Couple Questions~ Breastfeeding, Gas, and Rash...

I have a 6 week old (my 5th) and he does the same things. I can't eat any dairy with him or he'll cry and cry and be in pain. I couldn't eat dairy with any of my children but with him, I can't even eat hidden dairy or even a tiny bit or he'll be in pain. He also gets the baby acne on his face and head and sometimes it's bright R.. All of my kids turned R. easily so I assumed this was the same thing. it'll look normal one minute, bright R. the next, then normal again. With one of my daughters, I couldn't eat corn, gluten or chocolate along with the dairy. Thankfully, she was the only one. You can kind of figure out what she is reacting to by paying attention to what you are eating and then trying to eliminate things to see if it helps her. Dairy seems to be a common thing for babies to react to. Congratulations!

Her grazing is normal at that age. If she falls asleep easily, try undressing her so she stays cooler while eating. The concept of eating ever three hours is a bit of a myth. Just like adults every baby has a different appetite & you'll notice that they get hungrier when having growth spurts. Just roll with it and it will sort itself out.

Most babies do a bit of straining when pooping. The bottle-feeding could be contributing to gas & formula will certainly add to that as i t is harder for the not fully matured digestive systems of babies to process.

The acne is normal and fortunately doesn't last too long. Avoid using soaps and lotions and ask you ped at your met visit for reassurance.

Congrats on your little angel & bravo for breastfeeding it is the best start you can give any child.

congrats! it might be nothing, sometimes babies take around 3 months for things to kind of settle. 2 of my 3 got rashes if i had too much citrus. as for her tummy, try just laying her across your lap on her belly and gently but firmly rubbing her back. as long as youre sure the rash isnt some kind of virus, i would assume she has sensitive skin, at least for now. try cutting citrus, and when you wash her i would use nothing but water whenever possible. and no wipes. you can buy those bounty extra soft paper towels in the pink package and use those with plain water to wipe her down. in the bath you can throw in a handfull of baking soda, at the end, and dont really rinse it off. it worked wonders for mine. less is more. you can use baking soda for her laundry too. at the very least, go fragrance free for everything.

Congratulations and kudos to you for giving your baby breastmilk! This all sounds normal to me. Your baby is only a month old. It is very common for newborns to want to breastfeed every hour or more, their tummies are tiny and breast milk is easily digested. Once they are two to three months old babies become more efficient at getting milk and will usually develop their own feeding schedule, giving you some rest in between feeds.

Is it possible your baby is taking air when bottle feeding? Would you be interested in getting baby back at the breast? Then you wouldn't need to worry about pumping so often. Feeding at the breast also offers your baby comfort as well as nutrition from skin to skin contact.

Also, for gas...I would consider your diet. Are you eating anything that might make the baby gassy? Broccoli, cauliflower, beans, spicy foods, chocolate, coffee and dairy can all cause reactions in babies. It might help to record what you eat and babies reaction to see if there is a connection.

Babies have very sensitive skin so rashes are common but see your pediatrician if you have any concerns. It could be she has an allergy and keeping the food diary will help.

If you do give your baby baths you do not have to use any soap or baby wash unless baby is truly dirty. Plain water is great for babies sensitive skin. Too many baths can make their skin dry.

Babies go through so many changes during the first few months of life. Try to relax and enjoy this stage before its over.

Angi

I agree it sounds like this could be diet related. I wonder if even the rash looking thing could be an allergy of sorts, since it comes and goes like that. I'd ask your pediatrician about it and see about eliminating the common things that babies have problems with.

I'd also cut out baby soaps and lotions, and use a Free and Clear detergent of some kind. If you are using Dreft, this is marketed as gentle for baby. But it has dyes and perfumes just like the others. I have used All Free and Clear, and it's cheaper too. And unless baby has really dry skin and is uncomfortable, they don't need lotion. I never put lotion on my son because I don't want to irritate his skin. The oatmeal or baking soda ideas are great. For the oatmeal bath, what you do is put a scoop of regular uncooked oatmeal in the foot of a nylon and stick it in the tub with the baby when you bathe her.

Sometimes for gas I would put mine in a warm tub and that helped relax his muscles. I would try to do it only for gas, not when expecting a poop, but that was just because I didn't want to have to deal with the mess. You could also try a warm water bottle or warm washcloth on her belly or lower back, that helped sometimes. Just be careful it isn't too hot. And bicycling their legs can help. But the bouncy vibration always worked best for mine too.

You may want to eliminate dairy from your own diet, which can cause trouble in breast milk. My girls both nursed for long periods at a time. You don't have to stop what you are doing to breast feed. Get a comfy sling and learn to use during the day. My oldest had the terrible baby acne all over. We did oatmeal baths to sooth. Way to go breast feeding!

Christina,

I'm sorry that I have no advice for the rash, but...

For the grazing: my oldest would constantly fall asleep at the breast, and I was constantly undressing, shaking, trying to rouse her to get her to eat (she was a preemie, and I needed as much in her as possible). It wasn't until we were in the NICU with my second, that one of the nurses taught me a trick. If you put a finger under her chin, with a little bit of upward pressure (like you see an actor do in a movie, just before he kisses the leading lady), it somehow keeps the pressure they need, to keep them sucking. I found that it worked weather I was nursing or bottle feeding.

