Breastfeeding

[Camelot Farms]

Great advice in this thread!

The caffeine definitely can be passed through breastmilk so that could have contributed to the extra fussiness. All babies react differently to different foods in their breastmilk. With one of mine, I couldnt go near broccoli or cabbage. The other 2 werent phased at all by it. Sometimes it helps to keep a little journal of what you are eating so if baby gets fussy, you can look back and see what you have eaten in the last 24 hours.

Good luck!!!!

 

[Mandalina]

Has your baby been chatting to my baby behind our backs?? Bc my little bundle of screams has been doing the same thing lol. I know it is normal ,she isnt nearly as bad as my last girl who would do cluster feeds like a maniac,act like she was starved to death, then go on a 2day nursing strike. Nothing makes mama feel good like "You suck and dont make me happy so now I shall punish you!" from an 8mth old

 

[KatieH]

Growth spurts go around 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and then a big one at 6 weeks, then smaller ones at 3 months and 6 months. Sounds like fairly common behavior for a 4 week growth spurt. Sometimes fussy is caused by over consumption of the foremilk, too.

I am aware that the official age for cereal is 4 months, but I never regreted it.

Actually the current recommendation is nothing but breastmilk for the first 6 months. Babies have what's called "open gut" which means that (microscopically) their intestinal tract walls aren't completely closed. This is great because it means the antibodies in breastmilk get directly into the bloodstream, but not so good if you introduce solids (it can lead to instestinal distress and increases the likelihood of food allergies). The gut doesn't "close" until around 6 months. Protein digestion is also incomplete in infants, so giving solids can increase gas and fussiness. Babies that sleep more after being fed rice cereal aren't more satisfied. Because their bodies aren't ready to be digesting anything but breastmilk, they have to work overtime to process it, which kicks them into a deep sleep that allows their body to concentrate more energy on digestion. But that's not a good thing, because we know from studies that that kind of sleep is associated with an increased risk of SIDS.

No judgment on anyone in any of that, just passing on the information for anyone who's reading and interested

Anyway, I'm a LLL Leader, feel free to PM me, I'm always available for breastfeeding help

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Thanks for the heads up on the "new" cereal introduction recommendation, KatieH!

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

Quote:
What foods in my diet might increase his gassiness? Yesterday I had my first latte since having a baby, and I worried that maybe that was why he couldn't sleep last night. Also, sorry for the TMI, but I've had a bad problem with constipation since he was born so I've been really upping my fiber intake. It's all been lentils, brown rice, cheerios, flax seeds, apples, romaine lettuce, carrots, and spinach.

What I learned after 4 kids is some of them are more sensitive to gas and some it doesn't matter what you eat....doesn't bother them.
Stay away from carbonated drinks, onions, broccoli, beans.......sometimes the babies can't handle the mother drinking milk....bothers their bellies. You will have to try different diets for 2 weeks and see what works or just buy the gas drops and try that.

just wanted to add....the breast pump thing isn't as easy as it looks. It does take a little practice and you have to relax to have letdown......just give it a try a few more times and you will get the hang of it. You can try feeding the baby in the morning on one side and pumping on the other since you have a build up of milk over night......will give you a little store of milk so someone else can help out now and then.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I would say it is fairly normal. It is also normal for a breastfed baby who has been sleeping through the night to go through a growth spurt and nurse several times in a night. This lasts a few days, increases your milk production and baby goes back to sleeping all night. I pumped with my first one, and he got bottled breast milk for about a month. It's a long story, that I won't go into here, but I used a commercial motorized breast pump. I felt like I should have "Imperial Dairy" or such stamped on my forehead. After the large commercial pump went away, I occasionally had to hand pump, and the amount of milk I could get was pathetic. With the commercial pump I was feeding the kid and freezing 16 oz./day. You might want to try a smaller motorized pump.

The other thing you might look out for is colic. Unfortunately, it does happen, and it starts around 3-6 weeks and is gone by about four months. In my experience, the food I ate didn't make a difference, and not much else did either. The kiddo just needed to cry for a couple hours every evening. It usually started about the time dh got home from work, poor daddy. Wikipedia has some good information.

