Author Topic: Please help baby won't feed? (Read 2836 times)

noomummy · « **on:** July 23, 2007, 10:02:03 am »

Hello ladies

, I really need some help and advice, over the past few days my dd has had and still has really bad wind. For 2 days I've been giving her infacol but it doesn't seem to be helping. Her little tummy is a bag of wind bubbling and gurgling away and causing her the most pain around 4pm onwards. It is becoming increasingly difficult to feed, I've tried changing positions, she hasn't had a proper bowel movement for a few days, she keeps getting the hiccups, when she does burp it's not enough. I recently started giving her ebm for her d/f (3 times to date) , and to make matters worse I only pumped 1oz last night after the d/f and this morning after her first feed I only managed 1oz again only to SPILL HALF over the kitchen worktop....I'm so upset, it's such a palaver. Rachel x

just wanted to add that I'm now doing double sided feeding x

maggie2 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 23, 2007, 17:07:41 pm »

{{{hugs}}} Rachel...

I'm actually going through almost the exact same thing over here! It's so frustrating for both of us

Its been going on for a little over a week for us - I asked the doctor and he told me to give her a little bit of Chamomile tea - I had never heard of that and I called again today to double check to make sure that he meant for me to give the tea to her and not to drink it myself

So I tried earlier but she was too fussy to even take a significant amount.

So I'm going to lurk here with you if you don't mind and see if anyone else has any suggestions!

Maggie

noomummy · « **Reply #2 on:** July 23, 2007, 18:55:44 pm »

Hugs right back at you Maggie

- it's so upsetting and frustrating isn't it

.....you just feel like everything you try just doesn't work and upsets them even more - she has fed today, although it's taken a LOT of patience and I feel like I don't have the energy the way it's carrying on. I absolutely LOVE b/fding but at times like this I'm ready to go and buy some formula. I'm not sure whether or not this is because I'm giving her the bottle of ebm for her d/f or not? maybe she's drinking a lot more than she normally does from the boob and also now it seems she gets really frustrated after the letdown slows too.......I'm becoming so exhausted I think that's why expressing has slowed....let's hope someone can come to our rescue, for now hang in there sweetie x rachel

Erin (redstarfalling) · « **Reply #3 on:** July 23, 2007, 19:00:41 pm »

Rachel, had you mentioned you were taking Fenugreek in another thread and wondered if it was making her more gassy? Are you making sure to use a very slow flow nipple on the bottle too?

noomummy · « **Reply #4 on:** July 23, 2007, 19:07:43 pm »

Hi Erin

Thanks for replying - I'm not taking as much now so gone down to 2 3x a day, so hopefully if it is that this will be ok - but I guess it's trial and error on that front. As for the nipple it's a Dr Browns with a level one teat.......... do you think it's because I'm now double side feeding? will this mean she's not getting enough hindmilk? will more foremilk add to gassiness? thanks in advance x rachel

Erin (redstarfalling) · « **Reply #5 on:** July 23, 2007, 19:13:12 pm »

More foremilk can make her gassy, but you'd probably see really green poos which are quite explosive too (and I mean poos that look like parsely!) - and she'd be having them more often rather than not. If you're making sure to really drain a breast before switching, then you should be fine (use a bit of breast compression). And usually with bottles, you can see the hindmilk when they sit for a while (looks like cream) - so with the EBM, this gets mixed in more for the whole feed and you don't have to worry about her staying on long enough, IYKWIM.

I'm not that familiar with fenugreek, though, so I have no idea how much would be too much for her, in terms of gassiness... $:-\$

She's having lots of wet diapers, though right?

noomummy · « **Reply #6 on:** July 23, 2007, 19:27:41 pm »

She's having plenty of wet diapers yes but so far no poopy ones,

as for draining the boob it's very difficult once she pulls off in frustration she's just bobs on and off, on and off and won't take anything so I HAVE to switch. Breast compression isn't working for me either she just gets totally frustrated I end up switching more than once - what do you think about Infacol? x rachel

Erin (redstarfalling) · « **Reply #7 on:** July 23, 2007, 19:29:40 pm »

No idea about it at all.

