my second child, who is 4 weeks on Tuesday is crying a lot on the breast. i nursed my first child for 1 year. when she was 3 months she would cry at the breast but she looked different than this and after help of a lact. consultant AND a breastfeeding doctor i found out it was from low supply and went on the med domperidone to increase my supply in which it did. he looks so uncomfortable. he cries at the start nursing not with every feeding though. usually the ones later in the day and thru out the
night. it is breaking my heart! i honestly don't think it it what i am eating as what i am eating are not gassy foods, they are pretty
basic. my gut feeling is saying it is gas. he doesn't cry for a long time so i don't think it is a colic issue. My interpretation of him is: something such as his belly is either hurting him when he's trying to nurse OR something with the taste of the milk is bothering him???
has anyone had this happen? if it is gas, what do i do to help it? by the way, i know he is gaining based on the way his clothes
are fitting.
we go tues. for our 1 month apt. any help would be appreicated!! i'm so frustrated and feel so bad for him...
It sounds like he's frustrated in the beginning trying to get you milk going, then calms down when it finally begin to fill his tummy.
Pumping a little before getting him to latch on is a good idea.
With my first daughter, she was lactose intolerant, so any dairy I ate was giving her a really bad stomach ache. Just a thought.
With my second daughter, she was crying at the breast and I thought she was refusing to nurse and I was crushed. But it turned out I couldn't eat onions or garlic, it apparently flavors the milk and not in a good way. Just another thought.
I'm wondering if you might need to watch his hunger cues just a little closer. Maybe he's getting just a bit hungrier than he should before he starts nursing so he's upset/frustrated and once the milk starts he's good and calms. You might try getting to him quicker since later in the day and at night is when we moms are either up to our eyeballs busy or trying to wake up and get to baby.
If he's only crying at the beginning of nursing I wouldn't think it's gas.
If he's gaining I would doubt that you have a low supply this time. Yeah mom!
Don't start down the slippery slope of offering formula after a feeding at this time. He's obviously getting what he needs or he wouldn't be gaining and outgrowing his little clothes.
.
You might want to try pumping for a little bit and then seeing if he'll latch and nurse after a letdown starts. Or try another hold. Is he old enough for gas drops?
You may want to rule out thrush (yeast infection). Check the tongue. If it's always white then he's got thrush. This stops him from nursing cause his mouth hurts. It can go unnoticed for months. My daughter had it for about 2 months until I finally figured it out. She wouldn't nurse and would cry almost every time I tried.
Wow...dairy, garlic, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, beans....all can cause taste fluctuation,...alcohol too. I am 42 and now have a 9 month old who is still partially breastfeeding and I cut out all of it to see what was going on. Most rite aid or walgreen stores carry gentle naturals for colicky babies with chamomile and ginger...amazing stuff. Helps them to sleep too. Check out www.knowthecause.com. No not my website. And maybe he is just working out some excess energy. The chamomile...worked wonders. Rubbing the bottoms of his feet with a little lotion or olive oil and basically a foot massage...check out reflexology websites for exact pressure points on the foot for stomach and intestinal issues...natural is usually best, Wish you both well.
Call Le Leche League the women there will help you They will come to see you and give you all kinds of wonderful support. You cannot image how much easier you and your baby will be after you meet with them.
He might need to be burped more frequently. If he's swallowing air, you might need to try different nursing positions, which can help.
Are you sure it's not a supply issue this time. Have you tried offering him additional formula after nursing? I hope his checkup shows he's gaining normally.
If it is gas, rubbing his tummy gently and bicycling his legs might help. Here's also a brief video showing a pretty foolproof method of comforting crying babies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6KnVPUdEgQ&feature=re...
Good luck. I sure hope you find out what his problem is.
He may need to have a different position to nurse on - and be burped more often if you think it's gas. Also, limiting your dairy intake is helpful to both Mommy and baby.
Your let down may be too fast also, and when this happens, babies may feel like they are drowning... maybe pump for a few minutes first then allow baby to nurse one breast per session. This way you can also build up your emergency frozen supply!!
***ADDED***
Looks like you got a lot of good info - much of the same!
Does he fuss and cry only at the start? Has your milk let down yet? Maybe he is just impatient!
If it is gas, I would expect him to be fussy at other times of the day, too. But here is what I learned: When I was nursing my youngest and he was fussy and gassy, our pediatrician (also a lactation consultant) said that one of the biggest causes of gas/colic is NOT what mom eats, but that babies are naturally somewhat lactose intolerant. Lactose is the natural sugar in any milk, including human breast milk, so it has nothing to do with dairy.
To combat this, make sure that he completely drains one breast before switching sides. The fore-milk (at the beginning of nursing on a breast) has lots of liquid and sugar. The hind-milk has more of the fat. It is the protein and fat that will help the milk stay in his stomach long enough for him to break down the lactose so that it doesn't cause gas pain in his intestine.
Once I started doing this, my son was so much happier! It only took my body a week or so to adjust to nursing on only one side at a time (the fat also can trigger satiety so he eats less on the other side). So if you think it's gas, this could help.
I think it may be a supply thing and the milk not coming quick enough. Mostly because you day it is in the afternoon and evening feeds when we are at our lowest. I would definitely talk with a lactation consultant!
