3 week old hungry baby??

[SarahLee83]

I have a 3 week old boy. From Birth i decided to Breastfeed and have been doing so. Other than him having really bad wind regardless of me doing everything i can to help it, everything seemed to be going fine.
A Few days ago he seemed to not be getting enuff milk from me and seemed hungry and wanted to be on my breast 24/7 and was only sleeping 1-1 and half at a time !!
I thought it a good idea to give him some formula as a top up. This seemed to help but now he has started having vomits and is very unsettled again.
I feel i have enough Breastmilk but in the late arvo early evening hes never happy :confused: And last night he would only sleep an hour at a time IF THAT..
Its all very confusing !! Does he not like the formula?? Im getting to the poiint were im sick of breastfeeding and am over it, but would really like to continue.. HELP !!
He doesnt seem to burp enough but does huuuuge farts !! and He wont settle cos he seems to wake up with tummy pains. Ive tried all diff ways to burp him and am using natural colic medicine from the chemist too..
Sorry prolly too many issues in one go..:ecomcity: But im getting really frustrated !! Any help would be appreciated thanks :sleeping:

[Sunnygal]

Firstly i wanted to let you know that it is completely normal for a new baby to want to breastfeed nonstop, no one warned me about this with my first and I thought he wasn't getting enough milk! It helps to encourage your supply, plus they love the comfort from you because they are so new to the world, it can last anywhere from 6 weeks to a few months! You could try co-cleeping at night so you don't fully wake up and have to get out of bed, that was my saviour!
I called up the ABA when I was concerned about my milk supply in the evenings, and they explained that its normal for you milk supply to slow down around that time and to try cluster feeding which helped me!
With regards to the 'windy' issues both my boys were very 'gassy' and never seemed to get it all out, I found gripe water really helpful, and if they do seem in alot of pain and warm shower or bath may help... If he is unhappy in the arvo, maybe a walk might help settle him or perhaps putting him in a sling so he can be close to you and he might doze off!
If you do want to continue breastfeeding keep persisting, the ABA are a wonderful source of information and can help you through all the tough times! Especially those first couple months which are incredibly exhausting!

[amandaw]

I'm sure there's enough milk but there's better qualified people on here who I'm sure will respond.

One thing I really found worked for me was to use a breast pump and express a little extra at times when you feel fuller (after any decent breaks, or when you bub only has one side). That way i could top up DD with expressed milk during her witching hour

In terms of the wind, I found 6 weeks to be a magic mark for both DD and DS...I too have very windy kids, and come 6 weeks they were much much more effective at burping and farting out their gas...you may actually find that this is worse on the bottle as they are probably getting milk at a much faster rate and therefore swalling more air with it. There's a whole range of foods that you could look at avoiding to help minimise wind too (cabbage, baked beas and legumes, brocolli, soft drinks, chocolate (it's the cocoa, so white choccie is okay)...there will eb a whole list of them on bubhub somewhere

HTH somewhat

[onemummmy]

:iagree: with sunnygal


Formula can upset babies tummies yes. As long as your baby is on the breast he will be putting in his order for milk and you will make enough. When you introduce bottles you reduce the time at the breast, therefore reducing the amount of milk your body makes.
Its normal in the early weeks for bub to be feeding whenever because he is building up your supply, which is VERY important.
It does get better.
One thing I will suggest that worked(still does) for us is blcok feeding, feed from one breast for 3-4 hours then switch sides for another 3-4 hours. This gives baby more hindmilk which is more filling and also helps reduce wind/colic pains.
I also found that having her as upright as possible and walking around the loungeroom helped with the pains as well as using a dummy for between feedings. My daughter would seem to be hungry all the time, but she was actually in pain from being overfull, because of course I was feeding her all the time thinking she was so hungry.
I feed her, change her nappy/burp etc then put her back on the same breast and she will usually feed to sleep, we aim for at least 2 hours between feeds so she is not overfull.
a lactation consultant or the ABA would be a good help:hugs: you can do it, and it does get easier:thumbsup:

[Tey]

Hi, I dont have a baby yet, so I cant give you my advice. But my SIL had the same situation with her 11 week old until a few weeks ago. Bubs would eat every one to two hours, but not eat much. Apparently she just wanted to suck because she had wind. They now give her a dummy to suck on, and she seems settled. I dont know if this is correct, and I personally would try to avoid the dummy, but it worked for them. Maybe some others on here have some insight into if this would be correct or not?

