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Parenting & Farm Kids:  Breast fed Baby Overeating  |
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hawkin_farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
63 Posts
Micah
Austin
Texas
USA
63 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 19 2011 : 11:25:18 AM
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As I may have mentioned, Lucas and I had a hard time in the beginning of breast feeding because of my back. Well, after a lot of effort, we are down to 2, 4 oz bottles during the night. I'm slowly working on pumping so he's entirely on breast milk.
Well, starting about 5:00 PM, Lucas gets fussy. Just the usual, "don't put me down" and "I just want to comfort nurse" fussy. Its not all the time, but it probably happens 4 days during the week and will last till about 9:00 PM. So all he wants to do is nurse, nurse, and nurse. But now he's eating so much that its coming straight back up. We burp him constantly and keep him up right during this whole time and right after he spits up, he acts like he's starving again.
My question is, do I just keep nursing him? We try to soothe him with everything known to man (rocking, white noise, pacifiers, the swing) and it works for a little while, but in the end, he'd rather be on the breast. If he's spitting it all back up, his stomach must be full, right?
Thanks in advance for the help ladies!
*Micah*
Farmgirl Sister #1478
http://pinterest.com/miss_micahp/
http://misadventuresofamicah.tumblr.com/ |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2011 : 2:25:10 PM
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try a little food, some rice cereal in a bottle of breast milk, sometimes they just need alittle more at an earlier age...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2011 : 2:43:13 PM
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I've heard the cereal thing before, there is no "need" for anything but breast milk till 1 year old though.
Nurse, nurse, nurse. If you want a good supply and to be able to completely give him breast milk nurse as often as he wants. A breastfed baby can NOT over eat. They just won't. Don't worry about the spitting up, it's probably due to immature digestive system (how old is he?), the LLL book says it's just a laundry issue, and not to worry about it. My DD2 spit up TONS all the time for about to 6 months then she was fine. She was a preemie and just had a immature digestive system was all.
What you are describing is some times also called the "witching" hour, and also here in Kansas at the hospital they called it purple crying. I was supposed to watch a video about it before leaving the hospital but I fell asleep watching it. Apparently DH watched it while I slept. lol Oh well, basically I think it said the same as the witching hour stuff. (basically the video didn't give any real advice as far as I know, except for not to shake the baby and to get away from baby if you get to upset etc etc-I've never had those feelings, of anger, wanting to shake my baby, etc, so again I kind of fell asleep during it.....sorry) Any way my point is, this is normal!
It's also normal for babies to go through these cycles right before a growth spurt. I've said it before and of course I'll say it again, if you can find a LLL group near you, you'll find lots of other mommies with the exact same things going on!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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hawkin_farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
63 Posts
Micah
Austin
Texas
USA
63 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2011 : 3:19:08 PM
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He's 7 weeks old.
I was so worried that I was hurting him by letting him eat so much and then spitting up! I don't mind nursing constantly at that time because DH is home from work by then and can bring me what I need.
When we were doing 50/50 nursing and formula, he gained 2 lbs in 2 weeks. His doctor encouraged me to stop the formula entirely (which we're getting closer to) because she was worried about him gaining weight too fast. He was 11lbs 7oz at his one month appointment, so that's why I was worried he was getting too much.
*Micah*
Farmgirl Sister #1478
http://pinterest.com/miss_micahp/
http://misadventuresofamicah.tumblr.com/ |
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Sourceress
True Blue Farmgirl
76 Posts
Elisabeth
Thurmont
MD
76 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2011 : 5:11:38 PM
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What everybody else said - if all he's eating is breastmilk, he really can't overeat or hurt himself with it, especially at only 7 weeks old. Nature is smarter than that. At that age, he shouldn't be eating anything but breastmilk anyway.
However...if he's being fussy a lot, or spitting up a lot *every* time he eats (not just at certain times of day or whatever), you might want to look into food allergies. It's possible he could have an allergy to something in your diet that is coming through the breastmilk. If you can figure out what it is, you can eliminate it from your diet, which should help enormously. A really good book on children and food allergies is "Is This Your Child?" by Doris J. Rapp, MD. This is the book I used as my main reference when my sons were 3 and 5, and we were trying to figure out what they might be allergic to that was causing all the bad behaviour. (Gluten and corn, as it turned out, along with nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant), which they have since grown out of, thank Goddess. We thought they were allergic to dairy, too, until the summer before last, when we figured out it wasn't the dairy itself, it was all the corn that most conventional cows (even many organic cows) are fed. They don't have any problems with milk (or other dairy products) from grass-fed cows.)
