Do Babies Get Better at BFibg?

[Janine]

Feel free to tell me your stories. I would love to hear them. DS is 5 weeks old and a fussy nurser to put it mildly. He refuses to nurse at some point during most feedings. I can't tell you how many times I've decided in the middle of a rough feeding that I am going to throw in the towel. Seeing him screaming and fighting me is rough. I'm still at it because I want this to work so bad. I'm hoping it gets better. If you had a fussy nurser and it got better, give me hope! I can't imagine keeping this up for a year, but if I know there is a chance it can get better I can hold out.

[diana_marie]

Hang in there! It SO gets better. Mine got off to a rocky start, but we're 4 months into this thing now and going strong. I know how hard it is to be trying to feed your baby while he just screams. I would feel so inadequate...like what I had to offer wasn't good enough. That's NOT the case...it was just my hormones talking. :-)

Kellymom.com has been and still is a HUGE help to me. This link is all about fussy nursing behaviors:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...e-nursing.html

Hope that helps! In my limited experience, I've come to realize that BFing is a journey...it never stays the same, but it's always worth it. You're doing the best thing for you and your baby! You'll make it!

[Hands&Fire Pottery]

Absolutely!! I dreaded nursing in the beginning. After about two months, things were amazingly different. Do you have any kind of support groups through the hospital or La Leche meetings near you that could offer some support?

[The Fancy Pansy]

Fussing during eating can be a sign of reflux. Both my girls were like that until we got them on reflux meds. (They had other symptoms as well, but some babies have "silent" reflux and have very few symptoms. I would mention it to your ped, either way.

[made4this]

Babies DEFINITELY get better at BFing, and so do mamas. However, if you feel like there is something wrong then it is worth looking into, especially if you are frustrated.

One thing I wonder about, in addition to the other things mentioned, is whether your little guy could be frustrated with the flow? Sometimes it can be too fast for them when they are tiny, or if he's extra hungry he may want it to come faster. I noticed your hubby is a SAHD; if you are planning on working away from your baby, have you offered any bottles yet? If so, he could be mad that he has to work for the milk when at the breast.

Lots of possibilities, but see if you can get with LLL or a lactation consultant and brainstorm, or we can try to give you more ideas here. Have you had this problem since day 1? Don't give up! My youngest had me in tears when we came home from the hospital, and that is with 3 total years of previous experience.

[Janine]

Originally Posted by The Fancy Pansy Fussing during eating can be a sign of reflux. Both my girls were like that until we got them on reflux meds. (They had other symptoms as well, but some babies have "silent" reflux and have very few symptoms. I would mention it to your ped, either way.

My pediatrician put him on Zantac because he arches his back, but it didn't do anything for him. I'm not sure what to think about it. He does have some symptoms of reflux like the arching back, coughing, congestion, etc. But he LOVES being on his back, no spitting up, and the meds didn't do a darn thing. He seems more gassy than anything because he curls up and strains. I just don't know.

[Guccimouse]

My LO was fussy the first two months. She refused to nurse at times and seemed to constantly spit up. It got to the point where we were both dreading BFing, then I met with a lactation consultant and she said I might have a hidden case of yeast infection. She said that a dose of the strong stuff might clear everything up. Now I'm one that usually hates script meds but at that point I was willing to try anything. And long behold it worked and now we are doing great and nursing like a champ (5 mo old and 19lbs). Hang in there it will get better I promise and La Leche was a huge help.

[kai_e]

Originally Posted by Janine My pediatrician put him on Zantac because he arches his back, but it didn't do anything for him. I'm not sure what to think about it. He does have some symptoms of reflux like the arching back, coughing, congestion, etc. But he LOVES being on his back, no spitting up, and the meds didn't do a darn thing. He seems more gassy than anything because he curls up and strains. I just don't know.

This was my DS2 right around the same time - I did not put him on any meds because the pedi and felt that there weren't enough signs pointing to any kind of reflux. I bought gripe water and did that plus bicycle legs to help get the gas out every night/afternoon for about 2 weeks and we started seeing a chiropractor.

After those 2 weeks and chiro visits he was a totally different baby. He is now 1 yr 1 week old and I love nursing him.

[Janine]

Originally Posted by diana_marie Hang in there! It SO gets better. Mine got off to a rocky start, but we're 4 months into this thing now and going strong. I know how hard it is to be trying to feed your baby while he just screams. I would feel so inadequate...like what I had to offer wasn't good enough. That's NOT the case...it was just my hormones talking. :-) Kellymom.com has been and still is a HUGE help to me. This link is all about fussy nursing behaviors: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/...e-nursing.html Hope that helps! In my limited experience, I've come to realize that BFing is a journey...it never stays the same, but it's always worth it. You're doing the best thing for you and your baby! You'll make it!

Thanks! I'll check out the link.

Originally Posted by Hands&Fire Pottery Absolutely!! I dreaded nursing in the beginning. After about two months, things were amazingly different. Do you have any kind of support groups through the hospital or La Leche meetings near you that could offer some support?

I haven't been to LLL yet, but that is my next step. I have been to 3 different support groups run by lactation consultants. I was a little disappointed in that two of them just told me I need to shove him on by his shoulders until he latches. They showed me how and soon DS was in hysterics. I was not impressed. The other one was good though. The LC said it is likely due to his tongue tie. It has been clipped for 3 weeks now, but she said he hasn't figured out how to use his tongue yet.

Originally Posted by boyfarm3 Babies DEFINITELY get better at BFing, and so do mamas. However, if you feel like there is something wrong then it is worth looking into, especially if you are frustrated. One thing I wonder about, in addition to the other things mentioned, is whether your little guy could be frustrated with the flow? Sometimes it can be too fast for them when they are tiny, or if he's extra hungry he may want it to come faster. I noticed your hubby is a SAHD; if you are planning on working away from your baby, have you offered any bottles yet? If so, he could be mad that he has to work for the milk when at the breast. Lots of possibilities, but see if you can get with LLL or a lactation consultant and brainstorm, or we can try to give you more ideas here. Have you had this problem since day 1? Don't give up! My youngest had me in tears when we came home from the hospital, and that is with 3 total years of previous experience.

I definitely don't think I'm too fast, and he has been doing this since about 3 days old, so I don't think it is the bottle. But when he refuses to nurse for too long we do get out the bottle. So I don't think it is the main problem, but it certainly doesn't help. Unfortunately SNS doesn't help. He usually refuses to latch from the get go even though I'm leaking. The LCs I've seen have been hit or miss. The last one I saw was definitely all or nothing about BFing. When she found out DS had been given a bottle she stopped listening and blamed it all on that even though he had been doing it for weeks before his first bottle. A different LC told me it is because he hasn't figured out what to do with his tongue now that his tongue tie is clipped. It makes sense, but he just isn't getting better. Thanks for the help. LLL is definitely my next stop. They have a meeting next week.

[The Fancy Pansy]

Originally Posted by Janine My pediatrician put him on Zantac because he arches his back, but it didn't do anything for him. I'm not sure what to think about it. He does have some symptoms of reflux like the arching back, coughing, congestion, etc. But he LOVES being on his back, no spitting up, and the meds didn't do a darn thing. He seems more gassy than anything because he curls up and strains. I just don't know.

Zantac doesn't work for a lot of kids. We've used Prilosec, Prevacid, and another P one I can't remember atm, but Prevacid is the only one that worked for my girls. It can also take a couple if weeks to fully kick in.

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Swyping from my phone. Please excuse typos.