6 week old baby fussy while feeding
20 Reasons Why Baby Fusses Or Cries While Breastfeeding
From letdown issues to teething, identifying the cause can make breastfeeding easier for you and your baby.
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You may often notice that your baby cries while breastfeeding. Babies may cry when breastfed for various reasons, ranging from simple distractions to a significant feeding problem.
While occasional weeping during nursing is normal, persistent crying and reluctance to breastfeed may necessitate medical treatment or a consultation with a lactation consultant-IBCLC (International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners).
Read on to learn why newborns cry during breastfeeding and ways to avoid it.
Causes Of Crying In Babies While Breastfeeding
The following factors or situations may make babies fussy or cry during breastfeeding (1).
1. Overactive letdown
Sometimes, if the mother has an overactive or forceful letdown of breast milk, the baby may tend to bite the breast or cry since they cannot swallow too much milk. An overactive letdown may cause colic symptoms for the baby. Hyperactive milk ejection reflex and oversupply may cause gagging or choking while breastfeeding, making your baby cry while nursing.
2. Slow letdown
Slow letdown reflex could cause a slower or inadequate milk supply. Babies may become irritated or cry if they do not get enough milk while breastfeeding.
Related: 5 Helpful Ways To Increase Breastmilk Supply
3. Slow milk flow
Babies can be impatient while waiting for the milk to flow while feeding. Slow milk flow can be due to various reasons, including a slow letdown reflex. Sometimes, a fast milk flow due to overactive letdown followed by a slower flow could make your baby cry since they become frustrated by the changes in the milk flow.
4. Done with feeding
Babies should be the ones ending a feeding. If you continue to feed even when they are refusing, it is normal for babies to cry.
5. Want to burp
Image: Shutterstock
Babies may cry or pull off the breast if they want to burp while nursing, especially during the first few months. Most babies do this while changing the breast or after feeding, and a few may not burp without the assistance of the parent. Older babies can relieve gas while they move, and it is rare for them to burp while nursing.
Bottle-fed infants may burp more than breastfed infants as they are fed too fast. Paced bottle feeding method should be used to help baby get the what he/she needs at that feeding not more.
6. Not hungry
Babies who are not hungry may cry while feeding since they do not want to be fed. Crying can be a means of communication for the baby.
Related: 11 Reasons Why Baby Refuses To Eat And How To Help Them
7. GERD or acid reflux
Regurgitation of stomach acid to the food pipe could make babies gag or throw up often. Acid reflux may cause irritation or cough and often make babies cry while feeding due to the discomfort.
8. Unusual body odor
Babies may refuse feeding and often cry when they smell a new perfume, soap, or lotion on the breast while feeding since it is unusual for them.
9. Changes in the taste of breast milk
Babies may cry or refuse feeding if the taste or texture of the breast milk changes. Maternal diet, periods, high lipase levels in the milk or second pregnancy may cause changes in the milk.
10. Growth spurt
Growth spurts or frequency days are times when your baby has more intense growth. Babies can have many growth spurts during infancy, usually during two to three weeks, six weeks, three months, and six months.
The duration of growth spurts may vary in babies, and it may last for a few days. Babies may appear hungrier and feed more during this time. The baby can be fussy and may cry when feeding while experiencing a growth spurt.
11. Preference for bottle-feeding
Image: iStock
Babies who are mostly fed from a bottle may prefer bottle-feeding to breastfeeding due to the bottle’s instant and continuous milk flow. They may also find it is easy to feed from a bottle since it involves minimal effort than feeding from the breasts.
12. Preference feeding from one side
Some babies tend to prefer one-sided feeding due to various reasons, and they may cry if you offer the other breast or change the breast during nursing sessions.
Related: Breastfeeding From One Breast: Causes, Side Effects And Tips
13. Cluster feeding in the evening
Babies may feed more before sleeping in the evening hours, and they can become fussy and cry if you end feeding before they feed enough. A slow letdown of milk during cluster feeding may also irritate the baby and make them cry.
14. Teething
Teething may cause swelling and pain in the gums. It can make the baby cry while nursing due to the discomfort in the gums.
15. Thrush
Image: Shutterstock
Thrush, also known as oral candidiasis, is a fungal infection caused by the yeast Candida albicans. You may notice whitish coating of the tongue and oral cavity in this condition. Babies with oral thrush may have difficulty breastfeeding due to mouth dryness, burning, or lack of appetite.
