Help - Newborn who will not stop crying

[Mermaid02]

YES.



I agree with this.

I don't really agree that bigger babies need more milk...my baby who was under 8 pounds drank tons to GET bigger...bigger babies don't have such big growth curves, usually, as I believe they are working to get back to a more average curve.

But without baby trying trying trying, working working working, to help her body make that milk, that milk won't get made.




I agree so very very much!




Absolutely!

I could have fed an army of babies if they actually nursed from me...from the pump, almost nothing.




Absolutely!





All this anti-nursing advice is giving me an ulcer! I am SO glad I listened to NO ONE, not even the women on mothering.com's forums, when DS was new.

My milk didn't come in until the 5th day. It's the ONLY thing good that came out of being mystifyingly booted from the hospital 42 hours post-op, that I wasn't being watched over and given horrid advice. I was able to hole up, ignore everyone, and just pay attention to my baby.

If your friend had medication during labor, if she was given fluids via IV, if she had an epidural, if she had major abdominal surgery on the same day her baby was born, ALL of those can and usually do interfere with milk production. And if she was given fluids, those go to the baby,and can pump up their weight falsely.

And if she circumvents things early like this, THAT is going to interfere with it as well.

Even my pro-nursing aunt was getting agita, trying to get me to supplement. I tuned her out, tuned in my baby, nursed him until I was ready to scream...and on that 5th glorious day it was most excellent. Fabulous milk spilling over...would never have gotten to that if I'd followed anyone's advice.


Breastmilk (of all species) INCLUDES lactase, which is the enzyme that helps break down lactose. Since purchased milk is usually destroyed by heat, it doesn't have that...lactose intolerance is more common with that. Human breastmilk from the source is not pasteurized, and has that incredibly helpful ingredient in it! Isn't that amazing?


She needs to contact LLL counselors NOW. She needs to get people who have been there done that and gone THROUGH it, not circumvented it, on her side.

I'm sad she's going to the doctors. She will likely get bad advice there.

Being on breast and chest is NORMAL. Is she trying to do anything else? She's only had this job for 3 days, same with the baby; feeding this baby is her ONLY job right now. No dishes, no food, no laundry (unless she's using cloth diapers, in which case she might have to go laundry if she can)...others should be taking care of HER so that she can take care of the BABY.

Sleep when he sleeps. If he needs to sleep on her chest, make it work. I personally couldn't side-lie to nurse for quite awhile, but many others can do it fast; if she can, do it. Baby needs her to be there 24/7, and her milk ducts need baby to be there 24/7 as well.

Nobody here has said ANYTHING anti nursing. I'm not sure what you're reading.

 

[jenrose66]

One thing comes to mind for me based on experiences I've had with my kids.

Even though the baby is comfortable on the breast he may just have a milk sensitivity. I would try soy formula. For some reason doctors will say up and down that milk isn't an issue but for lots of babies it is and it takes a long time to fix the problem because everything else is tried first instead of just putting the baby on soy. I tried breastfeeding and milk based formulas and even the expensive formula (alimentum on my first) before switching to soy and it was a night and day difference. When second DS was getting gassy and fussy like my first I put him on soy and everything was fine.

 

[desertgirl]

You said that they checked for colic....does this include reflux? Two of my kids had reflux issues as babies and had similar symptoms. The pain from reflux is worst when the baby is laid on its' back, so they tended to scream when they were laid down.

This! It sounds exactly like both of my children as newborns, and they had reflux. See if she can get a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist. My daughter saw one at three months, but I was able to get my son in right away and on a medicine plan after a week because I knew the symptoms immediately.

I remember trying to talk to the nurse at the family practice describing my daughter's behavior at a couple weeks old (nonstop crying unless I held her in a certain position, no sleeping, just plain bad mood all the time). After a couple of suggestions that didn't work, she said that it just sounded like my daughter's personality. I was afraid I had a serial killer on my hands. Fortunately, when we got her checked out by a specialist and put her on meds, things got much better. It took awhile, but at least she was no longer a little Ted Bundy!

Good luck!

