11-Week-old with Breastfeeding Fussiness

He may be getting frustrated.... nursing from breast is harder, than drinking from a bottle. Nursing from breast requires mouth & muscular & tongue coordination to "suck" and get the letdown for the milk. Drinking from bottle, is easier and only requires gravity for the milk to flow.

That is a double edged sword, when breastfeeding and using bottles at the same time. Sometimes, after a time, they will just prefer a bottle...it is easier and the milk comes out easier. My son was that way.... I was breastfeeding him 95 percent of the time, but he was such a voracious feeder, that per Pediatrician, I needed to supplement him with formula. After a time, he weaned himself from breastfeeding and only wanted the bottle. That's it.

Your baby is only 11-weeks old, so yes, still feed him on demand, whenever he is hungry, even if this means waking up in the middle of the night.

ALSO though, at 12-weeks babies go through a "growth spurt"...and at these times, they feed more, more often, and more quantity. It's normal developmental based phases. (These growth spurts will occur about every 3 months or so, so head's up).

Another tip is.... if giving him a bottle supplement...do this only AFTER you have breastfed him. Usually, giving a bottle first is done to "wean" a baby off breast.

It could also be that he is fussing at the breast because there is not enough milk coming out, or the flow is not sufficient. If you offer him the bottle, don't do this to "replace"a nursing...because it can affect your milk production and lessen it.

*Perhaps see a Lactation Consultant to really evaluate your baby's latching on, and your milk flow etc.

Just some ideas, and what I have learned with my 2 children which I breastfed.
All the best,
~Susan

L.,
Drinking out of a bottle doesn't take as much work. Do you put your breast milk in the bottle? Are you eating a lot of garlic?
Does your milk come out fast? He may need to be burped after a few minutes. Some children can not take the full amount at once. See if that helps. Try a few of these things. Then if they don't work, call the leche league for help.

Hope this helps.

E.:)

You would know if it's over active let down immediatly. the milk comes so fast that they choke when this occurs. I'm not possative but it sounds like you might not have enough milk or are not relaxed enough at the times of nursing. If your milk supply is low, he will get frustrated because he's doing the work of sucking but not getting enough nutrients. Try increasing your milk supply. Drink lots and lots of water. Stress will also reduce the milk supply. So relax. Look at your little ones face while nursing. The only other time my little girl gives a fuss about fussing is while teething. If her teeth or gums hurt, she won't want to nurse because it hurts her teeth more. I would call your local breast feeding support group. I know here, the sharp chula vista group meets tuesdays and thursdays. You go and weigh your little one, than nurse and weigh again. This way you can see how much your little one is getting off of you in a feeding. You can also ask the lactation specialist questions at this time. It has helped me over this past year. But remember, it's easier to get milk out of a bottle than it is the boob. So he may just be having a lazy moment.

Hi L., just saw this post. I know it's been a while. Where are you at now on your nursing. If you really did want to continue breastfeeding, I hope you didn't buy into the ideas of him telling you it's time for a bottle.

I immediately thought of a growth spurt. Or nipple preference since he has had some bottles. Let me know if you're still have issues. I'd be more than happy to give you some advice.