asked to cut down feedings :-(

[tinytoes]

LO has been suffering a lot with trapped wind. He's also been wanting to feed every 1.5 hours. Doc has suggested I try and leave 2 or 3 or even 4 hours between feeds so his digestive system has some time "off" - she says it's curreclty working 24/7 and needs time out so I should either give hima dummy or encourage thumb sucking.

Since I gave up pumping my milk and went 100% direct boob, it's so hard to not feed him - I do agree that half the time he just wants comfort and looks for the boob and ends up with an extra dinner, but it's hard anyway - feel I'm starving him.
He was gaining 55 g a day which doc says is too much.....I'm pretty sure that he'd gained more actually....he's still only 4.6 kilos though so hardly a whopper..(10.6 lbs?)...

So much for "feed on demand" then....pft. It's all so complicated.

Toria - how did you get on - didnt your doc ask you to not feed so often?

 

[sam's mum]

I'd say you should ignore your doctor and feed whenever you want to. Sam has days when he's always feeding - until we started on bits of food I was feeding him every 1.5 to 2 hours...and at nearly 6 months he's doing fine. Breastfed babies can have periods where they gain lots of weight and periods where their weight plateaus, so unless he's consistently off the charts I wouldn't even start to worry. I definitely wouldn't make him wait longer for a feed when he's clearly hungry - I think you'll probably find that a dummy/thumb won't do much good then.

Can you try giving him some gripe water or burping him more during feeds instead? x

P.S. Love the new avatar! x

 

[Ratty]

I would take your doctors advice. I was also told to not feed to often as my boy had a lot of wind. It meant that when he did feed he ate a good amount instead of just having snacks all the time. It definitely helped with his colic feeding less often.

Try slowly lengthening the time between feeds. If you wait 5 minutes longer, then 10 etc etc, your LO will slowly but surely get used to the longer period without starving. You will also find it a lot easier for you to not feed so often.

 

[Margerle]

I'd ignore doc too. Breastmilk is a natural anti-acid and is generally NOT the cause of colic. If that were the case, formula fed babies would not have colic.

Sometimes the movement of the food through the digestive tract makes baby uncomfortable. It may not be painful for them though! I know his cries sound painful, but he cries hard if his diaper isn't changed for a while right? He certainly isn't in PAIN when he has a full diaper... just has discomfort.

With burps and farts, they just take a little longer to work out... not as quick as a diaper change .

 

[tinytoes]

.. he cries hard if his diaper isn't changed for a while right? He certainly isn't in PAIN when he has a full diaper... just has discomfort.

With burps and farts, they just take a little longer to work out... not as quick as a diaper change .

funnily enough he doesnt cry for that - he'll happily sit in his own poop so far. Gruby little boy!

thanks for all your replies...I'm still not sure what to do...maybe I'll give it a go - I like the idea Ratty found it helped the colic...
even if he's just uncomfortable...I'd rather he be comfortable....but then he could be hungry and that isnt comfy...oooh....

his screams are very loud and his little brow goes all grumpled and white and he definately appears in pain.

 

[tinytoes]

I definitely wouldn't make him wait longer for a feed when he's clearly hungry ...

P.S. Love the new avatar! x

Thanks

I cant be sure he is hungry..all I know is he suckles, rolls his eyes and goes all dopey when the milk comes through and looks like he's in heaven and that the milk is just the best thing ever!

he sticks his tongue out and i assume its hugner but maybe its not...sometimes he sticks his tongue out, hand to mouth and looks to my chest as if to say "mum...take the hint..booooooob"! and I wonder if I'm seeing things...he's only 7 weeks, I'm sure there's an adult brain hiding in his head!!

 

[sam's mum]

I definitely wouldn't make him wait longer for a feed when he's clearly hungry ...

P.S. Love the new avatar! x

Thanks

I cant be sure he is hungry..all I know is he suckles, rolls his eyes and goes all dopey when the milk comes through and looks like he's in heaven and that the milk is just the best thing ever!

he sticks his tongue out and i assume its hugner but maybe its not...sometimes he sticks his tongue out, hand to mouth and looks to my chest as if to say "mum...take the hint..booooooob"! and I wonder if I'm seeing things...he's only 7 weeks, I'm sure there's an adult brain hiding in his head!!

