Okay this is something I found out a few weeks ago, but just had to share with everyone. Stephen has been an "evening fussy" baby since pretty much day one. Around 5 weeks it got much, much worse, and then he had a few nights where he was up every 45 minutes just miserable. The child's insides sounded like they were staging a world war, complete with machine gun sounds coming out the back end. He was clearly in pain and I was at a loss as to what to do about it. So I went to see my pediatrician, who told me in no uncertain terms that he either had reflux or colic. Now I might not be the brightest light on the Christmas tree, but as my firstborn had pyloric stenosis and horrid reflux as a result, I d*mn sure know the signs of reflux, and at the risk of sounding the slightest bit country "THAT AIN'T IT." So that left me with the C word. Colic. The professional treatment for which involves lots of sweating, swearing, swaying and praying by exhausted parents who in the end have to suck it up and deal for at least 3 months. Not gonna dew it.
The next day, feeling as if I had somehow been given the short end of the stick by my pediatrician, I called the breastfeeding helpline to the hospital where Stephen was born and left a message for the lactation consultant. My idea was to find out if there was any types of foods or drinks (teas and such) that I could take that might help settle his stomach if even just a bit. I told the lady what was going on and she proceeded to ask me a multitude of questions like ....
"Is it more lower bowel than tummy sounds?" Check.
"Does he have a stuffy nose pretty often?" What does that have to do with the price of ... yes, yes he does.
"Does he have baby acne that seems to be getting worse?" Okay this is getting scary. Yes, it seems to have really gotten bad this past week.
"Is he gaining weight quickly?" At this point I am looking around to see if this woman is actually IN my house. Yes, he's put on three pounds in 5 weeks.
"It's NOT colic. Breastfed babies very rarely get colic." Oh thank god.
"It's actually a supply issue. We can fix this." At this point I swear I saw an angel.
Turns out some women, and by some I mean yours truly and probably a ton of other women out there who don't even realize it, actually make TOO MUCH breastmilk for their little one. Foremilk (I know all the lingo now, aren't I cool?) has more proteins and sugars in it, and foremilk is what the baby gets before let-down. Hindmilk (told ya I knew all the lingo) is the fattier milk that settles the stomach and keeps the baby feeling full longer. In Stephen's case, I was essentially feeding the kid sugar filled energy bars all day and then wondering why he'd get a stomach ache at night! I got some tips from the LC (Lactation Consultant) and within a few days I had a much, MUCH happier munchkin on my hands. Since then we've actually gone back and forth as my supply seems to want to continue to increase at times, but overall things have been much easier and much happier around our household.
Now I told you all this simply because the lactation consultant mentioned to me that something like 70 to 80 percent of breastfed babies who are diagnosed with "colic" actually have this "oversupply" problem, which is usually easily fixed. The problem is very few pediatricans are also experts on lactation, and new moms tend to take the ped's word as law. Now, before I get blasted by random "ANONYMOUS" floaters let me qualify this by mentioning that I am NOT a doctor. Nor am I a lactation consultant. I am not saying that if your newborn is fussy this is definately the problem. I'm saying, if you have a fussy breastfed baby, CALL an LC!! It can't hurt to see what they say, and who knows, you might just save yourself three months or more of sheer misery!!
20 comments:
I'm telling you...by the time your kids are in school, you'll have had enough experience to BE a specialist. Pretty SAD that your ped. wasn't aware of this diagnosis since they push breastfeeding so hard in the hospitals. What's Stephen eating now? Ground steak? He's so much bigger than Alex at this age!! YOU GO!
ps.I like being an anonymous floater.
I'd never heard of something like that. Great info to pass along!
Oh my god! I can;t beleive it this is exactly what my baby is going though right now...acne and all!! Can you please post the advise that the LC gave you? I have already been to an LC and she told me to feed only from one side and lying down on my back but he's still "fussy" after every feed. Where you told anything else? Any advise is welcome and appreciated!!!!!
Sorry to hear you're dealing with this too, it's such a headache! We did get some of it straightened out. Here's what the LC told me:
Block feed (nurse from one side for 3 to 4 hour blocks), meaning if your little one eats every two hours, feed him off the same side every time and until he/she is full. My little one never took to side lying so we always do the cradle hold. She told me not to do any pumping unless I had to pump off an ounce or so just to be comfortable. She also had me take one sudafed once a day for two days to drop my supply down a bit. She warned not to take any more than that, and no more than two days because you don't want it to drop too drastically. I had to block feed for a few weeks for it to really even back out.