They may cry or become fussy due to thrush while feeding, and often the candida infection can spread to the mothers’ breasts while nursing if it is left untreated.
16. Stuffy nose
Babies may cry while breastfeeding due to breathing difficulties caused by nasal congestion. Common cold or flu can be the reason for congested or stuffy noses in many babies. Blocked nose due to an inappropriate breastfeeding position may also cause feeding problems.
17. Food sensitivity or allergy
Babies with food sensitivities or allergies may cry during breastfeeding due to gastrointestinal discomforts. Colic, vomiting, gagging, excessive gas, diarrhea, or skin rashes can be symptoms of sensitivity to foods in mom’s diet.
18. Ankyloglossia or tongue-tie
Tongue-tie is a condition wherein a tight and thick band of tissue tethers the tip or any part of the tongue to the mouth’s floor. Lip and buccal ties can also cause feeding challenges. This condition could affect babies’ ability to suck, and they may turn fussy or cry while breastfeeding.
19. Stress
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Babies may feel stressed for various reasons, such as teething, physical illnesses, or even psychological problems, such as fear of being away from the caregiver or parent (separation anxiety). Stress may cause the baby to be irritated and often cry more than usual, including during the nursing sessions.
20. Tiredness
Illnesses or lack of sleep could make babies cry while feeding, and you may also notice them being more irritable in such situations.
Babies may become fussy or cry while breastfeeding due to various reasons. Some babies may go into a nursing strike or breastfeeding strike due to these factors. Breastfeeding strike is a sudden refusal of breastfeeding for several days. It is essential to identify the exact reason behind crying while nursing since adequate feeding is required for your baby’s growth and development.
Related: 8 Signs Of Overtired Baby And Tips To Put Them To Sleep
How To Prevent Crying While Nursing?
Sometimes, it can be difficult for parents to find and resolve the cause of crying while nursing. If your baby frequently cries while breastfeeding or if you are unable to identify the cause, seek help from a pediatrician or a lactation consultant.
The following ways may help calm a crying baby while nursing (1).
- Nurse when the baby is relaxed. You may choose before their sleeping time since babies are less likely to be fussy during this time.
- Take the baby outdoors and feed afterward.
- If the mother is stressed or depressed, the other family member or caregiver may carry the baby until the mom relaxes since babies can often sense emotions.
- Find a calm and dark feeding room or area to reduce distraction.
- Express and bottle-feed breast milk if the baby refuses to feed from the breast. Shift to formula milk only when there is not enough milk supply and after seeking advice from a lactation consultant or pediatrician.
Image: iStock
- Do not force the baby to feed if they refuse to feed.
- Feed from both breasts, and switch the breasts if they cry.
- Maintain an appropriate feeding position and change if required.
- Burp the baby in between breasts and at the end of each feeding.
- Opt for surgical repair of tongue-tie after consulting a doctor.
- Treat stuffy nose, thrush, etc. to avoid feeding difficulties.
- Use comfort measures to calm and soothe the baby before continuing feeding.
- Maintain a healthy diet and drink enough water if you are a lactating mother. The maternal diet could be linked to food sensitivity in breastfed infants. Speak to a doctor if you suspect your baby is reacting to the maternal diet.
Related: Baby Crying: Types, Reasons And Tips To Cope With It
1. Is it normal if a baby cries while breastfeeding?
Babies may cry when breastfeeding if they feel uncomfortable. Improper airflow, acid reflux, satiety, and altered breast milk taste could result in a baby crying during nursing.
2. What should I not do when my baby cries while breastfeeding?
Do not stop breastfeeding immediately after the baby starts crying. Instead, offer them the other breast or try a different feeding position to see if it subsides the crying. In many cases, a change in breast or feeding position may work. If your baby continues to cry, express breast milk and offer them the bottle.
If your baby cries while breastfeeding, look for the causes such as acid reflux, overactive letdown, slow letdown, or not hungry. Some babies may also cry and fuss after they are done feeding. Teething, thrush, growth spurts, and preference for bottle-feeding or one breast can also be the reason for crying while nursing. You may feed the baby when they are hungry and relaxed. Seek suggestions from lactation consultants to manage overactive or slow letdowns with various feeding techniques. You may express and feed using bottles if the baby prefers to be bottle-fed.
