Need Advice please 6 week old

[IrishConn]

Hi Everyone,

I have just joined this website in the hope that someone can offer some advice.There is so many issues going in with my wee man born the 3rd June not sure where to start.First off he was breastfeeding fine on demand but then he was crying non stop and feeding constantly to the point where one night I pretty much sat on the couch all evening without moving.Next day midwife weighed him and he'd lost a lot.I tried everything but to cut a long story short hes been supplemented with organic formula .So I breastfeed him first on one boob and then he gets 60 mls of formula.Problems are with firstly him choking both while breastfeeding and bottlefeeding, I find it terrifying could he choke?The other issue is that my husband feeds him during the day but at night I do and its a real battle with the bottle, crying,seems to have lots of wind.Thats the other issue last night for example, he was fed at 10.30 into the cot awake at 1.30 back in at 3am awake again at 4am after a full feed which is a new thing he acutally used to sleep a bit longer than that.Then at 4am another feed didn't both putting him back in cot and he slept on me from 5 till 6.30am another feed and then asleep for about another hour.Its so exhauting!The thing is during the day he sleeps 2/3 hrs after a feed!He also sometimes breastfeeds well then other times he is stuggling,squirming and coming on and off the breast I can't figure out why?

He also gets really overtired but will not sleep and gets really cranky then.I have tried to have a kind of routine but hes so all over the place.At 6 weeks should he be in a routine?

Hes putting on weight well etc now so not worried about that.

I hope someone has some advice as I am not really enjoying him.I am getting on average about 4 hours sleep a night and its taking its toll.

[~clover~]

Hi. Welcome to BB.


At 6 weeks he could be having a growth spurt.
Try to keep a routine, but he won't really settle into it at this age. But it will help in the long run. Eg, bath before bed. He'll get to know that when it's bath time it's nearly bed & will get used to that.

Try putting him down awake if possible & getting him do go to sleep in his cot. If possible get him to put himself to sleep.

It's not easy at that age, but it will get easier.
Sleep when ever you can. Whenever he sleeps if possible. Good luck.

[Little Toes]

Hi, congratulations on your new little bundle and welcome!

Firstly, to you, you seem to be doing a wonderful job!

It sounds as though you are at that wonderful 'growth spurt' stage!! I experienced very similar things to what you are going through and when you don't know what is happening it can be very trying!

Around this age babies want to feed constantly and can appear unhappy all the time, hopefully it shouldn't last too long! Bubs is wanting to feed so much so that he can build up your supply so that it is just perfect for him. You should notice in a few days/a week that things will of calmed down a lot and you may even feel less full.... this is all very normal and is the magical way of both your body and your baby working together to have the right supply/balance of milk!!

Please be aware, that this is commonly the stage where a lot of women feel that they are not making enough milk to satisfy their baby and will often supplement or give up all together.... please hang in there... it is only a very short stage!!

The other thing I'd suggest is that if it is possible, try to BF as much as you can, rather than give him a bottle... babies don't have to work as hard for their food when they bottle feed so they can become confused by it and a little bit lazy!

When you try to bottle feed him, he will be able to smell your milk and is probably confused and seems upset because he would much rather the taste of that nice warm milk from Mummy!! Therefore, he accepts it easier from Daddy, because there is no other option!

Please stay strong, you are doing a fantastic job and it does get a lot easier and more rewarding!!

I hope that helps you out a bit, take care

[Madham]

Hi
Congratualtions on your new baby. My ds is just over 7 weeks born on May 29th so not much older than your baby. We went throught exactly the same thing just over a week ago, it lasted only a few days but it was very trying, i think i fed him every hour and a half for a few days there and he wasn't sleeping very well either. The only advise i can give is that you just sit and relax as much as possible, and like you i slept with Hamish on me a few times as it was the only time he slept. Believe me it does get better quickly and i know at the time you may think you cant cope with it but just keep thinking it will pass and you will get through it. The squirming and coming of the breast, my ds does this also, i am not sure what this means but usually he has wind and if i rub his back for awhile it usually subsides but not all the time, i also wonder if they ds does this when he is really tired, sorry not much help with that one. Your doing a great job and try to enjoy your beautiful new baby. My dd is now back to sleeping in his cot, i put him in awake and he settles him self off to sleep during the day, he takes a little longer when putting him to bed at night if i dont get him in his cot before he is over tired. I hope things settle down for you soon so you can start enjoying your precious baby.

[Lulu]

Try holding him a little more upright when you feed to help with the wind. Be careful with formula supplementing as it WILL interfere with your supply. Try not to panic about the weight gain, if you have time check out some of the other threads about this, there is fantastic advice and support in them.

So much seems to happen at 7 weeks, you are not alone.

[Cassius2]

Hi there!

