Very Grumpy, Always Hungry and Full of Gas 4 Month Old

Hi, she could have colic and it may be due to a food allergy or intolerance. Have you tried to omit dairy and wheat out of your diet? My son was very similar, as far as very fussy and constantly wanting to nurse, but never full and satisfied. My son did grow out of the colic and was able to calm down and digest the milk better by 5 mos and became such a different baby. Happy and content. She is probably clinging to you because she is feeling so badly and cannot express it any other way. Talk to your pediatrician. I would not stop nursing yet, because it is the best protection to your child. It did turn out to be allergies for my son, although it was not until he was over a year and on regular foods we figured out what it was (peanuts, eggs, probably milk). Please realize she's not grumpy, she's just feeling badly. <:) It made me tolerate my son's constant fussing better...

She may have reflux. Those are some of the classic signs actually. Usually babies cry a lot and want to be held upright because when they lay down the acid goes up into their esophogus and burns. They want to eat a lot because it soothes the burning sensation but it is a vicious cycle b/c more food equals more acid. My son had reflux until he was about a year old and it was a lot like you described but his was a lot worse and he screamed. They can have different degrees of reflux though. Check with your doctor and do some searching online. They can prescribe meds or even malox works if it isn't too bad.

Could it be acid reflux? Our daughter had this and took Zantac from about 2 mos old and it helped a lot. Check with your doctor about this possibility. We also used gas relief drops frequently.

If she wants to nurse that often but still acts hungry (and the grumpiness is probably due to hunger, not any desire to be grumpy with mom!)it's possible she isn't getting much food when she breast-feeds, so she keeps trying to feed and feed to get satisfied. Have you seen a lactation consultant? If not, see one to check her latch on your breast; the consultant also can help determine if you're actually producing enough milk, too. The gassiness may be from gulping too much air when she's sucking--which, again, could indicate a problem with her latch on the breast. Talk to the pediatrican right away about a good lactation consultant -- and I believe a good one should see you the same day you call or the very next day! (Mine always did and it was a huge help and comfort!) If the issue turns out to be latch or milk production, and you can get it straightened out, you may find that you want to keep on breast-feeding, but you also can ask a consultant about mixing breast and bottle-feeding. I don't know whether four months is a bit early for rice cereal; I'd check that with the pediatrician as well. I think the desire to be carried isn't that big a deal at four months, and at this age you can expect any infant to be very attached to his or her mom--you are her entire universe right now and that's the way it's supposed to be, so I'd worry more about the hunger than the attachment. She will be happier and more interested in the world around her when she is getting enough food. Good luck and please don't hesitate to get help from the pros whose job it is to get you through this!

Hi Kim,

I have a few suggestions:

1. Have you considered your diet while breastfeeding? A close friend of mine's daughter was very sensitive to dairy products - so anything my friend ate the baby also "ate" through the breastmilk and as a result she had a lot of gas, etc. whenever my friend had anything with dairy. You may want to keep a log of the foods you are eating and see when she is at her worst and adjust your diet accordingly. In terms of other foods - a good rule of thumb is that any foods that may cause you gas may also cause gas in the baby.

2. Formula can make gassiness worse. Breastmilk is easier to digest and has natural laxative properties that are supposed to help your baby with these types of issues. Bottles also let more air into the babies stomach. If you do want to try to get her on formula still - try first pumping your milk and giving her that in the bottle so she can used the bottle first. Then if that's working ok, then start mixing formula & breastmilk a little at a time so she can adjust to the taste.

3. Have her tendancies for nursing often and being held changed from what she was doing a few weeks ago? If so, she might be having a growth spurt (that would explain the increased appetite at least). My daughter went through phases where she wanted to nurse more often.

4. Try giving her lots of tummy time to help her with the gas issues.

5. In terms of the attachment issue - try leaving her just for a few minutes at a time with a toy that she likes and increase the time as she gets better about you being away. Let her hear your voice even if she can't see you.

