A newborn cries when fed breast milk. Why does a baby cry after drinking breast milk?

Lyudmila Sergeevna Sokolova

Reading time: 4 minutes

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Article last updated: 01/23/2017

In the first time after birth and the mother meets her long-awaited baby, a period of getting used to each other begins. Small helpless children require protection and constant attention. Much in the behavior of the baby is incomprehensible to the young inexperienced mother. She often gets scared and panics for any reason. Mothers are especially upset by the baby's frequent crying.

It happens that the baby cries and behaves restlessly during breastfeeding. This situation has several explanations. And don’t get upset, give up and switch to artificial feeding. Feeding a baby with breast milk is the key to the health and peace of mind of the baby.

The main reasons for a baby crying at the breast

Pediatricians conditionally divide all the reasons associated with crying during breastfeeding into several groups (excluding congenital pathology child):

• the cause of crying may be a general incorrect organization of the breastfeeding process;
• The reasons may be individual for each baby.

The first thoughts of a young mother in such situations are about the lack breast milk. Of course, grandmother and many girlfriends will say about this that the child does not eat enough. Such words make the mother feel guilty. After all, the mother is responsible for how much the child eats. Therefore, in order to understand whether everything is in order with sufficient feeding, you need to monitor how the baby urinates and defecates. There should be 6 wet and at least 1 dirty diaper per day. You should also monitor the baby’s weight and feed as often as possible.

The next reason why a baby cries when he eats may be incorrect application baby to the breast. Deep and comfortable sucking is achieved if the baby completely grasps the nipple and the circle around it with his mouth. In this case, the nose should remain open, the chin pressed to the chest, and underlip slightly turned out. The baby's smacking of his lips indicates that the nipple is not taken correctly, and he swallows air along with the milk, which can then cause pain in the tummy.

The next common mistake a young mother makes is bottle-feeding her baby. The baby has to extract breast milk, which will subsequently have a positive effect on the child’s bite and teeth, and the bottle has one hole of a convenient size, which does not require much effort at all for sucking. Naturally, the child will go along the path of least resistance, she will cry near her mother’s breast, and over time she may completely abandon her.

Pediatricians advise in such situations to supplement bottle feeding only after the hungry child first eats milk from the breast.

Do not forget about the still immature digestive system crumbs, difficulty digesting milk can also cause pain and discomfort.

The baby may cry frequently when eating due to, perhaps, bad taste milk. This can happen after mom has eaten any odorous or spicy foods. In this situation, breast milk often has bad smell or taste.

Children are also sensitive to the smell of perfume and tobacco, which adults may simply not notice.

There are situations when breast milk flows too strongly due to the abundant amount of it in the mother’s breast. The baby simply does not have time to swallow the milk, chokes a little and cries.

In such a situation, the mother should express the first milk a little in order to slightly empty the overcrowded breast.

Often the baby cries when he eats if the mother has flat or depressed nipples, and it is inconvenient for him to grasp them correctly. You can solve this problem with the help of a breast pump. It will help the nipple stretch and launch the breast to release milk. Mothers can also use special pads, promoting the formation of a convex nipple.

Another common reason why a baby cries is incorrect position baby or mother during feeding. Children are very individual creatures, so here you will have to experiment a little to understand what position suits the baby when he eats.

Tiny babies can sometimes have gastroesophageal reflux. This is usually temporary physiological reason, which goes away over time. An incompletely formed muscle that blocks the entrance to the baby’s ventricle may be the reason that some of the milk returns back into the esophagus and causes very unpleasant sensations for the baby.

D To ease the baby's condition after feeding, you need to carry him a little vertical position.