Key Pointers
- A baby can cry or become fussy while breastfeeding for various reasons such as overactive or slow letdown, not hungry, or acid reflux.
- Stuffy nose and teething can cause babies to fuss or cry while feeding due to nasal congestion or pain in the gums.
- You may feed on demand and address health issues to prevent cry or fussiness. Expressing and giving bottled breast milk can also help some babies.
References:
MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.
1. Crying and feeding issues; The Children and Young People Urgent Care Advisory Group
2. Breastfeeding; The World Health Organization
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Dr. Bisny T. Joseph is a Georgian Board-certified physician. She has completed her professional graduate degree as a medical doctor from Tbilisi State Medical University, Georgia. She has 3+ years of experience in various sectors of medical affairs as a physician, medical reviewer, medical writer, health coach, and Q&A expert. Her interest in digital medical education and patient education made...
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Yinés Garcia-Taylor is an international board-certified lactation consultant (IBCLC), registered nurse (RN), mother, and founder of Prenatal Yini; a private in-home and virtual lactation consulting service. She supports breastfeeding families in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Through private virtual lactation consultations, she empowers breastfeeding families worldwide. Yines has earned a bachelor’s degree in International Business from St. Peter’s University and...
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My baby fusses or cries when breastfeeding
By Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC
© Lsantilli - Fotolia.com
Some babies will fuss, cry or pull off the breast during breastfeeding. There are a number of reasons why this might be happening. It’s pretty common to see this type of behavior at around 6-8 weeks, though it can occur at any time. If your baby is generally fussy (not just when nursing) see My baby is fussy! Is something wrong?
Determining the problem
Here are some of the problem-solving steps I go through when my baby is fussy at the breast or a mother asks me why her baby is fussing while breastfeeding:
.
How old is baby? Most babies go through growth spurts during the first few days at home and around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, etc. Many babies are fussy during growth spurts.
Is baby working on anything new developmentally? Babies who are starting to notice the world around them can be notoriously distractible. Any kind of new developmental step that baby is working on can affect nursing temporarily, whether it be fussy nursing behavior or simply more frequent nursing.
When is baby fussing? To figure out the cause it’s helpful to pay attention to when the fussy behavior happens, both during the nursing session and during the day.
If baby is fussy right when your milk is letting down (or immediately after), there’s a good chance that the fussy nursing is related to a fast let-down. If baby is fussy before let-down, or a few minutes into nursing (and a while after let-down), then baby may be impatient for the fast flow of milk that comes with let-down. Fussing at the end of a nursing session (or what seems to be the end) may mean that baby needs to burp, or is ready to finish nursing, or just wants to suck (and doesn’t want to deal with a new let-down at this point), or wants to continue nursing on the other side or with a faster flow of milk.
If the fussy behavior is mainly in the mornings, it might be due to a faster than usual let-down if baby has just had a longer sleep period and mom’s breasts are fuller than usual. If baby is fussier during evening nursings, it may be due to the normal fussy time that most babies have during the evening. Although most babies don’t react to foods that mom eats, some do. If you eat a particular food at about the same time each day (or most days) and baby has a regular time where she fusses during nursing, try not eating that food for a week or two to see if things improve.
Does fussing occur on both sides equally or only on one side? Most moms have a faster let-down and/or a more abundant milk supply on one side than the other, so if your baby fusses more on one side, it may be due to these differences.
What else is going on with baby? Is she sick or teething? Is something new or different going on in her environment? Has she started solids or is she trying a new food? Is she exhibiting other symptoms besides the fussy nursing?
Below are discussions of some of the different things that can lead to fussy nursing behavior. Keep in mind that the problem may also be a combination of several things.
Does baby need to burp?
Many babies will cry, fuss, pull off the breast, etc. if they need to burp. Try to burp between breasts and after a feeding, but don’t worry if baby does not burp and is content. Breastfed babies overall don’t take in as much air during a feeding as bottle-fed babies do, so usually don’t need to burp as often. If baby has been crying before she nurses, or is so hungry that she nurses “frantically” or if mom has a fast let-down, baby could be taking in more air and may need to be burped more often.
