BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Breast Feeding => Topic started by: ashley10 on June 06, 2012, 02:55:33 am
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I don't know if this is the right place to post but we are all over the place. I have a very hungry little boy. He is 11 weeks old today and since he was born he has never gone longer than 3 hrs for a feed day or night. He is 6.3kg so a very healthy weight so at least I know that my milk is doing something.
Just when we have been starting to get into a routine something happens like croup at 7 weeks, then last week he had croup and bronchilitis. And because he is behind on his injections the doctor insisted on his whooping cough injection on Friday. He has barely slept in his cot and now I can only get him to go for 40min naps in the cot and then he wants to make up the rest sleeping on me. Oh and he also has reflux so is on meds to control that too.
I am drinking as much water as I can to keep supply up but with all this lack of sleep (slept in my own bed not his chair for the first time in 2 weeks last night) I don't know if my supply is keeping up with him. I am aiming for a 3 hr EASY routine but with 2 other kids in the house 4 and 2 it is proving challenging.
I am all over the place. I need to try and extend his feeding to 3 hourly if I can. He takes both sides as well. Don't quite understand why he is so hungry. My DH wants to introduce a bit of formula to try and give me a break but also to top him up a bit?? I wasn't really planning on introducing any forumla till he was at least 3 months which isn't for another couple of weeks. Poor thing this can't be good for him as he has never had a decent stretch of sleep past 3hrs at night time.
Any suggestions would be so welcome right now. My mum has just moved overseas to a remote island where phone calls cost a fortune and limited internet and my sister doesn't talk to me so feeling pretty alone. The house is a mess and I am lucky to get dinner on the table. And my poor other 2 kids get no attention from me - feeling like a very bad mother right now. I know this is a phase and will pass but can't see the light at the end of the tunnel right now.
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I wasn't able to BF so have no advice with that part but want to offer loads of hugs hun! You are a great mom! One baby is hard, let alone a baby and two other kids! I still have days where me and DH have Cheerios for dinner!
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Thanks so much Kara really appreciate you replying. Any advice on the 40min naps? Or just go with it for now?
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Nothing on the naps, I'm afraid, but for the BF it sounds like you've met the 3m/12w growth spurt a little early! Best thing to do is feed, feed, feed. I know that's not always easy with two other LOs around, but that's what he needs right now, especially if you're hoping to continue BF for a while longer. Just as a heads up, there's another big growth spurt at 4m/16w too.
Have you got a sling (something like a Moby or Kari-Me, perhaps) that you could use to help you out with getting things done around the house? Often LOs like sleeping in them too, so you might get a longer nap, and they're great for refluxers as you can place LO in an upright position to sleep and be close to you rather than lying them down and them then being uncomfortable :)
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Have you got a sling (something like a Moby or Kari-Me, perhaps) that you could use to help you out with getting things done around the house? Often LOs like sleeping in them too, so you might get a longer nap, and they're great for refluxers as you can place LO in an upright position to sleep and be close to you rather than lying them down and them then being uncomfortable
Hi Ashley - I second Amanda's advice with regards to a wrap/sling/carrier. Very good for refluxers who often have trouble sleeping as the acid tends to churn up and wake them at transition ~40/45 mins. Also, at this bitty age, it is very common to need momma close to have a good long nap :) I know it's back-breaking, but do try to enjoy those snuggles a bit longer if you can ;) One nap a day in the crib is a great place to start at this age and nights of course. There are times when it's just better to AP a few naps to ensure that LO is not OT at the end of the day from having multiple short naps - it just leads to a tougher than needed night.
Almost forgot to mention - it seems that reflux does flare a bit during a growth spurt - likely because LO is feeding more often and has a fully tummy for longer. What meds is LO on? Have you had a dosage check recently? Many meds are weight sensitive.
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Thanks so much will look into the slings idea. I do have a baby bjorn but when I last put him in it he projectile vomited everywhere from the pressure on his tummy. Maybe a soft material sling would be better?
I think it is a growth spurt but to be honest he has always been feeding every 2-2.5 hrs since he was born? Maybe that is why he is a bit of a chubster ;)
I have just rung the doctors to see about his meds. He is on Zantac .8ml and Losec 5mg once a day. I give Zantac in the morning and then at around his 4pm feed I give Zantac & Losec together. Thinking he might need an increase in the Zantac as .8 was first given when he was 4kg.
Last night he did a bit better
5.10pm - Final feed
5.45pm - into cot
9.30pm - Feed both sides
9.48pm - Back into cot
1.00am - Feed
3.00am - Feed (fell asleep in his chair together tried to put him back at 4am but didn't work so put him in bed with me to get some sleep)
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For sure look into a better carrier - do you have Ergo there in Oz?? I would avoid any that dangles from the crotch - terrible for spine development and shouldn't be used for any length of time.
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Thanks Kara - really interested to read more about why the baby bjorn is bad. Do you have any links to other threads that have covered this? Loved the idea of the Moby so have tracked it down and going to get one :)
Thanks again really appreciate the help :)
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Fiver - Just wondering I spoke to my GP and she has said I can increase the Zantac slightly to see if that makes a difference but her main suggestion was as he is feeding so much I may not have enough milk to meet what he needs and top-up with Formula? Do you think I should do this? When I put him on he takes the first side really fast and drains it and then is really fussy almost instantly on the second side - not sure if I have enough milk which is not helping?? Would love some advice.
