Suggestions for an EFF baby struggling with gas? We already: -use dr Browns w/ 0-3 month nipples -hydrolyzed protein and reduced lactose formula -hold up for 10 min after eating -try to burp halfway through and after eating -bicycle his legs several times a day He takes about 20 minutes - 30 minutes to drink 3-4 ounces so idk if going to a slower flow preemie nipple would help?
I really don’t have any tips, just commiseration. DD is EFF too and we have used both gripe water and gas relief drops, but there were still some pretty bad moments. I started a baby massage class this week to see if it could help at all. At almost 7 weeks, it is finally easing up. I hope it starts to ease up soon for you too.
namasteak you’ve tried mylicon drops and/or gripe water? The drops helped my oldest. I also put him on my stomach and that pressure and warmth helped a lot too, but mostly he got better as he got older. I hope your little guy feels better soon.
I haven’t noticed a big difference using gas drops or gripe water. The windi helps for a few hours after but I don’t know how I feel about using that more than once a day. We also elevate his feet a few inches (w/ rolled up burp cloth) inside his swaddle so his knees are bent and that seems to make him more comfy too. Like this
Pressure and warmth helps too - I’ve seen it mentioned (in a few olaces) that putting a small bag of rice on top of their tummies (inside the swaddle) can help mimic the tummy to tummy feeling. Like this But that makes me nervous. However it would be nice for everyone if he felt better.
I think it’s just immature guts too but my damn anxiety has me second guessing if it’s the formula.
I hear you! I cant decide if D's gas and weight stall is because of his lip tie, or totally normal.
Blargh! Good thing I FINALLY have a therapy appointment today.
The chiro has an LC at her office who is going to check for a lip tie at my appointment next week, in some ways it would be nice to have an answer even if it means getting a revision.
I think it’s just immature guts too but my damn anxiety has me second guessing if it’s the formula.
I hear you! I cant decide if D's gas and weight stall is because of his lip tie, or totally normal.
I think I’m going to consult with a speech therapist. The perks and lcs are telling me the lip tie is no big deal, so I don’t want to do anything unless it’s doing to cause speech issues down the line.
How is his latch? Has the lc evaluated it? The ones I saw told me we have no latch issues. Also, google is a blessing and a curse. I keep reading about potential issues and just had to close out. The baby just started pooping several times a day again after only going once a day for weeks and now I’m worried he isn’t absorbing the bm properly.
I hear you! I cant decide if D's gas and weight stall is because of his lip tie, or totally normal.
I think I’m going to consult with a speech therapist. The perks and lcs are telling me the lip tie is no big deal, so I don’t want to do anything unless it’s doing to cause speech issues down the line.
How is his latch? Has the lc evaluated it? The ones I saw told me we have no latch issues. Also, google is a blessing and a curse. I keep reading about potential issues and just had to close out. The baby just started pooping several times a day again after only going once a day for weeks and now I’m worried he isn’t absorbing the bm properly.
Breastfeeding is actually going well. He does take small, short feeds though, presumably because of the tie. Then he gets gassy and doesn't always go back to eating, ergo a two week weight stall. Then if you consult the interwebs about it it's basically the source of all of lifes later problems and I should fix it stat. The LC we saw doesn't seem to think it's necessary. My friend who is a LC says it is. Sooo...I know nothing.
DS (5w6d) is making me crazy. He's EBF, and suddenly wants to nurse constantly and endlessly. He's spending 40 minutes latched split between both sides, every 2 hours start to start. He's a very efficient nurser, and we haven't done that in weeks. By the end of 40 minutes both sides are totally empty and I'm left trying to pacify a kid who still wants more. We make it maybe an hour+, and then later rinse repeat.
With so little down time, I always feel empty. I don't know if I'm starving my baby, or if he's just going through a growth spurt and I'm not adapting to his increased need fast enough. He's 6w tomorrow, so I'm pretty sure there is a growth spurt around now? But I don't remember growth spurts being this dramatic with DD.
It would be weird if I suddenly wasn't making enough milk, after almost 6 weeks of EBFing. His weight gain at his 1 month appt (2.5 weeks ago) was great. He's only waking 1x most nights, but that's been the case for the last 3-4 weeks. Even though growth spurt seems like the logical explanation, this is seriously fucking with my head. I don't know whether to give a bottle (I have a stash to take from) because he's starving or not give a bottle because I need the nursing (miserable as it is under present conditions) to stimulate increased production. I'm so stressed.
I took him out in the car today to run some errands, partly because it was some enforced "can't be on mommy" time. He slept in his car seat for over an hour. A bit ago I tried to put him down for a nap which failed, but H is wearing him peacefully. A starving kid wouldn't do that...? Why is this such a damn mindfuck.