Burping is usually only necessary during the first few months, though it may extend longer. Once your baby is moving more freely, she will be able to relieve the gastric gas herself. This usually will occur between the 4th and 6th month, but may be shorter in some children and longer in others.
If baby has a hard time burping, try burping more often during a feeding. The best burping position is one that applies firm pressure to the baby’s tummy. Placing baby over the shoulder way up so that there is pressure on baby’s abdomen often works well. Walking around while doing this might distract her long enough to get a good burp. You may even want to lie baby down on her stomach and burp her that way.
Growth spurt
Babies often pull off and fuss during growth spurts. Most babies go through growth spurts, sometimes called frequency days, during the first few days at home and around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months (more or less). More growth spurt information in this link.
Distractible baby
If baby seems to be pulling off the breast at any distraction (real or imaginary), then see The Distractible Baby.
Forceful let-down
Some babies will pull off the breast soon after let-down if mom has a forceful let-down. Baby may be frustrated by the too-fast flow of milk with let-down. A too-forceful let-down can also cause excessive gas or spitting up/vomiting. There is more information here on symptoms of and how to deal with a fast let-down reflex.
Slow let-down
Some babies get very impatient if mom has a slow let-down. There is more information here on speeding up a slow let-down reflex.
Baby wants a faster milk flow
Even very young babies can be quick to notice that pulling off, kneading the breast, etc. can cause an additional let-down, and can facilitate a faster, easier milk flow. Some babies become impatient with the slower milk flow following the initial fast flow at let-down. This may or may not be related to a slow let-down.
When a feeding begins at the breast there are drops of milk. Then when the initial let-down occurs (several seconds to a minute into the feeding), the milk flow speeds up quite a bit. At that time it may drip very quickly, squirt, or even spray. Some minutes later it slows again and the baby must continue to suck vigorously in order to elicit further let-downs. This pattern can continue through successive, multiple let-downs as long as the baby is continuing to nurse vigorously. Eventually, baby will learn that the flow will pick back up again if she’ll only continue to vigorously suck/swallow.
With bottle feeding, the flow is instant and continuous. The baby is required to work very little. Once a baby has had a bottle, especially a lot of bottles, she may begin to prefer the ease of bottle-feeding over the work of breastfeeding. She may become frustrated at the breast after the first let-down occurs and the flow of milk begins to slow.
If baby is getting bottles you might consider putting them away, at least for a while. When you must use a bottle, only use a newborn nipple for as long as baby will tolerate it so that she never gets a really fast flow of milk from the bottle, but has to work a little more to get the milk.
Sometimes babies of moms with oversupply or fast let-down will also get very used to the fast flow and object when it normally slows somewhere between 3 weeks to 3 months.
It can be helpful to do some breast compression when this fussiness starts or right before you expect it to. This will help speed up the milk flow again. Once compression stops helping, try switching baby to the other side when she begins to fuss and back and forth again (after using compression) as you need to.
Baby is done nursing for the moment
If baby is fussing after she’s been nursing for a while, and you’ve ruled out other causes, she may be in the process of changing her nursing pattern. Babies become very efficient at the breast with growth and maturity. They can milk the breast in a lot less time per feeding session than they required before. Baby’s frustration may just be a sign that she’s finished and wants to move on.
On a similar note, an occasional baby will just want to suck at the end of a nursing session and the flow of milk with let-down frustrates her. You might see if offering her a finger or pacifier (if baby is older than 4-6 weeks) to suck on during these times seems to help.
Baby prefers one side
Sometimes babies will refuse or fuss at a breast when the let-down is slower or too forceful, or the supply a bit lower. They in turn will prefer the side which lets down more/less quickly and in which the supply is more bountiful. See also: Lopsided! What can I do?
Fussy in the evening
Many young babies tend to pull off and fuss at the breast in the evening. See the article Cluster Feeding and Fussy Evenings.
Teething
Teething can cause fussy nursing behavior, as some babies experience gum discomfort with sucking. Baby might start to nurse, but then pull off and cry or fuss and not want to nurse anymore. See Teething for more information and tips.
Thrush
Frequent pulling off the breast can be a symptom of thrush.
Stuffy nose
A stuffy nose can cause fussy nursing behavior. If your baby has a stuffy nose and is having a hard time breathing and nursing at the same time, see colds & congestion.