We also JUST found out that he may also have a milk protein intolerance. I figured this out because his poo is still green and foamy even though my oversupply seems to have evened out, and his baby acne seems to be worse right after he eats. He also gets splotchy on me whenever he nurses. I cut heavy dairy out of my diet (like cream cheese, milk and rich sauces) and it seems to be clearing it up.
If you're still having fussiness issues after feeding once you've been block feeding for a while check out the symptoms for reflux, that might be a problem too. Hope this helps, keep me updated!
Hi!
I am going through the exact problems you mentioned in your blog. May I ask what tips the LC gave you? After too much internet research, I came up with my own theory that I am giving too much foremilk but I'm trying to figure out how I can get my baby more hindmilk (I am exclusively pumping). Any tips would be appreciated!
Thanks.
Whoops! I got so excited to see another person in the same boat that I neglected to read the comments before posting. Thanks for sharing the LC tips!
I was wondering why my baby was less colicy after I started giving him more bottles )fully mixed breast milk). But my problem is that I produce way more milk on one side, so block feeding has not been working. He never gets enough from one side and always too much from the other. Anyone have an sugestions??
Wow! I wish I'd found this post 4 months ago! I have a 5mo old who has been exclusively BF...and we've experienced the EXACT same thing! Our pedi gave us the "colic" schpeel and told us to ride it out. At 3 mos, the pedi decided it was a cows milk protein sensitivity - I had already cut out all dairy/casein/whey. He was still having green mucousy & occasionally bloody diapers! The pedi suggested Alimentum/Nutramigen formula...but after reading the first 2 ingredients (corn syrup solids & vegetable oil) I decided breastmilk HAS to be better than that (esp at $10/day!) The pedi told me to try eliminating soy, eggs, wheat, shellfish, nuts, etc. I made a desperate phone call to the dietician at our local hospital. What on earth was I supposed to eat to maintain my health & thus the baby's?? She asked me to call the LC on staff before deciding to wean. Thank goodness I did. She listened to all aspects of our story & told me about the oversupply issue. I've known from the beginning that I've had too much milk. The baby has always clamped down to try to restrict the milk spray...and I had done "block feeding" from week 3. My problem was compounded by having oversupply AND high storage capacity. My body makes too much milk (baby getting too much foremilk)...and just keeps making it regardless of how often I fed. According to the LC, block feeding is first course of action but in some rare cases (like mine) the mom has high capacity & block feeding won't work - in fact it may make matters worse. Just thought I'd post in case someone else has tried block feeding & not seen results - ask your LC about storage capacity. When my baby was sleeping 10 hours at night, I was waking after 4-5 hours in PAIN. :( My milk has yet to level out (in 5 mos) although it is improving. The advice from my LC: nurse laying down w/ the baby on top of me (which has doubled as tummy time for him...and made a dramatic improvement in his neck strength!), b/c of my high storage cap - I nurse off both sides at each feed...letting him go until he slows on the first side, then switching to 2nd. I'm also working to improve my digestive system (after the crazy elimination diet) - and taking probiotics & eating fermented dairy now at the LC's suggestion. Seems to be helping!
Our pedi wasn't even aware of "foremilk" & "hindmilk" - it's amazing to me how they push BFing but can't really support anyone who has issues. We've also been to a GI pedi specialist. She, too, did not even know the content of BM! She said that the green & bloody diapers were just 'his normal.' "As long as he's happy & growing, keep doing what you're doing" was her advice.
I was interested to read the suggestion of Sudafed for reducing supply. I know my OB wanted me to take full strength birth control pills but the LC advised against that. We're hoping that everything will level out on its own. He's not fussy like he used to be & things seem to be moving in the right direction.
Our issue now is the congestion/stuffy nose. I was googling "breastfeeding oversupply stuffy nose" and happened across this message chain. Anyone else w/ oversupply having to deal w/ a SUPER STUFFY little nose? It wakes him every 1-2 hours at night now despite humidifier, saline drops, nose aspirator - I've even tried Vick's Baby rub the last 2 nights. Any ideas would be appreciated!!
sorry, i know my first post was long enough but i forgot 2 other suggestions from the LC!
