My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Infant feeding

2 month old fidgeting and writhing while BFing

6 replies

Flingmoo · 30/07/2014 23:02

Why does he do this?!

Latch is good, winding doesn't always help, he's hungry but for some reason keeps frantically writhing and twisting his head from side to side, coming off the breast. Doesn't necessarily cry but sometimes makes frustrated grunts.

Sometimes I have to forcibly hold his head straight onto the breast so he can't turn his head away, he'll struggle and continue suckling, and eventually if I'm lucky he'll settle down.

Anyone else had this issue? I did have an oversupply and fast letdown issue for a while but he would cry when that bothered him and block feeding solved the problem a couple of weeks ago so I think this is something else. Tiredness? Impatience? General grumpiness?

OP posts:
Report
zazA09Jane · 31/07/2014 01:02

this happened to me and turned out DS had acid reflux, is he sick alot?

Report
drspouse · 31/07/2014 01:52

DD does this but is FF, so it doesn't bother me like it must you. She mainly does it when she's really hungry, so I think it's when she is just trying all her skills (i.e. feeding and wriggling, as she has few others!) to get food in as quickly as possible.

Report
Flingmoo · 31/07/2014 08:56

He's not sick too often these days. Maybe it's just hunger/impatience... Confused

OP posts:
Report
Writerwannabe83 · 31/07/2014 11:52

My DS did his and my HV said it was perfectly normal.

She told me there are 5 sets of alveoli in the breast which make/store the milk and during a feed in order for each alveoli to be emptied the baby has to reposition their mouth and head to get the right angle.

She told me that as DS got older the writhing and head turning would stop because his mouth would be big enough to take in more of the areola and so he'd be able to empty each alveoli more effectively.

It was something along those lines.

When DS was doing it, it lasted about 3-4 weeks but then it stopped completely.

Report
Snowrose1311 · 31/07/2014 20:26

I've been reading an interesting book entitled 'osteopathy for children', it says that some young babies may be fretful or unhappy at the breast because certain feeding positions give them neck ache. Apparently this is more common in babies whose mothers had a very long or very short labour, or an instrumental delivery, or babies who were born in a less common presentation such as breech, or back to back etc. Even if your labour was straightforward it might be worth experimenting with feeding positions? And making sure your baby's head & neck are supported by something soft like a pillow as opposed to your arm, which baby might find a bit bony.

Lastly, the books says another possible indicator of neck ache is when baby is willing to feed from one breast but not the other (of course there are other explanations for this such as being full) but it could be that turning their head in a certain direction hurts their neck. Paediatric osteopaths can treat newborns and babies of all ages, if you did have a difficult delivery it might be worth a consultation / assessment.

Report
RoseberryTopping · 31/07/2014 22:12

My DS does this when he's tired, I usually find laying on my side to feed him settles him.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.