Allergy or food sensitivity
Some babies with allergies or food sensitivities exhibit fussy nursing behavior. Often when there is a sensitivity to something in mom’s diet, baby will come to the breast hungry but when she tastes/smells something in the milk that will cause her GI distress, she pulls off, bats her head back and forth, etc. Sensitivities to foods in mom’s diet are rare. If this is the problem, you will most likely notice other symptoms, such as excessive spitting up or vomiting, colic, diarrhea, rash, persistent congestion or runny nose, or excessive gas. More information on food sensitivities in babies and links to more allergy information can be found in my article Dairy and other Food Sensitivities in Breastfed Babies.
Low milk supply
Low milk supply can cause baby to be fussy at the breast. If you feel that your milk supply may be low, see this page for more info: Increasing low milk supply.
Reflux
Reflux can result in baby being fussy at the breast. See Reflux and Breastfeeding for more information.
Tongue-Tie
Tongue-Tie can result in baby being fussy at the breast. See Breastfeeding a Baby with Tongue-Tie (Resources) for more information.
Why does the baby cry during breastfeeding
Yakovleva Ekaterina Andreevna
pediatrician, breastfeeding consultant
Why does baby cry while breastfeeding? The answer may lie on the surface and depend on the situation. Some mothers themselves begin to put forward theories that are often incorrect - “I don’t have milk”, “I ate something wrong”, “The milk became tasteless and bitter”, “I shouldn’t have bought silicone pads” ... Consider the most frequent causes of crying at the breast and options for helping the baby together with Ekaterina Andreevna Yakovleva, pediatrician, breastfeeding consultant and mother of two babies. She knows about the tears of babies not only from professional, but also from maternal experience.
WHY A CHILD CRYS DURING FOOD
— Ekaterina Andreevna, is crying during feeding dangerous?
— Crying during feeding is a normal way for a baby to communicate with the outside world. So he calls his mother, shows that he wants to eat or something bothers him. The only thing that crying can affect is that the baby will come off the chest and take in air. This will lead to more abundant regurgitation, increased pain in the tummy.
Table. Newborn cries during feeding - 9 reasons0018
— Can a change in priorities of a child affect his behavior at the breast?
- Up to three months, babies have one priority - they need to either eat and sleep or change a wet diaper. After the children become more active, they are already interested in the world around them. Therefore, when feeding in public places, and also when the mother combines the process with talking on the phone or watching TV, the child can be distracted: suck - turn away - suck, ask for different breasts in turn, indulge.
After three or four months, the baby should not be on the breast very often, but mothers find it difficult to readjust and continue to breastfeed constantly to soothe him. But in fact, the child’s needs are already different - he wants to be vilified on the handles, paid attention to him, played with him, showed him toys.
- Let's discuss misattachment in more detail. What can a mother do wrong if the child does not eat well and cries?
- A very common symptom of improper attachment or refusal of the breast is trouble-free feeding only in sleep. When the child sleeps, he eats calmly, and when he is awake, he begins to twist at the chest, cry. Mom can get tired of this, and in order to calm and feed the baby, during the day she gives him a bottle. In such a situation, it makes sense to talk about breastfeeding and work to restore normal feeding.
Problems may arise from awkward or repetitive posture during feeding. By trial and error, the mother should choose the position that will be most convenient for her and the child. However, if a baby is fed only lying down from birth, at an older age he may refuse to eat in his arms, break out and cry.
A CHILD CRYING WHEN FEEDING - HOW TO HELP
- Ekaterina Andreevna, everything is very individual for small children. How to understand why a child eats and cries?
— If the baby cries during feeding, the mother should examine the possible reasons for this behavior step by step and:
- Eliminate the reasons related to the child's well-being, which she can deal with herself.
- Work on breastfeeding techniques.
- Seek medical attention if all else fails - child continues to cry and has additional questionable symptoms.
A triad of symptoms that are always alarming
You should also consult a doctor if, during feeding, the child wriggles and cries from constant acute pain, cannot calm down, vomiting, blood and mucus in the stool, rashes in the mouth, stuffy nose are observed. Fever is an acute condition that is not associated with constant (for example, for a month) baby crying during feeding.
— What should I do if my baby refuses to breastfeed?
