They way we were shown by the midwives is to sit bubs on your knee, cradle their head and neck in your hands and move them around in a circle and its easy to burp them.
I remember thinking similar things when both mine were little, and I probably will when I have a newby again. there was no one solution, some days yesterday's perfect trick just didn't work and so I worked through the list of tricks again.
you sound like you are doing great at reading bub. hang in there, and rest whenever you can.
Okay, my DS was a bit of a burper, spewer and farter and I had oversupply.
I can't remember where I read this (hands up me for being an over researcher), so I can't say its a credible reference BUT I did read that if you pat a baby's bottom (firmly) there are receptors at the base of the spine that are stimulated and get the gut moving and it helps bubs fart and pooh..... So my DS spent a lot of time against my shoulder while I patted his nappied bum, and he used to let them rip.... It also worked after night feeds while I walked the hall with him laying in my arms.
It sounds like you are totally on top of it and far more cluey than most.
Massage in a L-R rainbow over his lower belly could help with poo. Or just holding him through it. There might not be anything you can do. Which sucks, but just be with him. And do work on that Babywearing thing. It's magic.
i can't work out if it's wind, being disturbed or access to Mummy's milk (or all of them), but it seems that if I go to change his bum in the middle of the night, he cracks it. He then needs milk to settle, then he does a poo, then he needs his bum changed, then he cracks it, then needs to comfort suck, then throws up over his clothes, then needs a change of clothes, then cracks it etc....
The 1am feed finally finished at 2:30am. I know I should go back to bed, but I needed some time out. Think I'll have some ice cream.
He normally settles faster for DH - I assume he cant smell the milk?
Is it an option to not change his bum in the night? With DD1 we never did. Her first nighttime nappy change was at 2yo when she asked for it. We just put her in a really absorbent nappy with a wool cover, and she went all the way through. If she woke, I just fed her straight back, no lights, no further interruptions. DD2 we stopped overnight changes from about 2-3 weeks. Neither were terribly prolific poo-ers though. Something to consider.
Wonderful that your DH can settle him. Dad time is special it could be the milk, or a slower/louder heartbeat, or a bigger/softer/hairier chest, or maybe there's some boys secret that we'll never understand. For now, make the most of it; hand the baby over and go and enjoy a shower/cup of tea/more ice cream.
Yes both mine pooed in the night until 7 weeks so yes they get distributed by the changes. Once he stops pooing in the night, you can stop changing him until morning.
It sounds like you have a guzzler, like mine. Lots of milk, suck-loving baby, lots of weight and lots of spew and poo.
Can I recommend block feeding? feed from one breast in any 2.5-3 hour period and then swap to other side. This means that he still gets lots of milk but after a change or when he just wants to suck more he goes on an empty breast and doesn't take more milk.
He sounds like my babies, who end up with full intestines and a full tummy. So they cry and wriggle because something has to give.
I've never burped my babies. Block feeding and cutting out farty foods worked for me: so no broccoli, onion, garlic, chilli etc.
Keep in mind some babies just need to get used to the sensation of pooing.
This too shall pass. Loving your questions though!
DD settled easier for my DH too. Sometimes she went a little nuts with me like a baby animal scrambling around for food (which she was!) so I think smelling the milk or at least associating mama with milk is spot on.
I wouldn't change him at night unless it is a dirty one. If I'm completely honest even then I would only change DD if I knew she had pooed or she was already unsettled therefore was ruling out being upset due to dirty nappy.
Can I just start with saying that when I saw your threads my heart did a little flip of joy and I smiled a beaming smile, I am so thrilled you have your baby in you arms xxx
In my experience personal and professional, taking out garlic, onion, brassicas and (god forbid) chocolate makes a HUGE difference to wind and belly aches. With my last baby I purposely tested that and EVERY time she reacted to them being back in the diet until about 3 mths. Every client that I have recommended this to has found that it makes a huge difference as well. You have nothing to lose I say!!
wheeeeeeeeee YOUR BABY IS HERE!!! so so so so so happy for you both!!
I second ladybirdflies sentiments - so wonderful to hear that you have a babe in your arms!
Just a couple of points. One is that, in my understanding, farts are not burps that don't escape, they are a product of digestion, and are formed in the intestines, so getting burps out when bub feeds won't stop the farts or the pain that apparently causes.
Secondly, in your original post, you expressed doubts in your mummy instincts. I think that before we have a newborn, we have an expectation that instincts will kick in and we will just know stuff, be able to 'sense' the right thing to do, or have some kind of connection with bub that tells us what they want. In my experience, that was not instinct at all, it was learning and experience, and it comes with time and patience and attention to bub trying different things, and lots of tears and tantrums (by me) along the way.
Be patient with yourself, because in my experience, the learning doesn't stop.
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it could be the milk, or a slower/louder heartbeat, or a bigger/softer/hairier chest, or maybe there's some boys secret that we'll never understand. For now, make the most of it; hand the baby over and go and enjoy a shower/cup of tea/more ice cream.
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