UPDATE- depressed not thinking about breastfeeding

[TraciG]

I will say it again, u people are so wonderful, when I get the chance ( which is rare these days ) I run to the computer to this website ! Well I'm still breastfeeding, Sydney turned 1 month on Saturday, I never did go to a LC , not sure why , just never did but we seem to be doing better, she still goes crazy & cant latch on at times but when this happened last night my husband took her from me to calm her & burped her, I might not have been burping her enough, not sure but for now on when she acts this way i'll just try to burp her & see if that was the problem, who knows. So nice when she nurses & actually seems satisfied after because a lot of times I feel that she's never satisfied except when she has her 1 bottle of formula but she drinks that much faster so gets full quick, when nursing she still takes her breaks but that seems to be getting better too, last night she nursed for about 45 minutes & was finished, that was a PLEASURE, then we went right back to sleep.

Big problem now is the gas pains which seems to happen at least once a day :(

Also we started a habit which I think will be bad later on, Sydney ends up sleeping with us part of the night or even the whole night, when she goes in th pack N play she wakes up & cries so it's been easier to just have her with us, scared this will NEVER end.

So far I am thanking God for the ocean wonders aquarium swing, Sydney is sleeping in now !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[houseof3boys]

Glad to hear that you guys are going strong!

I just wanted to say that it still doesn't hurt to go to an LC and see if there are any tips that she might give you. We went at 8 weeks again and I was soooo glad that I did!

Keep up the great work. :)

[cvharris]

DS pulled off the breast a lot when he was about Sydney's age and we discovered it was due to gas. I started burping him before all meals and sometimes in the middle of a meal (I can tell now when he needs it, he'll pull off the breast like he can't swallow) and that helps a lot with the gas.

We ended up cosleeping for similar reasons (it is just EASIER than waking up all night) and we are still doing it. We entertained the idea of transitioning him to the crib but DS is such a snugglebug and when I tried to do this during the day for naps a couple times he just went crazy. So, we're just going to continue cosleeping. Nursing DS to bed is the ONLY way I can get him to sleep now - he won't sleep in the swing anymore. DH is really good about getting him to sleep while he is holding him but at 20 lbs DS is getting too heavy to hold for extended periods of time.

Hang in there - sounds like you are doing great!

[sntm]

traci,
regarding the cosleeping -- we often brought jack into our bed in the middle of the night and still do frequently in the early morning but it is mostly for us, it's just so much easier. he sleeps great in his crib, so don't worry too much about setting bad habits, especially at her young age.

glad things are going so much better for you! it only gets better, believe me!


shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Seeing a lactation consultant could still be helpful to you, but I am glad that things are going better. Most people find that breastfeeding suddenly gets easier at about 6 weeks, give or take 2 weeks. :) Here's hoping you got an early breakthrough.

One thing to consider . . . when you say she is going crazy and won't latch on, could it be because she is not hungry? Babies operate on instinct and instinct tells them to turn towards a nipple, but then if they are not hungry they have conflicting signals going on, one telling them "hey there is food here" and another telling them "I'm full". When Logan would seem confused about what to do, I would offer her my finger to suck on and if that calmed her, then I assumed she was not hungry.

Also, swaddling her for nursing really helped. If she didn't have to pay attention to her arms and legs swinging around, she could concentrate on eating. There is a lot going on in their developing brain and nervous system, and taking the focus off one part (arms and legs) made it easier for her to learn to eat.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[Melanie]

I would also suggest a visit to an LC, no matter the cost is it cheaper in the long run that going the formula-route.

She drinks the formula bottle faster because she is used to the amount of strength/suck necessary to breastfeed, a bottle takes minimal effort, but she is using her regular effort, so the bottle empties quickly. HTH

Co-sleeping isn't a bad thing if it is working well for your family.

[KGoes]

So happy to hear that things have smoothed out on the breastfeeding front. My motto at that age became: when in doubt, burp and when in serious doubt, let DH burp. We are back in that phase at 4 months.
DD slept everywhere - in her pnp, in bed, in her crib, on the couch (supervised), in her swing, and occasionally in her bouncy seat. I think in taught her to, well, sleep anywhere. I weaned her off of sleeping in bed with us at night by taking a nap with her in bed during the day - that seemed to do the trick in terms of her bed "fix." The other thing that worked for us was swaddling - she still likes it for going down at night. Now, she is almost exclusively sleeping in her crib and loves it.
Keep up the good work!
Kelley
DD born 7/03

[Rachels]

Glad it's going better! I agree that an LC is still a good idea. Also, there's nothing wrong with cosleeping. As long as you're doing it safely, there are lots of wonderful benefits for moms and babies. Take a look at this page:

http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/familybed.html

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[papal]

Hi,
My daughter is 6 weeks old now and she does the same thing.. sometimes goes crazy during a feeding..it is because she has to burp..once burped she latches on and feeds calmly again.
Baby Bliss Gripe Water is helping her get rid of the gas also.. we use it in the evening and it seems to calm her down.. i might switch to Mylicon as the Baby Bliss is a bit pricey.
When you say your baby is not satisfied maybe it could be that she just needs to suck instead of eat? I had the same doubt but then i gave her the pacifier and she sucked away happily on that. When she is really hungry though she will suck on it only a little before spitting it out so she knows the difference even if I don't!
Definitely try swaddling her if she gets too hyper.. i think in the beginning they have no control of their arms and legs and they get even crazier when they move! I know dd calms down instantly when she is swaddled and then given her binky. I got the book "Happiest Baby on the Block'" as suggested on this board and it has some great suggestions. I am getting a Miracle Blanket for swaddling though because when dd goes crazy it takes a herculean effort to keep her arms at her side to swaddle her in a regular blanket.