— The main thing for a mother is to remain calm and adequate. For a breastfed baby, one break can last an hour, and another five to six hours if the baby has slept long and well. Taking long breaks during the day, the child will still finish his daily allowance in order to develop normally. For example, if he has not eaten for six hours during the daytime, he will breastfeed more often at night. Therefore, in feeding children in the first half of life during the day, it is better not to take breaks for more than 3-3.5 hours. With the introduction of complementary foods, the intervals may be slightly longer.
Night breaks are individual and depend only on the child - some children are born with a 6-8 hour interval, and some sleep at night for eight to twelve hours or eat every hour.
Read also
- About the reasons why a child refuses breast milk and whether it is necessary to switch to mixed or artificial feeding in such cases.
— Is it necessary to stop feeding if the baby is naughty?
- Depends on age. Mom should feel what exactly the child needs at this moment. If a newborn cries and refuses to breastfeed, you can calm him down, vilify him with a column, shake him, and then attach him to the breast again. If, having calmed down, the child turns away from the chest, then he has eaten.
An older child is distracted from the breast, becoming interested in something else. Do not force feed him. We must try to remove all irritants - feed in isolation in a separate room, not be distracted by gadgets, sounds, or give the child the opportunity to satisfy his interests, and then offer the breast again.
— What else can help calm the baby?
- Since most causes of crying are not related to medical problems, medication is not needed. It is necessary to relax, set up the baby, pump him, try to competently organize breastfeeding - apply correctly, do not give a dummy, nipple, supplement from a cup or syringe without a needle. As a rule, this is how most feeding problems go away.
— In what situations can a breast be replaced with a bottle?
— It is not worth replacing breastfeeding with formula feeding without acute vital signs. When a baby is not accepting the breast well, it is worth removing all bottles, continuing to supplement with “non-sucking” items, and contacting a breastfeeding specialist to try to establish attachment and breastfeeding. This is done by a lot of people.
- Does changing the feeding regimen help to get rid of crying?
- Rather, these are unrelated things. It is not worth forcibly adjusting the feeding regimen, you need to listen to the child - in the first three months, the children constantly hang on their chest, after they begin to form a regimen and the intervals between meals increase. It is important to feel the needs of the child, because not only hunger, but also other things can disturb him, and if he constantly poke his chest, he will not be very pleased.
Table. Mistakes during breastfeeding
The baby cries during breastfeeding for many reasons. It can be improper attachment to the breast, "tangled nipples", inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity, runny nose, colic, teething, lactase deficiency, or a very nervous state of the mother. It is possible to understand what the problem is only by eliminating the organic and psychological causes of crying. With prolonged ongoing anxiety, the child should be shown to a specialist.
* Breast milk is the best food for babies. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a child's life and continued breastfeeding after complementary foods are introduced until the age of 2 years. Before introducing new products into the baby's diet, you should consult with a specialist. The material is for informational purposes and cannot replace the advice of a healthcare professional. For feeding children from birth. The product is certified.
#advice for mom #breastfeeding
See also
Why does the baby not sleep after feeding?
#Tips for Mom #breast-feeding #colic #gaziki 7-12
Nikulina Anastasia Anatolyevna
pediatrician
Infant feeding patterns - what to choose
#Tips for Mom #breastfeeding
Kizino Polina Alexandrovna
pediatrician, perinatal psychologist
The baby is not full of breast milk: how to determine it and what to do
#Food #breast-feeding #supplementing formula while breastfeeding
Shcherbakova Alla Anatolyevna
Candidate of Medical Sciences, pediatrician, gastroenterologist
See all
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Why does the baby not sleep after feeding?
# Tips for mom # grudnoe-vskarmlivanie # breast-feeding # colic #koliki # gaziki 7-12
Nikulina Anastasia Anatolyevna
pediatrician
The baby is not full of breast milk: how to determine it and what to do
# Lure # breast-feeding # grudnoe-vskarmlivanie # formula supplementation while breastfeeding
Shcherbakova Alla Anatolyevna
Candidate of Medical Sciences, pediatrician, gastroenterologist
Infant feeding patterns - what to choose
# Tips for mom # breast-feeding #grudnoe-vskarmlivanie
Kizino Polina Alexandrovna
pediatrician, perinatal psychologist
See all
View all
View all
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Why does the baby cry - articles from the specialists of the clinic "Mother and Child"
Bondarenko Margarita Gennadievna
Otorhinolaryngologist (ENT)
Clinic "Mother and Child" Kuntsevo,
I want to eat!