Maybe you should try leaving him a little bit longer between feeds then, just to be sure that he is hungry. Sam would feed at any time if I let him, but if he's not particularly hungry he can be easily distracted by something else - if he is hungry I'm sure he'll let you know, so you won't be giving him any less than he needs. I just wouldn't set a time limit on it, as you never know how much he's had at the last feed x

 

[Vickie]

The pediatrician told us that a quick way to check if Hannah is hungry is to touch the side of her mouth and if she turns towards our touch she's hungry (we usually touch both sides a couple of times to see if she turns towards it).

 

[ryder]

I agree with what Ratty said. IE: listen to your Doc and slowly start spacing the feeds out more.

Anything the baby digests can cause gas. This includes breastmilk, fomula, foods etc. It is also the babies natural instinct to move towards a touch to suckle, whether they are hungry or not.

Any of the foster babies (newborns) I looked after were all formula fed and we rarely used dummies. They were happy, had good eating schedules and were able to be put down to rest without getting upset. The odd time they got gas, which is normal, but never anything horrible.

Makes me wonder sometimes. I hear all these stories of people breastfeeding and all the problems they seem to be having. Its quite concerning to me.

My sister had premature twins this past winter too. They had a regular schedule of eating, it was pumped breastmilk, and from the time they came home for the hospital, they started out eating approximately every 2 hours. And these were premature, newborn babies who are as healthy as anything now.

Maybe having 2 of them forced more of a stingent routine, because they literally were opposit, One would wake up to eat, you would change, feed and put him to sleep and the next would wake up. It was a never ending cycle.. lol

 

[tinytoes]

Makes me wonder sometimes. I hear all these stories of people breastfeeding and all the problems they seem to be having. Its quite concerning to me.

My sister had premature twins this past winter too. They had a regular schedule of eating, it was pumped breastmilk, and from the time they came home for the hospital, they started out eating approximately every 2 hours. And these were premature, newborn babies who are as healthy as anything now.

Seemed I had more of a routine when I pumped and fed baby bottles too. But then he was younger - I think as he's growing maybe he's getting more complicated!?
But maybe baby can decide on his own routine??...
i thought baby would know what he was doing..but apparently he's a little guzzler!

 

[sam's mum]

Makes me wonder sometimes. I hear all these stories of people breastfeeding and all the problems they seem to be having. Its quite concerning to me.

My sister had premature twins this past winter too. They had a regular schedule of eating, it was pumped breastmilk, and from the time they came home for the hospital, they started out eating approximately every 2 hours. And these were premature, newborn babies who are as healthy as anything now.

Seemed I had more of a routine when I pumped and fed baby bottles too. But then he was younger - I think as he's growing maybe he's getting more complicated!?
But maybe baby can decide on his own routine??...
i thought baby would know what he was doing..but apparently he's a little guzzler!

The difference when you're pumping and feeding bottles is that you know how much he's getting at each feed, so it's easier to get into a routine - Sam's feeding when he has bottles of expressed milk is very different to how he is when I'm feeding him x

 

[Margerle]

Not only that, but prior to 3 months old, these babies are still growing like crazy and things in their own bodies change on a daily basis.

Isn't it funny that you hear about 'colic' going away at 3 months?

Funny that's about the time the digestive system really starts working well...

A normal term baby is born physiologically three months too soon. (The one thing that necessitates their birth prior to one year gestation is SIZE. They would be too big for mothers to birth if they were able to gestate one full year.)

Almost every system in a baby's body takes 3 more months after birth to mature. That magic third month solves a ton of newborn "problems" including the colic.

Sleeping gets better
Eating is better
Pooping is better
Brain activity and interest in the world aroudn them is more
Sight is mature
They start to vocalize 'talk' and other social things... smiling, giggling etc.
They can start to grab for the world aroudn them... their muscles are finally maturing for worldly activity

ON and ON and ON.

Sharlotte is already starting to be able to bring her own burps up and not have to be burped by me. She's starting to get used to the 'grumbling' in her tummy and not get freaked out by it... Pains before farting used to make her cry like someone was murdering her... now she smiles and giggles.