[onemummmy]

Hi, I dont have a baby yet, so I cant give you my advice. But my SIL had the same situation with her 11 week old until a few weeks ago. Bubs would eat every one to two hours, but not eat much. Apparently she just wanted to suck because she had wind. They now give her a dummy to suck on, and she seems settled. I dont know if this is correct, and I personally would try to avoid the dummy, but it worked for them. Maybe some others on here have some insight into if this would be correct or not?

sometimes you do what works. I was anti dummy til I actually had a baby screaming for hours on end..now I have a happy baby who has 1-2 unsettled periods a day instead of hours on end, because she is not in so much pain now.

[NibbleCurlynBub]

If he vomited after the formula I'd be inclined to say that it made him feel a bit ill.

Wanting to be on boob all day every day is pretty normal. If he IS on there all day every day your milk supply will skyrocket after a little while and he will get more milk from you.
Which solves two problems, both him wanting to be on boob and the possibility that he is cranky because he might be hungry.

Maybe just relax and boob your baby for a few days?

For the gas I would recommend Coram's Gripe Water.
Burping can take AGES so give it some time. Propping bub up and leaning him forwards a bit will help him get the gas up.
Leaning back or lying down will on the other hand make it difficult to get gas up.

Babies need boob for comfort as well as food, so keep that in mind. Your little one LOVES being close to you. You are warm and to him you are the source of all contented and good feelings.
Use that to your advantage.

So to conclude.. My advice is to relax for a few days and let bub have boob whenever he wants it. Even if its all day!
It will serve to boost your milk and keep him happy, since boob makes him happy. :)

Good luck.

ETA: and on the dummy front... Both my kids have dummies. My next bub will do too. BUT when you give it to your bub make sure that he doesn't want the dummy because he is hungry. If he is hungry and using his energy to get milk out of the dummy then it won't do much good for your milk supply!

It might be worth a try though at nights if you are in desperate need of sleep. I recommend the NUK silicone dummies.

[SarahLee83]

wow thanku everyone for your replys. :)
I do have some corams gripe water but it says to give 5mls??? this seems like alot?? Is that what i should give?
He doesnt like to take the dummy! Only time he does is in the car when hes screaming! maybe ill try nuk silicone, ive got a tommee tippee one atm..

[littleleos]

hey sara

u should come to the august birth group... most of us are going through similar problems like u... and its nice to know your not the only one

one thing that has worked 4 me is to express in the morning when my milk is at its capacity and then i use it to top him up in the evening... also helps him sleep better andlonger as it is the hind milk he didnt want in the morning

good luck

[NibbleCurlynBub]

I do believe in Coram's Gripe Water. :yes:

Get a syringe if you can and directly after a feed give bub 2 1/2 or so and burp away. I'd give the other 2 1/2 mls about 5 minutes later.

My kids have always preferred Nuk dummies. They are expensive, but SO worth it.
You could try the Latex ones but I always prefer the silicone. Latex doesn't last as long but for younger babies it seems to have the preferential texture. More skin-like apparently.
Latex is cheaper too, so maybe this would be the go to try it out first.

Otherwise, like I said that combined with more boob should help your bub calm down a little bit.

Some babies do get upset just because they are overwhelmed though, so your bub is never going to be 100% content.

Keep trying, you will get there.
It is always an uphill battle with the first baby!

