Questions about newborns

Hi, hoping that someone out there can help me sort out some of the conflicting info i have been given. DD is 5 weeks and BF
1. How many dirty nappies should i be seeing - been told 1 a day, 1 every 4 is ok, 1 in 10 days is normal.
2. If DD is having 12 feeds in a 24 hour period is it okay to let her sleep 6 - 7 hours?
3. Wind - if she doesn't burp after a feed can i leave it go and how do you tell if she has wind pains.

i had to FF my 2yr DS and i know that BF & FF have different results.
Cheers

It's confusing isn't it? Here are some answers for you:

1. Newborns start by doing several poos a day. With bf babies, this reduces down - often down to 1 every 10 -14 days. This happens at a different age for everyone. DS1 did this pretty early, maybe from about 6 -8 weeks. DS2 was later. So really, there is no such thing as normal.

2. Yes

3. If no burp comes up, don't worry. I think you will know if she has pains, she will scream, arch her back etc. If you are unsure try giving the 24 hour help line a call.

GL with it.

Thanks for that - with the wind she does do the whole scream, back thing and she also goes really stiff but the more we trying to shift it the more upset (read full blown screaming fits) she gets - have tried the infants friend, gripe water & the boiled water and some times they help but not always - is there anything else we can try??

hi morgan...
i used to massage Noah's belly (clockwise direction only) and that sometimes helped to get the wind out...
he used to wake at about 4.45am every morning and scream w wind pain - not a lot we could do but hold him and help him feel settled - he grew out of it at about 8 weeks. i wonder if it is a digestive system thing as a few friends have had similar issues...
we also tried raising one end of his basinnette at this time and sometimes that got him to sleep fpor another hour...

Hi Morgan, perhaps keep her upright for a good half hour after each feed and keep shifting her into different positions? Sometimes just the shifting is enough to produce a burp.
On the poo thing, its really the wet nappies you want to look out for. If she's weeing, she's not dehydrated so you can know she's getting enough milk. As MR said, there's no such thing as normal with baby poo-frequency! They could go ten times a day or once every ten days. As long as they're drinking and weeing, they're fine!
GL with everything! (And congratulations on your lovely new little bub :) )

I have found that if you persist long enough, there is always a burp! It can even take up to 15 mins, but if you get it out, there'll be no pains and screams from wind. I only discovered this with my 4th, and wish i'd known before hand!! I've had NO pains or screams with #4 or #5 from wind!! Lots of wee's and 12 feeds in 24 is great!! Enjoy some of thst sleep! Good luck hon.

one way i relieved wind pain was laying baby across my knee on their belly, and rubbing their back, another was bicyling their legs. Snacks suggestion about keeping baby upright for a while after a feed is a good one too.

congrats on your bub

my ds has always been an avid pooer and is only just now reducing to once per day with solids introduced. I used to get a poo per feed!!

You can also try, and I say try because it's hard once they scream, to do this but bicycle pump the legs can help wind. Tummy time in general can help with digestion (obv not when distrought though)

Burping method, find one that works for you both.

Ds burps best when sitting perfectly upright and left for a few minutes. Sometimes it helps for me to put my head behind his back so he can't throw himself back and I make shh noises at the same time to calm him down. and all of a sudden burp!!

oh and if he flls asleep I try to sit him up a little and rest against me and we cuddle for a while. I would so much prefer to do this for 30 mins than be woken by screams

Congrats on your bub. The suggestions are all good and I use them all. I also give my little guy a nice warm bath which helps to relax him and reduce wind problems. A friend's mum also suggested giving a baby bottle of chamomile tea every day - she said her babies never had a problem with wind.

Just want to say a big thanks for all of your tips - she appears to have moved on from that all now and is becoming a delightful, fairly calm princess - only seems to cry now if she's hungry & loves play time especially with her BB.
Thanks again

If I ever have trouble burping DS (he's normally pretty quick) I lie on my back with him tummy to tummy and gently pat/rub his back. I make sure I have a burp rag handy though as he sometimes spits up in this position.