Normal for 7 week old?

This has been happening on and off for about a week and a half now, but
today it was for every feeding since we got up this morning.

My DD (7 weeks) will act hungry and I will latch her on and start to feed
her. Every thing will be good for a few minutes (about 3 or 4), then she
will start to cry and scream. I burp her and calm her down, and try to
latch her back on, but she will suck a few times and then start to cry
again. This continues until either she gets sleepy enough to latch on and
eat for 10 minutes, or she falls totally asleep. We have tried different
positions (cross-cradle, football, side lying) all with the same result.

She is having wet and dirty diapers (although she is having a few green
stools here and there), and the last time I had her weighed, she was gaining
weight just fine (8lbs2oz at birth, 10lbs15oz at 5 weeks, 6 days). She
seems to be healthy, she is busy cooing and smiling at her toy right now. I
brought this up at her 6 week WBV and the doctor seems to think she was just
getting too much air and suggested simethicone (sp?) drops. We have been
using them about 4 times a day since last Tuesday. She does seem to be
passing more gas, but the crying and screaming is continuing.

I actually broke down and went and bought her a pacifier today, to see if
she was confusing comfort sucking with eating and getting mad when she got
milk. She took to the pacifier swimmingly. It made me cry to see her
sucking on a piece of plastic when just a few seconds earlier she was
screaming at my breast.

I just don't know what to do for her, or even if there is anything I can do
for her. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Stacey
Mom to DD, October 17, 2003

Gorgon Park wrote:
This has been happening on and off for about a week and a half now, but
today it was for every feeding since we got up this morning.

My DD (7 weeks) will act hungry and I will latch her on and start to feed
her. Every thing will be good for a few minutes (about 3 or 4), then she
will start to cry and scream. I burp her and calm her down, and try to
latch her back on, but she will suck a few times and then start to cry
again. This continues until either she gets sleepy enough to latch on and
eat for 10 minutes, or she falls totally asleep. We have tried different
positions (cross-cradle, football, side lying) all with the same result.

She is having wet and dirty diapers (although she is having a few green
stools here and there), and the last time I had her weighed, she was gaining
weight just fine (8lbs2oz at birth, 10lbs15oz at 5 weeks, 6 days). She
seems to be healthy, she is busy cooing and smiling at her toy right now. I
brought this up at her 6 week WBV and the doctor seems to think she was just
getting too much air and suggested simethicone (sp?) drops. We have been
using them about 4 times a day since last Tuesday. She does seem to be
passing more gas, but the crying and screaming is continuing.

I actually broke down and went and bought her a pacifier today, to see if
she was confusing comfort sucking with eating and getting mad when she got
milk. She took to the pacifier swimmingly. It made me cry to see her
sucking on a piece of plastic when just a few seconds earlier she was
screaming at my breast.

I just don't know what to do for her, or even if there is anything I can do
for her. Any help would be appreciated.

I can't really offer any help except to say that I go through this same
thing. He'll go through the screaming at the booby thing for a few days
and then stops and happily nurses for a couple days and then goes back to
screaming for a couple more. We just got over a particularly bad few days
around Thanksgiving where the only way I could get him to eat was to rock
him to sleep and then latch him on. My latest theory is that it's gas. It
seems that these spells happen around the same times that he has really
bad gas. I have way too much milk and a pretty forceful letdown and I
think that contributes to the gassiness. I give him gas drops and grip
water pretty regularly, but I'm not convinced it helps.

Manda

I have that problem sometimes. The gas drops have helped. I also sometime
just let the milk drip a little when she pulls away, until it slows own and
isnt choking her. My 7 week old has gotten into the habit of latching on,
getting the milk flowing, then pulling away and just letting it pool on her
lips and she LICKS it up.

"Gorgon Park" wrote in message
...
This has been happening on and off for about a week and a half now, but
today it was for every feeding since we got up this morning.

My DD (7 weeks) will act hungry and I will latch her on and start to feed
her. Every thing will be good for a few minutes (about 3 or 4), then she
will start to cry and scream. I burp her and calm her down, and try to
latch her back on, but she will suck a few times and then start to cry
again. This continues until either she gets sleepy enough to latch on and
eat for 10 minutes, or she falls totally asleep. We have tried different
positions (cross-cradle, football, side lying) all with the same result.

