Confused...

[ears73]

I've got a 2 month old that I am nursing whenever he wants and it does not seem to be doing "the trick" to calm him down when he is fussy. Actually, between him repeatedly pulling off the nipple after a few swallows and kicking his legs I am beginning to think I should take a closer look at the correlation between what I am eating and his fussiness.
My question is: is there any other option?
His latch seems quite shallow also causing him to swallow air which could be another reason for the uncomfortable tummy.
Any ideas? I just hate to see him so upset and I am surprised that BFing does not fix his issues - the fact that it might be the cause of it is an awful thought!

[ein328]

Are you certain that when he acts this way he is genuinely hungry? My daughter used to act exactly the same way, and it turned out she really just wanted to suck (not eat). We didn't introduce a pacifer until she was 9 weeks, and only then because she was a high-needs child (i.e. wanted to suck all the time, and got angry when she got milk.) You might try soothing him another way first. I also don't think it's a good idea to force nursing on a baby that is acting that way- in Spiritual Midwifery Ina May mentions that you should encourage your baby to be calm when you start nursing.

Although if he's genuinely hungry and acts this way, you might want to consider an elimination diet. Dairy, in particular, may be an issue. Does he have any other symptoms, like a rash around the anus, that might signal a food sensitivity?

[Lineymom]

Originally Posted by ein328

Are you certain that when he acts this way he is genuinely hungry? My daughter used to act exactly the same way, and it turned out she really just wanted to suck (not eat). We didn't introduce a pacifer until she was 9 weeks, and only then because she was a high-needs child (i.e. wanted to suck all the time, and got angry when she got milk.) You might try soothing him another way first. I also don't think it's a good idea to force nursing on a baby that is acting that way- in Spiritual Midwifery Ina May mentions that you should encourage your baby to be calm when you start nursing.

This is what I was thinking. All 3 of mine have been like that.

[notjustmamie]

He also might be gassy. My DS (3 mo) acts like that when he is genuinely hungry, but he's got gas. He's not necessarily hurting (not screaming/crying/fussing), but just having trouble focusing on eating.

[mauinokaoi]

Sounds like you may have oversupply. I do and thats how my DS acts.

[Xavismom]

Originally Posted by mauinokaoi

Sounds like you may have oversupply. I do and thats how my DS acts.

Same here. I have oversupply, and my DS does this. When he is sleepy or really calm, its better, he seems to be able to handle the flow better, especially if we are nursing laying down, the extra milk runs out of his nose. If he is awake, or upset, he has a harder time dealing with the flow, and does what you describe.

[rivkah]

You may have a it of an over-supply or a fast let-down. My DD did this, until she eventually grew out of it (or into the milk) at about 3-4 months.

[leighann79]

My DD2 and DS2 did this because of my overactive letdown. It helped to let them pull off once I let down and then once the flow slowed down some, try latching on again.

[fruitlove]

Originally Posted by notjustmamie

He also might be gassy. My DS (3 mo) acts like that when he is genuinely hungry, but he's got gas. He's not necessarily hurting (not screaming/crying/fussing), but just having trouble focusing on eating.

I had the same experience with my DD around that age.