Good luck. My kids went from the boob to whole milk at around a year, and didn't have solids until about six months. The one who was colicky, cheerfully eats everything, and the easy baby is the picky eater.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Okay, I have only read the first page so far, so I apologise if I repeat comments already made.
Babies eat frequently JUST BEFORE beginning a growth spurt. Frequent feedings build up the milk supply; prolonged feedings often include the baby falling asleep and not finishing, then waking to eat more, then falling asleep, etc. They also often include comfort sucking. If you feel he is falling asleep without finishing his meal, you may try such things as stroking his cheek and jaw to get him to continue nursing when he falls asleep. Another issue for some mothers is that they release too much milk at once for babies to handle, creating a fussy baby who pulls away, then wants more, then pulls away, then wants more, etc.; this is often misinterpreted as having too little milk (and quite frankly, the symptoms you describe fit this fairly well).

Rather than asking your pediatrician questions about breastfeeding, you should call LaLeche League. Pediatricians are experts on medical information, and have SOME information on breastfeeding, but mostly as it relates to the infant. Breastfeeding is not just about the baby--it is a two-part system, and you are equally involved. Depending on the particular pediatrician and his or her own experiences they may have more or less information than average. However, LaLeche League is THE expert on breastfeeding. You can find a leader in your area at http://www.llli.org/resources.html

Most if not all areas have phone help available where a leader can work with you on the specific concerns you have.

One month old babies do not carry grudges against Mama. If he is gassy, it is because of something in his system. Your diet can definitely impact this. There are a lot of foods that can cause problems--I honestly do not remember them all, but caffeine and alcohol are certainly on the list as is cow milk! (and other dairy foods).

If for some reason you cannot continue nursing, DO NOT give cow milk for the first year. Avoiding foods that tend to be allergenic during the first year is the BEST way to prevent your child from developing sensitivities. Infant formula is better than other alternatives, but goat milk is infinitely preferable to cow milk.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Mrs. Turbo :

....
just wanted to add....the breast pump thing isn't as easy as it looks. It does take a little practice and you have to relax to have letdown......just give it a try a few more times and you will get the hang of it. You can try feeding the baby in the morning on one side and pumping on the other since you have a build up of milk over night......will give you a little store of milk so someone else can help out now and then.

There are breast pumps and there are breast pumps. MOST do not work well at all. A good one will work well for just about anyone once they figure out what they are doing. A Lactation Consultant/La Leche Leader once told me that when women have problems with a breast pump, they almost always blame themselves, when most of the time the problem is the pump.​

 

[Amyable]

I must agree with Sonoran Silkies about the goat's milk. Formula made me colicky, but I grew like a weed on whole goat's milk. The fat globules are much smaller than cow's milk and are easier to digest. If you need to supplement and don't want to use formula, get ahold of goat's milk. Even raw cow's milk, IMO, would be superior to formula. The beneficial enzymes are still intact in raw milk, and lactase (the enzyme that allows us to digest lactose) is present in raw milk but not in pastuerized milk. This is one of the main reasons there are so many dairy allergies - there are no enzymes in cooked milk.

I applaud you for being so committed to breastfeeding! Hang in there, you're doing great and you're a wonderful mom!

 

[Xtina]

Thanks for the advice everyone! He fed like a madman last night and slept a little bit better than he did the night before. My diet probably is making him gassy, but all the foods that cause gas are the same foods that will cure my constipation. I might change my tune in a few weeks, but right now I think it's better to have a gassy, fussy baby than a constipated mom! Maybe I'll cut out the broccoli, but the beans and other veggies are going to stay. I never drink sodas, and I was basically only drinking the coffee for the added fiber in my diet. That I can cut out for sure.

As far as my breast pump goes, it's a Medela, which people tell me is good. And I knew it would take more than once for it to work, but I just haven't had the time and perseverance to get back to it. I know I have to and that's good advice about doing it in the morning while he's nursing. That'll be what I try next.