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[CocoaOne]

I need help!

I've got no idea what is going on with M. We had quite a good start to BF, no latching issues and my nipples held up quite well, but I'm finding it really tough now.

For the past 3 or 4 days, M has been feeding every 1.5 to 3 hours- which isn't a problem, but once she's finished feeding she fusses for at least an hour, which means by the time she's hungry again she's only slept for about an hour. This is awful on two counts -
1) I have to keep her upright for at least 15-30 minutes to stop her projectile vomiting her feed back up (although it still happens occasionally) so sometimes I only get 30 mins before feeding again. Not enough time to sleep/shower/eat etc!
2) When she's fussing it breaks my heart! She crys, pulls strained faces, grunts, strains, roots but won't accept my breast , kicks her legs out like she's got trapped wind, generally fights me and just will not settle, no matter what me or OH do. I've been in tears everyday and dread her waking up because I know it'll all start again and I don't know what to do to help her.

She also grunts and strains a lot in her sleep- it doesn't sound like she's getting a good rest.

I gave in earlier and gave her 3oz formula. She fell straight asleep and slept peacefully for 3.5 hours, which is the longest she's gone down in ages, she obviously needed it!
While she was sleeping I expressed milk. I got 3oz in a couple of minutes from my right breast (it literally sprayed everywhere!) and 1oz from my left breast in 5 minutes. When she woke I gave her the expressed milk and she drank the whole lot- and proceeded to fuss for the next hour and a half. I even expressed another oz which OH gave her because she was rooting (she then threw it back up). It's like my milk doesn't satisfy her or hurts her stomach or something.

I don't know what to do. I want to BF, but I'd rather be happy and have a more content baby- at the moment I just worry about her and feel overwhelmed by her crying. I'm going to give her formula again at her next feed and see if she still fusses after. If she seems content again, I think it'll be the end of the road for us and BFing

Should add that I tried Infacol for her wind but it didn't seem to do anything. I'm now trying Dentinox which definitely helps get her burps up quickly- but I think her wind is more a problem in her gut. You can hear really loud gurgling noises for her belly a lot of the time. She has the right amount of wet and dirty nappies (although sometimes her poo is mucusy, but still a mustard colour)

 

[TigerLady]

When you say projectile vomiting, can you describe it in more detail? Does she spit up or vomit only right after a feed or at random times, too? Is it after every feed? Is it getting worse or staying about the same? Did she spit up much before the actual vomitting started?

TBH, from this post, this doesn't sound like problems with BFing, it sounds like possible reflux or other medical condition (like pyloric stenosis).

 

[CocoaOne]

She spits up quite often - but only a little bit and usually if I've been throwing her round a bit while trying to get her wind up. She occasionally vomits up quite a bit of milk, it comes out in a stream. This usually happens if she's eaten a lot more than usual (ie usually she feeds for 10 minutes, but once she fed for 18 minutes and vomited a lot up), or if I haven't winded her properly and a lot of milk is sitting on a gas bubble (I presume) She certainly doesn't vomit all the time, maybe once every other day?

I did think about reflux- so I raised one end of her Moses basket and I keep her upright for 15-30 mins after feeding. She doesn't seem to be in pain though, so if it is reflux it must be mild? She doesn't arch her back- but if you try and burp her over your shoulder she'll kick out her legs quite a bit.

 

[OpheliaX]

It could be something you are eating. Do you eat a lot of dairy? It is one of the main offenders with baby "allergies" or sensitivities. Also garlic and tomatoes also. Lucian hates when I eat tomatoes but now that he is BLW will eat them himself....

 

[CocoaOne]

I stopped eating dairy a few days ago in case it was that. I don't eat a lot of dairy anyway (splash of milk in my tea once or twice a day, spread of Marg on my toast- that's about it) but I had been eating chocolate so cut out choc & dairy just in case. Haven't seen any improvement, but not sure how long it would take to get out of your system?

 

[TigerLady]

From when you described her fussing, it sounded like she was in discomfort fairly frequently...

Garlic, onions, and acidic foods are also common problems and sometimes needs cut out.

 

[krockwell]

My LO was projectile vomiting and I brought it up to the Health Nurse today when I went in for his shots...

She said it could be sugar (because I had been eating a TON of sugar) and Spicy foods (was also eating a ton of that) and also dairy, caffeine, etc.

BUT she also said it could be because their digestive systems are so immature at this young age.

I find that holding Preston upright for at least 20 minutes after he eats is working out great for us.

Hopefully it settles down and you can have some peace of mind.

 

[CocoaOne]

I'd say she was in discomfort but not pain IYSWIM? She doesn't 'scream' or cry excessively like I'd associate with pain.

TBH - I've not been eating massively well. I've not got much of an appetite and as I'm sure you know - it's hard to eat when LO is feeding/sleeping on you constantly! I tend to have toast for breakfast, some fruit for lunch and a small bowl of crunchy bake cereal (without milk, eat them like biscuits!) and I've been having either savoury packet rice or roast for dinner if I get the chance (cooked by OHs lovely mummy!)

