What's up with my baby? Very long but help please.
So many changes have occurred within the last two weeks and it's driving me nuts. First of all I bf and ff. Little by little it was becoming mostly breast. I was so excited that for a few nights in a row Dd would be satisfied with nursing and go right back to sleep. Most days I didn't have to give a bottle until the early evening. I had even started getting the courage to nurse in public. But then from one day to the next DD began to hate the breast. She screams bloody murder when my nipple touches her. After ten minutes or so I just give up and give her FF and she takes that quickly. I want to continue some breastmilk but it's almost impossible to find time to pump. Only this morning did she take the breast and that was because she was half asleep but she continues to gag when I offer the right breast. I fear that breastmilk will be a thing of the past when I go back to work next month. I really really want to keep trying.
The other thing is sleep. I thought we had started getting into a routine. I would give her a bath, massage, bottle around 9:30 and by 11 she was knocked out. She would sleep until 4 or 5 , nurse, then sleep another 2 or 3 hours. She would also take two or three 2 hour naps during the day. Now she almost never naps and if she does it will last 1hr the most. She falls asleep in my arms and is wide awake once I lay her down. Before I could put her down when she looked drowsy and she would fall asleep on her own. Now she goes to sleep at 2am and sleeps a total of 4 hours wakes up for 3 hours and sleeps 1more hour. I look like a zombie. We need sleep.
Poop. She used to poop at least twice a day.now she goes every other day. I know babies change but it all happened to suddenly as if she was switched with another baby. Please help.
Oh is this normal. She has started to spit up a little which she never did before. I'm ok with that but sometimes it comes out her nose and she starts to suffocate with it. I have to suck it out with aspirator and she cries because it startled her. fTM maybe worrying too much.
Re: What's up with my baby? Very long but help please.
She may scream at the breast because it takes a little bit more time for letdown to happen than if you were just giving a bottle where she is getting it immediately. I know finding time to pump is hard, trust me, I've been there. But if continuing to breastfeed her is a priority you'll find time to do it. When my LO was really small I could only do one breast at a time because I had to hold her w/ the other arm. Eventually, I could lay her on her playmat long enough to get a session in. Just play around w/ a few things and see what works best w/ her.
Yes, LO's routine's change ALL the time! She also may be going through a growth spurt so she could be a little clingier. Have you tried getting her down a little earlier at night? 11pm is awfully late. We put LO down for the night at 630pm (that's when we start bedtime routine). Try moving her bedtime a little earlier each night and she'll let you know what time is good for her. We did 730pm for the longest time but noticed she kept falling asleep or was super duper fussy before we could get to that time so we moved it up, now it's great!
As far as spitting up goes: yes, also very normal. My LO would spit up out her nose when she did tummy time. If she's getting more formula then she's also getting more air in her belly from the bottle so that could be causing it.
My LO also poops every other day. Sometimes she'll poop 2 times in a day, other times 2 days goes by but mostly it's every other day. Totally normal
If I put her down at 11 then she'll get up close to 5 to feed then go back to sleep until 7. Sometimes she would go back to sleep until 9 but past that she is up for the day. Lately she'll just take 5 minute cat naps throughout the day and stay up at 5.
I know 11 is late but I figured that would be a good time since shell do a 5 hour stretch once. If I put her down at 7 then she'll be wide awake at midnight.
Thank u for taking the time to read.
I also think 11pm is way too late for bed. If you try the bedtime routine earlier, you may find that baby will sleep longer or just go back to sleep for a longer stretch after the first time baby wakes. Keep in mind that if baby wakes and the sun is out/room is light, baby is less likely to sleep again for an extended amount of time. If it is still dark, that helps to get them sleeping for longer.
As far as breast vs bottle. I would try to be as diligent as possible and avoid the bottle if possible. If you have to, you can tube feed formula from the breast to help get the baby back on the breast. Try talking to a lactation consultant about tips. Babies do get nipple confusion and this could very well be the case.
Good luck!