He cries after every feeding and still takes a long time

[@llli*qd]

So my son is 3 months today and has been ebf since week one. For some background I was having some oversupply issues and moderately block fed (big mistake) when suddenly my supply dropped drastically. He used to finish nursing in 20 minutes or so and be perfectly content but now he cries almost everytime after. I offer him both breasts and he still is taking more than 30 minutes to nurse and I have to constantly poke and prod him to get him to suck. I can sometimes calm him by rocking or walking him but if he won't calm I offer him more. Generally he doesn't get anymore but will be better to deal with. He never comes off on his own so I wait until he is no longer sucking and take him off. He has plenty (10+) wet diapers and poops like a champ so I know he is getting enough. Also, I can pump after feeding him and get an ounce or so from each breast. It seems as though he misses the oversupply and I miss my drunken sailor...

Is there anything I can do to get him to nurse more efficiently and be content when done? Thanks in advance!

[@llli*mommal]

When a mom's oversupply suddenly disappears, it's normal for the baby to be fussy even though there's still plenty of milk. He got used to nursing one way, with milk pouring easily into his mouth, and now he has to get used to a different supply situation and re-learn how to nurse. Your LO may be extra fussy right now because he's likely going through his 3 month growth spurt, and beginning to teeth, just at the moment that he needs to tweak his nursing skills.

There's nothing you need to do except be patient, let him learn, and continue to watch diaper output.

[@llli*lizfairchild]

We went through this same thing and at 9 months my daughter still gets impatient in the evenings when my supply is lowest! But--- she has always gotten enough milk and for the most part she got used to the slower flow by about 4 months of age. Hang in there! He'll learn pretty quickly!

[@llli*qd]

@mommal every post I read you have some sort of answer that makes sense. Thank you so much! If it were a growth spurt wouldn't he want to nurse more? It seems as tho sometimes I make him eat when he doesn't need or want to, even after 3 hours. I honestly have never noticed a growth spurt with him other than his clothes not fitting anymore but that could be due to my oversupply? Maybe a different topic but he has been waking up the last two nights twice instead of once but he's not hungry and won't go back to sleep unless I nurse him for a little while and he's still hard to settle. If it were a growth spurt he would definitely eat well right?

Thanks for the advice. Good to know he should adjust soon!

[@llli*mommal]

Thanks for the compliment!

Yes, babies usually want to nurse more during growth spurts. If he isn't interested in eating as often as usual, I'd consider teething/pre-teething as a cause. Or perhaps an ear infection- there are a ton of nasty bugs going around at this time of year and ear infections can be really cryptic!

Waking 2x per night instead of once- jeez, that sounds like a DREAM. My kids were up 6-8 times a night at that age. Night-waking is just a very normal part of infancy, and it changes all the time as baby goes through different stages and spurts and teething. I think your baby may have spoiled you a bit- so welcome to the dark side where most of the other nursing mommies live! And sorry. Because no-one wants to miss out on sleep!