Sometimes, your milk lets down so fast that your baby can have trouble swallowing the amount of milk that's being released. Because of this, your baby may act fussy at breast or choke and sputter at the breast, and he or she may be quite gassy.
A: If nursing is not the blissful bonding you were expecting, don't worry. Some squirming is normal, but if your baby is especially thrashy, she could be frustrated. One possibility is that your milk is coming out like gangbusters, making it hard for her to keep up.
Some babies fuss when they're having a growth spurt, or when they're struggling with a fast milk flow. When babies are really upset, it can be hard for them to calm down enough to breastfeed. Of course, breastfeeding fussiness can sometimes be cause for concern.
If your newborn baby is particularly squirmy and grunts while breastfeeding, it might be simply that she needs to burp. It could also be a warning that she's about to give you an extra job to do. Watch out for a 'pooplosion'! Babies soon let you know what is bothering them.
It can be worrying watching your little one thrash and move around during the night, but more often than not, she's just dreaming, repositioning and generally squirming around like adults do. “It's best to try and ignore these movements,” suggests Megan Faure, author of Baby Sense.
Some babies have symptoms from gastroesophageal reflux (GER), and the fussiness can be confused with colic. Contact your child's doctor if your baby is fussy after feeding, has excessive spitting or vomiting, and is losing or not gaining weight. Sick (has a fever or other illness). Check your baby's temperature.
Gas is a condition caused by excess air being in baby's tummy or digestive tract. Some of the main symptoms of gas discomfort in a baby include pulling knees chest, and being squirmy in addition to general fussiness after a feed.
Many moms are confused when their babies go on strike. Some common reason why babies may go on strike are: Your baby is not feeling well. It could be from a cold, ear infection, stuffy nose, upset stomach, injury, teething, thrush, cold sore, or other reasons.
Your baby might be unlatching repeatedly for many reasons—including gas, illness, teething, or being distracted. Determine if you have an issue with poor latching, low milk flow, or too much milk supply, which can contribute to your baby latching and unlatching repeatedly.
Babies: dealing with overstimulation
When you see that your baby is overwhelmed, take baby somewhere quiet and less bright, if possible, where they can calm down – for example, the cot.
During active REM sleep, babies twitch and jerk their teeny arms legs...and their breathing can get a little jerky, too. This is called normal periodic breathing of infancy and it's when your baby breathes fast several times, then has a brief rest for 10 seconds or less, then starts up again.
Babies who spit up and display symptoms of irritability are easily diagnosed with reflux, but others may not spit up at all. This is called silent reflux. Babies with silent reflux may exhibit other symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), such as fussiness or poor feeding habits.
But if you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), too much of something happening in one place at the same time can cause overstimulation or sensory overload. When sensory overload happens, your brain is overwhelmed with information from your five senses and can't process it correctly.
In reality, babies can get overstimulated easily if there is too much sensory input. Sights, sounds, smells, even activity can be too much for their little brains to handle.
Toxic stress refers to prolonged, traumatic life events that occur for an extended period of time in the child's life without the protection of an adult.
Sandifer syndrome (SS) is a type of movement disorder that constitutes paroxysmal spasms of head, neck, and back arching but spares the limbs. SS is often associated with gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) in children.
If your baby's kicking legs and flailing arms are accompanied by crying, or they seem agitated, it could be that they are gassy. Try winding them after a feed. If this is not a one-off occurrence, your baby could have symptoms of colic. Speak to your doctor or health visitor for advice.