Most often the baby cries because he wants to eat. And to understand that he is hungry is the easiest way. At first, the baby shows concern, smacks his lips, turns his head to his mother's hand, stroking his cheek, tries to put his own fist in his mouth. All this means that there is very little time left before the hungry cry. Noticing such signs, you should not wait: feed the baby on demand. Otherwise, starting to cry, he will have to spend a lot of energy trying to calm down, and therefore, he will eat less and the next time he will get hungry again too soon. In general, for children who are breastfed, during the first month of life there is no clear feeding regimen. A newborn can be applied to the breast up to 10-12 times a day.
I want to sleep!
The next reason for screaming is, oddly enough, the desire to sleep. Many parents think that a baby can fall asleep anytime, anywhere, and even in almost any position. No, it's not like that - he needs help. How do you know if your baby wants to sleep? It's easy to guess. At first, he will behave restlessly, cry, push out the pacifier, rub his eyes, yawn. And then he starts crying. Here, too, it is necessary to try to calm the child as quickly as possible so that he does not disperse in crying, otherwise it will be more difficult for him to fall asleep. Rituals will help: you can shake the baby, sing a song, put it in the usual sleeping place.
I'm wet!
Crying can be a signal that the baby is uncomfortable: for example, his diaper is wet. Cold and wet, they irritate the skin, so he screams: “Mom, dad, change me quickly!” Crying about this is whimpering, incessant, although it sounds either stronger or weaker, it may be accompanied by hiccups, as the child freezes in wet diapers. If the diaper is changed, and the baby is warmer to cover, he will calm down. If the child is not in diapers, but in reusable diapers, you should not relax either: they can leak or get wet inside. So, the baby is also wet and cold. If the child sleeps in one diaper all night, then he may be disturbed by a greatly increased diaper volume. And of course, children do not like to be in dirty diapers (diapers): feces quickly irritate delicate skin.
I'm hot!
If the baby is hot, he will also cry about it. He will begin to whimper, scatter his arms and legs, his skin will turn red, a small red rash (prickly heat) may appear under his clothes. At the same time, the temperature of the baby sometimes even rises to 37.5 ° C. This is what saves here: the child must be undressed (and removed diapers, especially disposable ones), wiped with a towel moistened with water at room temperature, and allowed to lie in the air for several minutes. Then you need to dress the baby, but in other, clean clothes. In the fight against overheating and prickly heat, a reasonable amount of clothing and a comfortable room temperature - no higher than 24-25 ° C will help, first of all.
I'm uncomfortable!
The reason for the inconvenience can be any: the child may cry when the temperature changes, when changing clothes, changing the diaper or wiping his bottom with a damp cloth. Newborns feel more comfortable when they are dressed or wrapped in diapers, because the touch of air on the skin is not always pleasant for them. In addition, children often do not like to be changed, especially if it is winter and you have to wear a lot of clothes. There is only one way out: learn to act as quickly as possible, causing the crumbs a minimum of inconvenience.
A few words about clothes. It is better not to buy clothes with fasteners on the back and coarse seams inside - the baby may not like it. And sometimes even the slightest thread or hair caught between the clothes and the skin of the baby causes him great inconvenience.
I want attention!
Attention and tactile sensations are very important for a child. He loves to see the faces of his mom and dad, hear their voices, communicate with them. But so far, the baby cannot ask his parents to take him in his arms, read him a fairy tale, sing a song, play - but this does not mean at all that he does not need it. Therefore, crying, the baby wants to be paid attention to, requires communication. Do not worry that the baby will get used to the hands too much. While he is so small, he needs to feel a sense of security - it is this that will later help him gain confidence in his abilities. Well, different cradles, deck chairs, playpens, child seats will only help mom and dad free their hands and at the same time place their beloved child next to them.
Once you learn to understand your baby's "language", you will see that the reasons for crying vary from case to case. A little time and patience - and very soon you will understand what the child wants, already from the first seconds of his discontent.
Make an appointment
to the doctor - Bondarenko Margarita Gennadievna
Clinic "Mother and Child" Kuntsevo
Pediatric otorhinolaryngologyFor childrenDispanserizationMonitoring of children at home0003
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