grizzley baby

[GBLiz]

My little angel has stopped being so angelic! I was warned it wouldnt last long!

She'd been breast feeding fine up til now and really placid, but i think she might be getting colicky, yesterday and today she's been crying loads and seems really uncomfortable, and when she is crying nothing will settle her , she stops for a minute then starts up again

if its colic i know its just one of those things, but whats worrying me a bit is that because she's crying and frustrated she seems to have forgotten how to feed properly, she wont latch on and instead just slobbers all over my boobs which are leaking all over her face and cries more!

eventually she has latched on but only on the right side and meanwhile my left boob is getting really hard and sore . Ive got implants so they're pretty round and firm anyway and i think that combined with the extra swelling is making it even harder for her to latch on. Ive tried expressing it myself, it doesnt seem to make a lot of difference even though loads is coming out.

The mw was round today and said let her cry its just one of those things, and also let her get really hungry so she doesnt mess about so much. Its hard though cos when she's crying i want to offer her the breast to comfort her.

sorry for such a long post about something thats probably completely normal!

she's fast asleep now so i know there cant be anything really wrong, i just dont like it when she cries and nothing i do helps

 

[GBLiz]

ah well only 6 months or so til it stops then

the mw said DONT offer her the boob straight away hard to know what to do for the best, i guess thats something i'll have to figure out as we go along

 

[Squiglet]

lil miss had evil colic... she was better by 12 weeks although she still has her days... I offered the boob as often as possible, but with colic it only makes things worse. In the end I'd sling her and walk up and down and up and down our hallway till she fell asleep. She's probably fussing at yourboob because a)shes not hungry b)in pain c)trying to use you as comfort d)your milk is coming down too fast... as mid says do what you feel is right

 

[smile]

she wont latch on and instead just slobbers all over my boobs which are leaking all over her face and cries more!

baby smile still does this but was much worse when he was in his colic phase - i think he got more stressed as he felt hungry all the time

i found initially he was better if I lay down so my milkl flowed more slowly, and he had reflux too which was treated with infant gaviscon.

now I just use a muslin - mop up all the milk and shove him on before it gets slippery again! he is always better if I feed him after I express.

 

[kazlin]

OMG gymbabeliz, our babies seem to be moving along exactly the same path, Dan has had a couple (last night being one) really bad nights. He was crying most of the night, bless him...and yes, he is sound asleep now.

HV has just gone and she recommended Infacol (sp?) as she thinks it is probably colic.

Poor little mites, they're are both so young.

 

[MattM]

The "babymoon" period is certainly over.

Luke was exactly the same. The first week or so felt so easy, almost too easy. He fed well, slept well and didn't fuss too much.

First off, you'll get all kinds of conflicting advice from midwives. Do what you think is best. You know your baby much better than anyone else.

It is almost impossible to spoil a newborn or forge any bad habits. If your newborn is comforted by feeding, then do so but just make sure she isn't making you sore or it'll become a frustrating and miserable experience for you both.

Otherwise, there's not a huge amount you can do. If she's wearing a clean nappy and is well fed then just hold her close and try and comfort her. Resist the temptation to leave her alone in a room for too long. She's a tiny little baby who is finding the world a bit scary.

Luke was a right fusspot on the breast and nearly drove Debbie mad (and still does sometimes) but it does get easier. Honestly. We heard that a thousand times but it's true.

If you can stretch to it, the Medela mini-electric breast pump is fantastic.

 

[GBLiz]

Kazlin- we do seem to be having parallel experiences its reassuring to know that you're going through it too !

As it happens I started using infacol with her today and she has been a lot better and she didnt fuss so much when i fed her - im taking the mw's advice to an extent and when she's cried I've cuddled her but held off offering the boob a little bit to make sure she really is hungry

 

[kazlin]

You have given me hope

I am buying some Infacol tomorrow so will see if this helps him

 

[DebbieM]

Colic is SO hard to deal with. We are going through a rough patch at the moment with Luke and sometime I feel like I am a useless waste of space because he is my baby and I am his mother and I can't do anything for him. I can't console him. I can't settle him and I can't constantly feed him as I'll end up sore again.

I can only suggest that perhaps you invest in an electric breast pump such as the Medela from Boots (mini is around £55) which has been a massive help to me so that if you're really sore or get too stressed, that you could offer her expressed milk in a bottle, even if it is just once a day. That's what I am doing at night for the time being as Luke feeds approx every 2-3 hours and can sometimes feed for 30-45 minutes on and off. He has one bottle during the night now as I find that's when I am able to deal with him less calmly thatn I can during the day. It's breastmilk so I don't feel bad about it and he doesn't seem to mind or have gotten confused with bottle and breast.

Good luck whatever you decide. You'll do the right thing for your LO whatever you decide to do!

 

[beanie]

if baby is having trouble latching on due to engorgement, I would advise expressing a little off (by hand is best) and then making a c shape with your fingers and thumb (thumb above nipple, fingers underneath) and compressing your boob as this makes it easier for baby to fit it into their mouth. This link shows a pic of it http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/large.html

when babies are crying it can be hard for them to latch on as their togue lifts up, so try ifpossible to calm her down before offering her the boob (I know it is easier said then done, I am going through the same thing with Cally at the moment).

If it is colic, something I have found that works with both mine is the "tiger in tree" hold, (make cradle with your arms,place baby on their front so their head is in crook of elbow, tummy is over hands and legs and arms are dangling either side). Cally also gets soothed by being carried in a sling, she fights it initially but I just sway whilst carrying her and she soon drifts off to sleepor calms down enough to be fed. Good luck

 

[GBLiz]

thanks for all the advice, luckily im not sore with the breastfeeding so i dont think i need to go out buying bottles and pumps just yet (i really want to do it the cheap and clutter free way lol )

she seems to be more back to normal today so i dont know if the infacol has worked or if the problems were due to something else. I have a feeling i might have eaten something that came through in the milk and upset her because I did feel bloated myself that day, also my milk was coming like crazy but its settled down again now, ive got her feeding out of both sides again so the engorgement has calmed down too