which bottles should i buy?

jellyhead

Hi all :-)

went shopping but everywhere is sold out of doctor browns, i'll have to order from somewhere. in the meantime i got different teats to see if that made a difference, variflow ones so they can be used with the omneo comfort next week, i wanted to see if the teats helped to begin with. i got boots own because they were like the NUK ones, orthodontic shaped with a vent. well the holes were mostly sealed up, i had to open them myself with a needle ... not too good ... he doesn't like them much. does anyone know which way up the cross (the hole where the milk comes out) is supposed to go?

i got a pair of avent bottles, he hates the teats, no difference in the colic. i need to try a different teat before i can start the omneo milk. i've also been advised to try a milk for hungrier babies, he often seems to want more milk than he can fit in his tummy although i'm not sure yet if it's true hunger or he just thinks more milk is what he wants. he's never sick so i suppose i am not overfeeding him but he seems hungry a lot of the time, he wants to gorge.

so it's more teats then i can try the omneo, and i need to get the other bottles from somewhere else.

on a positive note i got a medela mini electric pump from ebay and it's great, it doesn't spill everywhere and it only needs one hand so i can drink and do other stuff at the same time - yippee! i've been getting 5-6 ounces out per day instead of 3-4 and it takes less time too.

health visitor is coming tomorrow, i also want to ask her about his breathing. i was told in hospital it's wind, husband thinks maybe an underdeveloped diaphragm (the baby book says it's normal in new babies) but i'm not sure, he squeaks, he makes 2 different pitches of squeak, one for breathing in, one for out. it's louder when he's feeding and sometimes he gets quite panicky. i often have to calm him down (holding him upright) even when he's not feeding, he can just be in the cot or the pram and will sound like he's having an asthma attack. his tummy moves really fast sometimes as he breathes. he stops breathing, for 3-4 seconds at a time, especially at night. it scares him and it terrifies me, i want to have him in bed with me because he's so upset every time he begins to breathe again. i've tried raising his head as suggested but it doesn't stop it from happening, the only time it doesn't happen is when he's being held upright. any ideas?

anyway, i'll stop babbling now lol! thanks for all suggestions, we're trying everything :-)

Bun

Hi Jellyhead,

Is there any way that you could just say everything you said in your last post to your health visitor, and if she doesn't take you seriously, either try another or the doctor instead? You know your son in detail and if you think something isn't right with his breathing etc they should take you seriously.
And as a second time Mum you are probably a lot less panicky than us first timers.
Our health visitors are very good, but some are less vague and more experienced so their advice is a bit more practical. Maybe you have the same. You could always call the health visitor number when you know your health visitor is off if you don't want to upset anybody.

Good luck!

Bun

jellyhead

hi,

i like my health visitor this time around, i didn't get on with the last one at all, she made me feel stupid, blamed everything on paranoia because of my postnatal depression.

she checked him over, watched him feeding and lying down and she thinks he's got some reflux but is swallowing it. we didn't manage to get the medium teats as she didn't get here until 4 and i waited in for her all day but she thinks changing the milk will help. she said (only after i'd mentioned them, she can't actually recommend any particular brand) either the omneo, or to try a milk for hungry babies, maybe he can't fit enough milk in his tummy to satisfy him. the milk tin gives 24 oz a day as a rough guide, he wants 33 (that includes 5oz breastmilk). she also suggested trying different bottles.

i was a bit shocked to hear that he weighs 10lb 2 now! he's gained a whole pound in 7 days. he was 8lb 7 born and is 16 or 17 days old, depending on how they calculate it. i thought 6oz in 4 days last week was a large weight gain, but a whole pound a week is just silly, nothing fits him. all his newborn clothes and half of the 0-3 clothes have been put aside for my sisters baby, most are unworn.

he doesn't appear to be ill anyway, the health visitor said he looks healthy, no signs of breathing problems although he's very congested, probably from the birth still, he snores and snorts. he's feeding and gaining weight so there's not much to worry about lol! it's nice knowing that i can talk to the health visitor about anything and she'll listen and give advice, unlike the last one

i'm registering him tomorrow so will be able to buy the new teats in town and then try the new milk, fingers crossed :-)

jellyhead

me again :-)

he seems to like the omneo milk but is in a right state today, lots of pain, he's hot and sweaty and can't sleep for more than 20 mins without screaming in pain, going rigid, etc.

i also got a pack of 2 bottles with valves, i haven't seen them before, i got them from boots. they're tommy tippee 'health check', £9.99 for a pair. they have a tube thing that sorts out the air. there's 3 parts to it and it comes with a tiny bottle brush thing to clean the tube. it doesn't have the nuby teats, they're variflow with a cross at the end of the teat. they're softer, they look like avent teats. he seems to like them and there's no air going into the teat. i have enough boots points to get another 2 packs just thought i'd post in case anyone's interested in anti-colic bottles, i'd never heard of health check bottles before today.