She recommended I eat lots of good fats like avocados & olive oil...esp at the start of a meal (to coat my gut)
And to do something similar for the baby: After a feed during the day, I'd hand express some hindmilk (~1/4oz) & save it to give him before 1st feed the next day (when my oversupply is at its worst). She said the fat would coat his gut & allow it to handle all the foremilk slightly better. I only did this for a few days to help clear up a period of horrible diapers, pain & fussiness. She did not recommended doing it long term.
Thank goodness for the internet... My 3 month old daughter just had the same deal and I was told colic as well.. I truly appreciate your words of wisdom...
THANK God for the blog!! I am sitting here thinking this is my child you are talking about. The crying the achne the runny/ stuffy nose the quick weight gain he is 6 weeks and is 11 lbs but birth weight 6 2wks 6.5), feeling tired and like a failure not being able to console my poor child, and too tired to anyway. I must try the block feeding and all the other ideas I will update you. but for now thank you.
Great comments, glad to see this post has helped some people who are in the same predicament I was! Kristina, keep us posted how things are going! Michele, how is your little one doing? Did you get any relief from the stuffy nose? Stephen did have that when we were dealing with the oversupply, it cleared up on it's own after we got that regulated a bit better.
Wow - we've learned quite a lot since my posts in January! My son was (finally, at my insistence of blood tests) diagnosed w/ food allergies in April (@ 8mo) - he has severe allergy to eggs (white & yolk) and also peanut. Once I changed my diet to eliminate ALL products containing any trace or cross-contamination of egg, the stuffiness cleared up. (He is also taking Allegra 2x/day)
I do think the oversupply/high storage capacity compounded his problems. My milk supply finally regulated when he was about 10 months old...and I thought to myself "okay, so this is how it was supposed to be for the last 9 or so months!" I actually just weaned him at 14mos and am so glad I stuck it out!
I guess the best advice I can give is that "mother knows best." If you don't agree with what your pedi says, keep searching - see another pedi (or 2 or 3 or 5 as in our case) and keep reading. I'll admit the allergy blood testing was one of my worst days as a Mommy. Not fun...but I knew there was something more than "colic." Best of luck!! :)
Hi! Just came by your post, and thinking this could be my son u're talking about! My son has all the symptoms, less the acne. He looks grumpy all the time, and doesn't sleep well at all. He's 8 weeks old. I have a chest freezer half filled with milk!
I've called a lactation consultant as soon as I read your post. Just want to say thanks!
By the way, my son hasn't smiled yet, and looks so miserable all the time that we don't will till he will till high school prom... Did you face the same?
Venus, I can't say for sure if the smiling issue is related to the oversupply, but I do know that Stephen smiled much, MUCH more often once we got his stomach settled down. Did you hear from the lactation consultant?
My son is 2 weeks old. He has gained about a pound per week. Hes pretty much fussy all the time. I have tried everything.I gave him soy formula for a while. He actually seemed better on it. He has acid reflux though and he seemed like he was choking when he drank it. So I started him
back on breastmilk only yesterday and last night was horrible. He basically is letting out little cries any time he wakes up and just seems uncomfortable. I hate to quit nursing him but I dont know why my milk is making him seem so unhappy. Any suggestions?
okay, so I just gave him formula for fussiness and gas and he already acts happier. I dont understand. His arm is up in the air and he's smiling while he sleeps! I really wish I could breastfeed him, but something is definitely not right.
Hi, wow this is such a eye opener, my baby is on his 8week and has put on 4pounds since birth. Which is fab but he is very fussy, always cryin and wen bought up with MD and HV they said colic. I tried loads of meds. My milk is alot he comes off really quick and i have it squirtin everywhere. I will try this block feeding, but will baby get enough milk? Also to everyone that has experienced this does the child grow out of this and soon latch on have his feed and be done with?
Dear Anonymous, I was assured by my LC that the baby will get plenty of milk as your supply will regulate itself over time and since the block feeding provides more hindmilk, the baby actually feels fuller longer. As for your latching question, yes, shortly after I started the block feeding Stephen started latching on and feeding like a pro. Guess it's a lot easier to do that when you're not getting sprayed in the back of the throat all the time! Good luck!
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