Baby keeps being sick after feeds...new to bfing!!

[xxLeighxx]

Hey ladies, I just wondered if this is normal or anyone has experienced this while bfing! This is my second child but I didnt bf'd with my daughter so I am all new to it with my baby son! I havent had any problems bfing, except the initial latch on when he was first born, since then hes been amazing at feeding! Ive had no pain or anything and feel really lucky with how well its gone! Ive really turned into team breastfeeding when initally I was just going to try it and even bought formula incase, now i feel so strongly for bfing
Anyway the problem is he is sick after most feeds and can get really rigid and screams during some feeds, like hes in pain! I wind him throughout his feed, but sometimes he gets so unsettled but still roots for more food! Hes gaining weight lovely and ive been docs with him incase! He is on antibiotics for a missing kidney, doc said that could cause the sickness but as it only started 2 weeks in I don't think it is! Any idea why this could happen, I.e. strong let down, overfeeding, gassy, colic? As I said im new to this so would be grateful for any help xx

 

[optimistic1]

Could be reflux.
When I was asking Los pediatrician about it the symptoms she talked to me about were spitting up a lot and does she ever scream out in pain. You could try sitting him up for 30 or so min after feeding. And you could lay back and lay him on top of you to feed that way he's face down and can control how much he swallows at a time. I wouldn't do the face down position too much I heard it can caused blocked ducts don't know if theres any truth to it though. I used to sit my daughter up straight to eat it helped a little.

 

[xxLeighxx]

Thank you! My doc did mention reflux but said as hes gaining weight nicely that he doesnt want to give any meds as hes already on antibiotics! I could deal with him being sick and changing his clothes a million times a day, its the pain he seems to be in that really is horrible! Could anything im eating cause it? I havent really changed my diet and still havent got much of an appetite since having him anyway! Ive read mixed views on diet causing problems in bfing xx

 

[optimistic1]

I'm not sure. It wouldn't hurt to give up dairy for a few weeks to see if that helps.

Also if your eating anything that would cause you heartburn or gas it can give lo heartburn or gas. Doctor told me this yesterday cause were not 100% sure my lo has reflux because she keeps climbing up the charts with weight.

I think all babies are born with a mild case of reflux some worst than others and most eventually grow out of it. My OH read something about there diaphragm not being fully developed at this age.

 

[xxLeighxx]

Yeh I suppose it wouldnt hurt! My daughter was a pretty sicky baby but she was FF not BF! The health visitor said he could be guzzling too much and just sicking up the excess that he doesnt need x

 

[optimistic1]

I hope you get it figured out hun! Experiment with different positions to see which one helps lo. If he is taking in too much the upright and face down feeding positions should definitely help.

 

[summer rain]

It's not actually true that foods that cause wind in adults can then pass through breastmilk and cause wind in the baby. Allergies and intolerances are caused by proteins (which even allergenic fruits like strawberries and citrus have), but gas causing compounds in foods are different and do not enter the blood stream-and breastmilk is made from the mother's blood. It appears this is a myth started by formula companies years and years ago and sadly some of them still have advice to this effect on their websites, they of course have a vested interest in making BF seem really hard and inconvenient xx

ETA: I am not talking about stuff like dairy and soya but things like fizzy drinks, broccoli and beans-they do not cause gas in BF babies

 

[BunnyN]

If he is sicking up just after eating that can be fairly normal, I think babies have an overflow valve, lol. If he is sicking up sour smelling partly digested milk that sounds more like reflux.

I have changed my diet and it has made a big difference for my LO. But she had more symptoms, green mucusy poos with specks of blood in them, dry skin and poor weight gain.

 

[summer rain]

https://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/qa/are-babies-sensitive-to-what-mom-is-eating

Really good article written by an IBCLC.

I agree with BunnyN, my second youngest and my youngest were/are physically allergic to certain things through my milk and though sicking up was a symptom they also had many other symptoms as well. With my second youngest we never 100% got to the bottom of everything causing him issues and I'm now experiencing the same with my youngest. At the moment though his only trouble is every few poos is slimy and may have large amounts of mucus and blood spots in. Already being on a restricted diet due to being vegan I prefer not to go on a strict elimination diet if I can help it so I am hoping that like my second youngest he suddenly outgrows the problem and soon xx

 

[xxLeighxx]

