At the brink of exhaustion! Need advice for my fussy baby!

coachswife24 · September 2011

Oh my word...my sweet girl is 3 weeks old and the last few nights have been TERRIBLE! I'm breastfeeding and am being really careful in what I eat and she seems ok during the day. The last two days though she has been fussy in the morning and I truly think it's because she's not getting any sleep at night!

Last night I fed her at 8 - she was having some gas pains and was squirming all over the place during her feeding. I burped her about 3 times. Then, two hours later, she was hungry again & that's when all hell broke loose! She only went about an hour of being somewhat happy...then at 11 serious crying. Spitting up frequently with one BIG spit up (I would call it vomit, really). I held her off until midnight...fed her again and was just so incredibly fussy. My back is sore from walking and rocking and swaying...I would try to put her in her bassinet and she would scream bloody murder. Spit up again a little and then I was able to hold her off until 2...fed her at 2 and FINALLY she fell asleep in my arms. This has been our crazy night routine for the last few nights. She is just NOT happy. I want to say that she is just overtired when it gets passed that midnight mark after she's been crying for a while. We are at a loss? She spits up during the day and sometimes I can tell it bothers her. Think I might call our pediatrician today...but I don't know what they could do? I'm at the brink of exhaustion and about to just throw in the towel with the nursing thing, even though I don't want to. I just think my body is struggling keeping up with her crazy schedule at night and I'm wondering if she's not getting satisfied??

What advice do you have? I have read putting them on a schedule sometimes works. I think a lot of it is tiredness and she just wants to nurse to put herself to sleep, but then the reflux acts up and it's just a vicious cycle.

She's asleep right now and I'm about to sleep also because I'm in desperate need...Any advice would be greatly appreciated ladies! Thank you!!

kellbranc · September 2011

1st off Im so sorry!!!!!! I understand the pain of having a fussy baby!!!!!

Have you asked your pedi about reflux? I know my friends LO had this & had many of the same symptoms

ShannonMacHappy · September 2011

I'm so sorry you're having a rough time! Can I ask why you're "holding her off" to nurse? When your LO is this young, you should put her to the breast as often as she wants it -- it will help build your supply. Also, it could be a growth spurt and yes, she really could be that hungry (even though it seems nuts!). Your milk comes in on demand -- if she is sucking, your body is producing milk. As for the reflux, I don't have any experience with that, so no advice there. But for gas? Make sure you hold her upright for a bit after feeding (I just lay DS on my chest, even if he fell asleep nursing, he'll stay asleep in this position.). I also grab his thighs, push them into his stomach, and do a counter-clockwise circle. This usually brings on quite a few farts, if not sometimes a poo. He always seems relieved afterward! I know it can be rough -- good luck!!

coachswife24 · September 2011

Well...about the nursing...last night she ate at 10, got done at 10:45 and then started fussing again at 11. I figured I would try to hold her off at least until the 11:30 (1.5 hr) mark? I just am baffled at the fact that she would want to eat 15 minutes after finishing? I tell ya', nursing is like cracking a code at times. I'm wondering if I'm producing enough as it is..? How in the world do I know?

Thanks for your advice!!

AnnaRedhead · September 2011

Does your bassinet have an incline? That may help with the reflux problem. We had to get the Fisher Price Rock and Play bc Colin was having a hard time with reflux and getting comfortable laying flat on his back. This thing has been a total life saver!! We got 7 straight hours out of him last night...definitely check into it!

As far as the gas pains/spitting up/vomiting goes...have you eaten anything you can think of that may be messsing with her stomach?

AnnaRedhead · September 2011

coachswife24:

Well...about the nursing...last night she ate at 10, got done at 10:45 and then started fussing again at 11. I figured I would try to hold her off at least until the 11:30 (1.5 hr) mark? I just am baffled at the fact that she would want to eat 15 minutes after finishing? I tell ya', nursing is like cracking a code at times. I'm wondering if I'm producing enough as it is..? How in the world do I know?

Thanks for your advice!!

Have you pumped at all? Maybe then you can see how much your putting out?

MandG2010 · September 2011

Sounds a bit like my little man at that age. Turns out he's alergic to milk protein. I had to cut out ALL dairy from my diet and he's fine now. Try this for a week and see if it helps.

katie4253 · September 2011

AnnaRedhead:
coachswife24:

Well...about the nursing...last night she ate at 10, got done at 10:45 and then started fussing again at 11. I figured I would try to hold her off at least until the 11:30 (1.5 hr) mark? I just am baffled at the fact that she would want to eat 15 minutes after finishing? I tell ya', nursing is like cracking a code at times. I'm wondering if I'm producing enough as it is..? How in the world do I know?

Thanks for your advice!!

Have you pumped at all? Maybe then you can see how much your putting out?

This is terrible advice. Pumping is in no way an indication of what you are producing. Letting down for a pump and a baby are very different. Don't waste your time doing this.

