I am not enjoying this

I am so sad :( My nursing relationship with DD3 is awful. She is my last baby and I don't even enjoy nursing her :ohno:

I don't know what the problem is. She is VERY distracted. Nursing her has always been kind of tough but lately it's awful. She pops on and off like crazy, she arches, she cries, she clamps down and pulls back (so unpleasant!), etc. She will suck for 5 mins and that is it. She rarely gets sleepy or relaxed. It's really so depressing. I am almost ready to pump and bottle feed since I am getting nothing out of it but feeling frustrated and burdened. At least then DH could help.

I would say maybe she is teething but my other kids didn't get their first tooth until 13 months. I know every kid is different so I guess it's possible but I doubt it. I do remember the others doing this but not this badly. I remember DD2 being distracted because DD1 was around. DD3 just can't focus at all. I also get constant plugged ducts - I don't know why. Maybe she isn't emptying the breast enough?

She seems to be gaining/growing so I assume she is getting enough yet she is always acting like she wants it - being fussy and turning her head but if I let her have it she pops on and off until I can't take it anymore and have to stop.

I am thinking about trying to space out her feedings more? :dunno: Right now I whip it out all the time because she is so fussy I feel like I don't know what else to do.... I am at a loss.... :ohno:

Sounds like teething or could be thrush. It's not too early for teething. If you need to pump to have a break for a feeding or two a day then do what you need to do. Can also be a growth spurt. Mine would sometimes do that. They were used to a fast letdown, and when they'd cluster feed, my letdowns would be slower and they would sometimes get fussy at the breast and pull off a lot. Sorry, things are tough right now.

DS gets like that sometimes too. I feel like all I am doing is giving him little snacks and what he really wants is a big meal. He's now taking 6 oz bottles of EBM at daycare because he was still fussing after a 5 oz bottle. He's a pretty happy and content baby overall, but sometimes does that whole arching back, popping on and off thing too. I've had the same thoughts of just bottle feeding and pumping. I feel like I'll at least know what his intake is then. *sigh* :hugs: Hang in there!

I'm sorry you're having a hard time! DS is two months old and I've pretty much been exclusively pumping since the beginning. We tried nursing for three weeks and only once did I actually get him to correctly latch on, and then he was off again after only five minutes. We both got so frustrated, it was awful. So I definitely understand. DS is still getting only my breastmilk in a bottle, and he's doing well. You do what you have to do. You can't have a happy baby, if you don't have a happy mommy first! :hugs:

:hugs: a lot of times lately I can only feed dd at non sleep times if she is in the ergo w a blanket over her head.

I'm sorry. I hated the popping on and off thing that happened. It was so frustrating. Perhaps she is going through the 4-6 month growth spurt/sleep regression that is so frustrating. Have you tried a paci? Or maybe some gripe water before she nurses?

I have some gripe water....I didn't feel like it worked but I only tried it once or twice. We have been doing probiotics which may not help the fussiness but I think it's helping with the yeast rashes so I'm gonna keep up with that.

I have started to go into a dark room with white noise to nurse when DH is home. When it's me and the older girls I can't do that unless they are watching a show. DD3 is just soooooo interested in what is going on lol.

My first did that a lot at that age, too, and until she weaned. She was my first, though, so it was easy to go into another quiet room to nurse. It helped some, but not totally - she still had to pop off regularly to make sure that no one else was around or if she heard a noise in the rest of the house.

I agree with pp that a lot of it is the age. Around that age was when I stopped being able to nurse with the TV on or have a conversation with DH while nursing. My DD just became super nosy and had to be up looking around and seeing things. A cover might help, but you would probably have better luck taking her into a quiet room for nursing time if you can swing it. I know it's harder to steal away when you have older kids to watch.