She is having wet and dirty diapers (although she is having a few green
stools here and there), and the last time I had her weighed, she was
gaining
weight just fine (8lbs2oz at birth, 10lbs15oz at 5 weeks, 6 days). She
seems to be healthy, she is busy cooing and smiling at her toy right now.
I
brought this up at her 6 week WBV and the doctor seems to think she was
just
getting too much air and suggested simethicone (sp?) drops. We have been
using them about 4 times a day since last Tuesday. She does seem to be
passing more gas, but the crying and screaming is continuing.

I actually broke down and went and bought her a pacifier today, to see if
she was confusing comfort sucking with eating and getting mad when she got
milk. She took to the pacifier swimmingly. It made me cry to see her
sucking on a piece of plastic when just a few seconds earlier she was
screaming at my breast.

I just don't know what to do for her, or even if there is anything I can
do
for her. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Stacey
Mom to DD, October 17, 2003

"Gorgon Park" wrote in message
...
This has been happening on and off for about a week and a half now, but
today it was for every feeding since we got up this morning.

My DD (7 weeks) will act hungry and I will latch her on and start to feed
her. Every thing will be good for a few minutes (about 3 or 4), then she
will start to cry and scream. I burp her and calm her down, and try to
latch her back on, but she will suck a few times and then start to cry
again. This continues until either she gets sleepy enough to latch on and
eat for 10 minutes, or she falls totally asleep. We have tried different
positions (cross-cradle, football, side lying) all with the same result.

She is having wet and dirty diapers (although she is having a few green
stools here and there),


Is green bad? I hope not. My DD has plenty of green.

and the last time I had her weighed, she was gaining
weight just fine (8lbs2oz at birth, 10lbs15oz at 5 weeks, 6 days). She
seems to be healthy, she is busy cooing and smiling at her toy right now.
I
brought this up at her 6 week WBV and the doctor seems to think she was
just
getting too much air and suggested simethicone (sp?) drops. We have been
using them about 4 times a day since last Tuesday. She does seem to be
passing more gas, but the crying and screaming is continuing.

I actually broke down and went and bought her a pacifier today, to see if
she was confusing comfort sucking with eating and getting mad when she got
milk. She took to the pacifier swimmingly. It made me cry to see her
sucking on a piece of plastic when just a few seconds earlier she was
screaming at my breast.


I have wondered if some babies did not just want to suck. You always hear
about how breastfed babies do not overeat. But some babies like to suck more
than others, and you always get SOME milk. Sorry you're bummed.

I just don't know what to do for her, or even if there is anything I can
do
for her. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Stacey
Mom to DD, October 17, 2003



I wish I had some advice for you. Would sympathy do?

Sorry.

S

"Stephanie and Tim" wrote
Is green bad? I hope not. My DD has plenty of green.

Green is not necessarily "bad" but is an indication sometimes that baby is
not getting enough hindmilk (the thicker higher calorie stuff). This can
happen for several reasons, overactive/forceful letdown is one, switching
breasts too soon is another. There's a bunch of others but I can't think
what they are right now!

The *problem* with this, is that some babies don't gain enough weight, or
they'll nurse more because foremilk is not as filling....

"Gorgon Park" wrote

Thanks for the advice, CY. I tried pumping off the first let down before
feeding her this morning and pumped an ounce before each feeding (I only
feed from one breast at each feeding). I also tried unlatching her if I
heard her gulping, but that also makes her mad.

How long did it take you to sort out this problem with your baby? I am
wondering how long it should be before I start to see an improvement for
her.

It was quite difficult for me to sort this problem out as I did not have all
the knowledge and experience I have now. I did get some good advice about
feeding against gravity but this is not the most comfortable way to nurse,
so I was not always nursing this way. Having said that, by the time she
was about 3 months old it naturally resolved itself as my milk supply had
regulated and her mouth was bigger. It's no fun while you are going through
it. I would say to give it about a week and if you have not seen
improvement by then, consult with an IBCLC. It is SOOO worth the money (in
my area, about $50-$75 an hour).


Also, any ideas how to gracefully nurse in public if I have to let the
first
let down spray off into a towel? It isn't the most discreet solution!


LOL. I would heartily recommend a sling to nurse in, in public. This way
you can discreetly tuck a towel in between baby and breast and nobody would
be any the wiser. Also, I found in the early days it was much easier to
find a dressing room (or in big stores like Nordstrom they have armchairs
and comfy places just outside the restroom area - I think they are called
family rooms or similar) to nurse, that way I could make myself comfortable
and nurse at will instead of focusing on how to be discreet.

