two questions: one sided feeding and gassy nights

[elliesmama]

My first question is this:
my 3week old fairly consistently is up with gas from about 2:30 when she wakes to feed to about 4am.  She takes the dreamfeed slow and steady, but the 2:30 am feeding she starts gulping and swallows a bunch of air. She bobs on and off the boob, crying, and seemingly trying to get a good latch (we only have trouble with this during the day when I'm trying to nurse in public but never at home or in private) . I try to burp her well, but it doesn't seem to help much, and then she just screams intermittently for those hours, until she passes gas or burps.  It's a horrible cry, too!!  Breaks my heart!  What can I do???  Am I right in thinking it's gas pains keeping her awake?

The second question is this:
I would prefer to feed her one side per feeding instead of both (easier for us in public).  I understand that if she's still hungry I just keep offering the same side during the feeding, right?  Sometimes she comes off the one not crying, and then I burp her and offer her the second side just in case she wants some more.  That's what the Lactation Consultant at the hospital told me to do.  She'll take maybe 2-3 minutes worth or sometimes a full 10-15 minutes (after a full 20 minutes on the first side).  Is it okay then for me not to offer her the second side anymore if she comes off the first side on her own and is not crying or looking for more?  Even if I think she'd take more?

Hope my questions are clear enough...thanks!!!

[Scate]

TBH I did one sided feeds until 8 or 9 weeks - maybe longer. You may find though that if you don't offer the 2nd side, she will be hungry sooner - or perhaps not - there's only one way to find out and you can always give more if she is hungry again before she's due. HTH

[jess, lukeys_mom]

i have similar questions about 1 sided feeding, so hanging out here to see what kind of responses you get. i'm also doing 1 sided this time whereas i did 2 with luke. (and by the way - fwiw we have major middle of the night gas issues here too )

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

I always double side fed my girls, personally.  I wanted the extra stimulation because I worried about supply....

I'd say that if gas is an issue, check the latch. She may be taking too much air in as she feeds because she's not latching really well (can be worse in public when she's distracted and when you might not be checking as carefully because you're trying to be discrete). http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/basics/latch-resources.html

Make sure:
1. you're tummy to tummy,
2. her nose is aimed at your nipple so that she has to open in a big yawn to latch on, and
3. you move HER to you and you're not leaning into her.

Use http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=88759.0 to ensure you finish the side.

Also check this out, in case a strong letdown is the problem too: http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=117061.0

[elliesmama]

I've been much more careful about the latch and I think it's helping, but even still last night was terrible.  how can I tell if I'm eating something that she's not tolerating well?  Like dairy?

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Well, you could always try an elimination diet - dairy can be a common culprit, so you could try getting rid of ALL dairy, but you might not notice a difference for a couple of weeks.

[jess, lukeys_mom]

hi laurie,

i have the same as you, worked on the latch and it does help but it's not everything. i do notice that ds is very uncomfortable when he has to burp and we have put him to bed without getting one out, so now even during nightfeeds i do a big burping session. that does help.

however the bigger problem is usually farting kind of gas that seems related to his digestive tract, and trying to push wind out.  you could try elimination diets but i suspect that it is just that her digestive system is immature and she needs to grow out of is.  dylan's gas issues were severe but are now getting better since we passed the 7 week mark. luke has awful, awful gas that would keep us all up most nights. i tried every elimination under the sun...but really we just had to wait until about 16 weeks when everything completely cleared up on its own. he is not allergic to anything at all.

after night feeds i do a lot of bicycling his legs as well as pushing his knees up to help him get gas out before putting him back to bed. helps a bit, though the post 5 am period is still tough 

hth? 

[elliesmama]

I am trying to cut out dairy and see if that helps.  now she's doing this thing where she's fussy at the breast and wiggling around alot and clawing at her face while she eats.  it makes me nervous because i feel like the line between normal newborn behavior and something going awry is so fuzzy...but i want to be successful breastfeeding.  I wasn't successful with dd1 (milk supply dropped between 4-6 months for an unknown reason) and I'm nervous that the same thing is going to happen again.  So i feel like my lenses for being able to read cues and know what's hunger and what's overtiredness are colored by the fear that we're going to have a repeat of dd1.  then i start to question my putting her on a routine, my feeding her only 1 side at a time, me cutting out parts of my diet...you know what I mean?  is breastfeeding always this confusing and hard or is it just me thinking too much about it? 

[jess, lukeys_mom]

hugs, i know wat you mean. i had a lot of trouble with bf-ing luke and met challenges at 4/5 months too. hopefully this time around it goes better for you.  it was definitely confusing for me then and kinda still is.

i think that when there are gas issues, it's hard to know when to feed. dyland wakes and cries sometimes in the night with gas. i hesitate to know what to do that these times because i know that he's crying due to cramps and not hunger. sometimes i take him out and burp him or try winding his legs, etc. but if i can't get him resettled, i often do end up feeding him because i know it pacifies him but also that the sucking helps him push the wind out that's bothering him. however i always wonder if i'm making it worse by making his body need to digest even more!  i don't know...it is certainly confusing...but i can tell you from experience that it does not last forever. by 12-16 weeks her digestive system should be mature enough to handle all her feedings without cramps and other issues.

regarding 1 sided feeding, i am doing that too, i did 2 sided feeding with luke and always had supply issues.  so we will see if this helps.  however what do you think about your let down? did you see the link that erin provided from the faq's? i have fast let down and with luke it would mean he'd have to suck in air. that caused cramps i think. then around 4 months my supply started regulating itself but luke was already used to getting lots and lots of milk at the beginning so that caused feeding issues. i am trying to do the steps in the faq with dylan to make sure that doesn't happen this time, do you think that might be an issue for you too?