Contact a LC or go to a LLL meeting and see if you can do a weighted feed. It will tell you how much she is getting.

Also, call your pedi and tell them what is going on. It very well could be reflux.

katie4253 · September 2011

AnnaRedhead:
coachswife24:

Well...about the nursing...last night she ate at 10, got done at 10:45 and then started fussing again at 11. I figured I would try to hold her off at least until the 11:30 (1.5 hr) mark? I just am baffled at the fact that she would want to eat 15 minutes after finishing? I tell ya', nursing is like cracking a code at times. I'm wondering if I'm producing enough as it is..? How in the world do I know?

Thanks for your advice!!

Have you pumped at all? Maybe then you can see how much your putting out?

This is terrible advice. Pumping is in no way an indication of what you are producing. Letting down for a pump and a baby are very different. Don't waste your time doing this.

Contact a LC or go to a LLL meeting and see if you can do a weighted feed. It will tell you how much she is getting.

Also, call your pedi and tell them what is going on. It very well could be reflux or a milk protein sensitivity.

katie4253 · September 2011

Also, if you aren't swaddling try it. Google "escape proof swaddle" and try that. It is our savior.

SMJ1106 · September 2011

This was me last week! I would call your pediatrician and ask to be seen... our LO was put on Maalox for reflux and we were instructed to keep her inclined/upright for 30 minutes after eating because she was constantly fussy and always wanting to eat. NONSTOP! She would scream and cry if she wasn't on the boob... very frustrating. Apparently constantly BF would keep the acidic fluids down and save her from the burning discomfort and pain. Since the Maalox helped we've been prescribed Xantac for her reflux. I've also been using Mylicon for her gas since she has been very very gassy. It has seemed to help a bit. Also... try swaddling tightly, too.

Hope things get better for you soon!!!

ShannonMacHappy · September 2011

katie4253:
AnnaRedhead:
coachswife24:

Well...about the nursing...last night she ate at 10, got done at 10:45 and then started fussing again at 11. I figured I would try to hold her off at least until the 11:30 (1.5 hr) mark? I just am baffled at the fact that she would want to eat 15 minutes after finishing? I tell ya', nursing is like cracking a code at times. I'm wondering if I'm producing enough as it is..? How in the world do I know?

Thanks for your advice!!

Have you pumped at all? Maybe then you can see how much your putting out?
This is terrible advice. Pumping is in no way an indication of what you are producing. Letting down for a pump and a baby are very different. Don't waste your time doing this.
Contact a LC or go to a LLL meeting and see if you can do a weighted feed. It will tell you how much she is getting.
Also, call your pedi and tell them what is going on. It very well could be reflux or a milk protein sensitivity.

This! Pumping and BFing will produce totally different outcomes. Try a weighted feeding if you can. But as a general rule, if your LO is gaining weight and peeing and pooping, then they're getting enough to eat!

OUKap · September 2011

That was my night, minus the spit up. She ate from 8-9 and then every 1.5 hours after that. She would go to sleep and then wake up crying 30 minutes later. I think she was pretty gassy. I tried a few things here: https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/crying-colic-9/infant-gas?page=2

The night before she slept for 5 hours and then 3 hrs with no crying. The night before that was up every 2 hours.

She has been happily sleeping in her bouncer this morning. I turned on the vibrating setting for a few minutes until she dosed off. Having her sleep on an incline might help.

MWhitneyM · September 2011

We had the same problems about 5 or 6 days ago, and since then I have changed a few things that have made a big difference.

Seriously I was at my wit's end, and was about to lose my mind. I spent several nights in tears around 4 am when I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep in over 24 hours.

What has worked for us;

1. gas drops before every feeding.

2. burping every 3-5 minutes during feeding

3. putting LO to sleep at an incline. She goes down so easy in her swing. I know this is a bad habit we are eventually going to have to break, but for the time being I will take it if it works.

4.escape proof swaddle- for real ...it WORKS!

5. dream feeding session right before I go to sleep.

6. paying attention to wake/ nap times that are appropriate for her age. I try not to keep her awake for more than 1hr and 15mins in between naps and I avoid overstimulation.

She wakes up every 3 hours as opposed to every 45 mins and eats slower and more productively instead of fighting the boob and screaming. AND the best part is that she goes right back to sleep in my arms or back to the swing w/o inconsolable screaming for another hour.

I am going to talk to our pediatrician about reflux, because I am pretty sure that is our problem...or just seriously some bad painful gas and LO system needs to mature.

In the meantime- and just in the past few days I have seen some major improvement using what I listed above.

I am not saying it will work for you, but it wouldn't hurt to try...

TanyaKM · September 2011

My LO was also ridiculously fussy around 3 weeks, and I read that's when they have one of their growth spurts. I wouldn't worry about your milk supply unless she's not gaining weight or having enough wet/dirty diapers.

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At the brink of exhaustion! Need advice for my fussy baby!

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