sucking/crying

[posterelle]

my son has developed this distressing habit of sucking for about 30 sec. then popping off the breast, crying hysterically. As soon as I can calm him a little, he goes right back on the breast, hungrily, and repeats the pattern.

Often, i think, he has a little milk dribblibg out of his mouth when he pops off. Is my milk coming out too fast for him? Is he choking on it?

I've tried a few diff. positions -- doesn't seem to make a difference. I don't think he needs burping at those moments, but maybe . . .

any thoughts?? many tia .. .

[etwahl]

This has happened and still happens to me sometimes. I have a fast letdown and think she's choking on it and/or it's just too fast and scares her. Try expressing some until it slows down and see how that works?

Hope that helps a little!

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003

[Rachels]

I agree-- sounds like a fast letdown. Try hand-expressing or pumping until the flow slows slightly, then nurse. Babies eventually figure this out and your milk supply stabilizes, but that's a good short-term solution.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[jeneli]

This sounds like something that was happening to one of the moms in my mommy group, and it turned out to be a reflux problem. Can you tell if the milk dribbling out is "fresh" vs. milk that has been swallowed and come back up again?

[sparkeze]

Does he do this before your milk lets down? Or during?

If it's before it's possible he's being impatient if he's really hungry. You could try massaging your breast with 2-3 fingers going around your breast (circular maybe an inch away from your nipple all the way around) before you nurse for about 30 seconds or longer if possible. That will help stimulate letdown so that when your baby starts sucking he doesn't have to wait long for letdown. If it's during letdown that he fusses it could be an overactive letdown. For that, if you place your finger and press down firmly on your breast about an inch above his nose you should be able to hear his sucking slow down. Pressing like that slows down the milk flow. It may take you a little practice to be able to find the right spot for it but it does work.

Is the milk dribbling out just a few drops out the side? That's pretty normal, I think. That's a sure way to tell that your baby is getting milk. You would generally have a little formilk in you breast anyways so even if your milk hasn't let down he could have some milk in his mouth. If he's choking on the milk though you would probably see the milk spraying out your nipple whenever he pops off.

Hope things get better for you and your baby!