| BABY'S AGE: |
10 Weeks |
| BABY'S PRESENT WEIGHT: |
12 lbs, 13 oz |
| BABY'S BIRTH WEIGHT:
|
9 lbs, 19 oz |
My baby has been extra fussy for the past
3 days. When she eats on one side she does fine, just a little
squirmy, then we move to the next side, and she gets mad and
squirms and begins to cry. I took her to the doctor and nothing
is wrong with her. I take her off and she is fine. We have always
done 15 minutes on each side, it has just been different these
past couple of days. Also, she is spitting up what looks like
curdled milk quite a bit, which she never does. The only thing
different in my diet is orange juice, could this be the problem?
I already don't feel like I can eat anything healthy for myself.
Breastfeeding is beginning to get frustrating for me. I just need
some advice. And also, what kind of bottles should I begin
supplemental feedings on? She refuses the ones we have, Avent. Thank you very much for your help.
Dear Adrien,
There could be any one of a number of things going on to cause your baby's fussiness, and
as with so many aspects of parenting, about all you can do is keep searching for an
answer. You did what you should do by taking Morgan to the doctor to rule out illness. Ear
infections often cause fussy behavior. But if the doctor didn't find anything, then you
look for other causes.
Yes, diet could be a factor. I doubt the orange juice is causing this problem, but one way
to find out is to take it out of your diet. If you notice a change, reintroduce it a week
later. If the problem comes back, you know you want to avoid orange juice. Otherwise,
leave it in your diet. I'm wondering why you say you don't feel like you can eat anything
healthy for yourself.
Breastfeeding mothers should not have to limit their diets. There are so many myths about
diet and breastfeeding, but in general, women should be able to eat anything while
breastfeeding--and that includes, onions, garlic, hot sauce, cabbage, chocolate--all the
things you may have heard you could not eat. The most common cause of food-related
problems is cow's milk. Although, if your baby has just started to be fussy recently, I
doubt that is the problem. It could be that Morgan has just become more efficient as a
nurser. If your supply has been built up enough, then there's no reason that she needs to
nurse on both sides. I have actually seen older babies that could finish nursing in 5
minutes, and they still had good weight gain! The spitting up also sounds like
over-feeding. Most times with a breastfed baby, spitting up is nothing more than a laundry
problem! Try going along with her pattern of one side at a feeding. I often suggest that
to women who are complaining of fussy behavior, and in more than half of these situations,
it helps.
Also, please be aware that it takes several days to see a difference anytime a change is
made in your breastfeeding. I recommend that women introduce bottles around 4-6 weeks,
because if you wait longer than that it can be quite difficult. That is probably why you
are having such a hard time. Are you the one trying to introduce it? If so, then let
someone else do it. It can be confusing for a baby to have mama all the sudden trying to
change the way she is fed! You should not be in the room, preferably you should leave the
house.--babies can smell mama. (Go outside and peek through the window if you feel like
you need to) This should not be at a time when your baby is really hungry--no hungry
person feels like trying to learn something new! Tell whoever is attempting this to offer
the bottle but not to let it become a power struggle. If she resists, put the bottle down
and try again in 15 minutes. Sometimes getting the nipple cold first (put it in the
freezer) or warming it in hot water can help.
It can be helpful to try different types of nipples. Avent is usually the one that I hear
works best, but every baby is different. There is another called the Munchkin that people
have told me worked well. This may take a number of attempts, but if you just cannot get
her to take the bottle, that's OK. There is another system made by Sassy that is available
most everywhere. It is a hard molded plastic bottle with a hard molded spout that looks
similar to a training cup (the spout that is). The spout has holes in it so that you can
adjust the flow. (I believe it is called an Infa-feeder or Infa-trainer). I have mentioned
this product to a number of women who just couldn't get their babies to take a bottle and
it has worked for them. Good luck!
Cher Sealy, RN, BSN, IBCLC, LLLL
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