Other common causes of crying

It also happens that a child cries for the following reasons:

1. Obstruction of the nasal passages. Before each feeding, it is necessary to check whether there are dried crusts or mucus in the nose and remove foreign matter for normal breathing.
2. Your baby's gums hurt when his teeth are forming and growing.
3. Uncomfortable clothing can cause discomfort, and as a result, crying. It is necessary to ensure as complete tactile contact with the baby during feeding.
4. It also cannot be ruled out that the child is crying because his mother’s stress is being transmitted to him or Bad mood. Young children are very sensitive to such things.
5. Crying can be a signal to parents about any illness in the baby - otitis media, pain in the mouth due to thrush.
6. A baby may cry during feeding due to improper care during the day. The baby should fully receive a complex of gymnastics, massage, and be rested and well-slept.

How to help a little baby

After each breastfeeding, hold your baby upright for 2 minutes. This will help any air that has gotten inside to escape and will prevent gas from accumulating in the tummy.

After feeding, try to spoon-feed your baby some dill water, which improves gas flow.

Don't eat prohibited foods.

If your baby continues to cry during feeding and this worries you, it is better to seek advice from your pediatrician.

A nursing mother and child are a single whole; they need each other, warm each other with warmth and light. And therefore, there is no doubt that the mother will always find the answer to the question - why is the child crying. And then she will be able to calmly feed her baby without tears and anxiety.

During the first year of life, crying is the baby's only way to notify others about his needs and problems. In this way, the newborn makes it clear that something is bothering him or that he is hungry. After breastfeeding, the baby calms down and, having eaten, falls peacefully asleep. However, sometimes it happens that during feeding the baby becomes nervous, arches and screams incessantly. Why does a baby cry during feeding, what could be bothering him? Let's try to sort out these questions.

Reasons for crying

Some young mothers believe that the baby cries and arches only when his diaper is wet or he is hungry. Therefore, at the first sounds of dissatisfaction on the part of the baby, they put it to the breast, hoping that when they start sucking milk, the baby will calm down. If the baby still cries, such mothers believe that they have little milk or it is of poor quality, tight breasts, they begin to supplement the baby with milk from a bottle or switch to artificial feeding. Unfortunately, this does not always have an effect, because there are quite a few reasons for babies to cry during feeding.

Pediatricians divide the reasons why a baby cries during feeding into two main groups:

• associated with improper organization or violation of feeding technique,
• other reasons, including those related to the baby’s health.

Improper feeding

• Feeding by the hour. You should feed your baby when he wants it, and not on a strict schedule. Otherwise, without having time to get hungry, he may eat poorly during one feeding and begin to cry from hunger without waiting for the next one.
• Incorrect attachment to the breast causes discomfort in the baby, which is why he is nervous, squirms and cries.
• Supplemental feeding from a bottle discourages the baby from putting in the effort required to suckle at the breast. Therefore, a baby may refuse to take the breast, whimsically demanding a pacifier with milk.

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Other reasons for crying

In addition to hunger, a child also cries for the following reasons:

• Pain in the intestines. Colic, which affects babies in the first months of life, causes sharp pain in the tummy. During this period of time, the gastrointestinal system of newborns adapts to the intake of a new type of food, so a lack of enzymes and beneficial bacteria leads to increased gas formation. At the same time, the baby randomly jerks his legs, freaks out, blushes and winces, strains his tummy and arches. Intestinal colic cannot be eliminated completely, but attempts should be made to reduce painful sensations. This can be done by circularly stroking the navel, applying dill water or drugs with a similar effect, placed on the tummy before feedings, special diet for a nursing mother or replacement of mixtures containing palm oil for artificial formulas.
• Air in the stomach. If feeding technique is violated, the baby may swallow milk along with milk. a large number of air, which then causes stomach discomfort. To eliminate it, after feeding, it is necessary to hold the baby in an upright position for some time until the excess air comes out.
• Inflammation of the middle ear. During otitis, swallowing movements change the pressure on the middle ear, which is why the pain intensifies. Additional symptoms otitis is temperature and pain when pressing on the auricle. With low-grade inflammation there may be no temperature, however sharp pain pressing on the ear will confirm the suspicion of otitis media. This disease is very dangerous for newborns, so you should not self-medicate, but should immediately consult a doctor.
• Inflammation of the mucous membrane. If the mucous membrane in the oral cavity is affected by stomatitis or thrush, then any touch causes pain, which is why doctors recommend similar cases feed the baby with a spoon.
• Taste of food. The unusual taste of breast milk can cause discomfort in the baby. If the baby doesn’t like the taste of milk, he squirms and refuses to take the breast, although he is hungry, then he grabs it and throws it again. Reason sudden change The taste may come from foods eaten by the mother, such as garlic, onions or other spicy foods. Repeated pregnancy changes the taste of milk, it becomes more bitter and children often refuse it.
• Excess milk. If there is a lot of milk in the breast, the baby may choke on it while eating. It will take some time and the baby will learn to adapt to the flow.
• Runny nose. If your nose is blocked due to allergic reaction or ARVI, then the baby cannot suckle normally and suffocates. And sometimes mom can’t understand why he stops eating and starts getting angry and crying.
• Fright. If the baby is in the mood to eat, but various sharp sounds frighten him, he will begin to be capricious and nervous.
• Headache. Swallowing movements can increase the pain associated with hydrocephalic syndrome. An examination by a neurologist will help identify neurological pathologies and begin treatment.