Have you checked the reflux board to see if any of that rings a bell?

noomummy · « **Reply #8 on:** July 23, 2007, 19:34:13 pm »

Thanks for your help Erin

- I'll go and have a look on the reflux board - I think you may be on to something there - while you're on can I bend your ear about pumping though......as you can see from my original post I'm having real trouble $:-\$ .....rachel x

Erin (redstarfalling) · « **Reply #9 on:** July 24, 2007, 12:38:06 pm »

The thing about pumping is that it really helps to stay regular. I pump every morning at the same time until I see no milk coming out. Then I give a bottle of it at bedtime. If I start getting less and less, then I skip the bottle at bedtime and nurse then (takes more out) - she might be hungry for about 2 days with this and wake again for more milk, but in a short time, my supply has increased again and I can pump more. The other thing you can do is squeeze in more pumping session, but try to stay regular so your breasts know what to expect. If after a few days, you still can't get more than 1 oz, I'd suspect you're not getting a letdown when you pump. Have you checked the FAQ on pumping?

noomummy · « **Reply #10 on:** July 24, 2007, 20:41:15 pm »

Erin

I had a look at the FAQ pumping and it has definitely reassured me regarding the amount I pump so I guess it's all trial and error, still having trouble with the gas poor little thing - she hasn't pooed in almost a week, HV suggested massaging her anus with vaseline which I did tonight and she trumped a couple of times but still no poo

....I'm trying not to get too worried but it's affecting her feeding and she weighed today and i was told to go back in a couple of weeks as she's dropping down the chart, she was 5.15kg or 11.4pounds. The HV then suggested perhaps weaning her early which really annoyed me - I wasn't worried about her weight, she's a very happy, alert baby and every human being is different, I was afraid the HV would say something like that I think they should be encouraging b/fding more....any, I'm ranting (sorry) I basically want my dd to do a lovely big poo, how long should I let it go on for without being too concerned, also, when she finally does will she feed better and then hopefully gain better? Rachel x

noomummy · « **Reply #11 on:** July 25, 2007, 11:37:17 am »

Poo alert! she finally had a poo at some point last night so I'm soooo relieved. Should I be concerned about weight gain? x

Erin (redstarfalling) · « **Reply #12 on:** July 25, 2007, 12:05:35 pm »

YAY about the poo!!!!

Weight gain does tend to slow down after 3 months, although she should continue to gain. Have you plotted her on the curves for bf babies? She might just be finding her spot on the curve. Keep an eye on it, but especially on her having enough wet diapers. Poos can be more irregular (as you know!). Let me know how the feeds go, now that she's more comfortable.

noomummy · « **Reply #13 on:** July 25, 2007, 12:50:39 pm »

Hey Erin :)thanks for keeping an eye on me! :)I've had a look at the growth chart and she's lying in between 3rd and 15th percentile having dropped from closer to 15th - I guess we'll just have to see how it goes over the next couple of weeks but TBH I'm dreading going back to get her weighed just in case it's not satisfactory in their opinion and they start telling me to wean which I really don't want to do yet, but at the same time I want what is best for my beautiful baby ....rachel x

Erin (redstarfalling) · « **Reply #14 on:** July 25, 2007, 19:50:00 pm »

Just remember she's YOUR baby!!

noomummy · « **Reply #15 on:** July 26, 2007, 12:03:10 pm »

So here's what's happening now - I am so exhausted by the effort it takes to feed my dd

. Her first feed was hardly anything - I think perhaps she took more from her feed in the night so that's fine but when it came to her 2nd feed having pumped a whopping 3oz from one boob

she was crying her eyes out, arching her back refusing to feed basically so I left it for 30mins then she took a little bit just the letdown it felt like and then she's back to crying and pulling away, it becomes a fight and it's so upsetting.

Especially since the HV weigh in. I'm very concerned that pumping is having a negative effect on her and now that she's fed from the bottle she prefers the ease of that and DOES NOT want to work for the boob. What should I do?

rachel x

Samuel's mum · « **Reply #16 on:** July 26, 2007, 12:07:44 pm »

It's definitely possible that this is some flow confusion going on. If I didn't know your history I'd say, "tell me about your use of bottles". But it's seriously bad luck to get flow confusion problems having only used the bottle a handful of times for the dreamfeed.

OR are you feeding her from a breast you have pumped from and she's frustrated because the flow/ supply is affected?

I would get that haberman feeder and maybe put the pumping on hold for now until this is worked out. I know you've tried breast compressions in the past with no joy but have one more go - read the FAQs and check out the videos again.

How has her sleeping been? Could she have been tired?

Erin (redstarfalling) · « **Reply #17 on:** July 26, 2007, 12:46:04 pm »

Did you get a chance to look at the reflux board? It's just that the back arching while nursing is a hallmark sign of reflux....and what you're describing sounds an awful lot like what my dd did (nursing was wretched - if she'd been my first, I would have given up).

