Breastfeeding - Seattle,WA

Maybe it's something you are eating that he is allergic to. Try cutting out milk and dairy products. If that doesn't work, then try cutting out wheat. Also, try not to eat sugar. Food allergies can cause all of the things you are describing.

My best guess since he is gaining weight is that you have a comfort nurser who has high needs! :)

My first son nursed it felt like non-stop and was held non stop for a loooooooong time. WE ended up co-sleeping and getting an Ergo carrier within a couple of weeks so that he could nurse as much as he needed to and I would still have my hands free and get some rest! He nursed for months when hungry, bored, happy, sad, sick, mad, etc..

My second son is more of a business nurser. He only wanted to eat when hungry and got mad if I tried to offer up a boob when he wasn't hungry.

Let your son eat on demand....things will shift and you will get a break eventually even if it doesn't feel like it now.

You can certainly call a lactation consultant, many of them will offer you some free phone advice, just to hear that all is well and you have a baby that is doing great!

Invest in a carrier, I found that my son would stop nursing and give me a little break if he were on me pretty much all day! :) But my hands were free to do some things and he was happy!

Good luck mama....don't doubt yourself or your baby. You guys are starting an awesome relationship with each other!

Sorry my answer is long but I've been right where you are-trying to breastfeed and lots and lots of questions!

First-be confident in your ability to feed your baby! I had a 32 week preemie and it took 6-7 solid weeks of work once he got home to get him to breast so I understand your anxiety.

It is perfectly normal for baby at this age to eat every 1 1/2-3 hours. And the time starts when they start feeding not when you finish! So if you have one that wants to nurse every 1 1/2 hours then yes, it does feel like they want to eat all the time and all you are doing is nursing.

And once you get established with a good breastfeeding routine, don't worry about time. My daughter became a chubby little power nurser. She could be done, and I mean done, with a side in less than 10 minutes sometimes! Other times she'd hang out and take her time more but my little piggy girl usually plowed right thru!

Also, this is still the time when he is building and regulating your supply. So there are times when he may not eat as much or as hardily as the previous feeding. That will level out in the next couple of weeks.

Watch him closely for his cues that he is hungry. Put him to breast as so as he shows the signs. If he is to the point he is crying he has gone a bit too far. That may be why he is wiggling, bobbing on and off. He is wild with hunger at that point and is so little he doesn't know what to do.

My second also came on time (37 weeks) and was my little champ eater but she too would fall asleep at the breast in the early days. Stroking her cheek would get her going again. Try that to get him to finish up the side he's on. The burp him-maybe even more than once. My daughter always had more than one burp and was a touch burper in the early days. Then put him to the second breast. Again, he is building/regulating supply so don't worry if he doesn't take the second breast at every feeding right now.

As far as letting baby fall asleep at the breast and using the breast for comfort-those things are ok for a breastfed baby!!!! There is nothing wrong with it. Especially in the first 3 months. That is what Dr. Karp calls the 4th trimester. Baby needs and craves comforts of the womb and closeness to mom for comfort and security in this big new world. Breastfed babies aren't always eating when they are at the breast. They can also do something called non-nutritive suckling-meaning they are there for comfort.

I highly recommend a breastfeeding book by Martha Sears as a great resource for you as well as Kellymom.com

You will find lots of questions as you navigate thru the wonderful maze of breastfeeding but the biggest thing is to be confident and follow your baby's lead. Don't let people undermine your confidence by telling you you don't have enough milk for baby! Everytime baby goes thru a growth spurt he is going to nurse like crazy for a few days to a week+ to up your production, baby will nurse more if he's getting a little cold, baby will go thru a phase in a month or so where he'll want to nurse for what seems like 3 or 4 hours straight in the evening. It helps baby get more of the hindmilk and provide comfort during that "witching hour" that baby's have in the evenings.

Best to you and your little man!

His gas issue could be due to what you're eating. Foods that would cause you gas, will cause him gas. Indigestion for you, indigestion for him. Cut back on the amount of dairy you consume, it may help. Spicy foods = spicy milk. Keep it in mind, it's not carved in stone, but it was true for me and my three kids.