My oldest had gas issues, and my husband figured out that it helped if he folded her in half. (Yes, you read right.) :-)
He would position her with her feet high on his chest (with the bottoms of her feet facing his chin), like she was sitting on his chest, facing him. Then he'd fold her torso/head up towards her feet, so she was almost looking him right in the eye, then he'd walk around and bounce her for a bit. As she got a little older/heavier, I had to turn her around, with her head under my chin, and fold her feet up towards her mouth, but it was still pretty effective.

Best wishes, and congratulations!
M.

Sounds like both of my children with the feeding trouble. She may have reflux. Both of my children had reflux and milk protein allergies. These babies may or may not have spit ups. Reflux babies often are back archers and "bob at the breast" as my pediatrician put it. This often appears as though they are trying to latch on but don't know how or keep missing the nipple. They are snackers and may take only 1/2 ounce or 3 ounces--very unpredictable. I could never keep my little one awake during feedings either. I pinched toes, put cold washclotges on her back. The pediatrician mentioned to undress her to keep her from getting warm and comfy. As for the gas...try Gripe Water. Over the counter in the baby section. I have seen it at Kroger recently. It works pretty good.
Not certain about the rash but it could indicate she has had a virus and it is at the end of the virus. You should have that checked out if it worsens for sure. Good luck!
M.

My 5 week old has everything you mentioned and the only thing that soothes her tummy is the vibrating chair. the Dr said she will outgrow it but has switched us to soy formula thinking it may be a sensitivitiy to dairy. You may want to eliminate dairy from your diet to see if that helps.

My baby also had acne and then started to get it on her chest, tummy, and all over her head. Turned out to be heat rash. You need to keep them cool and dry and it will clear up. They also said to use cornstarch with talc, but make sure you are careful that they don't inhale the dust it makes. I put some in my hand in another room then rub it on her chest where it is the worst from a lot of spit up.

I have a feeling she is allergic to something in your milk. My son who is now 6 months took that long to eat at the breast and he was constantly falling asleep. I was a nightmare but I continued and he got more efficient. he is now 6 months and all is better. I still struggle to know if I got enough milk for him cause he nurses for 7 min on each side but he does not seem hungry after. When he cries again I give him the boob again. Try eliminating dairy from your diet and see what happens. Good luck!!

The scalp thing is probably cradle cap- Very common. I used head and shoulders (very carefully) to try and get rid of it and it worked pretty good. I also used baby oil on the scalp and rubbed it gently with a baby toothbrush and then did the normal shampoo. The acne on the face is normal according to my pediatrician, she said I could be Aquaphor lotion on it and that seemed to help about 75%. I have a 14 month old and 3 year old that were both really gassy. Try using Mylicon daily (each feeding). If that doesn't work try Gripe Water (you can buy at any drug store). If you are nursing you may need to cut out dairy, cinnamon, green gassy vegetables, caffeinated drinks and chocolate. These are the common offenders. The body rash could be detergant related. My oldest had the same thing and we found it was related to an allergy to Lavendar bath soap.

Your little girl sounds just like mine!
Mine is five now. Boy, time flies.
When she was tiny, getting her to eat was such a production. She'd fall asleep in the middle of nursing so often, I'd have to nurse with a wet washcloth and douse her every time she got sleepy. Someone suggested nursing in the sling and that's a great idea. I'd try that rather than pumping and bottleifeeding, because that is just so much work. She might also be having trouble latching because you have a lot of milk. If you pump off an ounce or two before feeding her, she might have more luck.

As for the gas (again, sounds, just like my daughter), try eliminating things from your diet. For us, it was diary. Once I eliminated cow's milk from my diet, she was like a whole different baby. Less gassy, less colicky, in a better mood. She grew out of her inability to digest the proteins in cow's milk by about age four. My son's reaction was less strong, so he grew out of it earlier. It is not lactose intolerance, so merely drinking lactose free milk won't do it.

If eliminating things from your diet doesn't do the trick, you might find a chiropractor that works with babies. I have a friend who had great luck with that.

Good luck! And keep searching for a solution! Don't merely assume "Oh, she's just a fussy baby."

Hello and congratulations Now for her feeding it is best to allow your baby to have her own schedule of feeding let her eat when she is hungry, and if she wants to sleep when it is feeding time allow her to get her rest to.When she wakes she will be ready to eat if she is hungry. It is best to let them eat when they need they will create there own schedule so relax and don't worry about her going hungry or anything.Now about the gas and pooping my daughter had that to she is now 4 months does your baby have white stuff on her tongue the gas is part of Candida (thrush) and you can give her a homeopathic called Candida. The fussing while pooping is somewhat related to that and also it takes a few months for some baby's digestive systems to balance out...but there are a couple of homeopathic remides
i can suggest to help..Nuxvumacan this help the baby poop when it is uncomputable. Also carboveg is a good one to Ive if your baby is gassy . Also with gas if you take both of her legs and at her knees push them up in to her stomach just enough to kind of help her get either gas or poop out.Now as far as the rash it is common with babys to get a heat rash and it will cover all parts of the baby they are little R. bumps all over or in certain places.What you wanna do is try to keep the baby cool. giving her baths also help to keep the skin clean and less rashy. The acne should go away that is the baby's skin also adjusting to outside life and should balance out . The baths really help so try to give her a bath every 2 days. And using organic body wash , shampoo is always better.The other stuff has things in it that can irritate the baby.If you have any other questions just message me!!!