Savvy_Sue

jellyhead wrote:

he seems to like the omneo milk but is in a right state today, lots of pain, he's hot and sweaty and can't sleep for more than 20 mins without screaming in pain, going rigid, etc.

Maybe he likes the omneo milk but it doesn't like him? IYSWIM? Poor you (and him), hope he feels better soon.

jellyhead

i spoke too soon lol! he'd only had one bottle of omneo when i posted and hubby had taken him to bed while i did sterilising/bottles so i didn't realise he'd calmed down. what a fantastic night! he slept 12-3.30, had more omneo, slept 4-6.30 - both times in his moses basket. he's a niggly baby and wants to be held all the time but he's stopped making the squeaky noises, hasn't stopped breathing and he hasn't been in pain at all, not even once! he's not rigid, kicking or throwing himself around so i could even hold him on my lap and use the breast pump at the same time. he doesn't want constant feeding and he isn't screaming himself purple at nappy changes, he can sleep in his basket - must be because lying down no longer makes him feel poorly. he's more alert and interested in the world when he's awake. he doesn't have as much wind. i only have 2 valve bottles, the rest of them are wide bottles with medium teats i bought yesterday, so i think it's the change in milk allowing him to have less milk that's done the trick rather than the new bottle, that's good too though and i'd recommend it for anyone who can't find the doctor brown ones :-)

thanks for everyone's advice - i'm looking at him now asleep all relaxed and happy, he looks like other people's babies, up to now he's always drawn his knees up and appeared to be in pain, even in his sleep, and needed soothing every ten minutes or so. i think the main problem was with his being such a hungry baby, drinking far too much than was good for him. he's now having less milk but also he's doing less screaming and he's not gulping at his bottles, so he's swallowing less air that way. i'm not sure if he had colic as such, or was just overfull. he's had 2 bottles without infacol though, no problems so far but it's only been 12 hours, fingers crossed though :-)

i love this forum, i'd never have thought of changing the milk or looking for bottles with valves, the professionals all say the milks are all the same and wide neck bottles prevent colic. you lot are fab :T

carpool72

Hi Jellyhead, was thinking about you yesterday when reading an article about how baby massage can help with colic. I'm glad things seem a bit better with the Omneo - hopefully you'll now get a chance to enjoy your baby. Baby massage is a lovely way for you & your baby to relax, but there are specific actions which can help relieve a sore tum, which your HV should know or be able to find out about. You're best to massage at a quiet time during the day just for a few minutes which might relieve the build up enough to avoid colic later, and if not will accustom baby to let him accept you doing it when he is having an episode.

jellyhead

thanks, one more to ask the HV about :-) i did get a massage leaflet in one of the hospital freebie packs but it said you have to wait until baby is i think 6 weeks old.

update, he's still alseep from when i posted 2 hours ago!! he hasn't woken up, cried, moaned, wriggled in pain, wanted a dummy - nothing. it's looking good :-)

purplepatch

Shhhhhhh Jellyhead, don't tempt fate! Brilliant to hear things have improved.

Did massage with my daughter and both she and I loved it, highly recommend. But my massage lady didn't recommend it until she was about 8 weeks old I think, by which time the worst of the colic is usually over touch wood. Still very relaxing and therapeutic though.

HappySad

Congratulations on your new baby :T . JellyHead. I am amazed that you find time for MSE now that you are a new mother.


Dr Brown bottles are brilliant!!! My son had colic and they really helped. They are expensive but well work the money. My son was only drinking 1oz (using Avent bottles) before curling up with pain of the wind. Moved on to Dr Brown and he then drank 2-3 oz before curling up with wind. The avent bottles were then used to store weaning food and later food for my toddler son.

I was given one bottle from a friend and 2years later the writing has now gone off. The other ones that I bought have a little wear on them. Boots and Mothercare sell them.

For colic infacol and gripe water is also needed. Also rubbing & patting your babies back while on your lying on stomach while on shoulder or knee/ sitting on knee. You will need to do this for about 20mins inbetween each take on the bottle. I got advice from many midwifes and they said that you have to do many things to tackle colic. It should pass by the time they are about 3months old and they then learn to burp themselves and then life gets a lot easier then.


I use Avent electric steriliser. I found this easier as it just sat on your worktop and use opened it when you needed the bottles. The microwave system (which I also used) you have to put it in the microwave and remove it when you need to use the microwave for cooking food. I know that this is not much to do but when you are busy being a new mum this extra job is something you don't want to do. I now use the microwave sterilise when I can visiting family/friends.

HappySad