This website has some indicators:
http://www.reflux.org.au/characteristics.php

It might not be that....but it's worth a look, I think... $:-\$

noomummy · « **Reply #18 on:** July 26, 2007, 14:57:48 pm »

Hi Erin

I just had a look at the link you posted and she does show quite a few of the symptoms, she may have silent reflux but I'm not sure as it seems to me a lot of the stuff on their would be considered 'normal' behaviour,for example smiling when distracted from crying and I guess babies do get wind etc.? she isn't always fussing for every feed but when she is, she does arch her back, she also draws her legs up, doesn't take in a lot of food which is reflected in her poor weight gain at the moment. She spits up a little it's normally very watery with tiny amounts of curdled milk but I've noticed when she doesn't bring it up she repeatedly swallows mainly when she's lying down IYKWIM. She often gets the hiccups and when she has had terrible wind she chokes - with the combination of screaming and trapped wind.........I am tempted to introduce some foods, maybe a little banana?

Hi Emma

I've got the haberman feeder and we used it for the first time last night, it took her half the time to drink from that than the Dr Browns but I was mainly between the medium to fast flow line as she was drinking it without gulping but maybe I should just stick with the zero flow line to mimic my boob better?? what do you think? will keep trying with the compressions but it does annoy her and she just comes off.....I'm so fed with it all. :(rachel x

Samuel's mum · « **Reply #19 on:** July 26, 2007, 15:18:49 pm »

If you are suspecting a letdown/ boob frustration I would go with the zero flow line.

Rachel - I know you are desperate but please don't consider introducing solid food to an ebf baby who isn't even 4 months old.
There are so many reasons why this is not a great idea at her age. Take some time to read about why the recommendation to start solids is now 6 months (especially for bf babies). There are always exceptions to this but she is very very young.
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html
Early solids is especially not a great plan if you have any concerns about weight gain. At her age it is extremely unlikely she will have the necessary enzymes to even digest the solid food effectively and as it passes through her undigested it will fill her tummy reducing her motivation for milk and affecting your supply.

I know this all seems hard and you are scrabbling for answers. Reflux babies are sometimes a population who traditionally did start solids a little earlier (e.g. thickener in the milk) but now it's more the trend to control the reflux with medication (as we now know the benefits of delaying solids if you can).

SO
If you suspect reflux - get some medical advice and visit our reflux board ('Colic, reflux, crying').
Slow down the haberman feeder.
Consider getting a fresh point of view and phone a breastfeeding helpline. You may get someone new who gets you to think about things in a new way or considers something we've completely missed.

Good Luck (Sorry to bang on about the solids thing but I'd hate to see you introduce solids so early and suffer with reduced weight gain, digestive discomfort and even increased chance of allergies.)

Erin (redstarfalling) · « **Reply #20 on:** July 26, 2007, 16:51:30 pm »

I have to second Emma's suggestions about solids - she's really really too young, IMO! More likely to cause more problems than to help....

Good suggestion about contacting a helpline or someone IRL too....

noomummy · « **Reply #21 on:** July 26, 2007, 17:37:49 pm »

Thanks ladies for your neverending patience with me

....I just hope someone else is in my situation then I won't feel so guilty about pestering you guys, I really appreciate your advice. I won't start on the solids then, I guess I just needed to hear that. I'm going to visit friends and family over the next week so will go along to the breastfeeding cafe when i return and bend their ears! I'll check out the link you posted Emma although I'm sure I've probably read it - I'm so addicted to this site! No harm in re-reading - what with my memory! Sorry to post so much. Rachel x

Samuel's mum · « **Reply #22 on:** July 26, 2007, 18:17:53 pm »

Breastfeeding cafe is a good idea. Someone may be able to watch you do a feed.

DO NOT feel you are pestering us. More than likely someone is having a similiar experience and bits are bound to apply to tons of people. But even if not, people like to know they are not the only one not having the 'perfect' experience.

Erin (redstarfalling) · « **Reply #23 on:** July 26, 2007, 19:05:05 pm »

Quote from: Samuel's mum on July 26, 2007, 18:17:53 pm

DO NOT feel you are pestering us.

Seriously!!

noomummy · « **Reply #24 on:** July 26, 2007, 20:03:43 pm »

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Author Topic: Please help baby won't feed? (Read 2836 times)