Thanks for your help,

You're welcome.

Stacey

"CY" wrote in message
news:Y17Bb.25319$o9.20742@fed1read07...

"Gorgon Park" wrote


How long did it take you to sort out this problem with your baby? I am
wondering how long it should be before I start to see an improvement for
her.

It was quite difficult for me to sort this problem out as I did not have
all
the knowledge and experience I have now. I did get some good advice about
feeding against gravity but this is not the most comfortable way to nurse,
so I was not always nursing this way. Having said that, by the time she
was about 3 months old it naturally resolved itself as my milk supply had
regulated and her mouth was bigger.

Another month or so of this!?! I guess as long as I know it will eventually
work itself out, I can handle anything. Hopefully I can use your experience
to make it easier. Thanks again.

It's no fun while you are going through
it. I would say to give it about a week and if you have not seen
improvement by then, consult with an IBCLC. It is SOOO worth the money
(in
my area, about $50-$75 an hour).


Also, any ideas how to gracefully nurse in public if I have to let the
first
let down spray off into a towel? It isn't the most discreet solution!


LOL. I would heartily recommend a sling to nurse in, in public. This way
you can discreetly tuck a towel in between baby and breast and nobody
would
be any the wiser. Also, I found in the early days it was much easier to
find a dressing room (or in big stores like Nordstrom they have armchairs
and comfy places just outside the restroom area - I think they are called
family rooms or similar) to nurse, that way I could make myself
comfortable
and nurse at will instead of focusing on how to be discreet.

Thanks for this tip too. I have a sling, but we haven't tried to nurse in
it yet. I guess we will be working on that once we get the screaming a bit
under control.


Thanks for your help,

You're welcome.

Stacey

"Gorgon Park" wrote in message
This has been happening on and off for about a week and a half now, but
today it was for every feeding since we got up this morning.

My DD (7 weeks) will act hungry and I will latch her on and start to feed
her. Every thing will be good for a few minutes (about 3 or 4), then she
will start to cry and scream. I burp her and calm her down, and try to
latch her back on, but she will suck a few times and then start to cry
again. This continues until either she gets sleepy enough to latch on and
eat for 10 minutes, or she falls totally asleep. We have tried different
positions (cross-cradle, football, side lying) all with the same result.

My DS started doing this same sort of thing when he was about 3 weeks old.
It was terribly frustrating for me for a while, but I finally decided that
it was an I-want-to-suck-but-I'm-mad-to-be-getting-milk type of thing.
Similar to yours, he would be fine for a few minutes, but as soon as the
milk let down he would get really upset and cry. We really didn't want to
use pacifiers, but I finally offered one at 6 weeks and he was totally
uninterested in it. I know you're not supposed to schedule babies, but how I
handled his "spazzy" nursing was that I wouldn't offer to nurse unless it
had been more than an hour since he nursed the last time. If it had been
under an hour, he always spazzed out. I think he also got confused a bit and
would want to be asleep and wanted to nurse to get to sleep, but didn't want
the milk. If he seemed sleepy, I put him in the sling or DH bounced him,
instead of nursing, and he would go to sleep right away (no crying). This
happened only during the day. At night, he would nurse just fine.

Now, DS is 11 weeks old and still has problems with getting milk when he
just wants to suck. What he does now though instead of crying and spazzing
out, is suck for a little bit and then pop off and let milk run out of his
mouth. He will do this indefinitely, so after the first four times or so I
tell him that it is time to be "done playing" and do something else with him
instead.

She is having wet and dirty diapers (although she is having a few green
stools here and there), and the last time I had her weighed, she was
gaining
weight just fine (8lbs2oz at birth, 10lbs15oz at 5 weeks, 6 days). She
seems to be healthy, she is busy cooing and smiling at her toy right now.
I
brought this up at her 6 week WBV and the doctor seems to think she was
just
getting too much air and suggested simethicone (sp?) drops. We have been
using them about 4 times a day since last Tuesday. She does seem to be
passing more gas, but the crying and screaming is continuing.

I think I have a bit of an overactive letdown, but DS has never had a green
stool. He chokes while nursing sometimes and pulls off gasping and
spluttering. He then dives right back in!

the gas. Sometimes DS nurses oddly when he needs to pass gas--he'll
start pulling on the nipple kind of weirdly.

