Breastfeeding/fussy feeder

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Expert: - 3/8/2011


Question
10 week old healthy boy (6.4kg at 8 weeks), exclusively breast fed. Always needs lots of burping and I have a fast let-down. 10 days ago he went through a "hungry" period for 5 days with a few extra feeds, and feeding longer each time. Then back to usual pattern. Fed 5-6 times a day anywhere between 14-20 minutes total from both sides. This week he has started to fuss and look around, coming off frequently, and crying. Even after burping and sometimes sitting in infant seat for 5 minutes to have a break I can't always get him back on (so would have only fed 5min one side). I have looked at my diet - no big changes, but now I will cut out dairy (only really one bowl of icecream a day anyway) and see. AFter his hungry period recently my milk supply might have increased (feels like it to me with more fullness and more milk coming out after longer feeding initially). He is spilling and burping a lot still, so I have been assuming it's wind? Sometimes the mid feed crying sounds like a hunger cry, but then he'll latch for a fews seconds and pull off.

What are the possible reasons and what should I do? Any suggestions?


He's otherwise well, content (after the feed stops), and sleeps well for his daytime naps and at night. No fever etc.

Answer
Dear Sarah,

First, congratulations for giving your son the best start in life by breastfeeding him!

It sounds as if your baby's problems may be due to gassiness, which might diminish once you cut out dairy from your diet. Another possibility might be gastroesophageal reflux, which might be giving him cramps or other discomfort. So why don't you try cutting out the dairy (maybe substitute sorbet for ice cream) for a few days and see if your baby seems more comfortable. If this seems to work, stay off the dairy for at least a couple of weeks and then try it again. Sometimes babies who initially react to the mom's dairy diet are okay with it after a little while.

If there's no change, this would be the time to call in your pediatrician, give him or her information about your baby's feeding behaviors and amounts, and see whether you can come up with a plan.

Good luck!

Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Olds & Marks, 4th edition, September 2010, published by Workman Publishing, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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