Lis
*the Sourceress* |
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22angel
True Blue Farmgirl
498 Posts
Pam
Manitoba
Canada
498 Posts |
Posted - Oct 19 2011 : 8:36:50 PM
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That sounds like a great book Elisabeth! Too bad more parents wouldn't take the "you are what you eat" approach & realize that they can change their child's behaviours with the right food choices!
Sorry to hijack the topic, Micah. Hope he starts "digesting" properly soon for you!
Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself.
"When I grow up, I want to be dirt." seen on a box through construction in Wyoming 2010 |
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hawkin_farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
63 Posts
Micah
Austin
Texas
USA
63 Posts |
Posted - Oct 20 2011 : 06:30:17 AM
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Hhhhmmm... Elisabeth, even though I had read about what I eat affecting baby though breast milk, I never really gave it much thought! I have been eating a lot of cheese lately to boost my calcium intake. Pregnancy and breast feeding are really doing a number on my teeth! I will most definitely check out that book.
And Pam, no need to apologize! Another good thing that's come of this pregnancy is I've definitely become more aware of what I eat! There's been a huge decrease in my soda drinking and I've replaced a lot of junk food with better choices. I've also made more of an effort to hit up the local farmers markets for food. In fact, the cheese that I've been indulging in is a fantastic goat's milk feta. So good!
*Micah*
Farmgirl Sister #1478
http://pinterest.com/miss_micahp/
http://misadventuresofamicah.tumblr.com/ |
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Lieberkim
True Blue Farmgirl
839 Posts
Kimberly
Sunnyside
WASHINGTON
USA
839 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2011 : 9:37:17 PM
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When my son was a baby and was having colicy times I asked my ND what to do. Here's one of the things he said to try for the immature little digestive tract. He said to take a tsp with a few drops of apple cider vinegar on it and add water then have the baby drink it. It sounded horrid, but I did it and voile, tummy ache gone. It helps the little digestive tract digest the food. After a few times he'd smell the spoon coming and get all excited trying to get it in his mouth. It might be worth a try.
Excuse the mess & the noise, my children are making happy memories |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2011 : 10:49:44 PM
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I've never tried it on a baby but ACV is wonderful for digestion.
As for goat's milk/cheese that should be fine, as it has smaller molecules that cause the indigestion that cows milk/cheese causes.
I just now somehow seen about your back problems, what kind of back problems. I have severe scoliosis and have had two back surgeries, one went terribly wrong and I have a lot of arthritis and back problems. The My Brestfriend pillow really has been my bestfriend! I highly recommend getting one. They are a tad on the expensive side, but I've seen them on craig's list for as little as 20 dollars. I personally have two because I keep one in the car, and one in the house. The strap is padded and really helps my back alone (kind of like a built in pillow), then the part that the baby lays on helps keep them at a level that makes breast feeding simple and takes the tension off your back and shoulders, and arms trying to keep them at the right level for feeding. I had a boppy at first and it did help somewhat, but only in certain chairs and was constantly slipping and never did put the baby completely at the right place/level. The my brestfriend pillow is by far better, and is awesome. I suggest it to any one who is seriously breastfeeding (I mean if you are only going to breast feed a week or so it may not be worth the investment/money, but if you plan on for at least a few months, and especially six months or more, it's really really worth the money, even the price for new, both mine are new, I tried to talk DH into letting me buy one off Craig's list after I bought the first and loved it so much, but DH said if I liked it so much to just buy another new one, instead of risking getting a dirty one on CL, however, I had planned on putting it in the washer! lol haha).
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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hawkin_farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
63 Posts
Micah
Austin
Texas
USA
63 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2011 : 11:53:33 PM
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Hhhmm... The ACV is interesting...
Heather, I'm doing much better and thanks for asking! I've always had lower back problems due to my hips sliding out of place. I think my body just had trouble adjusting from the hospital bed back to my bed. I've always had a hard time sleeping in beds not my own because I need a firm mattress to be comfortable. Plus, once I got home I had more room to move around and walk, which I believe helped tons.
I still have my giant pregnancy pillow and that has helped greatly. We are now exclusively breast feeding and doing well! I'm lucky because Lucas was a great latcher from the beginning and has no issues from going to breast to bottle, and then back to breast. I've had no pain really and I love nursing! Now if I could just build a stash for when I need to leave him with the hubby and we'd be set!