How to help your baby

• First of all, parents must determine why the child is crying while eating and take measures that will relieve him of discomfort or pain and enable him to eat calmly.
• It is necessary to provide the baby with maximum peace, limit contact with other people, and eliminate all irritating factors. You should not swear, raise your voice, or worry in front of your child, as he will instantly react to this by crying and nervousness.
• A crying baby is soothed by tactile contact with his mother and the warmth of her body. Hold your baby close, stroke him, massage his tummy, sing songs.
• Check whether the baby is latching onto the breast correctly and, if necessary, adjust the feeding regimen.

If, while eating, the baby arches, drops the breast, gets nervous and cries, it is necessary to analyze what may be bothering him.

In very rare cases, a baby's crying during breastfeeding is caused by a refusal of breast milk and requires switching to formula feeding from a bottle.

If the mother cannot solve this problem on her own, she should seek help from a doctor. In most cases, the cause of crying is quite easy for parents to determine and eliminate on their own, and only rare exceptions will require medical intervention.

It's no secret that baby crying- This is an attempt by children to attract the attention of adults. The reason for the occurrence of “bitter” tears can be anything. In most cases, children are upset by the dissatisfaction of their natural needs or the feeling of a certain kind of discomfort.

To calm their baby, many mothers put him to the breast. But how to perceive a situation in which, it would seem, this most reasonable decision turns out to have the opposite effect - the child starts crying right during feeding? We will discuss this issue today.

From this article you will learn:

A baby cries during feeding for a variety of reasons. The most common of them are:

• ear pain;
• pain in oral cavity;
• headache;
• infant colic;
• not tasty milk;
• irregular milk flow;
• lack of milk;
• heat;
• cold.

Know the “enemy” by sight

Only a specialist can determine the exact reason why babies cry during feeding. His final conclusion must be based on the results of medical research. But you can try to figure out the essence of the problem on your own.

To do this, you need to carefully observe the baby and pay attention to any changes in his behavior, since even the most insignificant of them may indicate the development of certain ailments.

So, if the child:

• He tightens his knees and kicks his legs hard, most likely his tummy hurts;
• Cries when pressed ears, then he is tormented by otitis media;
• Cries while suckling, perhaps the reason for this lies in the development of stomatitis, thrush or pharyngitis;
• He begins to cry with a sudden change in body position, his subcutaneous veins are clearly visible, lethargy and stiffness of movements are noted, and the possibility of a severe headache cannot be ruled out;
• He fidgets in his mother’s arms, bends over, strains all the muscles of his body, clenches his hands into fists and starts screaming, then he is clearly overcome by colic;
• He refuses to breastfeed and cries after the first sips of milk, and when applied again he begins to cry again, perhaps this is his way of expressing dissatisfaction with the taste of food;
• Tears himself from the breast with a plaintive cry, and then greedily sucks on it again, then the reason for this behavior may be that the milk flows to him irregularly;
• If he is gaining weight poorly, and after each feeding his emotional distress is noted, then with a high degree of probability it can be said that the child is not getting enough to eat;
• Hostage elevated or low temperature air, he will certainly express his dissatisfaction with tears.