Susie, this was us, except I was also 100% terrified after our NICU visit 4 days after he was born (jaundice, dehydrated, anemic from not eating enough). It is totally a mindfuck.
And then I just spent the last four weeks attached to a pump every moment he wasn't attached to me. I'm so done. I'm down to two pumps a day now and expect by late next week he'll be exclusively formula. I just can't do it anymore.
I'm sad about it. Not sad about the pumping because eff that, but still a little sad that the breastfeeding wasn't our jam.
However, after years of fertility treatments, I'm also ready to have my body back. I'm ready for it to no longer be tied to creating/making/sustaining a life. I know this is selfish (it feels awful just typing it) but I don't want to spend another minute of this maternity leave attached to a pump and not spending time with him.
Susie - DD went through a similar phase at right around that age, and our pediatrician and LC both recommended that I keep nursing rather than offer a bottle as long as she wasn’t showing signs of dehydration or losing weight or anything like that. My supply caught up to the increase in demand pretty quickly. I think it was less than a week before we got back into our more regular nursing schedule again.
Susie there is definitely a 6w growth spurt! Hang in there.
On a related note, how often should a non growth spurt EBF baby be eating at this point? We are still at every 2 hours (sometimes 3 at night) and I'm getting tired of it.
Susie, I’m right there with you. DD (6w1d) is all of a sudden nursing CONSTANTLY and was extra fussy tonight. I track feedings on an app and I’m back to around the same time spent as week 1. I’m super jealous of your 1x a night wake up though. Im usually up 3x, 2x on the rare great night, and sometimes 4x (including last night).
hamster - DD is six months old and we still average every two hours. I feel like she should be going longer between meals by now, but all we've really been told is to just keep feeding on demand and that's how often she demands it.
Susie, sounds like a normal 6 week growth spurt to me.
My preference during growth spurts is to nurse as much as I can take. Once I've had enough, I give a bottle then pump after he's asleep to make up for the bottle.
hamster, E1 ate every 1.5-2 hours until he was well over a year old. Whether it was nursing, taking a bottle, or solids, he was eating every 1.5-2 hours. It was exhausting.
Thanks. I am glad I’m not going crazy about a growth spurt happening around now.
scm1011, ugh, that’s brutal. I hope D starts giving you some longer stretches at night!
woowoo, although I’m still going on BFing I relate a lot to your comment about being over it all and ready to have your body back and just enjoy your baby. I BFed DD for a little over a year, and half the time I desperately want it to work again like it did with DD, and the other half I feel like ugh, another year until I get my body back? Especially - selfishly - because my body won’t let me lose the baby weight until I wean.
hamster DS was eating every 3ish hrs during the day until the last day or so.
Why won't DD let me put her down?? She wants to BF constantly and when she's not on the boob, she wants to be held. If she falls asleep and I lay her down, she wakes up crying a minute later. It's impossible to get anything done and also try to take care of DS who is 16 months. I can't even lay her down to sleep at night. She'll only sleep if she's being held. I'm realizing how much I dislike the early days.
Post by Patsy Baloney on Jul 12, 2019 23:51:10 GMT -5
I’ve got one more week left of maternity leave. Man, it went so fast. DS (and my older DD) went to my mom’s today so I could catch up on some school work (getting my master’s). They were also practicing for when I go back to work, since we have Nana day care. They all had a great day. I’m really lucky that my mom is so generous as to watch my kiddos regularly and she’s so amazing with them. It makes me feel really at peace heading back to work, even though these last 12 weeks have been amazing...ly full of trashy TV and baby cuddles, lol.
Post by Patsy Baloney on Jul 12, 2019 23:56:30 GMT -5
Also, big hugs to everybody struggling with feeding. I HATE feeding my baby, and I hated feeding the last one, too. Why on earth is the one thing they need to do to thrive so damned difficult for mom? I hope everybody’s kiddos even out and start giving you all great weight gains and more rest.
Also, big hugs to everybody struggling with feeding. I HATE feeding my baby, and I hated feeding the last one, too. Why on earth is the one thing they need to do to thrive so damned difficult for mom? I hope everybody’s kiddos even out and start giving you all great weight gains and more rest.
Can you stop taking words out of my mouth?
Seriously though, this is very true. I had (with my other 2) and have (with this NB) sooo many feelings about feeding. Like I said about PP body image let’s try to have some grace and be kind to ourselves.
When I’m struggling with negative self thoughts My therapist says 2 helpful things 1) what would you say to a friend with the same struggle 2) Is it true? Is it kind? Is it balanced?
Post by lovelyshoes on Jul 13, 2019 8:27:36 GMT -5
kellikans hugs, I can 100% relate. At over 2 months he still wakes up minutes after I put him down.
