Crying while feeeding on the breast

Have you also cut out Soy & maybe try limiting wheat as well?

Also have you got him in a raised position at the majority of times? That definitely helped my boy, he never lay down flat.

Oh boy do I know how that feels. heartbreaking and so frustrating for both; baby wants to feed but it also upsets them. Lots of breastfeeding tears for me.

Things that seemed to help:
giving a little bit of colic water, or weak herb tea (chamomile?) or just plain boiled water before feeding
Expressing off a little bit in case it's fast flow
Downing a glass of water in anticipation of a feed (don't know why that helps)
feeding upright, or with you reclining - once again in case of fast flow issues

What you've been doing (trying to wind after a few minutes) also seemed to help. Also having a dummy, although that wasn't so much the feeding issue - was more the silent reflux, and keeping her upright after feeds.

In the end, nothing really seemed to solve the issue entirely except time. At around 3 months she all of a sudden turned in to this baby that could keep milk down and fed much more happily. Something changes in their digestive system (maturing valve to the stomach) around three months and it was a miraculous change, in our case.

Thanks ladies. I will give some of the above suggestions a try. He is on Merbentyl (dicycloverine) for colic as omeprazole didn't seem to help. Merbentyl is helping a little bit but he still sometimes only feeds for 1-3 minutes and then stops. Is it normal?? the ladies at plunket family centre said he should be having about 10 minutes worth... god if only!!
some days i just know i'm not cut out for this!! fingers crossed another 4 weeks and he'll be better!
thanks everyone

Id get a second opinion, it really sounds like reflux...omeprazole can take weeks to properly work as the damage has got to heal and then it can start helping... how long did you try it?

Everything you said sounds exactly like my boy, and he has bad reflux and a cows milk protein intolerance. I perservered with the screaming, arching, refusing to feed etc for 8 weeks until my milk basically dried up. We then went to formula which made him worse, but that's how we found out about the milk intolerance. He's now on neocate (hypoallergenic formula) and it was only that which made the difference, but losec (omeprazole) certainly helped too. It never made the spilling completely stop though, even now my baby spills a bit, but it helped.

When I went to one paediatrician when my baby was about 3 months old, they said basically he's just being a baby nothing wrong. It never sat right with me, and I got a second opinion, and that's how we ended up at the right treatment, which changed so much. Don't give up till you get something that helps.

My heart really goes out to you, I suffered post natal depression as a result of the experience you are having, so please try to take care of yourself, get help from anywhere you can and trust that in time, this will all be over... it's such a hard road when you're supposed to be so happy with your new baby. Hugs, you can do this, I promise

From what I have read and been told, reflux meds don't actually stop the spilling, they alter the pH of the stomach acid. Gaviscon infant can help solidify stomach contents and therefore reduce the amount of reflux (though it doesn't stop the burning so I think some people end up giving their baby both).