What`s the Deal with my Baby??? Eating AND Sleeping

S

Shenzhennifer

Registered User
So, finally starting to get better at breastfeeding my 3.5 week old boy, and baby was following a nice little pattern there, and now everything has changed.
For the past week he is either very very hungry or has started snacking. He wants to eat alllll the time. Also it looks like he is barely sleeping, and he is a very noisy baby, always making noises and moving about. For example, I will feed him at 2pm(both sides), put him down at 2.45 and then at 3.15 he is crying. I tried the process of elimination, but it`s for sure food he`s after. so I give him another go at one side - 10 minutes later he`s out, I put him down, and lie down also, but within another 15 minutes he`s up again, crying. I also think he`s got some kind of gas that keeps him up. This time I just took him in bed with me for 2 hrs, fed him again at 6(one side only as he`s fallen asleep) and then down at 6.45, only to wake up for more at 7.15! it`s like this now, endless, even at night time too!
Aside from being exhausting for me to feed him nearly every hour, I`m totally mystified as to why he`s like this. I know he`s getting milk - I compress my breasts, and I hear the milk going in and being swallowed. And he`s totally tired when he pulls himself off. He just falls asleep.
Was anyone`s baby like this too? Is this just a phase? I just worry that bad habits will develop and I will have to continue like this for months to come.
Any advice is welcome.
 
babies will always keep you guessing. just when you think you've figured that little bundle out... EVERYTHING CHANGES!

get use to it! my kids are 2 & 4 and they still like to change things up on me!

keep in mind that babies generally go through growth spurts at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months....that could be a large part of the problem.
 
Have you thought that he might have an allergy to your milk ? You can try to do a dairy free diet during a few days, and within the next 10 days, you should see if that's the problem.
It's not easy at the beginning, but the results are really good (on your baby and on you too).
Apart from that... can be a growth spurt...
 
from the description, it doesn't sound like he's having a reaction. rather, it sounds like he is VERY hungry, but using all of his energy to suck, then falls asleep without finishing... then wakes up realises that he's still hungry and then starts again....
 
A baby crying everytime, shortly after being fed, can be a symptom of reaction to the milk. It's true that generally the symptoms can be a lot more obvious, but cramps due to allergy can cause excessive crying, relieved by nursing, but starting again and again...
There is no need to stop breastfeeding, but if it lasts, could be interesting to do an allergy test, just to make sure...
 
my daughter was lactose intolerant. i ended up taking her to the doctor because she seemed either to sleep or scream. there was no middle ground.

he prescribed lactase drops. they worked a miracle on her. it is the enzyme that breaks down the lactose in the milk. she took them for about 3 weeks and by that point she had gotten over the discomfort.

however, she is now two and still has quite the temper on her. i don't know if it is a carry over from her first few months of life or not as her brother was a very calm, quiet baby and is still on the subdued side of the coin
 
Carang - you`re right - he falls asleep bc he thinks he`s had enough, but then will wake up shortly for more bc his stomach is still not full. He`s not the best sleeper as he`s very noisy, and prefers not to be swaddled so I think he wakes himself up easily and then realises he`s hungry. However, he also does this when I nurse him from both breasts and I feel he`s had a full feed. Also, I don`t know what babies are typically like, but he`s always pooping and farting. I do notice that often this seems to be painful for him, and he does lift his legs up and flail his arms about. It is after a feed, maybe 30-60 minutes, but I just assume that his body is digesting at that time.

Frenchie - yes, you could be right too. I have thought about the possibility that something I`m eating could give him some tummy trouble. But aside from my morning yogurt(which I skipped today) I don`t consume dairy anymore. I eat eggs nearly every day so that could be it, but aside from that, I wouldn`t know where to start - muesli, whole wheat bread, rice, (oily) Chinese food, pork, etc. My diet is not so exotic right now.
He doesn`t cry excessively - he only cries when he needs his diaper changed, or when he needs to eat. For his gassy spells, it`s more crying out and whimpering and moving his body about, and you can tell once gas gets released or he poops, he calms down, until the next one comes. He`s done this since birth.
I also notice this often happens more in the afternoon.

How or where can I get an allergy test?
 
both of my kids were big farters... actually my daughter still is.

one of her first complete sentences was, "mummy, riley fart!"

remember that their system is not used to all this "eating" and it takes a while for them to become used to the new feelings.
 
Who knows? Maybe your son isn't doing anything abnormal, actually...my son slept 45 minutes at a time like a cat taking cat naps for 4 months--never had any sort of regular eating pattern and wore us out. Hated to be swaddled. Loud eater. Loud sleeper. Cried immediately when waking up and woke up a lot. So, it could very much just be his personality. Until we put our son on a schedule at 4 months there was no hope of getting any type of rest--but it takes time with newborns and sometimes you really do have to just tough it out and watch and see. It actually doesn't sound like anything at all is wrong with him. You can tell when a baby is screaming in pain. A little bit of gas usually isn't the culprit. If you're concerned, stop by Watson's and pick up a bottle of Gripe Water for 35 HKD and use that--it can help a lot and is safe. Also Mylicon drops are helpful and safe for babies if you think gas is the issue. Doesn't sound like he is in pain from gas--he is just probably having a growth spurt--signified by the constant eating. My lactation consultant suggested not letting the baby fall asleep while breast feeding--which means you strip the baby down to his diaper so he doesn't get too warm and comfortable and if you see him nodding off, you wake him up by walking your fingers up his back--that way he can get through a full feed and not do the 10-minute snacking and then doze off. But, overall, it doesn't seem like anything is "wrong" with your baby--he's just being a high-maintenance newborn--I've been there done that. Best wishes.
 
just a thought, many 3 wk olds go through a growth spurt where they eat alllll the time, the same happens to most at around 6 weeks. after that its usually a bit better!
 