Also, bf is so much to wrap my head around. He took to it so well, ate often but well, gained well until about 5-6 weeks. Now he’s a slow gainer, dropped %, poops often, still nurses every 2-2 1/2 hours, more often at night and I have to pump and supplement so I can’t even build a stash for when I go back to work. I don’t think I will be able to even pump enough. I don’t even know how much I need for a day at this point. It’s so frustrating and I think I got some bad advice from the lc in the hospital, so kind of kicking myself for that too. With the frequent poop I’m worried it’s an allergy or malabsorption, but the pedis don’t seem to think that. I’m nervous to try formula in case it’s an allergy.
I am still so big. I know it’s normal blah blah, but I hate it. I tried my old shoes and they are tight. I don’t know if it’s the weight or I grew in shoe sizes and if it’s the later I’m going to be so sad. I love shoes😥.
We also hardly leave the house bc he hates the car. I envisioned a much more laid back summer.
]We also hardly leave the house bc he hates the car. I envisioned a much more laid back summer.
She doesn’t mind the car, but hates being places. I thought babies would be so portable. Everyone else has a portable baby. I don’t hear anyone else’s baby screaming in the store, in the bank, in the park... we haven’t even attempted a restaurant. Needs to be a place with a quick exit.
She doesn’t even really love being out of her room and downstairs.
]We also hardly leave the house bc he hates the car. I envisioned a much more laid back summer.
She doesn’t mind the car, but hates being places. I thought babies would be so portable. Everyone else has a portable baby. I don’t hear anyone else’s baby screaming in the store, in the bank, in the park... we haven’t even attempted a restaurant. Needs to be a place with a quick exit.
She doesn’t even really love being out of her room and downstairs.
We went to the aquarium yesterday and D had a total meltdown in the restaurant while I stepped away for 5 minutes. I came back and H was sweating from stress!
As far as feeding goes, it's my least favorite part of parenting. Not just babies, but the 20m old too. Hell, I don't even like feeding myself. It's so much work.
She doesn’t mind the car, but hates being places. I thought babies would be so portable. Everyone else has a portable baby. I don’t hear anyone else’s baby screaming in the store, in the bank, in the park... we haven’t even attempted a restaurant. Needs to be a place with a quick exit.
She doesn’t even really love being out of her room and downstairs.
My baby hates the car too. It’s funny to me how many people have told me to try driving DD around in a car when she won’t nap — she hates the car and just screams for 20 minutes! Doesn’t matter if it’s right after a feeding or a little later. I keep doing it though, because I figure she has to get used to it eventually, and I refuse to be a complete prisoner in my house. Breastfeeding is isolating enough as it is.
I would have given that advice even 3 months ago because my oldest napped in the car. I drove him around our old neighborhood many times to get him to sleep. This baby hates the car seat and the car and the stroller while we’re at it. I keep taking him out, but he works himself up so bad. We drove 20 mins a week ago and he was ok for the first 5, by the end he was shaking. I felt awful. There was nowhere to stop for the last few minutes where he went from screaming to just losing it. Thinking about it upsets me. I hope he outgrows this soon.
She doesn’t mind the car, but hates being places. I thought babies would be so portable. Everyone else has a portable baby. I don’t hear anyone else’s baby screaming in the store, in the bank, in the park... we haven’t even attempted a restaurant. Needs to be a place with a quick exit.
She doesn’t even really love being out of her room and downstairs.
We went to the aquarium yesterday and D had a total meltdown in the restaurant while I stepped away for 5 minutes. I came back and H was sweating from stress!
As far as feeding goes, it's my least favorite part of parenting. Not just babies, but the 20m old too. Hell, I don't even like feeding myself. It's so much work.
The hardest part with this baby is yelling orders to my other kids while breastfeeding and feeding the older kids. My 8 year will eat a full meal and be hungry 10 minutes later. My 3 year old only eats fruit, pasta and rice at the moment so I’ve resorted to sneaking things into things he will eat. I am constantly feeding people. It’s exhausting,
]We also hardly leave the house bc he hates the car. I envisioned a much more laid back summer.
She doesn’t mind the car, but hates being places. I thought babies would be so portable. Everyone else has a portable baby. I don’t hear anyone else’s baby screaming in the store, in the bank, in the park... we haven’t even attempted a restaurant. Needs to be a place with a quick exit.
She doesn’t even really love being out of her room and downstairs.
This was my DS; it’s rough and you have my sympathies. If you’re a beer drinker we’ve found breweries to be good spots go since they’re big spaces with lousy acoustics and his crying was usually drowned out by the general cacophony (which also oddly had the tendency to put him to sleep).
If not, other places that are generally lively and loud are good spots to go. You’re not anxious with every cry they make because it’s already chaotic