Violent Squirming Durring Feedings...

HI M.,

I agree with some of the other moms that it sounds like he may be refluxing. I see this a lot in little ones and I usually suggest to moms that Gripe Water (you can get it at Rite Aid) has worked really well for my kids. Reflux can be caused by many different things and sometimes is completely normal. If you'd like to talk to someone about it please feel free to give me a call or e-mail me.

D. Rylander
A Blessed Birth Doula Services
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Is he getting too much milk too quick? He might be fighting the sudden gush.

He might also have a gas bubble. Try unlatching and burping or encouraging a toot by bicyling his legs.

I think he just needs to burp. Usually within the first couple months you have to stop a few times in feeding to burp. He may also have gas but most likley burping is needed. I am 31 and have 2 children. Another on the way and lots of babies in the family and I am almost sure that is it.
Stop feeding him and put him over your shoulder for a minute, see if you get one. Then continue feeding.
Good Luck!

M. - I remember my son bouncing his little head around and grabbing me and sucking the nipple and letting go....all of it! I think he was just so darn excited to eat that he couldn't control himself!
There are a couple of other things that come to mind. He could have gas, or need to burp. Also, when my milk let down it was like niagra falls, my child could have drowned easily. Maybe there is a lot of milk pouring out?
I used to sing to my babies when I nursed them. They would stare at me with their big brown eyes full of love and that seemed to calm them too.
L.
Also, it took my second son about 2 months before he REALLY got the hang of nursing, we really struggled (although I never introduced a bottle!) but after he finally go it he nursed for 18 months.

M., Do you think it is a possibility that what is causing the behavior during eating is what you ate and is coming through the breast milk? There could be something that doesn't agree with his system or something his body can't tolerate.
Good luck, S.

my baby is nine weeks old today and he is big also. 8.13 at birth and about 13 pounds now. we had the same kinds of problems at first. Now we use gas drops before feedings and burp often and then also I do bicycle legs to kind of pump out the gas. I can feel him relax when I do this (and also hear :) it working) where as before he is really stiff. Also it was really bad at around 4 and 5 weeks but has slowly gotten better the last week or so. Good luck and hang in there it will get better. Oh and have you looked at what you are eating. I have cut out caffine completely I Ihink that has made a difference (maybe)

Could he be having a "gas attack" that's very painful?

M.,

Both of my kids would do the pulling back thing with me too. They weren't as squirmy as your little guy, but what worked for me will probably work for y'all too.

When either of them did that I'd either break their seal on my nipple, saying ow! that hurt!; or just take them off the breast until they were ready to nurse again. They figured out quickly not to hurt Mommy when nursing. The other thing that worked was more if they bit me, but might also help. If/when there is a bite I'd gently flick a cheek and firmly say No Bite! It never left a mark, but did get their attention.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

Most likely needs to burp, babaies cannot deal with air in thier system at all and that is why they need burped. How often are you feeding him? He should not need to eat sooner then 3 hours apart but 4 is better. You might be feeding him too much and he will start being a spit up kid. My nephew was constantly fed and I mean every time he made a peep the bottle went into his mouth, he was so uncomfortable because he was constantly full. He spit up all the time and didn't roll over, crawl, or walk until later because he was so big.

Your son sounds like he is at the ripe age for reflux (some call it colic- but my belief is reflux). My daughter started arching and pulling off while sucking - ouch- and "bending the straw" while nursing.

I had a very fast let down and because the milk is sweet, tends to cause more gas/bubbles in the little one. This would in turn cause the squirming and often very physical movements.

She was diagnosed with silent reflux - silent, because she didn't spit up. The doctor put her on Zantac and that seemed to have tamed the problem, but not eliminate it. She eventually learned to spit out her meds and we then tried Prilosec - I think it was. That seemed to have helped a bit more, but as she grew her dose stayed the same and the doc hoped she would grow out of it by a year, like most. When she didn't outgrow it, I went to a Naturopath and she put her on a probiotic and that seemed to balance out her reflux and allow her to eat more than 2 oz. per feeding (yeah, we were up every couple of hours, every night, feeding, with so little intake). My daughter had learned to eat less and more often to help her through the painful feedings.

When my son was born, he was a spitter with his reflux and was easier to diagnose. He always had painful gas and trouble with my let-down. At 2 weeks he was put on probiotic and would either get it off of my nipple during feedings or I finger-fed it to him. This was a huge success in how his little body reacted during feedings. He was able to take in breast milk without the arching and fighting while being so hungry. It definitely tamed the problem for him. He is now 22 mos and still takes a probiotic daily, as does my daughter.

