June Bundles of Joy - 2016

[Starlight32]

Angel, Hannah has been unsettled after feeds too recently and spitting up much more. I'm wondering if I'm mistakenly thinking she is hungry when she just wants to such for comfort?

If anyone has any insight or suggestions about how to tell the difference between hunger and wanting to such for comfort, I could really use it! She spit up almost two entire feedings today.

We have been feeding her about every two hours (three if she happens to be sleeping) during the day, and she usually takes 2 to 3 ounces each feeding (sometimes 1.5 but usually closer to 2 or 2.5 oz), totaling approx 25ish oz a day right now (it varies by day though). Does this sound like too much for a 4 weeks old?

Squig, sorry to sound so dumb but I'm not sure what you mean by lament. But Hannah makes so many noises in her sleep, and it keeps me up and also makes me wonder if she is hungry and needs a nightly feeding. Hers sound a lot like grunting or sighing. I try to not let her get to the point of crying so I usually try to feed her if I see/hear her stirring a lot. But with my confusion on whether she is hungry or not these days, I'm not sure what to think. I feel so lost and confused about what these noises mean

 

[joeybrooks]

giving Leo a dummy helped us to figure out what was hunger and what was comfort. If he is hungry he just keeps spitting the dummy out.

 

[Starlight32]

Hannah will only use a dummy for a few minutes then spit it out so that trick probably won't work for her.

She just went almost six hours between feedings again (another five hour sleep stretch!) and only ate 70ml. I don't want to keep offering the bottle and have her eat too much...

 

[Squig34]

Yeah Róise won't take a dummy either & she has learned that if she's in her crib & is grumbling & we test for hunger by giving her a finger to suck, we'll lift her if she sucked - she's not always actually hungry as she won't then eat. I didn't realise they could learn such things so early!

Starlight, the groaning & sighing is what I mean by lament. Often accompanied by sounds which could be vomiting - which is the main issue. She'll cry if there's a real problem but we don't want her to be covered in sick! However, it never is but you have to check anyway!

 

[mum22ttc#3]

Dd4 had reflux and we found that she over ate for comfort, she was having a lot more than 25 oz though, She was having roughly 3-4 oz's every 2 or so hours. I agree with joey, the best way we found to distinguish between the two was the dummy, the reflux was the only reason we introduced it. I'm not really sure what to suggest if Hannah won't take it though other than to maybe just try and perserver with it.
I'm not sure 25 oz is to much for a 4 week old though, Arthur is drinking 24-28oz a day at the moment which will probably increase a little the next few days as he has just gone up to 5oz rather than 4. My HV hasn't said it too much but I don't know, I can't remember what my others were eating at this stage apart from Dd4 and that was obviously because of the reflux.

AFM- nothing much to say really, I took Arthur to the HV to be weighed and he's now 8lb 6oz (at 16 days), so up 12oz since birth. I'll probably take him back in two weeks and then she's booked his 6-8 week check up already for when we get back of holiday.
He's sleeping between 3-5 hours at night and pretty much goes the same throughout the day for feeds. I think he's quite a lazy baby as he does tend to still sleep a lot, he has maybe 2 hours awake in the morning, 1 at lunch time and two in the evening and apart from feeds he seems to sleep the rest. I'm sure my others didn't sleep as much.

 

[AngelofTroy]

I think I know why she was miserable yesterday, Juniper got very hot in the sling and now she has a horrid heat rash.

https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g304/Melon1687/IMG_20160706_071635_zpsozg48lkm.jpg

I'm pretty certain that's what it is, but do you think I should take her to the gp?

 

[Squig34]

Aw poor baby if you're worried, go to the GP - what is your instinct telling you? - I'd do the glass test as well. Surely though a heat rash would go once baby cools down or is it something that stays a couple of days? Sorry I'm not much help due to lack of experience but it can't hurt to at least ring the GP to get a call back at the very least.

