Help me figure out what this cry means!

[feminist~mama]

My DD is 5 weeks now, and for the past week or two has us absolutely flummoxed with this crying behavior!

Typically, she's at the breast and nursing when it begins. She stiffens her body and flails her arms and legs and starts crying- then latches back on and sucks a few times, then stiffens her body and flails her arms and legs...

I've tried taking her off the breast, offering a pacifier, switching sides, burping in a variety of positions, changing her diaper, rocking, bouncing, covering her or taking off clothes, swaddling, etc.

She calms within a few minutes- it's never the same thing that fixes it, and she often then acts like she's starving and needs to eat- so we start the whole thing over. She'll nurse happily for a few minutes, then start crying.

Any ideas? I'd love to avoid the whole scene if someone has been there/ done that with this behavior!

[Bokonon]

Could this be it?

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html

[Rhannie]

Sounds like what my daughter did when she had to pee while nursing. DD would NOT wet her diaper if she had any choice and was very vocal about needing to pee . (Check her diaper before and after she settles down.) I would take DD off the breast if she started fussing like that and hold her over the toilet let her pee and then get right back to nursing--saved a lot of hassles and a quite a few diapers here.

[mamaspirit]

All my babies have done this and I have fast let down. If I hand expressed a little from each breast and than relatched them they were happier.

[Dee-Groovy]

Could be fast let down or reflux. Is she arching away from the breast? Does she hate lying flat on her back after eating?

[d_lighted]

Sounds VERY similar to what I'v experienced. The solution for us was for me to burp her often during a feeding. I burp her at the first sign of discomfort (wiggling legs) or after a couple of minutes, whichever comes first. Then another time during the feeding, and then at the end. I also have fast let down, and this seemed to help enormously.

HTH!

[henny penny]

Originally Posted by d_lighted

Sounds VERY similar to what I'v experienced. The solution for us was for me to burp her often during a feeding. I burp her at the first sign of discomfort (wiggling legs) or after a couple of minutes, whichever comes first. Then another time during the feeding, and then at the end. I also have fast let down, and this seemed to help enormously.

HTH!

Exactly this! I'll burp dd after just a few sucks if she gets fussy like that. She gets a lot of air gulping in that first bit with my fast let down.

Alternatively, could she just be really hungry and an impatient nurser and is upset that it takes a few sucks to get the milk flowing? It's a puzzle, these little critters.....

[tippy]

this sounds like what my ds does when he's using the bathrm (usually #2) while nursing.

[rhiOrion]

DDCC

Haha, for my DD it means ALL of the above.

Milk is too fast- she does this
Milk is too slow- she does this
She has reflux sooooo- she does this
She needs to burp- she does this
She needs to use the bathroom- she does this

It's a puzzle to figure out what the issue is at the moment.

[Tenk]

To me, this sounds like Reflux or GERD, and needs to be checked out.

This pulling away and fussing is common for fast/slow let down, but the back arching and screeching is NOT and are signs of reflux.

I hope you get it worked out mama, it sucks when your LO cries and you/we don't know why