussy at the breast and every feed ends in a crying match. She will start to feed, feed for a couple of minutes and then start to pull off and on crying. I will take her off try and burp her and offer again but she will keep pulling off and on crying. So I then offer the other side and she will once again feed for a couple of minutes and then start pulling off and on crying. If I take her off completely she becomes hysterical but when I try and offer the boob again she just keeps pulling off and on crying. I don't know what to do with her. Feeding times are becoming more and more stressful. I don't know what's wrong and this isn't just the occasional feed. It's every single one of them, even the night ones which used to be our best one's. I am stressed out and starting to dread feeding her at all. Anyone have any ideas what could be causing her to be so fussy.

It sounds like it could be reflux. My daughter had silent reflux and did this at the same age. She had breast refusal as was in extreme pain from feeding. Talk to your Doctor about it. Also the Reflux infants support association website and facebook pages are great for support and information.

Could she have a sore throat? Or blocked nose?

Could it be impatience? Ie she gets the foremilk from one breast and not let down so cracks it, so you offer other side and again she takes foremilk then cracks it. Can you feel the let down or recognize that 'full' feeling when it lets down? I would just keep swapping sides and see what happens. I always found night feeds easiest with impatient ds because my let down was faster when I was sleepy.

So make sure you're comfortable and relaxed before each feed. Deep breaths, shoulders down and just ignore the fussiness. Just swap, swap, swap, swap until she drinks properly.

Otherwise I second the reflux suggestion. It's a process of elimination I think.

Hi, it’s difficult and confusing when this happens. More questions for a start - hoping to get a clearer picture. Who have you seen about this so far? What was their opinion? Has she/does she have anything other than breastmilk? Has she started solids? Does she have (or has she ever had_ eczema/bronchiolitis/cradle cap? Is there a history of alllergies in the family? Does anyone in your or her dad’s family have eczema or asthma? What have her weightgains been like? How often does she feed in 24 hours?

That’s enough for now - don’t mean to bombard you - it’s complicated

:

---

Hi, it’s difficult and confusing when this happens. More questions for a start - hoping to get a clearer picture. Who have you seen about this so far? What was their opinion? Has she/does she have anything other than breastmilk? Has she started solids? Does she have (or has she ever had_ eczema/bronchiolitis/cradle cap? Is there a history of alllergies in the family? Does anyone in your or her dad’s family have eczema or asthma? What have her weightgains been like? How often does she feed in 24 hours?

That’s enough for now - don’t mean to bombard you - it’s complicated

---

I haven't really seen anyone about it. Just trying to battle through. We had a really bad week last week so I took her to the doctor to check her ears to make sure it wasn't a problem causing the refusals. But doctor gave her the all clear. She does have occasional bottles of either ebm or sometimes formula. I'm not really in a position to get rid of them though. Did the same with her sister and we successfully mixed fed for 14 months. She has a small amount of ezcema on her elbows that appeared since winter came. All of my kids seem to suffer from seasonal ezcema, it goes away in summer. She had cradle cap but some oil got rid of it and it hasn't returned. No bronchialitis but we've had a rough winter with colds so she's had some congestion from time to time. There are allergies on my side, I have severe hayfever, sinusitis and allergies to many fruits and nuts. My husband and his sister were brought up on soy formula due to milk intolerances. Neither have any issues now. Her weight gain is ok. She's lighter than my other kids, they were all big chunkers but she isn't putting on as much weight but still seems to be following her own curve. She looks healthy enough although sometimes her output does concern me from time to time. I'd say she feeds 4-5 times during the day and 2-3 overnight. Depending on how she fusses or not.

She had a tongue tie and a bubble palate so breastfeeding has been a bit difficult from the start but its only in the last 6 weeks since my period returned that we've had these major bouts of refusal and fussiness. I've had two periods now and nothing has been quite right since.

In difficult cases like this it is almost always more than one thing. If it was just one thing, then you would be on top of it. Did you get the tongue tie snipped? it is a minor procedure and very worthwhile getting done. The other thing I would like to suggest is that she has a cow’s milk protein intolerance. The hints are the eczema, cradle cap and the milk intolerance in the father’s family. The good thing is that, following the family history she will grow out of it - but the tough thing is she is a baby now, and likely to be affected in the same way her dad was. I would try to sought this out before she begins solids. I would suggest a milk free diet - but this has to be done in consultation with a HP- nothing you should try alone, but at the same time often very successful and not as hard as it sounds. I am happy to talk to you about this if you wish - pm me

I have been milk free already for some time and recently cut out all traces of any kind of dairy and it really made no difference in her at all. She is still fighting and crying with every feed. I am really at my wits end with her.

There's a great LC/dietician in Perth who does phone/skype consults and specialises in breastfeeding and babies with allergies/intolerances if you'd like to talk to someone about this professionally. Google Joy Anderson.

My baby girl had the same problem when she was about 5 to 6 months, i was so frustrated because she started to lose weight. My GP told me because the acid in her stomach which makes her not comfy to be feed.
He suggested meto give her ZANTAC, and my baby started to getting better. I don't know if your baby have the same problem, but you can go to your GP and find out! All the best to your baby!

Not all allergies are cow’s milk, but it’s common and the one we most often suspect. If you are cutting out all traces of dairy but giving the occasional formula bottle it won’t help - because formula is cow’s milk. Seek help - there is plenty out there - before you chuck the whole thing in - you have done great so far, but it sounds exhausting and stressful

Since I cut out the dairy the occasional formula bottles I am giving her are a special formula designed for cows milk protein intolerant babies. She's never ever had any of the other signs of milk intolerance like mucousy poos or blood or vomiting. Since we started solids the last week or so she has had facial eczema reactions to every food we have introduced. Pumpkin, apple, banana and sweet potato. None are high allergens and yet she got eczema from all of them. Saw our doctor and he didn't care, just told me to keep giving them to her and she would eventually be less sensitive to them. I think her eczema is just incredibly sensitive skin. I just keep thinking if the fussiness was based on an intolerance why did it take 5 months to
start showing up. Especially seeing as I used to drink litres of milk a week. Her fussiness coincided with the return of my period last month. I've had 2 cycles now and she hasn't been the same since. And it is exhausting and I am frustrated especially seeing as I have 3 other small children, I'm studying and I get nothing accomplished because I am fighting with the baby all day trying to get her to feed. And I don't know where to turn for help as we live in a very small town and all our doctors are relief locum's who come and go and you never get to know. There are no paed's and the one LC in town charges a fortune. Just feeling a little defeated :(