Help! My baby is inconsolable unless I nurse her!

crios219

My DD will be a month old on June 7 and I started breastfeeding right after delivery. She did tremendous and latched right away while I was in the recovery room from my c section. She's been doing great and although I do nurse a lot, I also use my breast pump and give her bottles of breastmilk at times and we also supplement with formula as my body tries to catch up and produce enough for her demand. She has done extremely well switching back and forth from breastmilk and formula as well as from breast to bottle but after any bottle feeding she gets extremely anxious and is constantly "rooting" and looking for my breast. She won't stop crying and getting mad until I let her nurse, even though she's full after having a good size bottle. I get that it's soothing for her and helps her relax/sleep. But I feel like I can't seem to even leave the house for a couple of hours without her. My husband ends up calling me asking me to come back because he doesn't know what else to do. The second I get home and nurses, she'll fall asleep within 10 minutes. I'm stressed because I don't know how well this will go over when I go back to work. I've decided to try to maybe get her off the breast now and just give bottles of expressed milk. But how do I get her past this stage of anger and anxiety until she gets used to it? Anyone have suggestions? I'm desperate!!!

shelles423

No advice but I'm going through the same thing. DH can't really help me by doing feedings at night anymore because she always has to nurse. Very frustrating.

marijaa333

Are you sure she's full? My two week old has taken to having 4oz (of expressed breastmilk) feedings spaced 2 hours apart, which by all accounts is too much for the size of his stomach, but... guess he didn't get the memo!  (He also takes forever to finish these... frequently upwards of 40 minutes.) Could it be that she's still a bit hungry at the end if she continues to root?

kateandsiah

Our pediatrician suggested starting to introduce a pacifier once my milk came in. It satisfies the sucking reflex and prevents sids at night.

crios219

@marijaa333 I had considered that possibility too. Maybe she's not full? But she takes 3-4 oz every feeding depending on how hungry she is. And she will always push the bottle out of her mouth when she's full.
@kateandsiah she takes the pacifier very sparingly only when she wants to. Most of the time she spits it out. When she does take it it's only for about 10 min or so.

marijaa333

@crios219 my kiddo also pushes away the bottle only to do the rooting freakout five minutes later. I think his stomach is small but he is still hungry. I hear it gets better as they grow and they are able to feed more efficiently... 

canadianmom89

Have you tried different types of pacifiers? We had to try 3 brands with DD before we found one she liked. She is a comfort sucker too so it has saved my nipples. When she starts falling asleep I pull her off the breast and quickly stick the pacifier in and she doesn't even notice anymore

sarahandandy

Swaddling & pacifier have been huge for us. He will frequently be up & awake after we burp & will want to feed & feed. It takes him a bit to "find" the pacifier- he opens his mouth really wide & can't figure it out. But once he does he'll take it & fall asleep but without the swaddle he always wakes up if I put him Dow & starts rooting again... He likes the soothies from the hospital

mars8k

I'm strictly breastfeeding and been having this problem with her when she gets a tummy ache, she'd be constipated, strain and cry and will only stop if i nurse her then she starts spitting up A LOT cause she had more than her lil tummy can handle.

Hubby got her a new pacifier today since she didn't take the first 1 and she started to take it, i'm hoping this will be substitute!

crios219

What kind of pacifiers have worked for any of you guys?

kremerj1

We started using a paci too. I was afraid that ds would get confused, but he very clearly pushes the paci out if he's hungry. Good luck!!! Ds struggles with gas too, he acts like he's hungry 20 min after feeding him. Maybe try gas drops?

manacita

1. Soothie pacifiers are the best for little guys. They make a really soft newborn one that is almost exactly like a nipple.

2. Have any of you considered that baby might have reflux? This is my third reflux baby and they all comfort nurse to keep the acid down. You might want to look up reflux and see if any other symptoms match.

smashbaby111

@crios219... After a ton of research on pacifiers for breastfed babies and two rejected pacifiers, our little one prefers MAM pacifiers and will also take a soothing sometimes

mbt385

After reading these posts I went to get some Soothie pacifiers to see if my LO takes them better. I opened the package and one has a hole (like the nipple of a bottle) but the second in the package does not...which one is right? Not sure if they're supposed to let air in.. Didn't think so, but uncertain.

MrsElizabethPlano

Will she accept a pacifier? The very first day my baby was born i noticed she wanted to nurse to sooth rather than to eat so i plopped it right in her mouth. I still have to rock/pat/shake up and down for a while but she'll calm down and either fall asleep or be content. Sometimes i rock her about for hours, but it's better than hearing cries. Orthodontic pacifiers are best if baby will take it. I just use nuk and...some random pretty ones i was given because my baby isn't going to be using these things after 4 months

mbt385

She takes her Avent ones briefly but spits them out more often than she calms/falls asleep. She's been comfort nursing frequently the last few days (Wonder Week 5) but realized the difference when I tried to trick her with the Avent paci. Hoping the Soothie will work better?! Just want to use the right one (hole or no hole?) before I try!

ssolis06

manacita said:

2. Have any of you considered that baby might have reflux? This is my third reflux baby and they all comfort nurse to keep the acid down. You might want to look up reflux and see if any other symptoms match.

I agree it sounds like acid reflux. My son would drink 5 oz of formula at a month old to calm his reflux. It wasn't until we started him on reflux medicine that we were able to cut him back to 3 or 4 Oz the most since his reflux was under control and he was a much happier baby.