It sounds like you are as the other ladies are suggesting experiencing the '6 week' crying peak...there area few known ones (2-3 weeks, 6 weeks and around the 12-14 week) they generally last around a week and can throw us no end! especially with the sleep deprivation (ie torture) kicking in! before i get the feeding part, yep, try to develop some cues to yourself and bubs when it is time for bed. from wrapping him up, to a bath etc. (i wrote in more detail about this in another thread in this section). and with whatever you do, persistency and consistency is the key!

I have to agree with what the other ladies have mentioned. BF as much as possible. but that said, it is (well was in our case) possible to over-feed. when i read your comment about him feeding nonstop on the couch it brought back memories of my daughter leila who at about 5 days old demanded to be fed non-stop. this went on for 8 hours of almost constant feeding. everytime she came off she screamed. luckily i was still in the hospital and a lactation consultant came into the room by chance and told me to stop feeding as DD had a belly ache from having too much! her belly had to be wrapped in warm towels and she went without a feed for 5 hours! i felt really bad, but it made sense to me. after that the LC told me to feed off one breast at a time for awhile. i dont think leila started to take 2 until she was close to 3 months...
(and the couple of times i did try...you know those lonely hours of the 2am...LOL!) i knew about it straightaway as she would draw her legs up and scream in pain...

However, that said, it may be that BF is just not going to be right for your bub. it happens, and both you and DH may find it a whole world easier to make the switch. at the end of the day, bubs has gotten loads of nutrients of you from the colostrum already and the formula is good stuff these days. what's most important in the whole world for bubs at the moment is a healthy and happy mummy. there are a number of women in my mothers group that had supply issues etc and had to make the switch, and their bubs are just as bouncy, just as cute as anyone of the others!

Also, have you gotten in contact with a mums group (maybe one run by a MACH centre?) i found them to be my lifesavers! it gave me a couple of hours during the week to just talk shop, cry, hug, drink loads of well needed lattes, and laugh at the nappy exploits of our 'cherubs'. we catch up at least once a week and it is great fun. it helps to bring the joy back into being a mum and gives pause for reflection on the awesomeness of our efforts at making beautiful babies.

And i know that a million people tell you this (AFTER you had the baby...why didnt they tell us this BEFORE??). but it DOES get better after the first 12 weeks...seems a long way off from where you are, but it gets better every week from now on. by 8 weeks you'll notice positive changes and by 12 you'll hit the ground running.

[Little Toes]

However, that said, it may be that BF is just not going to be right for your bub. it happens, and both you and DH may find it a whole world easier to make the switch. at the end of the day, bubs has gotten loads of nutrients of you from the colostrum already and the formula is good stuff these days. what's most important in the whole world for bubs at the moment is a healthy and happy mummy. there are a number of women in my mothers group that had supply issues etc and had to make the switch, and their bubs are just as bouncy, just as cute as anyone of the others!

I'm sorry, but I disagree with most of this statement... I'm sure that BFing is right for you and your baby! Of course, it may seem that things would be a lot easier if you switched to FFing but this isn't the case.... You are just experiencing a normal stage of Breastfeeding!
Formula is not as good as breast milk!!! There just isn't a comparison. Yes, it is an option if all else fails, but there are a lot of detrimental effects associated with it too...

Please seek some professional advice before you make any major decisions with feeding your baby, I would hate to think that someone reading this would think that Formula is just as good as breast milk... I'm sorry, I just had to clarify!!

I hope things are better for you today!

[~clover~]

I just wanted to let you know I had problems at 6 weeks & almost gave up. I've been breastfeeding exclusively for over 4 months now.
I had cracked nipples, thrush in my nipples, I slight cases of mastitis - thank God I'd read about that & knew what to do!!
DS has had wind problems before too. I bought some Infacol C. It helps the air bubbles in their belly join together to come up easier.
Do you use a dummy. It'd be better than all night feeding if he'll take it. Try rolling a blanket or towel or something up under his mattress so he is propped slightly upright. This can help with the wind too.
Talk to MCHN & maybe even contact a lactation consultant. They should both have some good ideas that should help.

Talk to your MCHN about not enjoying him too. She can do a PND check. It may just be coz you are over tired, but it'd be good to get checked anyway.
Everything will get better & easier. Sleep might be an issue for a while, but as I said, sleep whenever he does if you can. It doesn't matter if it's lunch time & there are no clean clothes or plates. Sleep for you is more important!

[Cassius2]

Formula is not as good as breast milk!!! There just isn't a comparison. Yes, it is an option if all else fails, but there are a lot of detrimental effects associated with it too...

Little Toes: I am sorry that what i posted seems to have offended you. this was not intended. However, I do not appreciate having my words spun. Nowhere in my post did i mention that formula is as good as breast milk. This is something I DO NOT believe in. we are on the same side; I WHOLEHEARTEDLY believe that breast is best and advocate it strongly, however, i do understand that there are moments when ALL ELSE FAILS. I do not want to judge or look down on someone for doing making the switch.