Ideas needed on recording feeding times in the night

mumof1and1ontheway

He used to sleep in his moses basket and does still sometimes, but recently we have started to co sleep as it allows us both a little extra sleep. I do not mind the night feeds so much.. as he feeds then sleeps, feeds then sleeps. Its from 6am when he can then for hours and hours stressing without eating.

Today for example.. we went up to bed at 10 when I had finally managed to settle him. Fed every 2 hours in the night until 7am. Had a few mouthfuls at 8.40am and 2 mouthfuls at 10am.. and I have only just managed to get him to have a proper feed. He has emptied the breast and falled asleep content. Then once I put him down he has gone back to screaming. I have offered the other breast which he has rejected. Will settle for a few mins with his dummy in but then it pops out and he's off again. I feel at a loss with it all, because nothing ever works anymore.

mumof1and1ontheway

btw he has a fantastic weight gain so is obv getting enough. he was 6lbs 10oz at birth and at 7 weeks was 11lbs 1oz. and he is constantly weeing. he just doesnt seem to be able to settle anymore apart from at night.

cherydee

How about a Chiggs Baby Feed Wheel, I have bought a few of these to put in Nappy Cakes off Ebay recently. Some on at the minute. Take a look at item number 330475467805 to give you an idea what they are.

sarahlucy_2

Hello

Have they ever tested your baby's blood sugar level? I only ask because very rarely (as in this case of my little boy) constantly demanding to be fed can be a sign of hypoglycaemia - also to look out for is any excessive sweating during the night. Also if the baby goes longer between bottles do they ever appear shaky/jerky or stary....I don't mean to worry you and it would be extremely rare but unfortunately it can be missed by the medical profession as they are just not looking for it...Please don't be worried though as this would be extremely rare but may just be worth asking or checking??

Counting_Pennies_2

It is good he is at least settled in the night, even if he is feeding a lot.

As it is in the day I wonder if you need to go out and just keep pushing the pram, no matter the screams and then stick to a feeding schedule with him.

My son (my first) would head bang against my breast and arch his back and get himself into such a state for the first couple of months, and I seriously thought about giving up the bfeeding, but then he just got it and things settled down. If it is time for a feed then I would keep persevering and see if you can get him settled eventually on the breast instead of just a sip here or there.

I agree you need to nip in the bud before anything creeps in, you have had a rather emotional time of it from your past posts, and while you seem very organised and focused, you might need to give yourself a break, and if things don't settle down, think about alternative feeding, ie formula, just so your hormones can settle down. I had PND with my second, and the breastfeeding battles I had went on for 6 months, and when I stopped it did start to ease off.

Have you any additional help when you have toddler for the full day? I can't remember if you have preschool, or family near by? If not try homestart, and see if you can get the two hours a week help for the first few months just to help you a bit.

hth

123louisa

IMO Its unlikely to be colic, Breastfed babies tend to have a much better latch than bottlefed babies and so they suck in less air, possible also getting to much fore milk and not enough hind milk which is the satisfying bit.

There are many websites that can help like https://www.kellymom.com, or a breastfeeding helpline like http://www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk/ or http://www.nct.org.uk/info-centre/getting-help/helplines.

He could also be going through a growth spurt and cluster feeding, DS and DD went through a stage at 6 8 and 12 weeks of feeding 2 hourly all day and night, its very easy to say get in a routine and stick to it, but it might make him more unhappy and then you unhappy.

Falling asleep while feeding is a very common thing while breastfeeding, when you breastfeed your body releases a hormone that helps you and the baby fall asleep, I co slept with DS as he was always sliding off me when feeding. So much easier to plonk a boob in their mouths and let them get on with it!

meritaten

mumof1and1ontheway wrote: »

He is 7.5 weeks. If I can get all his full feeds on paper for a few days I'm hoping to see a pattern, so I can try routine and then when I know he's not due to eat I can persist with the dummy, swaddle etc. As when he's screaming if I try and feed him he ends up worse as he takes in more air etc.
Its getting to the point where I cant have a bath or bath my toddler. And my toddlers routine is getting harder to stick to.