As far as him being a demand feeder, that's okay. Hopefully he's sleeping during the night if he's eating frequently during the day. Keep him awake at the breast by tickling him under the chin. Switch breasts about 10 minutes into the feeding, burping him and then let him have the 2nd course. Yes, he may fall asleep nursing, but keep him awake for at least 20 minutes. Babies love the body heat and close contact. If he's a baby who is prone to colic or stomach problems, trying laying him down next to a warm water bottle or a heated bucky pillow that would prop him on his side. You could make a rice roll (a flannel covered rice pad that you can micro wave and get warm) to warm his tummy and easy the cramping.

He sounds like he's a hungry, growing baby and those are all good things. Keep it up.. it's an adjustment for the both of you. And yes there were times I felt like Elsie the Cow, but my kids were some the happiest and healthiest ones people had ever seen. Best wishes!!

I know how frustrating it is to feel like you are just one big, damp, smorgasbord! But if you can ride out the first 10 weeks of continual or scattered nursing, you will be rewarded by 3 months and be on a good schedule. It's really worth it for both you and your baby! Keep the faith, and pray for patience!!

As far as the falling asleep and crying, keep doing your best to get burps out of him. There are a lot of positions you can try. My girls did best when I walked around holding them on their tummy (head in the crook of my elbow facing out, my palm pressing gently into their tummy). I just walked around with them that way, and it seemed to soothe them, even if a burp didn't come out. However, with my husband he could burp them like a pro, so I usually handed them off whenever he was around! He preferred holding them in a sitting position cupping their chin in one hand and doing the back blows with the other. Never failed to get out a giant burp, and was super cute when they fell asleep that way!!

Blessings on your nursing!

I'd talk to a La Leche League leader. They are very informative and helpful but are much cheaper than a lactation consultant.

He may have reflux? That would be a question to discuss with your ped.

If he's gaining weight well and having wet and poopy diapers, your milk supply is probably not an issue. It could be the opposite. You might have too much milk and he's not getting the hind milk which has more fat and will keep him feeling full longer. It generally only takes about 30 minutes or so for a baby to process breastmilk.

My oldest was a frequent nurser as well. She's now nearing 3 and is perfectly healthy and my sanity is intact. :)

Also, if this has just started, it may well be a growth spurt. If it's over in 2 or 3 days or so, that's what it probably was.

He should still be nursing as often as every 2-3 hours and that is normal. If he needs to eat and you catch him trying to dose -- rub the inside of his hand with your thumb, just a gentle massage. Rub your hand on his face - also tenderly. Little actions to help stir him and keep him from sleeping on the job. As another Mom mentioned nursing should be 15 minutes per side, ideally. My kids usually went about 20.

Sucking is soothing to babies, especially if he has tummy issues. I would not introduce a pacifier to a baby that young that you're trying to breast feed. The way they "suck" a paci is nothing like a breast and you can end up with a child that has issues latching correctly. (Same with bottles.. though some are better and more breast-like.) If you're already insecure about nursing - avoid things that will give you headaches.

Definitely go sit with a lactation consultant. It certainly can't hurt. They are there to help. Nursing can be hard, but it is doable. You can do it. Your body was made for this. Sometimes it just takes some support and reassurance all is well. They can help point out things you may not be seeing, perhaps give you other holding positions that may be more comfortable for him.

I have nursed three children - but every single one I felt this dread or panic that I wasn't doing it right, that my baby wouldn't get enough from me, that I couldn't do it. Every baby! It's okay to worry, and great that you're reaching out for help so you will be successful. :)

Good luck Mom! Way to go on breastfeeding so far! :)

Some babies like to "snack", they're not taking in full meals just feeding a little at a time very often. This isn't good because they do not get the hind milk which is more rich and fatty. My best advise is to focus on keeping that kid awake at your breast for a full meal. Rub his feet, touch him with an ice cube if that's what it takes... just make sure he's full when you really do put him down. He'll sleep better, and you'll feel better too ; )

My son was super gassy (sorry, son, but there it is)... so I'd often burp him well past the first burp, and he'd keep coming up with them. If he wriggles while eating, though, like he's uncomfortable, he'll keep trying to feed b/c he knows his stomach doesn't feel good. But more feeding will only make it worse.

