Screaming at boob?!

BrittnieMariee

My LO and I have been struggling with BFing for a few weeks now. I know my supply is low so I've been having to supplement with formula and I've been trying to pump when I can without going crazy but it seems like anytime we try to BF now he will take a few "sips" and then just scream at my boob. Is there a reason he's doing this? How can I get him to peacefully BF again? We did so well at the beginning! This is becoming very stressful and I'm almost wondering if just switching to formula would be best for us. Any tips/advice/well wishes would be appreciated! Thanks!

kanga915

Mine does that too, usually when she's been cluster feeding and my milk isn't replenishing fast enough. I think she gets mad because she wants the milk to come faster.

xJKxOR

When he pulls off is your milk streaming? My little guy does this and often it is because my let down is too strong for him. It is possible to have a strong let down even if you have a lower supply (your let down just doesn't last as long). Mine also does this if he needs to be burped (even if he hasn't been feeding long).

BrittnieMariee

Glad to know it isn't just us!
@xJKxOR there isn't a stream when he pulls off. I'm not sure if it's because he's just frustrated that he has to work so hard at it or if my milk runs out way faster than I thought? When I pump I'm lucky to get 5 mL from each breast. I just hate how upset he seems to get and then I end up stressed. I want to BF so badly though! I really did enjoy it when we were both so peaceful at it.

xJKxOR

Were you diagnosed as low supply by a lactation consultant? Remember, baby is much more effective at getting milk than the pump. If you want to continue I recommend continuing to nurse him on demand so he can stimulate you and build supply. Does he seem gassy at all?

xJKxOR

Maybe you could start him on the breast and if he pulls off a few times you could supplement with the mL you pumped. This could fill him up a bit to satisfy him short term. Then put him back on the breast. It would stimulate your supply and maybe he'd be more content?

AndieTessie

What flow nipple are you using on the bottle? Baby might be frustrated that the milk flow is faster or slower coming from you. Try going up or down in flow for the bottles or even a different brand!

meggipi5

It sounds like maybe he's frustrated by slow let down or slow flow after the let down. Try chugging water when you nurse yo encourage let down. You can also switch sides after five minutes, then go back to the first side. He might be willing to try a little harder if he has more in his belly.

jen83mn

AndieTessie said:

What flow nipple are you using on the bottle? Baby might be frustrated that the milk flow is faster or slower coming from you. Try going up or down in flow for the bottles or even a different brand!

This is what I was thinking. Are you using a truly slow-flow nipple on the bottle? Some are slower than others. For instance, we tried Avent Natural Stage 1 first and baby downed 2 oz. in a minute and didn't even need to suck. We switched to Munchkin Latch Stage 1 and it takes him 15-20 minutes to drink 3-4 oz., much more similar to how long it takes him when breastfeeding. He goes back and forth easily between bottle and breast.

My little guy cries at the breast if he has to burp, but it doesn't seem like that's the case for you if baby does it after a few sips.

Are you waiting until baby is crying from hunger to feed? Some babies are so hungry they get frantic and then may get more frustrated if milk doesn't come out right away. I would try feeding baby before he gets to the super hungry stage and see if that helps.

BrittnieMariee

@xJKxOR he is occasionally gassy, but not all the time. It seems to happen more in the evening. I've tried giving him 2 oz of formula first to get him started and then switching to the breast, which only worked for a little while. The past 3 or 4 days was when he really started screaming during feedings. I've gotten to the point that I'm considering calling my lactation consultant again for another meeting. She says that he has a great latch and his positioning is wonderful. I haven't asked her about my supply I just thought that since that was all I was getting when pumping that my supply had dwindled. I used to be able to get 2 oz during each pumping (of course that was when I was pumping every 2 hours religiously).

@AndieTessie we have the stage 1 nipples for the Avent bottles. They came with my breast pump so that's what we've been using. They do seem a little fast, mostly because he makes such a mess while eating from them. However, it does still take him around 20 minutes to eat 4 oz from the bottles. We may need to try a different brand. I just stuck with these because they came with the pump and it was way more convenient.

@meggipi5 I hadn't thought to switch sides so soon. I usually try to offer the other one when he starts fussing on the first. I will also try chugging some water! Anything to make this work for us.

@jen83mn I do usually try to feed him as soon as he starts acting hungry, and sometimes before. At night however he wakes me up by screaming because he's so hungry so I rush to get him a bottle. Nighttime has been really hard because I'm too tired to pump and was literally going crazy because I was getting zero sleep and hardly getting time to bond with him because I was in a constant cycle of feeding him (BFing, supplementing, then pumping). By the time I finished it all I had maybe 30-45 minutes until his next feeding.

jen83mn

Oh yeah, I would definitely try a different bottle/nipple that's slower. I found the Avent Stage 1 nipple really fast! My baby made a huge mess when drinking out of it and it basically poured into his mouth. We really like Munchkin Latch Stage 1.

BrittnieMariee

Thank you, @jen83mn ! My mom and I are planning on going shopping tomorrow so I will definitely look into getting some different bottles for him! I can just use the Avent ones for pumping so that they aren't a total waste lol

AndieTessie

Totally agree with @jen83mn about the advent bottles. The flow was way to fast for LO even in the stage one. I also have munchkin latch and they are great! Dr Brown's are nice too. I still pump into the advent since they fit my pump but then just dump the milk into a different bottle.

jen83mn

@BrittnieMariee - That's what I do. I use the Medela bottles that came with my pump for pumping and storing in the fridge for the day, then use the Munchkin Latch bottles for feeding. I got a Munchkin Latch Newborn Gift Set at Target.com that actually came with adapters so I can use those bottles with my Medela pump if I want to pump directly into them which is nice

BrittnieMariee

Thank you both @AndieTessie & @jen83mn ! I hope this helps him to stop screaming anytime we BF now. He's usually so good at it. The lactation consultant that I went to last week was so impressed with his latch and how he has had zero nipple confusion even though I've used two different kinds of bottles, a pacifier, and he's been BFing since birth. Definitely keeping my fingers crossed!! 

kaybee03

My lo and I are basically exclusively pumping with a little supplementation now but he screamed at my boobs a lot. My nipples are short and he just wasn't having it. Worked with two different lactation consultants and we just didn't get far. It's obviously a sign of frustration on baby's part for whatever reason and I do empathize. My first two weeks are a blur of that scream and it was so hard! Good luck!!

BrittnieMariee

Thank you @babymama2be123 I'm glad you found a solution! I'm hoping to not end up exclusively pumping, but if that's what it takes I guess I'll do it! I would actually love to not have to pump except to maybe have a stash for nighttime feedings and when I'm away from him. I just need to get myself back onto a schedule.

breanna428

my LO started doing this last week I also BF and FF. every time I get her in position to breast feed she starts crying and acting like the nipple(I have to use a shield at the beginning of feeding) is a hot iron. she would only breast feed during night feedings when she was half asleep anyways. I finally figured out how to get her to eat from me. I would make a small bottle of formula (1oz or so) and have it with me to breast feed her. I would start with the bottle and while she had some formula in her mouth I should take he bottle out and slip the shield in and she would start nursing. you may have to try a few times they are pretty smart and figure out the trick! hope this helps!

Katrina919

I have had the same thing with my NB and low milk production but it's going up. I have been working with the lactation consultants at the weekly support group. I started taking the honest company lactation supplements recommended from other mothers.