Gassy baby

[Anika920]

First off, I think my gassy baby issue is due to forceful let down. I am doing what I can to control it and going to lactation consultant group this week. However, I am having issues with the evening cluster feeds and burping. It's like he gets too much air trapped and then we are up trying to burp, feed, sleep for hours. I tried starting the cluster feed around 7pm it is now 12:30am and the longest he's been down is less than 5 mins. In the past I have resorted to cosleep, which I want to absolutely avoid, but when I am exhausted and it's the only thing that works I sometimes feel like I have no choice. We have also kept him up prior to bedtime and had some success with a 4 hour stretch of sleep, but it's hit and miss and I feel mean trying to keep him up so long, plus it's not easy. He is also hit and miss with seeming to like being swaddled. I can't lay him down without burping and it seems like I am all out of solutions. 

[katie80]

Hi there and welcome to BW! How old is your baby?

This is a helpful link on overactive letdown... Oversupply and Overactive (Forceful) Let-Down If you have a forceful letdown and your LO struggles with gas, cluster feeding may not be beneficial for you. You could try doing the cluster feeds more like block feeding, where you offer the same side for a couple hrs and then the other for a couple hrs. This would ensure that your LO is getting the fattier hindmilk at that time of day, rather than a lot of foremilk, which also can cause gassiness. TBH, I've had a forceful let down with all of mine and unless they were seeking it, I never actually tried to cluster feed. When it happened, it just happened naturally.

Can you give us a general sense of what your daytime routine looks like? Starting cluster feeding at 7pm may be a bit late.

[weaver]

I've had a forceful let down with all of mine and unless they were seeking it, I never actually tried to cluster feed. When it happened, it just happened naturally.

Didn't have forceful let-down but cluster-feeding was only on demand for us too. 

Are you swaddling for every sleep? Or sometimes not because he seems to struggle with it?  I think it's probably best to be consistent one way or the other.  My LOs really needed to be swaddled when tiny.

[Anika920]

Thanks for the replies. I do try and cluster on the same breast. I offer the other only if he still shows hunger cues.

My LO got off schedule yesterday and today, but did awesome with night sleep last night. I had pumped and given him a bottle earlier in the day and then BF for the bedtime feed. He woke up for the DF and then slept for about 4 hours then about 3. I ended up downloading a pink noise app and he seems to really like that. Today, I let him sleep in about 45mins and could not get him to not cluster feed or go down for naps longer than 30mins. I am swaddling him for naps. I tried today to let him sleep in our living room with noise. I am concerned with the nap time quiet routine he will be a light sleeper. Also we live in a split level town home and if he sleeps in our room or his room he is pretty far away. I am concerned that I am going to confuse him, as he is confusing me. But when my LO says he's hungry I can't ignore him to keep him to a strict eating schedule. Advice on how to cope with that?

Ugh, the dreaded schedule! We are pretty poor at staying on task. I was trying to do 3 hour blocks starting at 6am. But if he wakes a bit earlier or later as today we feed immediately.

We just started Monday and I didn't document. But the am was going well, but starting at 3pm I couldn't get him down and he finally went to sleep around 12am for over 3 hours and had a hard time going back to sleep at 3am

Tuesday
E 6 
A 6:30
S 7:15 (

E 8:15
A9:35
S 9:30

E 11:30
S 12:35

E 3
A 3:30
S 4:40

E 6 -6:30
A bath, w/small feed
S 7:30 then I'm guessing hard night because I don't have any documentation afterwards

Wednesday
E 5:10
S 6:20

E 7:15
S 8:30

E 10:30 (sleepy feeding)
S 12 (15 mins)

**left house for lactation appointment
E 1
S 3

E 6 (bottle breast milk)
A 6:45/7 bath
S 7:30

E 8 (30mins)
(documentation gets shotty)
I think I did a DF around 9:30/10.
S 10:45 (4 hours!)

E 2:45
S 3:37 (3hr 15m)


Here was today. I think I screwed up by letting him sleep in first off and then it was just cluster feeding and sleep seems like.
E 6:50
A 7:20
E 8:25-8:40 (hunger cues no sleep cues or I missed them)
S 8:55-9:30/10:20-10:30

E10:40
A 11:10
S12:30 (20mins)

E 1:30
A 2
S 2:30 (2 hrs)

E 4:40
A 5:10
E 6
S 6:30
A 7 bath
E 7:15
S 7:30 mostly on us

E 9 (now)

[katie80]

But when my LO says he's hungry I can't ignore him to keep him to a strict eating schedule. Advice on how to cope with that?