I suggest, if he just fed an hour ago, that instead of feeding him again, try burping him again. My son burped best in kind of a sitting position, on my knee, but I'd often work on him for 20 minutes. The mylicon drops never really worked for my son, but lots and lots of burping did.

Good luck!

It is hard to adjust to nusing a little one. I would talk to a lactation consultant so she can help you with strategies. Some of the other advice you've received will help as well . We had to use the strategy of gently keeping our eldest awake so that he got a full nursing session in and burping him between sides. If your son falls aslep and isn't done yet then gently burp him to see if that will wake him up to finish out the session. There are also several different holds that you can try which might help with the tummy. If he's not getting a good enough latch he could be putting additonal air into his belly. The main point is that he's gaining weight so the nursing is going well, you might just need some help to get the team (you and baby) to work better together.

Your milk is made from the food you eat. Newborns have immature digestive systems and things they can't digest will give them gas and discomfort which makes them want to suckle cos it soothes them. Here is a list of foods my midwife recommended I cut out of my diet, atleast for the first 3 months: dairy, soy, chocolate, caffeine, spicy foods, garlic and onion and any vegetable in the braccilus family which includes broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts and some others that I can't remember. They all contain sulfur which makes babies gassy. After 3 months, their digestive systems are stronger and you can start reintroducing these foods, but do so one at a time a few days apart so you can tell if they cause the gas to return. With my 1st, she was fine if I ate a little dairy after 3 months old, but with my son, as soon as I ate any dairy or chocolate, he would cry becuase of the gas and tummy ache. It was a very obvious conneection so I had to give up dairy and chocolate until he stopped breastfeeding but it was so worth it! He's now 3, and is allergic to dairy and reacted to chocolate until he was 2. Go figure! If he can't digest dairy now, there's now way he was going to be able to digest it as a newborn and the milk proteins i ate would end up in his milk.A friend of mine had a very fussy gassy baby and she was vegan and ate alot of soy which can be hard even for adults to digest. Her baby was so much better and happier when she finally cut out the soy. I really would look at your diet, it might make a big difference. Well done for breastfeeding. It's hard, I don't miss it! But it's just for a short time and you are giving him the best start in life. Newborns do nurse alot, but very soon it will become less frequent, I assure you!

I had a similar prob with my first (I was 18) she had colic and I thought the same maybe I wasn't feeding enough so I put her on the bottle to measure , turns out when they don't bring up their wind properly they think they are still hungry so maybe he has the same problem. Sometimes they get stuborn to bring up their wind, try warm water that helps too. Otherwise not sure. How old is he?
And don't stress too much they grow out of it my girl is now almost 14 and her main worry now is how to top up her cell phone!
Hope that helps a bit.
S.

Sounds like how things went with my daughter. Newborns are pretty disorganized little creatures and can't keep track of when they nursed last. Nursing is for comfort as well as nutrition. You seem to be attuned to what he needs and doing a great job.

I would recommend a lactation consultant because you will have someone to speak with and who can observe your son's behavior before you come to any conclusions about what may be going on. I spoke with one for both of my kids, my youngest is now 4 months and we went through similar behavior at about the same age as your boy...turns out, much to my surprise, that it was due to my let-down/flow being too fast! He couldn't handle the flow - he fussed, bucked, screamed, and got very gassy from the air he would swallow trying to drink as well as all the fussing. That I would not have guessed. The consultant showed me a hold that she calls the "C" grip which helped my slow my flow until he was older. It worked very quickly - in just a couple of feedings we were in a good groove.

Also, here's a great link that will help with many of your breastfeeding questions as they come up along the way. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/index.html

Best of luck to you!

It sounds like both of my kids. My son also spit up, my dd didn't. They had acid reflux or GERD. With my daughter, we started her on the prescription meds for tiny tykes and it helped some, but she still learned to only take in a little bit at a time and nurse more often. Well, this causes a cycle because she didn't get the fatty hind milk that lasts longer, only the sugary foremilk.