*Micah*
Farmgirl Sister #1478
http://pinterest.com/miss_micahp/
http://misadventuresofamicah.tumblr.com/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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LuckyMommyof5
True Blue Farmgirl
500 Posts
Suzanne
OH
USA
500 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2011 : 8:31:55 PM
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I never heard of the "witching hour" phenomenon until after my third daughter was born, but I sure experienced it! Every one of my girls has wanted to actively nurse, then "comfort" nurse, then do what I call "boob nap" (sleep with their head blissfully on my breast like it's a pillow) from about 4-6 pm. And if they didn't get that, they'd scream the house down until they did! It made dinner prep near impossible for the first year (lots of crock pot meal, salads I made earlier in the day or casseroles that could be tossed in a low oven!) My youngest (just over a year) is still like this, although she's getting to the point I can sometimes distract her if we're out somewhere.
I think when they are under a year there is just no fighting it - you have to go with the flow.
I also don't think it's possible for a breastfed baby to overeat.
Has the pediatrician checked your baby for signs of extreme reflux?
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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hawkin_farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
63 Posts
Micah
Austin
Texas
USA
63 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2012 : 11:01:19 AM
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Thought I would update this...
Suzanne, the doctor has checked and checked again and she thinks he doesn't have reflux. He would sleep sometimes with us and sometimes in his Pack N Play, but now we're just entirely co-sleeping. I think his quality of sleep has improved because of this, which seems to have helped things over all.
Lucas is now 4 months old and he had his 4 month appointment yesterday. He's a little over 14 pounds and 27 inches long. His pediatrician has decided he just has some crazy, wicked growth spurts and grows tall before adding pounds. And since he's always been a super active baby, he just needs a lot more! He rolls over like a maniac, so he just burns all those calories away! All I can say is thank goodness for a pedi who breast fed her own babies. She has been so awesome on this journey!
She also said we could start brown rice or oatmeal, if I think he's constantly hungry all the time. So far, he just nurses every hour from about 7:00 PM - midnight, so I don't think he's ready yet. We'll just see how things go.
Again, I really appreciate all the advice and support. Its made these difficult times so much easier!
*Micah*
Farmgirl Sister #1478
http://pinterest.com/miss_micahp/
http://misadventuresofamicah.tumblr.com/ |
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MrsRooster
True Blue Farmgirl
1168 Posts
Amy
Seabrook
TX
USA
1168 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2012 : 12:38:52 PM
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Mine daughter wasn't quite three months old when I used some cereal with her. She needed it and was more content with it. I used a spoon and she ate it like crazy. Some babies need a more solid on their tummy. I used gas drops with her. They were called little tummies and I got them at Wal-greens, Wal-mart, etc. Nothing in it to hurt her. Peppermint oil. Ped told me it just goes right out anyways and it would help with food coming back. It was a life saver.
www.mrsrooster.blogspot.com
www.flossesandcrosses.blogspot.com
www.morganicinstitute.blogspot.com
Farmgirl #1259
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2012 : 09:13:26 AM
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Actually breast milk has more fat and calories then any solids you could feed them. Solids will sometimes make them stop what ever it is you are wanting them to stop, but it's only cause you can stuff it in faster often then the milk comes out. So often they will sleep more with solids, but it's only for the same reason that you are sleepy after a huge thanksgiving meal, over stuffed, and just can't do anything else but digest all this food and sleep. However babies made it for thousands of years before cereal was invented. So it's not really a "need".
I find it normal also for them to feed a LOT in the evening. 1) growth spurt. 2) like to be with mommy. 3) hormones are lower at that time making the milk not flow as as in the morning and the rest of the day.
I have never fed any of my children cereal as it's really not that "healthy" it has nothing they need in it naturally, it's "fortified" (other words made up in a lab, on what men think is "healthy" and will of course make them some money!).
I have not started feeding any of mine solids, till they can sit up on their own WELL in a high chair, and can feed themselves. I have never "spoon fed" any of my children. I put solids on their tray and they feed themselves. This helps them continue to self regulate and not over eat! And they are pretty good at this by around 6 months old for my children, others may need to be closer to 1 year. Either way solids are just for fun till they are one.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
Edited by - MagnoliaWhisper on Jan 04 2012 09:15:30 AM |
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MrsRooster
True Blue Farmgirl
1168 Posts
Amy
Seabrook
TX
USA
1168 Posts |
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Parenting & Farm Kids: Breast fed Baby Overeating |
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Breast fed Baby Overeating