You're definitely right, if he's hungry feed him! EASY is not a strict feeding schedule, it's a routine to help you figure out your baby's unique needs. I guess I'm not sure where the cluster feeding is happening in your routines. It looks like he's feeding every 2-3 hrs during the day... that's right on track for his age.

And he's 5 weeks old? Everything looks really normal for 5 weeks. I'm not going against BW or 'start as you mean to go on' as Tracy was famous for saying, but really there is no schedule/'sleeping in' at this point. So, please don't sorry about that. Yes, it's great to follow the EAS pattern, but it's not going to start at the same time every day and it's not going to look the same for a little while still. There's just too much unpredictability for when they need to eat/growth spurts and if you'll be able to get them down to sleep.

I'd keep in mind around 1hr (maybe just a touch more) A time (this includes a feed) and just generally work off that. So, if he wakes at 6:30am, feed him and change him and aim to have him down around 7:30/35am. The white/pink noise is great and so is swaddling at this stage. If you try to get him down for 20-30min and he won't go, then I'd just pop him in a wrap or sling and have him sleep that way. They seem to get easier to get down around 6-8 weeks and then fall into a more predictable pattern around 12ish weeks. I'd also pick a morning time as an acceptable wake-up and treat any waking before then as a NW. So, say it's 6:30am... if he wakes at 5:30 for a feed, then feed him and put him back down to sleep. IIWY, I'd let him sleep til he wakes, but if you're really keen to set a wake-up, then you can wake at a certain point, say 7/7:30am.

Here are some great links that will help you get a good handle on EASY (keeping in mind it's a huge work in progress at this point in your life).
Starting EASY - all you need to know and more!
Average A times- BOOKMARK ME!
What does a good wind down consist of (Includes 4S ritual)
Shush-pat - How to

[weaver]

Hun at 5 weeks old, feeding lots and falling asleep on the breast are perfectly normal, don't worry about that.  He's teeny tiny still, he will start to wake up more probably in the next week or so.  Right now, he needs to sleep and eat and that's about all he'll do. 

[Anika920]

Thank you so much for the encouragement mommas! Something else I am doing and seems (for the most part of course) was the shh/pat while holding him. I realized I was doing that wrong and today went back to just sitting. I can't handle the shh/pat routine. When he is crying in his bassinet. I do more PU/pd but probably modified. I re sit with him and if I need do a couple of back pats and shh just until he calms. I have been getting him to quiet and lay down well, if not super gassy. If he is gassy I do find that more rocking/movement eye is needed to move the gas I sm guessing.

We had a really rough night last night with gas. I'm going to remove dairy from my diet and see if that helps any. I don't recall if I said I am using pink noise app btw and yes I have decided with the reflexes still at this point swaddling is important for *potentially longer, better sleeps and naps.

Maybe I just think I'm cluster feeding because I'm trying to have him on a three hour schedule and he's not really taking to the 3 hours most the time. I assume you're talking about the evening cluster feeds? I guess I was thinking I was doing them since I was feeding him every two hours. What do you suggest as far as getting the cluster feeds make every hour to hour half and a shorter cat nap?

[katie80]

Maybe I just think I'm cluster feeding because I'm trying to have him on a three hour schedule and he's not really taking to the 3 hours most the time. I assume you're talking about the evening cluster feeds? I guess I was thinking I was doing them since I was feeding him every two hours. What do you suggest as far as getting the cluster feeds make every hour to hour half and a shorter cat nap?

Again, I think it's totally appropriate to feed every 2-3hr at this age.  Some LOs are sleepier and will naturally go to a 3hr routine (my DD was that way), but others will want to feed more and be more awake (both my boys were that way).  I wouldn't actively try to cluster feed in the evening at this point, especially as he is gassy.  Follow his cues and feed him when he needs it.

[Anika920]

Babies are so hit and miss aren't they?!? My poor LO did awesome on from Fri-Sun then Monday am. He's been fussy, gassy and extremely hungry. I am hoping an early growth spurt he'll be 6 weeks in a couple days. He's wanting to eat every 2 hours or less and he is refusing to nap. Getting 10-30 mins at a time. This makes me feel like he is OT. other posts I read for OT you should extend A time? I have been shortening his A time, based on sleep cues. When he goes down in his bed he fusses and it appears it's gas keeping him uncomfortable. I feel so bad for my LO. I have found leg compressions are helping some with gas, but not enough. And the gas drops/gripe water has not worked in the past. I noticed yesterday he had green stools so I am making sure today to let him nurse longer and we are getting back to a more yellowish stool.

Also my DH has wondered why he acts like he has gas in bed, but not when he is being held or co sleeping. He does have gas, as I hear it. I know all babies have gas, but the leg kicking and trying to bust out of his swaddle makes me think he is uncomfortable with the gas.