Thanks so much.
Ashley
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How are his diapers? They're usually a good indication if he's getting enough milk. Do you hear let's of swallows as he nurses? Do you have a fast let down or slow? Honestly, both can cause babies to be fussy! Have a read of this:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=65905.0
My ds fed every 2/3 hours round the clock for the first few months. It's exhausting, I know.
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How's his weight gain been? If he's putting on weight well, I'm not sure there's a good reason to consider topping up with formula. The fussing on the second side could just be him saying "Thanks mum, that was great, but I've had enough now". Quite often LOs with reflux prefer to take a little and often approach to feeding so that they don't fill their stomachs up so much that they end up losing what they've just eaten (much like us recognising when to stop eating so we're not sick).
As for the slings, yes, also agree with Kara re the Baby Bjorn. This link (although not a BW thread) give some good information and diagrams about hip development particularly, with regard to carriers and car seats http://www.hipdysplasia.org/Developmental-Dysplasia-Of-The-Hip/Prevention/Baby-Carriers-Seats-and-Other-Equipment/Default.aspx
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Thanks Kara - really interested to read more about why the baby bjorn is bad. Do you have any links to other threads that have covered this? Loved the idea of the Moby so have tracked it down and going to get one :)
Thanks again really appreciate the help :)
Tracked down this link that links to loads of info re: BB carriers and others like it. Think of it this way - would you want to be carried being supported under your crotch for any length of time?
http://www.huxling.com/the-physiology-of-babywearing/
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Good luck to you! I have a refluxer who is almost 9 weeks old and also eats every 2-3hrs 24 hrs a day. Last night he went 5 hrs and I woke up in a PANIC!! lol. He is a chunk as well :)
I have the "Beco Butterfly" carrier and absolutely love it. I have a 6 yr old and a 3 yr old too and it enables me to get stuff done and he naps in it too. He HATES his stroller (b/c of the angle he's at?) so when we take big sis to the bus stop he's in the Beco as well. It is very similar to the Ergo.
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Hugs Ashley for having a hard time and lack of sleep. DS has always been a hungry baby and would wake on the dot at 3h for a feed since born but from about 10weeks or so, which coincided with the growth spurt, he was feeding 2.5h or close to the evening, he would be crying every hour and would down a full feed of EBM. (I was exclusive expressing, so i could tell how much he was taking and there was a good layer of fat in it and he was above 50% percentile in weight. Our health nurse warned me too often that i was overfeeding and obesity could be a result of that!) That went on for weeks and another nurse finally listened that he was genuinely hungry and suggested that I tried special formula for hungry baby. We supplemented one bottle per day and the rest of the day stretched back to 3h per feed! The formula has a different kind of protein chain that would take longer to digest and not adding extra calories.
Is there someone you can consult to see if the kind of formula exists in Oz and is advisable? Since then DS's weight also remained more or less on the 50% percentile curve, rather than shooting up higher and higher! It did help us immensely. HTH
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forgot to mention that i was a super hungry baby, too and my dad worked out that if he doubled the formula in the same amount of water, i would then settle and sleep :P whoops! That is no longer recommended, if it ever was! :P
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Hi there, your lo sounds just like mine!!! She is now just about 3 and a half months and she was 2 hours also until just this past week or so. I couldn't seem to stretch her feeding times at all and I also aimed for 3 hr EASY...never worked well. My lo did sleep well through the night though so there is the one difference, she only fed 2 times - sometimes 3 times over a 10-12 hr period at night.
All I can say is keep feeding when he seems to want to eat and he will eventually work into a bit longer period between feeds. At least mine did! She is now closer to 2.5 or 3 hrs between feeds, which is seeming a bit better for her routine now. :)
Best of luck!
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Koe2moe: What is this superhungry formula?? Were do you get it? I am interested in that for my son!
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Koe2moe: What is this superhungry formula?? Were do you get it? I am interested in that for my son!
Koe was actually saying that her father made her formula double strength.. so, instead of 2 scoops in 2 ozs of water, he would do 4 scoops in 2 ozs of water. Do not do this. You will end up with an extremely constipated baby.
There is a product made by Cow and Gate called Hungry Baby formula - it's only in the UK. I believe it is a touch higher in protein to keep baby fuller for longer. We have nothing like this in Canada or the USA.
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Thank you so much everyone for your suggestions - ironically the past 3 days have been much better. He has gone 4 hours for some feeds at night but most of them even the daytime ones are 3 hourly! His naps are all over the place but we will get there eventually.
Unfortunately he has just come down with another cold overnight. Might post on the medical boards to see if anyone has recommendations on how to keep him well. He has been sick on and off since 7 weeks and he is now 11 1/2 weeks. I know with two older siblings (one goes to preschool) it is harder to keep well but poor little thing has had croup twice, bronchilitis and now another cold! Just when we are getting back on track. :(
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Glad things seem to be turning around a bit for you. Sorry about all the illness, though :( Hope he's better soon.
As a bit of an after-thought, it may be that some of the feeding he's been doing recently was because whatever he has now was brewing inside him....a possibility!
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So mine is not only boy who were feeding every 2hours. Mine naps only 30 minutes too~ (26 minutes to be exact +- 5) I am relieved (to know that I am not alone), but also sorry at the same time. Especially when you have to other kids to take care of. :'( Cheer up~ ashley10
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Yes we are the KING of 35 min naps today. luckily we are able to extend them for the most part