 

[CocoaOne]

Well she had 2oz of formula and she's fussing still. She squirms around and makes a 'eurgggh' and straining noises constantly. She hasn't been sick or posseted. I've got no idea what it could be. I think I'll have to call the health visitor tomorrow

 

[krockwell]

Have you tried doing bicycle legs with her? I find that Preston needs me to do this quite a bit with him, because he's got gas...but isn't screaming or looking like he's in pain, just uncomfortable.

 

[CocoaOne]

How long do you do it for? I've tried a few tomes ans she quite often tenses her legs up so I can't do it! I also try pushing her knees up towards her belly which sometimes gets a few little trumps out.

I gave her 0.5ml of gripe water before some of her feeds last night and I think it's helped.

 

[lilysmum2]

Hi, I need some advice!!

I am 21, been breastfeeding my little girl now for 9 and a hlaf months...Plan to do it for a while yet!!
The only problem is that I am getting NO sleep! (aprox. 3-4hours a night) and little one is getting now maybe 4-5 hours a night.

She will not self settle and always wants boobies. It is getting to the point now where I am up for hours trying to get her to sleep in her own bed!

xx Thanks x

 

[krockwell]

How long do you do it for? I've tried a few tomes ans she quite often tenses her legs up so I can't do it! I also try pushing her knees up towards her belly which sometimes gets a few little trumps out.

I gave her 0.5ml of gripe water before some of her feeds last night and I think it's helped.

I do it for about 10 minutes. Lately when I do it, he gives me BIG smiles and lets out HUGE toots

I find that pushing his knees up to his belly works too.
Glad the gripe water worked for you last night!! Hopefully you find something that helps to relieve her discomfort and works well for you also.

 

[im_mi]

lilysmum2, it sounds like she is missing you at night time honey. Maybe consider bringing the cot back in to your room for a little while, to reassure her? you dont need to worry about getting her into "bad" habits or anything like that, shes so little still. Also, could she be gearing up to a developmental milestone? every time my son was learning something (crawling, sitting, pulling up to standing etc) his sleep would become disturbed for a while until he got the hang of it. After dealing with months of sleepless nights with my son, i know that with this baby i will be undoubtedly co sleeping. Its just not worth the aggravation to try to get them to sleep in their own beds when they are just not geared up to do that. just my opinion Good luck and a big congratulations for getting this far with breastfeeding xxx

cocoa, your little one sounds JUST like my son was when he was little. Sometimes they are just fussy. Like the others said, really examine your diet. it may be a case of cutting out each thing individually for a few days until you find the culprit. Caffeine caused awful colic/wind/gripe in my son, i had to give all caffeine up and even then he was still unsettled. we would have to hold him upright for 20 minutes or he would posset. i would definitely mention the projectile vom to your HV but i really dont think that this is a problem with breastfeeding, hon. Your milk is perfect for his (obviously very sensitive) tummy. You CAN and WILL get through this, hun. Its hard when the whole world seems to want to blame breastfeeding for everything but you are doing something amazing for him, and for you! my son recently self weaned from the breast at 25 months and i never ever thought in a million years that we would get that far. It doesnt have to stop here hun, where there is a breastfeeding problem there will be a breastfeeding solution. You need to start taking better care of yourself, as your diet will definitely contribute to the quality of your breastmilk. i know how bloody hard it can be though, when you have a small person hanging off of your boobies all the time Could your mother in law be persuaded to make a nice big batch of something like casserole or cottage pie for you to put in the freezer? then you can have individual portions each day and be sure you will get a decent hot meal each day. This too shall pass, things will get easier i swear.

 

[lilysmum2]

Thanks for the advice hunni its just so hard though as I have OH moaning at me beacause he wants to spread out etc...

The thing is with Lily is that when she's in bed with us she isn't even latched on!! She is lying on her back in the middle of the bed doing a star fish! While we are clinging on trying not to fall out!!

Her cot is still in our room...I managed to get her in it from 11-1:30am last night...but OH snores and talks in his sleep so I think he is waking her up...

I love co sleeping, I just wish I had an 8 person sized bed to do it in!!

xxx

 

[im_mi]

ah i didnt realise you were already room sharing! yes its very hard to find the space in bed, i am a total bed hog (much to DH's dismay lol) so when we have this baby we will side-car the cot to the bed - have you considered that as an option? that way, baby gets her own space (as do you and daddy) but she still gets the feeling of being in bed with you?

 

[thelilbump]

:wave: hi ladies, just checking in to make sure everyones okay? Have been keeping an eye on the thread as alwasy but if i've missed anything anyone needs anything feel free to give me a shout

P.S Note to self add KrisKitten to OP

 

[WTTMommy]

Me again.

How long does the fighting the breast stage last? My LO makes me feel like she's not getting enough. Last night she had a HUGE fit while feeding. She screamed a scream I hadn't heard before. I was CONVINCED my boobs were empty. Then when she fell asleep I pumped and got 2.5 oz. So why does she fight it? Could it be she didn't want the milk but wanted to comfort suck? Because when I stick the soother in her mouth she settles and falls asleep. I'm so confused!

 

[OpheliaX]

The hind milk comes out a lot slower and if your baby is having a growth spurt they may be wanting the milk faster. Lucian did this to me all the time he would pinch, twist and punch when gearing up for a growth spurt.

 

[im_mi]

^absolutely.

I hope it settles down soon, hon. trust your body, this has nothing to do with your milk supply xxx