It's amazing how she's starting to enjoy the world around her (her world being a 5-7 foot radius around her.

I think you'll be very surprised at the difference the next month makes in your baby... EVEN if you changed NOTHING.

Baby tends to lead us to the changes that are to his most benefit - especially as newborns. Those benefits being his growth, and health, and lovableness I'd say if you're still having issues past the 3 month mark, then take docs orders seriously. Baby's digestive system is better prepared to have no food for longer etc. Prior to that, I'd hesitate. Breastmilk only takes 2 hours to digest, and baby needs hydration.

 

[ryder]

It still makes me wonder why we never had any big issues with formula fed newborn orphans and them getting colic. Never had trouble weaning them, none of them seemed dependant on dummies etc.

They genuinely were all quite easy babies... And im not talking one or two, I cant even remember how many I looked after working there. How can I argue with that when I come on here and hear all the complaints and problems with breastfed babies?

I dunno... lots to ponder I guess!

The one exception was a baby who was an unfortunate product of a crack head mother, and did have some withdrawl issues. We also had several younger toddlers who came from abusive homes who had obsession issues with dummies.

 

[Starflyr]

One thing I just wanted to bring up...

Brayden's "sleepy" cues are the same as his "hunger cues", and it took some figuring out, but I now know that if he eats, then 1.5 hours later gets fussy and starts eating his hands, etc, that he's TIRED, not hungry. So, instead of feeding (which he would do w/o complaint), I swaddle and rock, he'll sleep about 1.5 hours then wake up hungry.

just a thought...

Star

 

[marley2580]

It still makes me wonder why we never had any big issues with formula fed newborn orphans and them getting colic. Never had trouble weaning them, none of them seemed dependant on dummies etc.

They genuinely were all quite easy babies... And im not talking one or two, I cant even remember how many I looked after working there. How can I argue with that when I come on here and hear all the complaints and problems with breastfed babies?

I dunno... lots to ponder I guess!

The one exception was a baby who was an unfortunate product of a crack head mother, and did have some withdrawl issues. We also had several younger toddlers who came from abusive homes who had obsession issues with dummies.

Surely some of this would be due to the fact that these babies did not have a mother with them 24/7 who would be reading their cues, worrying about them etc. I'm not saying that the people who were looking after them didn't care, but they wouldn't have cared as much as their mother. We all know how babies and children behave differently with other people than they do with their parents.

I don't think it's fair to imply though that it's only breastfed babies that get colic - loads of formula fed babies get colic as well. Most parents then try changing formulas etc, while BF mum's try changing something in their diet.

 

[tinytoes]

Not only that, but prior to 3 months old, these babies are still growing like crazy and things in their own bodies change on a daily basis.

Isn't it funny that you hear about 'colic' going away at 3 months?

Funny that's about the time the digestive system really starts working well...

A normal term baby is born physiologically three months too soon. (The one thing that necessitates their birth prior to one year gestation is SIZE. They would be too big for mothers to birth if they were able to gestate one full year.)

Almost every system in a baby's body takes 3 more months after birth to mature. That magic third month solves a ton of newborn "problems" including the colic.

Sleeping gets better
Eating is better
Pooping is better
Brain activity and interest in the world aroudn them is more
Sight is mature
They start to vocalize 'talk' and other social things... smiling, giggling etc.
They can start to grab for the world aroudn them... their muscles are finally maturing for worldly activity

ON and ON and ON.

Sharlotte is already starting to be able to bring her own burps up and not have to be burped by me. She's starting to get used to the 'grumbling' in her tummy and not get freaked out by it... Pains before farting used to make her cry like someone was murdering her... now she smiles and giggles.

It's amazing how she's starting to enjoy the world around her (her world being a 5-7 foot radius around her.
.

very intersting post! Are you a mid wife? so informative!
I am soooo looking forward to that 3 month mark. My friend informed me that babies can have collic till 6 months....i was close to panic!

 

[Margerle]

I'm not a MW but my mother was

 

[tinytoes]

I'm not a MW but my mother was

how handy!