These are just a few things that I hope help in some way. Its great that you are breastfeeding your daughter and if you can continue that really is the best thing BUT if choose to wean her (in which case hopefully she will take to the bottle/formula) then don't feel bad about it - you have to do what's right for you and your baby.

Also, here's a great site for breastfeeding moms that I found helpful when I was nursing my baby.

http://www.kellymom.com/

If nothing else, also talk to your daughter's pediatrician for some advice. Good luck!!

It sounds like mile reflux to me. My son had that. It wasn't that he was always hungry, but rather that the drinking helped to sooth the burning in his chest. You can try getting her upright as much as possible, that helped. My pediatrician told me that about 6 months or so, they can start to understand cause and effect and it's okay to let them cry a bit to get to sleep. Prior to that, they'll cry, and they'll sleep, but they won't really learn the routine from night to night. As for moving to a bottle, that's a tough one. Mine were all bottle fed. When the reflux started we used Enfamil AR (added rice) and it worked like a miracle. (Since it's heavier it didn't cause the reflux). Good luck!

If your daughter is anything like mine was, this will pass in the next month or so. She is colic. Both my daughter (now 3) and my son (now 20 mos.) were colic, but my daughter was worse. They had gas ALL THE TIME, you could bend them at any given moment and the gas would pour out! My daughter fed every hour and a half around the clock and was still under weight. I almost lost my mind SO MANY TIMES! She took horrible naps (25 min.) and had to sleep upright on our chests so when the gas woke her up we could pat her back to go back to sleep. I too started cereal at 4 mos. Keep that up. It eventually will help. It is not your milk that is the problem either. I felt like I was feeding her poison that was making her gassy, and even tried different diets for myself. NOTHING worked. Formula made her worse. This will pass. The only cure is time. Both of mine were around 5 months when it slowly magically disappeared and they changed. IT WILL PASS. Just hang in there. I also used fans in their rooms for white noise to help them go back to sleep. They are both still restless sleepers, but they are the easiest most content kids to hand out in their beds now...until like 9:00 in the morning! Those of us that go through colic babies should recieve awards if we don't lose our minds! You are doing a great job and know that it WILL end and soon. You have made it through most of the hard part already!

Kim,

My now 2-yo DD was a reflux baby and needed constant attention and boob time. Four months is so young to be stuck with a pacifier or in a crib. Babies are desperate for the comfort and security of Mom. I KNOW it is frustrating to feel like she's on you all the time, but it's really something that will set the stage for her future development and healthy relationship attachments to you and other people.

I encourage you to get a sling or baby wrap. MamasMilk.com and KangarooKorner.com have a good selection. For starters, I'd suggest getting an unpadded ring sling. They're easily adjustable and fast to get baby in and out. This way, you can carry baby around a lot (it's really what she wants!) and still have your arms free to do things. Then she's close for frequent feeding, too. I know, I KNOW the days seem soo long right now--we dealt with thrush for 9 months in addition to DD's reflux and neediness and 16-hour nursing--but the years will fly by and you will wonder where your baby went. (I have a 12-yo, too, and I can attest to that!) With the ring sling, you can pull the tail so the baby's in really close during nursing; then you're practically hands-free. The Maya Wrap is another good one for that, just tying the baby onto you, and she can shift to the boob when she wants it.

I wore my now 12-yo for three years, and he is now a very independent boy. Um, young man. :-) I didn't wear him everyday once he was walking, but I took the sling, and when he got tired, I'd sling him. I'm still wearing the 2-yo occasionally--she's much more wanna-be-on-my-own than he was at this age, but she's still got her needy mamma's-girl moments where the sling is my arm saver!

Please also find another mom to hang out with, either in your neighborhood or in an official group. MOPS is a good place for mom support and break time from baby. (Christian Fellowship Church in Ashburn has a great one. Can you tell I go to that one? ;-) The real-face time will be excellent for you. I know it's difficult to get out of the house, but it will be soooo worth it, Kim.

Good luck.