Anyway, do hang in there. It does get better.

Rashmi
(mommy to Leela born 10/17/03)

[TraciG]

I definitely think she goes crazy because she has to burp or has gas, I have a weird question, the baby drinks the gripe water ??? Where do u get it, a health food store ? I tried giving her the pacifier yesterday, she wouldn't take it, I know u have to keep pushing it in her mouth but I dont want to force it.

How long do u let a baby cry, as soon as I hear Sydney i pick her up is this bad ???

thanks again

[papal]

Yes, I dilute the gripe water (half teaspoon) with some bottled water and give it to her in a bottle. I bought it online at http://www.babys-bliss.com/
Gripe water is commonly used in India (and Europe) and so I was surprised that it was not available in regular stores here! It is all natural.. no alcohol or sweetners and dd loves it!

I don't like to hear dd cry (the frequency of her shrill cry sends shivers down my back!) so I get her before she starts. When she is hungry she starts rooting (hands to mouth) atleast 15 minutes before the hunger cry starts. When she is wet and in her sleep she doesn't cry just sort of moves about a lot.. i used to pick her up and change her but that woke her up so now i just let her be till she wakes up herself. Her sleep cry is different (much more pleasant) than her hunger cry and then we just rock her or put her in the bouncer, sometimes with and sometimes without the pacifier.

Maybe you can try a different type of pacifier? I didn't have a problem with dd accepting it so I really don't know the solution to that. If she is hungry she will not take the pacifier for very long.. otherwise she is content sucking on it. These last couple of days she has discovered her fist and thumb so if the pacifier is not there she kind of sucks on that.

Do let us know how things are progressing. I have a LC coming home today for the first time. Just want some reassurance that everything is going ok.

Rashmi

[sntm]

or just give her the gripe water by a dropper. you can bug your ped for a bunch of syringes so you can toss them when you are done. if you give it in a bottle, don't dilute it too much -- can be dangerous for young babies to get water.

fwiw, i always pick jack up when he cries. if he is only fussing, i may try to soothe him without picking him up by stroking his face, etc. i think picking sydney up makes you a great mom! she won't get spoiled -- she'll learn to trust you!

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[22tango]

We were given Gripe water at our shower and it did work when other things (like mylicon, burping, bicycling legs or bringing baby's toes up to their nose) didn't. When we used Gripe water, we gave it to her with a pacifier-like medicator (like this one: http://store.babycenter.com/comments/safety_babycare/baby_healthcare/3564 ) I also wanted to add that you should be very careful not to give Gripe water too often! The active ingedient is sodium-bicarb (you know -- alka seltzer!!) which, if given frequently, could be too much sodium (salt) for your baby!!

I'm glad things are getting better for you! :)

[KGoes]

IMO you can't spoil babies at this age. I would pick her up. I always picked up DD and we never had problems getting her to sleep or play on her own.
Kelley
DD born 7/03

[Rachels]

I think it's wonderful that you respond immediately to her cries. She is communicating in the only way she can, and you're letting her know that you understand her and that she can trust you. I feel really sad when I hear of people ignoring their newborns' cries. I'm glad you're not doing that.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[TraciG]

as soon as she cries, it feels good to know u guys do the same thing, just want to make sure i'm doing the right thing, I dont know how people can ignore their babies cries, I think my limit is like 2 minutes !!!!!!!!!!

I wonder what pediatrians think about gripe water, do they even know what it is, if I called & asked would they think i'm crazy ???

[pritchettzoo]

Our first pediatrician said not to use it. I asked why and she replied, "Because I've never heard of it and I don't like all that herbal stuff." I recited off the specific ingredients and asked if there was any problem with any of them and she reluctantly said no but suggested avoiding it anyway. I researched the ingredients on my own and found no red flags. Luckily DD isn't a very gassy baby, but the one time I accidentally ate broccoli, I sure was glad to have a bottle!

So, depending on how "old-fashioned" your pediatrician is, he/she may not have ever heard of it. If you're going to ask about it, definitely bring the bottle so he/she can inspect the ingredients in case he's not familiar with it.

And, just to throw in my two cents: how can you spoil a baby by giving her affection and letting her know you love her and will take care of her? You're not bribing her with ponies and Barbie dolls. Keep picking the sweet pea up!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[ethansmom]

You're doing a great job! Glad to hear it's getting easier!

Ethan had terrible gas but we found massage really helped. In addition to bicycling his legs and putting his toes to his nose, we massaged his tummy in a counter clockwise motion, and also scooped his tummy out in a downward motion...sort of hard to explain. Put your hand at the top of his tummy, pull it towards you while pressing down. Pretend you are scooping something up. I read that babies hold the gas in, causing the discomfort. If you do the toes to nose or scooping, you force the gas out. HTH.

[22tango]

I should have said earlier -- it was my pediatrician who called my attention to the sodium issue in Gripe water.

[sadie427]

As others said, don't worry about "habits" at this age. My baby was with us in our bed some of the time, and in the room in a pack and play some of the time, and at around 3 mo I switched him to the crib with no problem. The pediatrician said it's only at 3-4 months that they truly know where they are, and start to form habits, so if you don't want her in your bed regularly you still don't need to worry about it now. Not that there's anything wrong with cosleeping as far as I'm concerned--I just don't sleep well myself with him in the bed, so I wanted him to get used to the crib.