 

[wilderness01]

She more than likely isn't going to get a GI referral at 3 days of age. No one would put a baby through a diagnostic test like that so young, unless there was proof that he was refluxing and thus choking, i.e. turning blue from destaturation or having his heart rate drop from having a bradycardiac episode. If any of these things had happened, he wouldn't have been released from the hospital, but instead he would have been admitted to the NICU.

Also, even if she is feeding some formula, it isn't wise to switch right away unless there is a family history of lactose intolerance. Again, just my 2 cents.

 

[punkin]

One thing comes to mind for me based on experiences I've had with my kids.

Even though the baby is comfortable on the breast he may just have a milk sensitivity. I would try soy formula. For some reason doctors will say up and down that milk isn't an issue but for lots of babies it is and it takes a long time to fix the problem because everything else is tried first instead of just putting the baby on soy. I tried breastfeeding and milk based formulas and even the expensive formula (alimentum on my first) before switching to soy and it was a night and day difference. When second DS was getting gassy and fussy like my first I put him on soy and everything was fine.

Soy can be very allergenic. I am glad it worked for you, but it is not a cure-all and is very bad for many babies.

I think he is probably hungry and needs to get nursing established. That's why he's constantly on the breast. At this stage, that is very appropriate. About the crying, I also would suspect reflux. My DNiece had it, and until she was on medication, nothing helped.

 

[kidshop]

Newborn babies are fussy and it can be a shock. I swear by swaddling tightly, offering breast or a turned up pinky nearly constantly, and a sling! If baby is wetting, he's getting enough. Pretty much this is my full time job for the first 6 weeks of life.

The Happiest Baby on the block is an excellent book that details normal baby behavior.


Breastfed babies do behave differently than formula fed ones, and most people are not very familiar with normal bfed baby behavior since most are not bfed very long, if at all.

That is just a fact.

 

[RitaZ.]

No truer words were ever spoken !! I wish I could go back and do it all over again . If I knew then what I know now, I would have been more patient and tried harder. I made it to 3 months, but I wish I would have stuck the year out.

That's about as long as I lasted when I nursed my first child. Bleeding, raw nipples ( one later cracked which led to mastitis) , pain, etc. It was absolutely awful! I lasted for as long as I did because I wanted DS to get the benefits from breast milk. By the time my second and third children were born, I was a pro. No problems whatsoever!

 

[MizTink]

i went through this with my son 17 years ago. i was his human pacifier for the longest time! he eventually just outgrew it.
the best thing i did was hold him, nurse him, etc as much as he wanted. i also drank chamomile tea to help him relax. and i vacuumed A LOT!! "white noise"....

 

[MizTink]

Newborn babies are fussy and it can be a shock. I swear by swaddling tightly, offering breast or a turned up pinky nearly constantly, and a sling! If baby is wetting, he's getting enough. Pretty much this is my full time job for the first 6 weeks of life.

The Happiest Baby on the block is an excellent book that details normal baby behavior.


Breastfed babies do behave differently than formula fed ones, and most people are not very familiar with normal bfed baby behavior since most are not bfed very long, if at all.

That is just a fact.

 

[cm8]

I wonder if he is not getting enough to eat. He is a big baby and she may not be producing enough milk for him. Has she tried to pump and give him a bottle, then she would know how much milk she is producing and how much he is consuming.

, that is most likely the issue, I saw his photo and he is so handsome. Robin, I hope that she has had success at the doctors today

 

[ilovejack02]

That's about as long as I lasted when I nursed my first child. Bleeding, raw nipples ( one later cracked which led to mastitis) , pain, etc. It was absolutely awful! I lasted for as long as I did because I wanted DS to get the benefits from breast milk. By the time my second and third children were born, I was a pro. No problems whatsoever!

: ) That is awesome! I just know I could do better with another one. I hoped to have a few more to practice with by now , unfortunately we are 9 years past and no more kiddos. Darn ovaries , wont cooperate lol.

 

[locolala]

I would also recommend looking into geting a swing or bouncy chair that vibrates. The swing is a godsend in this house when DD is being fussy.