Thanks girls! His poo is mustard yellow and it is usually during or the time following feeds when hes sick! He sounds so gutsy so I think I have a strong letdown, I have a big supply of milk, just hoping its not an oversupply as ive read it can cause imbalance of foremilk and hindmilk which can cause reflux and colic! From what symptoms ive read I havent got an imbalance! Hes off his antibiotics on the 20th after being on them since birth so hopefully that makes a difference x

 

[summer rain]

True foremilk/hindmilk imbalance is incredibly rare if it really exists at all because the most recent research indicates that the difference between the two and the changeover is far more gradual and subtle than previously thought, also the way it would have been tested for in the past is by expressing milk and then if the layer of fat on the milk was not there after it had been left to stand for a while this problem would be diagnosed. It is now recognised that pumping is not accurate as no pump can effectively remove all the milk from the breast, and the high fat milk is the hardest to remove with a pump. It seems more likely that in those cases where foremilk/hindmilk imbalance would have been suspected that its just an oversupply in general so the mother has the correct ratios of less fatty milk to more fatty milk it's just that the volumes of both are more than average so baby fills up on the more watery milk before getting to the fattier milk which is also in ample amounts.

If poos are nice and yellow you don't need to worry at all anyway . Antibiotics can cause sickness and/or diarrhoea even in adults because they upset the balance of good and bad bacteria in the digestive system though the sickness or diarrhoea can take a while to show up. You can get probiotic powders that are suitable from birth so these may be worth looking into. My eldest was on antibiotics several times very early on due to various reasons and he was very sicky and had intermittent diarrhoea and constipation between starting solids and the age of about two. I do wonder if any of that was to do with things being thrown out of whack by all the antibiotics he was on as a baby? Xx

 

[xxLeighxx]

Thanks summer rain as I said im new to all this and have just googled things really, which usually is never good haha! Nice to have the opinion of someone who is an expert at it you really are a superstar bfing for 2 years and tandem my LO is off the antibiotics soon although once he sees his paediatrician may have to go back on them! He has also had diarrhoea so maybe it is that, time will tell I suppose! Is colic quite common in bf babies just as much as ff babies do you know?? Xx

 

[nzjade]

As a pp mentioned, it could be reflux. My LOs reflux came on with a vengeance at 3 weeks old, she would scream during and after feeds. Sometimes she would feed for 1 minute then come off screaming then I would take half an hour to calm her, then she would feed another minute and come off screaming again. She still gained weight nicely and is in 75th percentile. Reflux isn't just a weight issue, its also about whether its causing the baby pain I.e a burnt throat. Feeding upright etc didn't help my LO. She's on Losec now and is barely ever in pain when feeding anymore and is so much happier its unbelievable. I'm not sure how bad it is for your LO but mine would scream in pain for hours on end and I have not regretted putting her on the Losec for a single second. You wouldn't leave an adult in pain so why a baby? Of course it might not be that at all but it wouldn't hurt to chat with your LOs Dr if it continues/gets worse. X

 

[xxLeighxx]

As a pp mentioned, it could be reflux. My LOs reflux came on with a vengeance at 3 weeks old, she would scream during and after feeds. Sometimes she would feed for 1 minute then come off screaming then I would take half an hour to calm her, then she would feed another minute and come off screaming again. She still gained weight nicely and is in 75th percentile. Reflux isn't just a weight issue, its also about whether its causing the baby pain I.e a burnt throat. Feeding upright etc didn't help my LO. She's on Losec now and is barely ever in pain when feeding anymore and is so much happier its unbelievable. I'm not sure how bad it is for your LO but mine would scream in pain for hours on end and I have not regretted putting her on the Losec for a single second. You wouldn't leave an adult in pain so why a baby? Of course it might not be that at all but it wouldn't hurt to chat with your LOs Dr if it continues/gets worse. X

Ive been to the gp and he said to come back if it gets worse as LO is already on meds and he doesnt want him on too much! Its not at every feed but when it does happen he gets very unsettled and distressed and wants to feed, but as you said your LO does thats what he does, latches on for a min and then continues screaming! Ill just have to see how he goes and if he doesnt improve ill go back to the docs xx

 

[summer rain]

Thanks summer rain as I said im new to all this and have just googled things really, which usually is never good haha! Nice to have the opinion of someone who is an expert at it you really are a superstar bfing for 2 years and tandem my LO is off the antibiotics soon although once he sees his paediatrician may have to go back on them! He has also had diarrhoea so maybe it is that, time will tell I suppose! Is colic quite common in bf babies just as much as ff babies do you know?? Xx

I think colic is something you find across the board as no-one knows for sure what causes it. Xx