Good luck to you and your little guy. Ask the doctor about reflux.
D.

Might well just be the fast rate of flow. But another possibility is the beginnings of colic, which is a general term for all kinds of tummy troubles. Colic can be reflux, but also, the type our baby had was an intolerance to cow's milk protein. This emerges at about 4 weeks, typically, and gives them intestinal lesions, so it is painful and they do act out during feedings. Our baby had this + reflux.

Casein, the cow's milk protein, is present in all dairy products including margarine and butter. Babies sensitive to casein are often also sensitive to soy products (many formulas have soy). In our case I had to stop consuming dairy and soy milk for about 2 weeks to end our troubles, but good results were seen in just a couple of days. If slower nursing doesn't help, try a diet modification. ( I was skeptical until I came down with the flu and was eating almost nothing for several days, and Baby became much more cheerful at the same time!)

He has probably become very efficient at nursing and gets his fill early. Now he has become interested in the world around him. So he turns his head in that direction without letting go. I called that the "zappo" stage. Hard on the nipple. Try putting yourself in a quiet room with no distractions.

I too had that size baby they grow and grow. In length and size. Beware of people saying that he is a bit "heavy" and then "slow" for his age. Always keep in mind that he is just right for himself, as long as the doctor says so, and ignore any naysayers. Some people can be mean.

I agree probably needs to burp or too much milk too fast.
I would suggest not to feed any bottles. Every time you give a bottle you are reducing your supply. Usually it is recommended to start a bottle at 6-8 weeks if you need to introduce before going to work. He will get better at nursing and will take in less air as he gets bigger.

Your milk does not stop flowing only gets slower and fattier as you feed. My first was 9lbs.4oz. girl who ate a lot. Milk production is supply and demand.

check these out:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/fussy-while-nurs...

http://www.drjacknewman.com/help/Is%20My%20Baby%20Getting...

M.,
My daughter just turned 8 months and she is still doing this occasionaly.. She was doing it early on, and I couldn't figure out why, but she is doing great. Don't worry about it. It might be that your milk flows fast or that your baby is distracted from the world around.. At least that's what my daughter is even now.. Or not getting milk fast enough. Don't wrry about it, try burping during feedings or just stop nursing, and try againg in couple minutes.. I know it can be frustrating, but more frustrated you will be, more of this behavior your baby will do... Stay calm,, your baby will get milk,,, it mihgt be their personality.. My daughter is very very active since the second she open her eyes in the morning and she still won't eat calmly when she thinks there is something she might be missing on..

Dear M.,
I think your son might be too young for this, but when they reach about 3 months old they get distracted easily during feeding. You could try going into the quietest part of your home and feeding him there. Try to keep lights off during the feeding. Also, around 5 months is when teething starts to begin. But again, your son is very young to be going through this too. But try the quiet time during feeding. Make sure there's no one else in the room with you to interrupt or distract the feeding time. I hope this helps.

I have a 3 month old that just recently started this also and found the I detach (breastfeeding) him and burp him and then he will settle back down.

My twins are 10 months old now and they are still squirmy. They sound just like your little boy except they're bigger and stronger, lol. They've always squirmed and I've found it has nothing to do with needing to burp or what I've eat or that they are starving. My daughter especially will flail and pinch me and scratch at me while eating. I usually just move her hands and tell her no. Sometimes when it gets really bad I'll take her off and set her down until she calms down.

My suggestion would be to try a different nursing position. I know when my twins are feeling especially violent that day if I nurse them laying down they'll be calm. The other suggestions about watching your diet and burping the baby are good, but in my experience that wasn't the problem. My twins are just squirmy little bugs.

At 5 weeks he is a little young for any kind of trying to explain that he needs to behave when nursing...
My daughter did this too occasionally and I would just break the seal on the nipple and burp her (or just wait a few seconds/minutes) and then resume feeding. I have heard several theories of what it might be, from swallowing air to overactive or delayed letdown, to babies wanting to get to hindmilk or preferring foremilk or whatever...
It is probably just a phase that will pass - just hang in there.
If it is affecting your nursing relationship I would suggest to contact a lactation consultant.

Really sounds like gas bubbles. My little guy does that when they get trapped in his belly - he's also a fantastic eater and a little c*** so he'll continue to try to eat while squirming like crazy! I have to burp him three or four times during sessions (now down to like once or twice). Your little one's system isn't fully developed so he has a hard time getting the gas out. Doctor told me to just let him nurse/eat for 1-2 minutes and then burp then 1-2 minutes and then burp. It solved the problem instantly (otherwise we would have had to go to meds!).