He feeds every 2-2.5hrs but in a morning can go up to 6 hours with not eating due to him stressing and being unsettled. I have my postnatal check up next week so hoping the dr can help. I'm now worrying I have slight pnd.. so need to nip things in the bud and take back control.

I am unsure what cranial osteopathy is but I will google in.

For the person who suggested a dairy free diet.. I have considered it.. even posted a thread on here for advice.. but my hv then told me not to bother and said its very very rare and I would be wasting my time.

I feel like I have tried everything... infacol, dentinox, gripe water, colief, gaviscon, switching to formula, baths, dummy, massage, swaddling, swing.. so now I am coming to the conclusion that nothing helps and I will indeed just have to ride it out and cope the best I can

sorry, but I do have to disagree with your HV there! dairy intolerances are becoming more common daily it seems! and if the baby IS dairy intolerant you are doing the best thing by breastfeeding, but, if you are drinking a lot of milk or eating cheese cream butter etc, it WILL affect the breast milk! therefore, the baby!

one thing I would like to know is......what is YOUR diet like? because YOUR diet directly affects the milk the baby recieves!

for example - no-one warned me that my favourite food (curry) would result in the baby having the runs and the babies pooh smelling strongly of chicken tikka masala! (sorry, if its TMI!).

is your diet high in milk products or are you a bread lover? (that can result in wind in wheat intolerant babies).
or do you love oranges (another cause of tummy upsets in breastfed babies).
I breastfed three babies, and think I did all the wrong things myself so am quite happy to pass on my hard earned knowledge as I know how easy it is to convince yourself you cant DO breastfeeding and give up!

mumof1and1ontheway

I have a lady from home start come once a week which is a great help.

What are the symptoms of dairy intolerance? He has very bad wind down below.. he trumps everytime he feeds. He is also constantly snuffly and coughs and chokes frequently.

When I take him out in the pram he normally settles until I stop pushing. Its just harder to do with a toddler lol

tiamai_d

I agree about trying a dairy free diet. Medically there isn't much evidence to support it working but that's not the story you get from mums. Medically there's not much evidence that your diet affects the breast milk but again, that's not the story you get from mums. Plus, anything is worth a go eh? I once had a small smoothie and we had 2 days of horrific nappies and a very poorly tummy from DD.

Does he sleep in with you? I was not keen on co-sleeping with the boys at all and never did. But DD was breast fed a lot longer and it was just so much easier for us to co-sleep, even if she didn't actually feed all night, she was far more settled all night because I was next to her. She usually slept with her head on my arm (I lay on my side) on her side cuddled into me, but far enough away so I wouldn't smother her, which in fairness, I wouldn't have anyway I was so much more aware of her due to the BF that I was with the boys. It meant that even if I didn't get any extra sleep, it felt like I did because I never had to get out of bed. Had to get up and run about after two boys, 1 at school 1 at nursery so sleeping during the day was never an option!

I know plenty of BF babies with colic too. Another medically they shouldn't get colic, but in reality, they do. My friends first was terrible she screamed constantly and always wanted fed. But they got through it. And she has had her second (9months now) who has been a dream (just incase you do decide to have a third). Hope he gets better soon and you have nice peaceful nights.

kre776

Hello,

Depending on your mobile you may be able to use the stopwatch function, if it has one, to keep track of feedings. I have been keeping a record of my baby's bfeeding at night by recording 'lap times' in the stopwatch! I know what it's like to try and figure out a pattern when you just want to keep your eyes closed and pretend you're still asleep!

I also found that movement helped when trying to encourage feeding. So if I walk around holding my boy in approx feeding position or rock/jiggle gently he often decides that he does want to feed after all.

I wish you all the best with the bfeeding.