Is Something Wrong with My Breastmilk?

Something you're eating could be bothering her. With my daughter, I had to avoid garlic. You may want to consider what you are eating.

All of my babies were colicky (4 of them) and all of them couldn't digest dairy well. Once I dropped dairy from my diet 90% of the symptoms completely disappeared.

B., is she arching her back when she's grunting? Is she actually crying or just grunting? If she isn't arching her back or crying, I wouldn't worry about it. Some babies are just gassy by nature (mine has been since the day he was born!). If you really feel like she's uncomfortable then mention it to your Dr the next time you're in. It's possible it could be reflux, but she'd probably be doing more than just grunting. The grunting is also a natural thing babies sometimes do when they're pushing out gas...or more. Some things you can do diet-wise would be to eliminate caffeine, dairy, and gluten...doing one at a time. You have to eliminate them for more than just a couple of days to see if it works. At least a couple of weeks. Those are the most typical culprits. If there is a particular food that makes YOU gassy, then it's possible it has the same effect on her and you can try eliminating that food, too. I truly, truly don't think it's anything other than normal baby gas. I was an anxious mom at first too, then I realized, when baby is really uncomfortable, you WILL know it! Good luck!

It's possible that she's reacting to food in your breastmilk, but that in no way means you should stop nursing. There's nothing wrong with your milk! If you like you can eliminate foods that give you trouble that may also be affecting him.

But this is also the age where baby's gut bacterial should be taking over and aiding in digestion. Some babies don't have strong gut bacteria due to being c-section babies, exposure to antibiotics directly or via mom or mom didn't have any to pass along to them during birth. You could try getting some acidophilus liquid and letting her take some from your breast or finger and see if that helps.

The other suggestion is herbal drops of fennel or other herbs that might help if she is gassy.

I know it's hard being a first time mom. But if she seems well rested and otherwise OK, don't worry too much! You are doing a great thing by breastfeeding and don't ever doubt that!

Look at your diet around 12 hours before the gas/fussiness. I had to cut out milk protein with my daughter because she got eczema and with my son because he had gas/spit up. My friends son had severe reflux and she had to cut out ALL milk products - even if it was listed as an ingredient in something. He was fine when she did that but if she had cheese or a milk shake up came his meal. Good luck to you. Trust your mommy instinct :)

Some babies react to what you had to eat when you breastfeed them. I found that I couldn't eat chocolate with one of my little guys, because he got gas!

Hi B.,
Both my boys made (and still make) all kinds of crazy noises in their sleep. We finally took the baby monitor out of our first son's room because he was so noisy, and none of it meant anything. They even cry in their sleep sometimes!

If baby's in the same room with you, I don't know what to tell you, but you need your sleep too. I hope this helps put you at ease.

T

It could be a case of reflux. My daughter does the same thing. Try gripe water or mylicon after your feedings.

Hi B.,

My little guy is now 12 weeks and it was at about 4 weeks that we put him in his own room in his crib. I could not sleep because he was so noisy. He was still sleeping but just making all sorts of noises. He also went through a bout of spitting up more than usual but it lasted a week or two. We tried Mylacon and also Gripe Water which I don't know if it helped or if it was just a phase he went through. He has been breastfeed since day one. Maybe try putting her in her own room. You will hear her if she really needs you! Good luck!

First, this is normal so fear not!! The first couple months are difficult!

More importantly, you need to come to Doris' mom's group!! It's a breastfeeding group for moms that meets on Thursdays at 10:30 at Doris' house in Mesa. It's a great way to get out and talk to other moms. We have different topics every week as well. Doris is an excellent resource and so supportive. She's been a lifesaver for me. If you can't wait until next week, call her. (I think she is in Hawaii right now, but if you leave a message, she will call you back.) Otherwise, if you can make it to the group next week, her daughter will be there as well as quite a few other experienced moms.

