Chaz Moms and Moms-to-Be Chat (everyone welcome)

[Barbara!]

I have no experience with that, but I also never have that problem when sinking milk (and have never heard of it). Why doesn't the doc want you to switch formula? Honestly, I'd probably be switching to see if it makes a difference.

He doesn't want me to switch until he can see him and rule out a virus because last time we tried a different formula, he had a pretty violent reaction so we are treading carefully this time. He seems to do well on what he is on, with the right amounts of poops and pees, he is just starting to display this mucous problem. He's kept down all his feedings today, though, because I have been making him eat a little slower.

Is he going right back down for you at night? I can't remember when, by I think our dr told us to stop middle of the night feeds at 6 weeks maybe....it's been a few years so my brain is rusty, but that is something I would ask your dr.

Also, to make sure his awake time is during the day instead of at night, try to keep him awake for 30 minutes after every daytime feeding so that he figures out daytime. I also, when it was still necessary to change them at night, changed them first, then fed them back to sleep.

Hope you get some rest soon! He is a cutie!!!

Yeah, he sleeps at night, but pretty erratically. His only solid sleeping habit so far is he has one long 3-4 hour nap every evening just before night time. I've been trying to push that nap further into night with no luck so far. And he also usually has his longest awake period for two hours... At 3 AM. -___-

The doc did say that he should be sleeping more at night and able to tell the difference between night and day at six weeks, so you could be right. Six weeks seems so far... Lol.

That's good advice about the changing. Will do. His diapers have wetness indicators which I love because they help me know whether or not he even needs to be changed.

 

[milos_mommy]

Did anyone else's baby's fussy periods get worse at 6 weeks? Because I'm about to die from exhaustion.

Lillian hardly ever cried for the first 4 weeks, about a week ago she started with half hour fussy periods each night. Yesterday and today it's been 10x worse. If she's not sleeping, eating, or riding in the car or stroller, she's screaming. She's also just gotten off formula and onto exclusively breast milk, but she seems to fight taking the breast when fussy and a bottle only marginally calms her down.

I know 6-10 weeks is usually the fussiest but oh. My. God. I was not expecting this.

 

[Grab]

I'm no help. Clive slept for more than a 3 hour stretch exactly once in his infancy. And at 2.5 yrs it's still VERY rare for him to ever sleep through the night. He also has night terrors now and then. Fun times, fun times...

ETA that I think pretty much every child sleeps better than mine, though, so I'd not worry. I am still amazed that two sleep loving people could create a child who never sleeps.

 

[Romy]

For Ryland's mucus, the suction bulb is your friend. When Sam was born he aspirated a bunch of crap and they had to suction him a bunch at the hospital, and I had to keep doing it when we got home.

It was the worst when he would try to nurse. I ended up pumping for him and bottle feeding until it cleared, because otherwise he'd choke on it. With the bottle it had a higher flow so he could get a few good gulps in and take a little break, then a few more gulps, until he got it all down.

 

[milos_mommy]

Grab, if that's directed at me...she's sleeping fine. She's just fussy when awake.

 

[-bogart-]

Milo , do you have a swing? That might help.

 

[milos_mommy]

Milo , do you have a swing? That might help.

I have two of them. She will sleep in one of them, and hang out in them for a short time, 10 minutes or so, if she's content, but if she's fussy they won't calm her at all.

 

[Barbara!]

For Ryland's mucus, the suction bulb is your friend. When Sam was born he aspirated a bunch of crap and they had to suction him a bunch at the hospital, and I had to keep doing it when we got home.

It was the worst when he would try to nurse. I ended up pumping for him and bottle feeding until it cleared, because otherwise he'd choke on it. With the bottle it had a higher flow so he could get a few good gulps in and take a little break, then a few more gulps, until he got it all down.

What technique do you use to do this? I have a bulb and saline drops and haven't done it yet... It seems like such a horrible thing to do and that end looks so big compared to his nose. I've been using it to put down his throat, but I don't think that's right and I never get anything, anyhow.

 

[Greenmagick]

Did anyone else's baby's fussy periods get worse at 6 weeks? Because I'm about to die from exhaustion.

Lillian hardly ever cried for the first 4 weeks, about a week ago she started with half hour fussy periods each night. Yesterday and today it's been 10x worse. If she's not sleeping, eating, or riding in the car or stroller, she's screaming. She's also just gotten off formula and onto exclusively breast milk, but she seems to fight taking the breast when fussy and a bottle only marginally calms her down.

I know 6-10 weeks is usually the fussiest but oh. My. God. I was not expecting this.

Is she gassy? What do her bowel movements look like and how is your let down? My daughter, well, we wont use her because she was really hard lol. My son was a bit easier but did start having fussy periods until I stopped dairy. Some people have to go off all dairy but we were ok with cutting all milk and ice cream and nominal amounts cheese and yogurt and butter were fine (there are other things too but that is probably the most common culprit).

I also ended up doing cluster feeding as I had too much foremilk and a super fast let down. So instead of feeding from each breast, or alternating every feeding, I would use the same side for several feedings.