Work on mistakes

If the above symptoms are familiar to you, and they are repeated over and over again during feeding, you need to make every effort to relieve the baby from the torment that he is experiencing. To do this, depending on the root cause of crying, you will need:

• If you suspect the development of otitis media, diseases of the oral cavity, or severe headaches, immediately contact medical care and passing all appointed diagnostic procedures. Further - mandatory implementation instructions from the attending physician until complete recovery.
• If you experience symptoms of digestive disorders (vomiting, diarrhea) that cause characteristic abdominal pain, consult a pediatrician. As first aid It is recommended: to put the baby to the breast as often as he wants, to provide him with plenty of fluids, which will avoid dehydration of the body and to introduce a sorbent (smecta).
• For colic - one or more ways to relieve pain:

• warm diaper on the tummy;
• massage;
• carrying the baby in a column after feeding or laying him on his stomach;
• using the “frog” pose, which is done in a vertical position (the child sits on his arms with his legs bent, facing the parent or with his back to him);
• using “white” noise, which distracts and makes the child relax (the monotonous sound of household appliances is suitable).
• "carminative" drugs.

• If there are differences in taste, exclude from the nursing mother’s diet foods that change the taste of her milk. These include: garlic, onion, cauliflower, pickles, radish, radish, curry seasoning, red pepper, cumin, vanilla and cinnamon.
• If milk flow is irregular, perform a gentle breast massage immediately before each feeding of the baby.
• In case of insufficient milk production A– introduction into the diet of a nursing mother of products that increase lactation: 1.5-2 liters. liquids per day (water, dried fruit compotes, special herbal teas, fermented milk drinks, Birch juice), raisins, dried apricots, nuts, buckwheat, cheese, meat, oatmeal, seeds, bran bread, etc.
• At high/low air temperatures - selection the right clothes, in which the child will feel as comfortable and cozy as possible.

A newborn child depends on his parents for absolutely everything. He cannot dress, wash, eat, walk, talk, etc. on his own. In connection with this the only way The baby's appeal to his parents is crying. It is with the help of it that the baby can notify the mother and father that he does not like something, something hurts, etc. Often mothers are faced with the fact that their child cries during feeding. Many of them do not know what may be causing this baby’s behavior, so it is worth understanding the main reasons why the baby is restless during feeding.

Tummy pain and colic

Many new mothers do not understand why the baby cries during feeding and think that it is all about insufficient nutrition or the taste of the milk or formula. In order to know for sure why the baby is capricious, it is worth finding out whether the above is the reason that the baby is crying, and how to eliminate this problem. After all, every mother wants her child to grow up healthy and not experience any discomfort.

The first reason why a baby cries during feeding is abdominal pain. Very often, when babies eat, they swallow air along with their mother's milk, which causes gases to form in their intestines. The baby's digestive system is still developing, so swallowing air causes unpleasant and painful sensations. They are the ones who prevent the baby from eating normally.

Abdominal pain and gas are one of the most common reasons why a baby cries during feeding. It is still difficult for his digestive system to process food, and the air in the intestines causes very unpleasant sensations.

Teething

Another common reason why a baby cries during feeding is teething. This phenomenon gives the baby unpleasant sensations, which worsen during eating. As a result, eating food for the child is accompanied by pain and itching, which is why the baby begins to cry.

Inflammatory processes

An infant cries during feeding, often because inflammatory processes in the mouth. If your baby has thrush, the best option would be spoon feeding to reduce discomfort. However, it is worth remembering that you should not delay treatment, as due to pain and discomfort the baby will eat less and, therefore, lose weight. Proper nutrition for the child is very important, so the mother should rush to treat her baby.

Lack or excess of milk

There are two more reasons why a baby cries during feeding. One of them is due to the fact that the mother has very tight breasts, as a result of which the baby has to strain a lot, and this gives him discomfort and irritation. Also, the baby may cry if he has increased appetite. The baby is annoyed that he cannot get enough food.