Check out: http://www.pump-n-go.com/

Hang in there - you are doing the best thing for your daughter!! :)

Do not eat Broccoli!! It makes babies terribly fussy.

Grunting babies is very normal durning sleep. Both of my kids at this age grunted through the night. Spit up is also normal. The time to be concerned is if your baby seems like she is in pain or projectile vommitting. Good Luck. Try not to let your husband get to you, first time moms are very cautious. Nothing wrong with that!

When you are breastfeeding you have to be very careful on what you eat.. I had the same problem with my daughter being really gassy & found out it was becasue I ate alot of mexican food. My Dr. told me to avoid alot of spicy foods, bell peppers, chocolate. They do have infant drops for gassy babies I used them & they seemed to help her.. good luck & congrats

Hi B.

It's normal for babies to be very, very noisy while they are sleeping.

That said, look at your diet(it's not your milk, it's what you eat which goes into your milk). No caffeine, no carbonated drinks, no coffee, no tea. No heavy spices. Usually, no citrus. Drink lots of water. Make sure that your protein intake is adequate for two. You may wish to cut out the most commom food allergens. Cut whatever you've begun again due to your relief at getting your body back to yourself- chocolate? From that point, what a child can and cannot tolerate becomes very specific. Mine got colic with melon(!), citrus, coffee, tea, anything too spicy, chocolate. He was able to tolerate, and did well on beans and mild hot peppers, however, which is unusual. Just check it out- if your baby is nursing well, and sleeping afterwards, you are a good mommy, your milk is fine, and you are doing well. If baby is screaming with colic, you are eating something you shouldn't. Colic- something is really, really hurting. Baby is screaming in pain for hours daily. Doesn't sound like your baby has it.

Try not to worry- mom and baby make an enclosed circle. Whatever your emotions, baby will pick up and reflect them back to you. Be happy! S.

I don't think that anything is wrong. My little man is 8 weeks old and does the same thing. It is very hard to burp him, and he spits up more now than he did when he was first born. And the grunting! He does that all the time. Nothing abnormal. Instead of patting when I burp, I add a little rubbing to try to burp him too. Mostly he does it on his own....

I have 4 kids, my youngest just turned 8 months. We had this same problem with her (the youngest) and it stressed me to no end. She finally stopped grunting around 3 1/2 months old. The Dr. wasn't worried, but that didn't mean that I stopped worrying, or even stopped asking him about it EVERY time we had an appointment. It was so weird to me as none of my other babies have done it. I never figured out what it was from, but it seemed as if she was uncomfortable too. Don't lose your confidence mama, after having 3 other babies, I was still nervous! You are doing a great job!

S.

You have great advice below. It is hard not to automatically blame yourself but try not to. Breastmilk is almost always best for your little one
Hopefully this is just a phase and you start getting some sleep soon.

Congrats on your little one! My baby is 10 weeks old and grunted all the time through the night, but mainly from about 3am to 7am... I asked his pediatrician about it, and she said not to worry, that it is very normal. She even told me that since he is not waking himself up, he is probably dreaming!!! Aside from the lack of sleep, it was a little relief to me because I knew he was breathing! :) As for the spitting up, my little one's Dr told me that it could be that his digestive system is trying to handle the extra food if he is eating more. As long as your baby is gaining weight and is not projectile vomiting all the time, it is pretty normal. My baby doesn't have too many issues with gas, so I don't have any experience with how food affects your milk, but it sounds like you have a lot of great responses! Good luck to you.

Don't worry at all. All babies grunt at first, it's their way of exploring their voice box. Mine is almost 7 weeks and began grunting around 4 weeks, she is still grunting and everyone I've talked, everything I've read says the same thing, IT'S OKAY. As for spitting up, that's okay too. Baby's stomachs are sensitive, it's not your breastmilk, maybe just spend a little more time trying to burp. Or if you are burping a long time w/ no luck, lay her down for a second, pick her up and try burping again. You are doing a great job, don't lose confidence in yourself. Now go get some sleep.