Also, I had a very fast let down, especially with my son, which caused a gas build-up. The foremilk is more sugary and when it goes in creates bubbles if it is too fast. They tend to gulp and it doesn't feel good. For this, you might try expressing some before he starts to feed and he might be able to get hind milk better with some of the foremilk gone.

When my daughter was a year, she was supposed to have outgrown it, but didn't and the meds really weren't helping much. I took her to a naturopath and instant wonders happened. She gave my dd bifidous and within a couple of days there was huge improvement.

With my son, he started bifidous at 2 weeks old. It was a powdered form and I finger fed it to him. This helped the reflux and gas situation. They just haven't built up the good bacteria in their little systems to combat the "food" they are taking in. I tried eliminating so much from my diet and it didn't seem to help. He had trouble right from the start because he came out so fast and didn't have a chance to purge the amniotic fluid on the way out.

I would try a Naturopath for sure, it sounds like reflux and if no spitting up, could be silent reflux (my dd). Going to a lactation nurse/clinic could help with ways to help him get more hind milk.

Keep trying, the connection will happen for both of you and it will be great.
D.

Yes you should consult a lactation consultant and yes it is normal.
Especially at one month, your baby is still mastering the art of nursing and you the art of being the nurse. if he has not yet had his one month check up he will be check for dehydration as part of his exam. But the lacation consultant can teach you techniques for you to be comfortable or even when to supplement if it is suspected he is not getting enough. Good luck and enjoy it. It does get easier, you will look back and wonder why you worried about it.

I'm sure other mom's have already said this but I'd bet he's nursing for comfort (as did my son and it's hard on mom). Have you tried a paci? I know a lot of people are hesitate so as not to create a habit but if you have a comfort nurser they can be a life saver! Regarding gas - your milk is composed of what you ate so try cutting things that are gassy culprits. Also try feeding him in a more upright position and burp when you switch breasts (if he'll let you).

Best of luck! This does get better once they figure out schedules and whatnot. Sounds like you are doing a great job though and keep up the breastfeeding! It's wonderful!

xo
T.

p.s.
Talk to your lactation consultant too. They are brilliant!

If he is gaining weight, you are doing great! Like most have said, it is normal (if not expected) for baby at 4 weeks to eat every 1 1/2-3 hours. Moreover, if my two are any indication, it is not uncommon that they aren't on a schedule at 4 weeks either. It can be disconcerting when they want to eat so often, but what I always tried to remember is that nursing is not only a feeding thing but also a comfort thing and little ones need to be comforted!

That being said, I experienced the bobbing, wiggling and crying thing with my second. After doing some investigating, I found that this can be a sign of problems with baby handling mom's let-down. Baby simply can't handle the strength of it. I found suggestions on La Leche League's website that really helped - expressing a little before feeding, feeding twice on the same side, shorter more frequent feedings, etc. I followed them and have had success.

The whole bobbing and wiggling thing may also be a source of his gas. When baby does this when trying to eat they can take in a lot of excess air which can lead to gas. You may be able to not only help his eating, but lessen his gas with some of LLL's hints.

Good luck!

he's probably not getting full. When i started breastfeeding they told me 15-20 mins on each boob or until he stops. and usually he stopped before. U said that ur baby falls asleep on ur boob and when u put him down he starts to cry again, when he does that try giving him a pacifier/ Good luck

All I remeber when I was trying to breastfeed was that all the doctors said do not let him fall asleep on your boob. It creates bad habbits and that might be why he always wants it. It might be a comfort thing. Yes, I would talk to a specialist.

I hope I'm not repeating what someone else has told you, but I thought I'd mention that perhaps it's not a feeding issue. If he isn't taking a pacifier he may be nursing just for comfort, not because he's hungry. My 2nd did this and I kept offering the pacifier which he eventually took. It was a lifesaver for me... I was painfully raw from his constant feeding! He also had gassy issues and the lactation consultant helped me to find more upright ways of nursing him which were somewhat less comfortable for me but more confortable for his tummy. I definitely think it wouldn't hurt to try either a pacifier or help from a lactation consultant. Good luck!

My first baby was just like that. Maybe he is in a growth spur. Iwas adviced to Dont give up, wait for at least 2 months
Good luck