Excess milk also brings discomfort and unpleasant sensations to the baby, because when it flows out too quickly, the baby simply does not have time to swallow it and begins to choke.

Sounds that irritate a child

Surprisingly, loud and harsh noises can also cause a baby to cry during feeding. If the baby hears some noise that irritates him, he may start crying and stop eating. However, this does not mean that you should feed your baby in a room isolated from external stimuli. If the baby bursts into tears, you should just wait a little, calm him down, sing a song, rock him and continue feeding.

Changing the taste of milk

If a baby cries while breastfeeding, it is worth remembering the change in the taste of milk. This is due to the fact that the mother eats raw onions, garlic, spicy foods, etc. It is worth abstaining from these foods, and perhaps then your baby will stop crying while eating.

A change in the taste of milk often occurs during menstruation, but this does not mean that a mother should stop breastfeeding her baby. You just have to wait a few days and offer breast milk to the baby again.

Breast swelling

The baby may cry during feeding because the mother's breasts swell. Very often this happens in the first weeks after the birth of a child. To eliminate this problem, a woman needs to express a little milk, after which it will be easier for the baby to latch onto the breast. But do not forget that you should not express a lot of milk, because this may cause your body to produce too much milk. In this regard, the breasts will swell even more, which will increase the baby’s discomfort while eating.

To prevent this problem from arising in the future, a woman should apply cool compresses to her breasts, which will relieve swelling, as well as unpleasant and painful sensations.

Baby crying due to flat or indented nipples

Often, a baby cries during breastfeeding because his mother has depressed or flat nipples. Don't despair, as this problem can be solved. There are special pads for feeding. You can also turn on the breast pump for a couple of minutes before feeding, which will help stretch the nipples and relieve the baby from discomfort.

Why does a baby cry while bottle feeding?

Mothers who have switched to formula feeding often wonder why the baby cries while formula feeding. This may be due to the fact that the baby does not like the temperature of the liquid. You should try heating the mixture a little less than usual. Perhaps after this the baby will stop crying and screaming during feeding.

Another reason why a baby may cry while bottle feeding may be incorrect positioning. Try changing the position, because very often this is what causes a lot of air to enter the baby's stomach, causing him to experience discomfort. The best option in such a situation, hold the baby to your side and attach him tightly to your chest. It is also acceptable to hold the baby horizontally, which can eliminate discomfort and prevent crying. In these positions, the mother controls the baby's head.

How to calm your baby?

If a child bends over and cries during feeding, it is necessary to find a solution to this problem so that he stops experiencing discomfort and being capricious. Parents should determine the reason that causes the child to cry and do everything possible to eliminate discomfort when eating.

First and foremost, adults must remember that it is important to remain calm. If the mother is irritated and nervous, the child begins to worry even more. That's why happy parents must pull themselves together and find out why their child is crying.

It is very important for a child to feel that his closest and dearest people are nearby. Of course, these are the parents. Mother and father should caress their baby, pat him on the back, rock him, etc.

Very often, the only thing that can calm a baby while breastfeeding is singing songs and rocking him to sleep. The mother should take him in her arms, rock him slowly and hum songs. Then the baby will calm down and stop crying, after which the woman can try again to offer him breast milk or a bottle of formula.

Prevention and elimination of discomfort and discomfort during feeding

All other factors that made the baby cry can be easily eliminated. If he has thrush, then he needs to contact a specialist and solve this problem as quickly as possible. If the mother has tight breasts, the baby can be fed formula from a bottle. It is worth remembering that if a child has colic, then it is necessary to take measures to prevent its formation. A woman’s diet should be reconsidered if the cause of crying during breastfeeding is a change in the taste of milk.

It must be said that any reason that caused discomfort and unpleasant sensations in the baby can be eliminated. So no need to worry. The mother must accept everything necessary measures so that her baby can eat normally and properly, without experiencing pain, itching, colic, etc. when eating food. Do not doubt your abilities, because a huge number of families have gone through this and found a way out of the situation. You just need to know the reasons that cause a child to cry, and then eliminate them as quickly as possible.

