Twisting and pushing her face in...why??

[Beauchamp]

The last two nights have been rough. DD hasn't fallen asleep as easily as she has been. Francesca's been going down around 10-10:30 (her bath starts ~8-8:30 and we try to make it last for 30-45 mins or so, then she nurses/comfort nurses from 9/9:30 until 10/10:30.)

But for the last two nights, she's super tired and sleeps earlier, like from 5 or 6 until 8pm while nursing/comfort nursing, and then she can't fall asleep when she should at 10pm, although she is crying and fussy like she wants to go to bed. Ugh! I can't figure it out!

These past two nights when she nurses, she curls her little body up and sort of twists while she pushes he face completely into my boob. It wakes her up, and so she latches, pops off, pushes her face in again, latches, pops off, etc....I've tried switching her over to the other side, thinking she wants more milk rather than a comfort nurse, and when the milk comes out, she may drink a bit, but then she pops off again and seems upset.

Does anyone know why she is pushing her face in like this?

I am trying to remain calm, be patient, and let her nurse until she gets sleepy. But we swaddle her, and when she wakes up, she struggles a bit with the swaddle. So I end up hoping she will get tired soon and fall back asleep. Last night she did. The night before I was tense and frustrated, and she started crying and DH had to walk with her crying on his chest for ~45 mins, since I had already been nursing her for 1 1/2 hours.

[twins+1]

How old is she? My son (13 wks) sometimes does this here/there and it is usually when he is overtired. I've started to give him the opportunity to fall asleep in his co-sleeper by himself and 8/10 times he can do it. He'll kind of 'talk/whine' (not cry, and if it is a cry, by the time I walk to him he is passed out) for a few minutes and then he is out. If its possible she is just tired, could you lay her down in a quiet place - maybe dark with white noise - and give her the chance to fall asleep on her own?
Sometimes my son does fall asleep nursing - he prefers the side-lying nursing position the best. Sometimes he is overtired and just needs to go to a quiet dark sleeping area.

[kriket]

my kid does it too. Especially on his "non favourite" boob. Hes almost 4 months and I feel like hes just being fussy. If we walk around or change his diaper he usually gets over himself.

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by twins+1

How old is she? My son (13 wks) sometimes does this here/there and it is usually when he is overtired....If its possible she is just tired, could you lay her down in a quiet place - maybe dark with white noise - and give her the chance to fall asleep on her own?

She's 10 weeks tomorrow. I'm not sure about the dark, quiet place. (i.e. in her pack and play, I'd suppose.) We swaddle her in the Miracle Blanket (which works great) and I nurse her. Before we started this routine four weeks ago, I'd nurse her and DH would walk with her on his shoulder. She seems to like the motion. (She naps in her swing or on me/the Boppy in the rocker after nursing during the daytime.)

I suppose we could try to lay her down in the PnP while she's still awake, but I don't think that would go over well. She needs quite a bit of help to fall asleep, so I worry about just putting her down, that it would really set her off. I guess we could try. (It is sort of funny to me that the very thought of putting her down, awake, on her back, alone, etc, makes me so nervous.)

Originally Posted by kriket

my kid does it too. Especially on his "non favourite" boob. Hes almost 4 months and I feel like hes just being fussy. If we walk around or change his diaper he usually gets over himself.

Hmm...she's done it on both sides, night AND day, now. Today has been weird, schedule-wise-- lots of REALLY short naps and nursing sessions, too.

[kriket]

i bet its 'growing pains' they do have a lot of growimg to do!

[twins+1]

Originally Posted by Beauchamp

I suppose we could try to lay her down in the PnP while she's still awake, but I don't think that would go over well. She needs quite a bit of help to fall asleep, so I worry about just putting her down, that it would really set her off. I guess we could try. (It is sort of funny to me that the very thought of putting her down, awake, on her back, alone, etc, makes me so nervous.)

LOL I was the same way with my twins - nervous that sids was bound to happen if i left them alone. This time I'm so much more laid back just cause this is my 3rd baby. That and this baby is like a cake-walk - he's so easy. I don't think most babies would just go to sleep on their own at this age without much fussing.

[KristaDJ]

Sounds like her belly might be hurting (curling up is a common sign), I'd look into my diet for possible allergens: dairy, eggs, soy, chocolate, wheat and try eliminating them to see if it makes a difference.

[Anastasiya]

Originally Posted by Beauchamp

The last two nights have been rough. DD hasn't fallen asleep as easily as she has been. Francesca's been going down around 10-10:30 (her bath starts ~8-8:30 and we try to make it last for 30-45 mins or so, then she nurses/comfort nurses from 9/9:30 until 10/10:30.)

But for the last two nights, she's super tired and sleeps earlier, like from 5 or 6 until 8pm while nursing/comfort nursing, and then she can't fall asleep when she should at 10pm, although she is crying and fussy like she wants to go to bed. Ugh! I can't figure it out!

These past two nights when she nurses, she curls her little body up and sort of twists while she pushes he face completely into my boob. It wakes her up, and so she latches, pops off, pushes her face in again, latches, pops off, etc....I've tried switching her over to the other side, thinking she wants more milk rather than a comfort nurse, and when the milk comes out, she may drink a bit, but then she pops off again and seems upset.

Does anyone know why she is pushing her face in like this?

I am trying to remain calm, be patient, and let her nurse until she gets sleepy. But we swaddle her, and when she wakes up, she struggles a bit with the swaddle. So I end up hoping she will get tired soon and fall back asleep. Last night she did. The night before I was tense and frustrated, and she started crying and DH had to walk with her crying on his chest for ~45 mins, since I had already been nursing her for 1 1/2 hours.

My kids did that/do that when they are teething, and this last baby started teething at 3 months. He does THAT and he pulls and yanks and I feel like he's gonna tear my nipple off!

BTW - I had to tell you that if this baby had been a girl, he would have been Anneliese Francesca. Almost your dd's name, but reversed. Good taste!

[kayleesmom]

my son does that too when he is tired and wants to comfort nurse but my breast is giving him milk he does that i think to try and stop the milk.

[wildnewmamma]

Hey my daughter does this too (11 1/2 weeks)...brand new at this so no advice to why. The pp makes sense though!

[Comtessa]

Originally Posted by kayleesmom

my son does that too when he is tired and wants to comfort nurse but my breast is giving him milk he does that i think to try and stop the milk.

My LO (3 mos) does exactly the same thing when she's tired. There's a point at which she doesn't really want to nurse, but she needs to suck to get to sleep. A pacifier saves the day in these instances - I know a lot of mamas don't like to use these, but for her, it's exactly what she wants, and it puts her to sleep in less than a minute after she starts doing this popping-off thing. If you're willing to try a paci, I'd be willing to bet that it will solve the problem.

[justKate]

Originally Posted by KristaDJ

Sounds like her belly might be hurting (curling up is a common sign), I'd look into my diet for possible allergens: dairy, eggs, soy, chocolate, wheat and try eliminating them to see if it makes a difference.

Does she arch her back or stretch her neck up? Does she cry in little bursts, like someone pinched her? Just thinking about ruling out reflux (which can be triggered by foods, or just come on for no reason).

Does she have any nasal or eye drainage?

If not, then I'd second trying a paci. I was against them, but DD really needed it when she was about the age of your LO. And then she quit it out of the blue around 4 mos. -- never looked back.