I expect that your baby will learn how to cope with both issues soon! Best
wishes!

--
Em
mama to L-baby, 11 weeks
nak, oht

wrote in message ...
Gorgon Park wrote:
This has been happening on and off for about a week and a half now, but
today it was for every feeding since we got up this morning.

My DD (7 weeks) will act hungry and I will latch her on and start to
feed
her. Every thing will be good for a few minutes (about 3 or 4), then
she
will start to cry and scream. I burp her and calm her down, and try to
latch her back on, but she will suck a few times and then start to cry
again. This continues until either she gets sleepy enough to latch on
and
eat for 10 minutes, or she falls totally asleep. We have tried
different
positions (cross-cradle, football, side lying) all with the same result.

She is having wet and dirty diapers (although she is having a few green
stools here and there), and the last time I had her weighed, she was
gaining
weight just fine (8lbs2oz at birth, 10lbs15oz at 5 weeks, 6 days). She
seems to be healthy, she is busy cooing and smiling at her toy right
now. I
brought this up at her 6 week WBV and the doctor seems to think she was
just
getting too much air and suggested simethicone (sp?) drops. We have
been
using them about 4 times a day since last Tuesday. She does seem to be
passing more gas, but the crying and screaming is continuing.

I actually broke down and went and bought her a pacifier today, to see
if
she was confusing comfort sucking with eating and getting mad when she
got
milk. She took to the pacifier swimmingly. It made me cry to see her
sucking on a piece of plastic when just a few seconds earlier she was
screaming at my breast.

I just don't know what to do for her, or even if there is anything I can
do
for her. Any help would be appreciated.

I can't really offer any help except to say that I go through this same
thing. He'll go through the screaming at the booby thing for a few days
and then stops and happily nurses for a couple days and then goes back to
screaming for a couple more. We just got over a particularly bad few days
around Thanksgiving where the only way I could get him to eat was to rock
him to sleep and then latch him on. My latest theory is that it's gas. It
seems that these spells happen around the same times that he has really
bad gas. I have way too much milk and a pretty forceful letdown and I
think that contributes to the gassiness. I give him gas drops and grip
water pretty regularly, but I'm not convinced it helps.

It helps just to know that I am not the only one, especially in the dark of
the night when my imagination runs away with me and I think of all the
terrible things that could be wrong!


Manda

"Nina" wrote in message
. ..
I have that problem sometimes. The gas drops have helped. I also sometime
just let the milk drip a little when she pulls away, until it slows own
and
isnt choking her. My 7 week old has gotten into the habit of latching on,
getting the milk flowing, then pulling away and just letting it pool on
her
lips and she LICKS it up.

I have been pumping off the first letdown today and I will see if that makes
a difference. My milk doesn't just drip if she pulls off during the
letdown, it sprays everywhere. Once this is under control, I will
definately have to have my couch cleaned!


"Gorgon Park" wrote in message
...
This has been happening on and off for about a week and a half now, but
today it was for every feeding since we got up this morning.

My DD (7 weeks) will act hungry and I will latch her on and start to
feed
her. Every thing will be good for a few minutes (about 3 or 4), then
she
will start to cry and scream. I burp her and calm her down, and try to
latch her back on, but she will suck a few times and then start to cry
again. This continues until either she gets sleepy enough to latch on
and
eat for 10 minutes, or she falls totally asleep. We have tried
different
positions (cross-cradle, football, side lying) all with the same result.

She is having wet and dirty diapers (although she is having a few green
stools here and there), and the last time I had her weighed, she was
gaining
weight just fine (8lbs2oz at birth, 10lbs15oz at 5 weeks, 6 days). She
seems to be healthy, she is busy cooing and smiling at her toy right
now.
I
brought this up at her 6 week WBV and the doctor seems to think she was
just
getting too much air and suggested simethicone (sp?) drops. We have
been
using them about 4 times a day since last Tuesday. She does seem to be
passing more gas, but the crying and screaming is continuing.

I actually broke down and went and bought her a pacifier today, to see
if
she was confusing comfort sucking with eating and getting mad when she
got
milk. She took to the pacifier swimmingly. It made me cry to see her
sucking on a piece of plastic when just a few seconds earlier she was
screaming at my breast.

I just don't know what to do for her, or even if there is anything I can
do
for her. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Stacey
Mom to DD, October 17, 2003