And keep your little sparkler close to you — your presence and touch will often go a long way toward calming him. If your baby has been breastfeeding well for several months but then becomes a fussy baby at four months or five or six or older!
Around this age is a common time for babies to refuse some breastfeeds and become easily distracted with noises, activities, new surroundings and siblings—particularly during the day time. They may prefer to breastfeed in unusual positions and may be very tense and seem to clamp down or bite the breast causing pain and sore nipples 2.
Allergy is thought to be a possible cause of infant colic unexplained crying. Author Maureen Minchin describes a characteristic set of allergy-related fussy behaviours including disturbed sleep, erratic and persistent crying:.
See Milk Allergy in Babies for an in depth discussion of dairy or other allergies in breastfed babies. Some babies may find it difficult to cope with a very fast flow of milk causing them to cough, choke and constantly come on and off the breast. Babies have to coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing during breastfeeding and, when the flow of milk is very fast, they may find feeding quite stressful causing them to be restless and keep releasing the breast to prioritise their breathing.
Difficulty with controlling milk flow may be due to:. However if your baby has reflux and is very fractious and miserable—see Reflux in Newborns for more information. Reflux can be connected to allergy 6 above and too much milk see 7. Certain underlying causes such as allergy or oversupply can make reflux worse. Working with an IBCLC lactation consultant alongside your health professional can help find ways to reduce reflux or identify other possible reasons for an otherwise healthy breastfed baby to be miserable and fussy.
Lactose is the main sugar in breast milk. If lactose is prevented from being digested properly in the intestines it could cause a temporary lactose overload. This might happen if there was any damage to the special cells in the intestinal wall that produce the enzyme that digests lactose, or if the volume of low fat breast milk passing through the intestines overwhelms the available enzyme.
An overload of lactose might cause a baby to be unsettled and have tummy ache, wind farts and lots of frothy copious green poop. Some minutes later it slows again and the baby must continue to suck vigorously in order to elicit further let-downs.
This pattern can continue through successive, multiple let-downs as long as the baby is continuing to nurse vigorously. With bottle feeding, the flow is instant and continuous. The baby is required to work very little. Once a baby has had a bottle, especially a lot of bottles, she may begin to prefer the ease of bottle-feeding over the work of breastfeeding. She may become frustrated at the breast after the first let-down occurs and the flow of milk begins to slow. If baby is getting bottles you might consider putting them away, at least for a while.
When you must use a bottle, only use a newborn nipple for as long as baby will tolerate it so that she never gets a really fast flow of milk from the bottle, but has to work a little more to get the milk. Sometimes babies of moms with oversupply or fast let-down will also get very used to the fast flow and object when it normally slows somewhere between 3 weeks to 3 months. It can be helpful to do some breast compression when this fussiness starts or right before you expect it to. This will help speed up the milk flow again.
Once compression stops helping, try switching baby to the other side when she begins to fuss and back and forth again after using compression as you need to. Babies become very efficient at the breast with growth and maturity. They can milk the breast in a lot less time per feeding session than they required before. On a similar note, an occasional baby will just want to suck at the end of a nursing session and the flow of milk with let-down frustrates her.
You might see if offering her a finger or pacifier if baby is older than weeks to suck on during these times seems to help. Sometimes babies will refuse or fuss at a breast when the let-down is slower or too forceful , or the supply a bit lower. See also: Lopsided! What can I do? Many young babies tend to pull off and fuss at the breast in the evening. See the article Cluster Feeding and Fussy Evenings. Teething can cause fussy nursing behavior, as some babies experience gum discomfort with sucking.
Baby might start to nurse, but then pull off and cry or fuss and not want to nurse anymore. See Teething for more information and tips. Frequent pulling off the breast can be a symptom of thrush. A stuffy nose can cause fussy nursing behavior. Some babies with allergies or food sensitivities exhibit fussy nursing behavior. During a growth spurt, your baby is extra hungry, and with that, extra cranky. This too shall pass. To make your baby more comfortable, you can try lying your them on their back and pedaling their legs.
Occasionally, a baby will have excessive gas, spit-ups that are projectile, or stools that seem explosive or streaked with blood. Although relatively rare, these are potential signs your baby is sensitive or allergic to something in your diet. Speak to your healthcare provider or lactation consultant about possible dietary changes. Starting at around 4 months, babies can get very distracted while breastfeeding. This can make them fussy at the breast too.
Try breastfeeding your baby in a dark room, nurse while your baby is half-asleep, or try nursing while walking or bouncing your baby. But occasionally, they may not want anything in their mouth, including the breast, possibly because it exacerbates their pain. You can try soothing their mouth before breastfeeding by allowing them to suck on a chilled teething toy or a cold cloth.
Occasionally, a baby will have a breastfeeding strike, where they reject the breast for several days in a row, or longer. Breastfeeding strikes are super stressful, but they almost always resolve within a few days. Usually figuring out what is bothering your baby e. Some moms have found that breastfeeding right after bath time is the most surefire way of ending a breastfeeding strike. Varying positions and angles can help with latching, as well as oversupply and fast flow.
Contact a lactation consultant or breastfeeding counselor if you need hands-on help. One of the most vital things you can do is to calm your baby down before attempting to breastfeed. If you keep on trying while they are upset, it may only upset them more. Before breastfeeding, try rocking, or letting your baby suck on a pacifier or your finger. Take them in a dark room or for a walk through the neighborhood. Sometimes rocking or walking your baby will help them burp or relieve gas. If you think your baby is teething, you can discuss over-the-counter remedies or other soothing solutions.
Sometimes spending a day skin-to-skin, resting and relaxing with your baby — regardless of their age — can make your child calmer and happier at the breast. This can relax you too.
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