ETA: Be wary of a breast pump too since they do not stimulate your nipples as well as bub does and will not be as effective at getting milk out either.
An option to consider, but maybe try other things first. :)

[littleleos]

aiden only takes the dummy when i tap it with my fingr nails and tickle his mouth for a few sec
maybe try that

I wasnt into dummies but its a good way to get into some type of routiene... and to give your boobie a break

[NibbleCurlynBub]

:yes: I used to warm it up in my hands and stroke cheeks.
So sweet. :cloud9:

[RHJ]

Do you have a sling? I found that my son was most settled in his sling in those witching hours... he was still being held, but i could still do things. Also, being upright helped him burp out (and fart out) some of the wind i didn't get out earlier.
It all sounds pretty normal to me. My son is 2 months now and is just starting to get some good gaps between feeds, but is still mostly 2-3 hourly during the day.
It will get better though!

[Memegg]

Hello. I'm not a mummy yet, (but trying desperately!!!) so I can't offer much about the feeding, however, I am an Infant Massage Instructor, and thought I might suggest that you have a go at massage to help sort out your little man. Depending on where you live, you should be able to find someone to help you with learning some techniques to help settle him, and ease any discomfort. Try Infant Massage Australia - they have members all around Australia. Massage can help with digestion (but it is essential that it is done correctly), and is also a beautiful way to strengthen the bond between parents and baby, as well as just helping to settle and improve sleep patterns. A suitably qualified instructor will be able to give you further advice on when is the right time to use massage etc.

Hope this helps :)

regards, Megan

[jasserben]

Feeding all the time is very normal & is to get your supply up.

I tried every Colic relief there was & none of them really helped DS to bring the wind up so he'd still be really unsettled trying to shift the wind & it gave him a really upset tummy.

Infants Friend just made him more upset & gave him the poos.
Infacol just didn't work.
Brauers colic relief only worked sometimes & the last time I used it, it seemed to upset him. I noticed it turned his poo green too.
Gripe water dose is too large as far as I was concerned for an infant. I tried the 5mls of gripe water & DS hated it. We gave it to him in small doses too but it just made him gag.

I was getting to my whits end & went back down the chemist last night & was given as a last resort Donnalix. You only have to give 0.1ml per kg of body weight. It's only to be given to them at their most unsettled period but it has worked really well for DS & as soon as I wind him, he burps. I also noticed today that if he was trying to pass wind, he wasn't even upset trying to shift. I'm going to keep persisting with it & hope that it will keep working.

[~Emmylou~]

Growth spurts and being majorly unsettled are really common around the three week mark, and alot of babies are unsettled in the late afternoon and want to feed constantly. My DS was one ;) This is called cluster feeding and....

This is very, very normal!

There is nothing wrong with your milk and nothing going wrong with your supply. This is normal behaviour for a breastfed newborn. He's boosting your supply so that as he grows over the next few weeks there will be enough to meet his needs. He will probably do the same thing again around 6 weeks as a few more times in the next 6 months.

Ditch the formula. You don't need it and it's just going to make things more complicated in the long run.

Just let your bub feed when he wants to, and organise yourself so that in that late afternoon period, you know what's coming and you don't have to deal with anything else but him. Get a sling, get dinner sorted in the morning, and just let him feed. This will pass in a few days to a week, and he'll settle down again. I promise you. :hugs:

Here's a few things you can read in the meantime

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html


Breastfeeding basics (http://birthsource.com.au/articles/read/breastfeeding-basics)

All that wind and farting is also really common and it's because their gut is immature. As long as he's not screaming around the clock and not sleeping (possible colic) that's normal as well and he will grow out of it. You can give him some infant's friend or infacol if it gets bad and he seems miserable. But it's not related to your breastmilk and will probably become even worse on formula.

You're doing a really fantastic job! Hang in there, this will pass soon and everytime it happens and you and your baby deal with it successfully, your confidence in yourself and in your bub will grow. You're doing great!