 

[Dory85]

I think I know why she was miserable yesterday, Juniper got very hot in the sling and now she has a horrid heat rash.

https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g304/Melon1687/IMG_20160706_071635_zpsozg48lkm.jpg

I'm pretty certain that's what it is, but do you think I should take her to the gp?

That doesn't look like the heat rash that my son gets and his is gone within a couple of hours. If it were me I would go to the GP and mention her being out of sorts too.

 

[AngelofTroy]

Yeah we are on our way to GP just to be safe but she has been happy this morning and seems well. I think it looks worse in the pic as she is generally reddish skinned. Passed the glass test. It is calming a bit now.

 

[Lil_Pixie]

Squig Georgie makes noises that sound like she's being sick all the time too. I spend half the night diving out of bed although I have noticed she does gag a lot on the day but without being sick so that's probably what she's doing over night.

Angel I'd probably get her checked out too - just because she's so young. Glad she's in a better mood today

 

[AngelofTroy]

Just heat rash, I was getting a bit anxious but it is fading already. GP says it can take a while to clear and may come and go.

 

[Tinky_82]

Angel DS1 got something very similar at a similar age - I took him to GP but like juniper it was heat rash. He was very prone to heat rashes for the first 2 years despite my efforts to keep him cool so I'd expect it to happen again.

 

[Squig34]

Glad it's nothing serious Angel & looks like your instincts were spot on

We've actually been out for a walk this morning. It was so nice to get out & get some fresh air & not be under any time pressure. I was hoping it might help put Róise to sleep but not so far as she's fighting it. I, however, am worn out

 

[mommyxofxone]

whats the glass test?

glad juni is ok!!

 

[Lil_Pixie]

It's where you roll a glass tumbler over a rash. Viral rashes or heat rash etc will dissappear but a meningitis rash will still be visible. Stretching skin between your fingers has the same effect.

 

[karlilay]

Glad Juni is ok

Starlight, Poppy mouths constantly, and I can make her a bottle and she doesn't want it. Just has a really high suck need. She has a dummy, I went through about 4 different types before I found one she likes, but it's a god send because it helps with the reflux.... I think it sounds like Hannah could be suffering from reflux or silent reflux too. Does she ever cry or squirm around when she has a bottle? Or maybe gag and choke or cough when she's asleep. These are all things Poppy does, but the gaviscon she has in her bottles has helped a lot.

 

[Boo44]

Arthur often squirms with his bottle but if you get his wind up he's fine. So can squirming be just wind and not necessarily reflux?

I have given the TT dummies to Arthur. With my others I went through 3 or 4 types before I found one they could keep in their mouths! But these ones that came with the newborn starter pack of bottles have been perfect from the word go. Arthur loves sucking them and keeps them in no problem

 

[Starlight32]

H seems disinterested in her pacifier after a few minutes so I might need to try out a different type! She dies cry at the bottle sometimes. But sometimes she cries when it's taken away for burping so I'm not sure if that means she wants more. It's all driving me crazy.

She's been do fussy this morning and won't go down for a nap.

 

[karlilay]

Yes def boo, I didn't elaborate very well, she will cry like she wants a bottle, mouthing and fussing. Then I can make a bottle and as soon as its in she's bringing her legs up and squirming around. Ther is no chance it's wind because the bottle has only just been put in her mouth. My son was the same too.

Starlight we have that at some point in the day where she gets so over tired she will not sleep. Then I can get her to sleep for two minutes and she will wake again and this goes on for hours. Alternating dummy and bottle etc. until she wil eventually crash.

We use TT too My other two loved Mam so I have about ten of those here that she won't take!

 

[vaniilla]

Starlight - we have the problem with figuring out comfort vs feeding - we end up dumping 2-3 bottles of formula a day because she's either not hungry or just wanted a tiny sip she grunts a lot too and we think she's a little constipated so are giving her boiled water on the advice of the midwife.

Angel - I hope the heat rash goes away and stays away for little Juni


AFM - signed off from the midwife today, she's 150g over her birth weight now which I think is good? the midwife didn't say anything about it.