she's just started this and it hurts like hell!! she's only 6 weeks but already got really strong neck muscles and will jerk her head back during feedings, without letting go of my nipple first :eek: !!! it makes me wonder whether she does it because she's not getting enough milk?? she seems to get really frustrated and then she jerks back and forth and sometimes starts crying. at first i thought it was because she wasn't too hungry, but she will do it whenever! so that makes me think that maybe she's not getting enough milk. she's been gaining over an ounce a day though so she's not underweight, but i feed her about every 2-2 1/2 hours during the day (she sleeps between 5-7 hours at night and rarely wakes up for a feeding) and that might drain my breast faster. i know they say that your body will adjust to the baby's needs but at the end of the day there is just not much left for her. i just read in another post about the fenugreek so i will give that a try tomorrow, but do you have any other ideas as to why she does that?

thanks in advance!

Befer.

Hi! My baby started doing this around 5-6 weeks too. I'm not sure why she does it, but she is definitely frustrated at the time. I know that sometimes when she's passing gas she does it and sometimes I think it may be because she wants to suck but she doesn't want the milk. She tends to do it around bed time when she's very fussy, or after she has already nursed. I think she just doesn't know what she wants, but needs the comfort. If your baby is gaining weight I wouldn't worry too much about milk supply.

I hope you get a better answer form someone else!

If your baby is gaining over an ounce a day, you do NOT have a supply problem. Actually, it sounds like an over active let down/over supply problem. Your baby is probably pulling back because a stream of milk is shooting straight into the back of her mouth. It's very frustrating for them because they can't swollow as much as they're getting, so they pull back, cry, squirm, wiggle, etc.

Next time your baby pulls back like that, unlatch her and take a look at a few things. 1, does your baby have a lot of milk in her mouth, does it dripple out? And 2, are you leaking milk? If so, I would say your baby is getting frustrated because there is too much milk.

The only way to 100% sure if your baby is getting enough milk to watch the diaper output. Is your baby having 5-6 wet diapers, and nice yellow curdish poops? If so, your supply is fine. Do NOT rely on how your baby nurses as an indication of supply. I would also hold off on the fenugreek, because if you do have an over active let down, fenugreek will just make it worse.

I forgot to add that your milk will change through out the day, and in the evening it becomes richer. Babies often cluster feed in the evenings because they get more rich and fatty hind milk then. It's totally normal for them seem "hungrier" in the evenings. Just nurse, nurse, nurse!

I forgot to add that your milk will change through out the day, and in the evening it becomes richer. Babies often cluster feed in the evenings because they get more rich and fatty hind milk then. It's totally normal for them seem "hungrier" in the evenings. Just nurse, nurse, nurse!

Yes.....Yes....yes.....

My daughter always cluster feeds at night!!! It is so true!

Hi Befer!

I have the same problem. Mine is two things - one, I do have an overactive letdown. When I take the nipple away, there literally is a stream of milk flowing out of the nipple. I just hold a burp cloth to it and wait until the stream stops. She fusses because she's getting way too much milk at one time and can't swallow that fast. Also, between 5 - 8 weeks of age, babies are more fussy and do have a hard time deciding what they want. My dd cluster feeds at night and is extremely fussy at the nipple. This usually lasts 2 - 5 minutes. It is frustrating, but I keep telling myself she will quiet down and she usually does. I cannot wait until this fussiness if over with though. It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong, but I am not.

My bf and pumping is going very well now. I have milk stored in the freezer. DH gives Jayden a bottle at night once a week so I can have a longer sleep. But now she sleeps 7 - 8 hours, so we don't really need him to do that either.

Jayden is now smiling regularly. It's sooooo cute! She's doing so well.

We got our first snow storm and we are snowed in (or more like I'm not going anywhere!).

How'd you fair on the stretch marks? I didn't get any on my stomach, only a few on my breasts, but they are E's now! Yikes!

How's the weight? I only have 10 pounds to lose now. I am running on my treadmill and doing some light weights. I plan to get back to soccer by January, even though I could do it now.

It's so sad, but I only have 1 more month before I have to go back to work. Jayden is 7 weeks old today can you believe it?

North~ i definitely DON'T have an over supply problem. I've checked the nipple several times after her pulling it too and there was just enough milk coming out to wet the nipple. i only leak sometimes in the morning after the shower when my breast is still full, it's usually the left because i seem to have more milk on that side, but at the end of the day they feel empty. i know there is still some milk left in it because when i pump there is some coming out but it's never more than an ounce or so. Just yesterday evening when she started doing it, I could feel her sucking and sucking and getting frustrated with it because she didn't get enough. So I latched her onto my left breast and she started sucking like crazy...
thanks for the suggestions, though!

anyway, I've been using the drops with fenugreek in it and it seems to help. At least I can pump more so that my husband has a chance to feed her too, which we're happy about. Poor guy, now that he's back at work (he had 4 weeks of family leave and really connected with her) he feels left out. He wants to change diapers as much as he can and I'm trying to have him be involved as much as I can, like let him bath her, too.

Trooper~ I'm soooo happy to hear from you! I miss you, woman! I'm so happy to hear that you and Jayden are doing great! Don't you just want to eat her up all the time?? Sofia started smiling at me at about 4.5 weeks and I knew it was conscious, because one time we were playing and the other time she had just woken up from her nap and smiled when she looked at me! I had tears in my eyes... She's already over 9lbs and gaining and I had to put the first batch of clothes away already :( because she's already outgrown them.
Time is flying by so fast, I can't believe you have to go back to work already? What is your set up for that? Do you have a babysitter or will Jayden go to a daycare? It must be heartbreaking to have to do that, but on the other hand, you'll get a little break and a chance to be out in the world again, too, so enjoy that bit!

I never got any stretchmarks on my belly, but did get them on my back on the left side?? You go figure, I have no idea how that happened. I must have gained weight there... I still have a quite a bit to lose, but that's because I had gained some weight before I even got pregnant. I am starting an areobics class for new moms next week, will go back to Yoga, and with all the walking I'm doing with her I'm sure I'll lose the extra weight soon. But since I'm still BF and having trouble with my milk supply, I have to eat all the time too. My MIL who is still here is making sure of that! It's great, let me tell you, I haven't cooked a meal in THREE weeks!!! She's such a great help.

Well, thank you all for your suggestions, and I hope my little princess will soon outgrow that nipple pulling habit!

Hugs :wave: Befer.