Shenzhennifer

Your bub sounds exactly like mine who is now 8 weeks. In the first few weeks my boy would be exhausted after breastfeeding and would fall asleep on the breast only to wake up an hour later hungry. He wasn't gaining weight as he was using too much energy feeding. On my Dr's advice I gave him a shorter breast feed (20min max) and then I would give him EBM in a bottle which filled him up without using up too much energy. As he put on weight and got stronger he was able to breast feed longer and longer.

I would persevere with the swaddling, my boy too used to fight the swaddle and still does on occasions. But he will soon learn that it will help him to sleep. Once he is swaddled hold him on his side into your chest and pat his bottom and rock him, it will soon calm him down and you will feel his little body relax in your arms. I did this to classical music and at first it took nearly an hour for him to calm down but after a few days it gets quicker. Now I only have to hold him for less than 5 min and sometimes I can put him straight into his hammock, mainly at night when he is tired.

Don't worry about the pooping and farting, its normal. My boy would also pulll his legs up, pull a strange face, sometimes go red in the face, and stop what he is doing. They will do this until they get used to the sensations as its all new and strange for them. Now my bub will fart and eat at the same time! I had the same thoughts about an allergic reaction too, but as I don't eat dairy products I knew that wasn't the problem. It sounds like your baby is just getting used to his bodily functions.

And as Rebekah mentions above it is most likely a growth spurt. We just went through the 6 week growth spurt and he just wanted to feed and feed and feed.
 
we used to also express milk and feed via bottle and the baby did seem to settle a little better in the first few weeks.
 
sounds like either a growth spurt where babies need to be fed what feels like 24/7 or perhaps lactose intolerant or even reflux? is his tummy tight when he feeds? clentched fists? our son had silent reflux where he never threw up feeds, but was just so uncomfortable during them and afterwards. We had to feed him smaller amts more frequently. he also slept on his tummy from around 6 weeks old as that's the only way he could get a good night's rest. of course, this goes against everything, but for us it was fine and we were vigiliant. as a result, he had extremely strong back and neck muscles, was an early crawler and walker.

if he's none of the above, i would agree with everyone else -sounds like just a growth spurt.
 
Wow, I hope the general consensus is right and it really is a growth spurt. Last night he fed at 12.30, 2.30, 4.20, 6.30, showed signs at 8.00 but was able to hold off til 9.00(with some TLC and a very sleepy mama) and now he`s all fed up, both boobies, changed 2 X, held, loved, allowed to chill out and now he`s back in his bed (baby hammock). It`s been 10 minutes and counting... wish us luck.
In another week or so, I do plan to give him the occasional (maybe nightly) bottle of EBM, so I can make sure he is eating that said amount at once, and hopefully he will sleep a bit more, and it will also give my poor nipples a rest from mr. gums.
Even though he nurses for short periods usually, he has gotten so much heavier and pudgier since he was born 3.5 weeks ago that I`m not even concerned that he`s getting enough anymore. My arms and eyes give me the affirmative sign. He doesn`t seem to be in any discomfort during feeds -it`s always afterwards, but perhaps Karmah1 is right when she said about the babies getting used to new sensations and such. That`s a nice way of looking at things - everything is so new to them, of course.
As you all know, it`s hard being a first time Mommy, and even moreso I feel it`s hard here on the mainland because I don`t really have the option of skipping out to a pediatrician as I will when I move to HK.
This forum is very valuable to me, and I thank everyone who gives their input and experience.
15 minutes and counting! maybe I can even have a shower!
 
my daughter fed every two hours like clockwork for the first 2-3 months. after that, she slowed down a little bit...but now at 2 years, she still seems to eat all the time.
 
How tiring it must have been for you!
Yeah, if mine had done that since birth, I would have been ok with it. But he was pretty good about waking up 2.5-3.5 hrs between feeds. Now all of a sudden... but must be a growth spurt - that`s what we`ll say...
55 minutes and counting...
 
If I may put my two-penneth in! :O) He just sounds like a perfectly normal little 3.5 month old and, as Carang said, it sounds like a growth spurt. Plus, a baby this young still gets tired easily and is probably falling to sleep before he's done, or just decides to have a nap before going back for desert. It will pass and he'll settle down again - you're doing great. It is tiring though, isn't it. I seemed to constantly feed my little one when she was very young. Lie down and snoze as much as possible when you feed him and then you're getting some rest too.

Well done for getting through your soreness and great to hear he's feeding so well and that the breast compression is working perfectly.

:O)
 
Sorry for my typo - 3.5 weeks old of course.

I can tell how committed you are to breastfeeding so do be cautious about introducing the bottle too soon as it could really aggravate your sore nipples if this little fella, who's still learning to breastfeed, get confused by the different sucking technique he'll need to use to suck from a bottle. It's great to hear how much weight he's putting on, so do you really need to reassure yourself how much he might be drinking in one go? Plus, of course, it isn't really an indication because breast sucking and bottle sucking are very different and he won't necessarily take from a bottle what he would have taken from your breast. Don't make these first few weeks any harder for yourself. Just enjoy your growing well nourished baby and give yourself a pat on the back for your effort. I'm sure if he could talk, he'd say thank you Mummy.

We're all routing for you, we've all been there, so we totally understand where you're coming from.
 
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