Lyudmila Sergeevna Sokolova

Reading time: 5 minutes

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Article last updated: 04/04/2019

Mother's milk is the main source of nutrition for the baby. Sometimes a baby refuses to breastfeed for some reason. In this case, the mother begins to worry about the correctness of attachment, her own nutrition and other factors affecting feeding.

Breast refusal

At times when the baby experiences discomfort during breastfeeding, it is very difficult to feed him, and this fact can negatively affect weight gain. Some babies eat only in a specific position or exclusively from one breast.

Women who have repeatedly gone through similar problems find it much easier to understand this issue. It is very difficult for young, inexperienced mothers to cope with breast refusal. Especially if there is a crowd of caring grandmothers and neighbors nearby, giving advice on how to establish natural feeding. Intrusive speeches about the uselessness of breast milk and the convenience of preparing formula make you think about stopping natural feeding. You may even come across the opinion that if the child does not take the breast, then there is no need to force it. Listening to such “smart” advice is strictly prohibited.

When faced with a refusal for the first time, it is best to seek help from a specialist breastfeeding, pediatrician or psychologist. They will help you understand the reasons why your baby stops breastfeeding and give you recommendations on what to do next.

Reasons for baby's refusal to breastfeed

Most often, mothers look for the cause in an unhealthy diet, the quality of milk, their poor health or mood. In fact, the reasons why a child is capricious are much more significant.

The main reasons may be:

• Fatigue and drowsiness. The child is tired and wants to get some sleep, but they are trying hard to feed him. Of course, there is nothing more to expect except tears and whims. You need to put the baby to bed, and after sleep offer the breast.
• Any diseases. During illness, the fact that the child does not latch on the breast is not at all surprising. Consult your doctor for a diagnosis and qualified treatment.
• Teething. The baby drops the breast and cries - check if he is teething. Most children experience pain during teething. Special teething toys and gels with a cooling and soothing effect will help alleviate the condition.
• Overexcitement. Active games and vivid impressions are very good. After increased activity The baby needs time to calm down and then eat.

There are also a number of other reasons why a child may refuse his mother’s breast:

1. Changes in weather conditions. A newborn baby can be very sensitive to changes in the weather. If your toddler does not breastfeed during a sudden change in weather, and such cases are no longer rare, be sure to consult your pediatrician.
2. Medicines taken by a woman during labor activity. During labor, women are often given medicines, which alleviate the condition of the mother in labor or speed up the process of delivery. Some amount of the drug may remain in the body long time and change the taste of milk. This fact may explain why a newborn does not latch on.
3. Irregular structure of the oral cavity and short bridle language. These two factors can be observed exclusively in infancy. It is uncomfortable for the baby to eat, and therefore he abandons the breast. As you get older, the cleft palate and tongue tie will return to normal and will not cause discomfort.
4. Stressful situations. Refusal of mother's milk can be triggered by situations that seem commonplace for adults: a large crowd of people, going on a visit, moving to a new place, being examined by a doctor, etc.
5. Negative associations with feeding. No need to turn your chest into depressant. To calm the little one, you can rock him, stroke him, sing a song, as a last resort A pacifier and a bottle of water can come to the rescue.
6. Introduction of supplementary feeding. There are often cases when a mother believes that she does not have enough milk and introduces dry formulas into the baby’s diet. Artificial feeding unnecessarily is the most common cause that the child refuses breast milk.
7. Early and active introduction of complementary foods. Acquaintance with new products should occur gradually and not lead to a complete abandonment of mother's milk, which is the best nutrition for a baby up to one year old.

Finding a solution to this problem

If the child refuses breastfeeding for a reason painful sensations, then you need to try to alleviate his condition. His nose is blocked - clean it and drop some medicine, his ears or tummy hurt - give him a painkiller, his temperature has risen - get rid of it using any means allowed for his age. Feeding will return to normal as you recover.