I am not much help though as both of mine pretty much never slept more than 2-3 hours til they were two or later and they nursed pretty constantly when they were infants.

 

[AllisonPitbullLvr]

MM, we haven't experienced them with Ev but I think five-six weeks is a "wonder week" and it's normal for some babies to be quite fussy during that week.

Barbara, Ev is almost nine weeks an eats every 2 hours during the day and used to get up every three hours at night until she was about six weeks. Now she sleeps from 10:00-3:00, the. Is up at 5 or 6 and then again at 8-9. Some babies never sleep more than 3 hours in the first year (or longer!) and some sleep through the night right away.

As for the spitting up, I would treat it the same way as reflux. Stop him feeding often and make sure you get a good burp. Don't jiggle him after feeding and have him sitting up afterwards for 15-30 minutes. Small, frequent meals will help. Ev was quite phlegmy for quite a whole after birth, even after having her lungs suctioned out for two days straight.

 

[AllisonPitbullLvr]

Also, MM, what you're describing was Everleigh's first four weeks. It was hell and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But it WILL pass.

 

[jenv101]

Is she gassy? What do her bowel movements look like and how is your let down? My daughter, well, we wont use her because she was really hard lol. My son was a bit easier but did start having fussy periods until I stopped dairy. Some people have to go off all dairy but we were ok with cutting all milk and ice cream and nominal amounts cheese and yogurt and butter were fine (there are other things too but that is probably the most common culprit).

I am not much help though as both of mine pretty much never slept more than 2-3 hours til they were two or later and they nursed pretty constantly when they were infants.

This is pretty much my life right now even at five months old. Every baby is different. I wish I had a sleeper but alas, I don't. At least not right now

 

[milos_mommy]

I don't think it's a reaction to anything I ate. I tried cutting dairy early on after I ate some italian food and she was horribly gassy, but it turned out to be the tomato sauce. I also have eaten very little to no dairy the past few days, and it's never bothered her before. She really doesn't seem gassy...she has been a few times since birth and cried about it, but that was different.

Her bowel movements are normal, too.

When I first read about "wonder weeks" I thought it was some BS theory someone came up with...but now I believe it. It's not even like she's crying all day or anything...it's just that she NEVER cried after coming home from the hospital. For five weeks, she'd literally cry for 30 seconds - 1 or 2 minutes at a time, maybe 4 times a day. If we took too long to feed her or change her. Now she's crying on and off for an hour two or three times a day. It seems she's crying when she's tired/before naps/bedtime.

It's also coinciding with her first social smiles.

 

[Barbara!]

MM, maybe this will be helpful. http://purplecrying.info/

I'm glad that Ryland isn't particularly fussy, but I won't count my chickens... He's only two weeks old. It seems his mucous resolved itself... No sign of it and he's kept everything down for two days now.

He has developed this awful habit of not drinking his bottle and wanting it in his mouth, anyways. He has a pacifier, but can tell the difference between it and the bottle and he specifically wants the bottle. He will latch to it, but not suck, and try to go to sleep like that. He also doesn't eat. What do I do about this and why is he doing it?

 

[AllisonPitbullLvr]

It sounds like he wants to comfort suck. You might have to try a bunch of different types of soothers to find one he likes.

 

[milos_mommy]

Have you tried the hospital style pacifiers? They have them at target.

 

[milos_mommy]

I have a weird question: you know how your gag reflex gets worse in pregnancy? Has anyone else had it not go back to normal after delivery? 6 weeks later and my gag reflex is still awful, way worse than it was before I got pregnant.

 

[AllisonPitbullLvr]

Weird! Mine was the same when I was pregnant.

 

[sillysally]

So I'm not trying to start a debate here, but I have a breast feeding question. I know that breastfeeding is super healthy and am all for it. I'm for breast feeding in public, in private, on a train, on a plane, waltzing down the street, covered, uncovered, whatever-I'm fine with all that.

However, the idea of a kid actually nursing off of ME totally skeeves me out and makes me very uncomfortable. Has anyone else ever felt this way?

 

[milos_mommy]

Me!

I wasn't like....totally disgusted or horrified by the thought of a baby nursing from me, but I definitely didn't like it at all. I thought it sounded really weird and would creep me out. Again, didn't bother me AT ALL to see other people nursing babies, but I did NOT like the thought of doing it myself.

When I got pregnant, I never really thought about it. For me, not trying it wasn't even a consideration...you obviously want the best for your child, and since breastfeeding is the healthiest option for most moms...I just knew I would.

And when she got here, I think everything was such a whirlwind there wasn't even time to think about if it was weird or uncomfortable. At least not in the hospital. I still don't LOVE breastfeeding her. Honestly, women are always like "it's so magical, it's so empowering to nurture your baby with your body, you get a high from the oxytocin when breastfeeding". Um...no. Yeah, it's nice to bond with her and be so close to her and be able to make her comfortable/happy/nurtured in a way no one else can....but I don't get any kind of rush from it, and half the time it's kind of a chore. But it doesn't seem weird or uncomfortable or skeevy. It just seems like feeding my kid.