The Breast Feeding Support Thread

tinkerbell

Sleeping routine?! :pac:

Like I mentioned up thread, it's not actually normal for babies to sleep through the night. It's normal for them to wake regularly and it's also a natural SIDS defence. I really wish I had known about this when my baby was that age as I used to think my baby wasn't a great sleeper. Now I look back and know that was totally normal baby behaviour but I wish somebody has told me - instead I used to get constant comments on sleeping through the night from people which were so irritating.

If you want to improve your own sleep, you could either get a co-sleeping cot or co-sleep? There was some study done and breastfed mothers apparently get the most sleep when compared to those who formula feed!

jlm29

Lucuma wrote: »

Same with mine. I live in hope I'll have another one of them. And if hope doesn't work, denial will keep me going for a while! :-)

I've so many sleeping problems myself that I'll have to do whatever it takes to get the baby to sleep through the night as early as possible. My first was bottle fed from 3 weeks. Hopefully bf for a bit longer this time around! That sounds like hard work, how are you holding up during the day after the broken sleep?

Ah he's not too bad at night. He only wakes twice maybe... I couldn't swear to it, he usually ends up in beside me for some bit of the night. It's the day times that get me- id love an hour or two where I would know he would sleep in his bed and actually get a decent rest for himself rather than cat napping!

IvyTheTerrible

Mine sleeps about 8 hours in a row at night (from 8/9 pm til about 4/5). There have been some nights where she sleeps until 7am. She's 8 weeks old, my first didn't sleep that long til he was nearly 9 months old.

rainbow kirby

My little guy is 6 weeks old - he slept 10:30 to nearly 4 last night and that's the longest he's ever slept straight through.

Lucuma

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Mine sleeps about 8 hours in a row at night (from 8/9 pm til about 4/5). There have been some nights where she sleeps until 7am. She's 8 weeks old, my first didn't sleep that long til he was nearly 9 months old.

Fab Ivy. Hopefully I have one of them too!

Will find out in the next few weeks.....

Lucuma

rainbow kirby wrote: »

My little guy is 6 weeks old - he slept 10:30 to nearly 4 last night and that's the longest he's ever slept straight through.

That's great at 6 weeks. Was that in beside you, in cosleeper or basket/crib? On his back?

Mine seems to sleep better on their side as well BizzyIzzy as in that's the position she falls asleep while bf'ing & if I just leave her alone like that, don't roll her onto her back or move her, she doesn't grunt & groan and sleeps away.
I might get one of those wedges that keep them on their side & prevent them from rolling onto their front

rainbow kirby

On his back in his Chicco Next2Me beside my bed - I don't have the side open on it though because I have the wrong type of bed to set that up safely. I took the blanket off him after the feed just before 4 because my room was getting very warm, he fell asleep mid-feed and I put him back down, he slept until just after 6 after that.

LegacyUser

Oh never saw those Lucuma I must have a look.My mum keeps telling me we all slept on our sides because that what they were told to do so....
Sorry, I sound like I'm implementing a sleeping routine here.I'm not at all, just running with it for now, and in a few weeks, we'll see how we're going.I'll see about a routine then.RainbowKirby, mine is doing about the same sleep-wise in her bed, then she tends to come in with me after the 4am feed, due to the grunting....

Lucuma

That sounds great rainbowkirby, on his back as well happy days!
Mine is doing no sleep at all in her co-sleeper crib at the moment. She will not settle in it at all: tosses& turns, moans, grunts & snorts like an elephant. That's on her back.
I had 2 wk checkup yesterday & she's back to (and has even exceeded) her birth weight, so she's getting plenty and she looks healthy and loads of wet +dirty nappies. So all good on that front at least!
Nights are a disaster with her though. Due to wind and a snotty nose, she can't seem to settle at all while horizontal. During the day she'll sleep for hours in the baby swinging chair, the car seat or in a sling- all of which she's upright or semi upright. Either I find a way for her to sleep at night semi upright (?!?) or I'm facing noisy nights for the time being til this wind and snot issue resolves.
Doc suggested giving her Infacol before each feed which I've started and she is farting more now with it. A Mum at play group also showed me a winding manoeuvre where you sit baby on your lap, hold their head with one hand and rotate them around their hips with the other...that's also producing better results than the back rubbing/patting has been.
GP also listed off foods I could avoid to reduce her wind but basically there'd be nothing left that I could eat if I cut them all out ! Also every morning I take: 1 zantac, 1 pregnacare, 1 fish oil, 1 prescription laxative sachet, 1 sachet of spatone. Any of them could be having an affect too but I need them all!
Just hoping this phase passses soon......it's an absolute pain in the @ss having to have her sleep right next to me all night and try not to roll onto her etc. Plus the grunting is right in my ear when she's so close. (Even through the earplugs it keeps waking me up)
Moan over!

jlm29

Lucuma wrote: »

That sounds great rainbowkirby, on his back as well happy days!
Mine is doing no sleep at all in her co-sleeper crib at the moment. She will not settle in it at all: tosses& turns, moans, grunts & snorts like an elephant. That's on her back.
I had 2 wk checkup yesterday & she's back to (and has even exceeded) her birth weight, so she's getting plenty and she looks healthy and loads of wet +dirty nappies. So all good on that front at least!
Nights are a disaster with her though. Due to wind and a snotty nose, she can't seem to settle at all while horizontal. During the day she'll sleep for hours in the baby swinging chair, the car seat or in a sling- all of which she's upright or semi upright. Either I find a way for her to sleep at night semi upright (?!?) or I'm facing noisy nights for the time being til this wind and snot issue resolves.
Doc suggested giving her Infacol before each feed which I've started and she is farting more now with it. A Mum at play group also showed me a winding manoeuvre where you sit baby on your lap, hold their head with one hand and rotate them around their hips with the other...that's also producing better results than the back rubbing/patting has been.
GP also listed off foods I could avoid to reduce her wind but basically there'd be nothing left that I could eat if I cut them all out ! Also every morning I take: 1 zantac, 1 pregnacare, 1 fish oil, 1 prescription laxative sachet, 1 sachet of spatone. Any of them could be having an affect too but I need them all!
Just hoping this phase passses soon......it's an absolute pain in the @ss having to have her sleep right next to me all night and try not to roll onto her etc. Plus the grunting is right in my ear when she's so close. (Even through the earplugs it keeps waking me up)
Moan over!

Would it help to tilt the co-sleeper? Is it a chicco? You can set the top legs higher than the bottom. If it's not a chicco, could you put something under the top legs so that she's not totally flat?

bovril

Hi Lucuma,

I've read on the Kellymom site that food eaten by the mother affecting the baby is the myth. I personally didn't cut anything out but then my baby wasn't *that* bad. Have a look on youtube for some baby massage techniques for wind. Sounds like the trick on your lap is working though.

For sleeping at night have you tried to put a rolled up/ folded towel under the mattress in the crib at the head end so the baby's head is slightly higher while they are lying down? It's worth a try if you haven't already tried it.

I hope it gets easier for you soon.

Lucuma

jlm29 wrote: »

Would it help to tilt the co-sleeper? Is it a chicco? You can set the top legs higher than the bottom. If it's not a chicco, could you put something under the top legs so that she's not totally flat?

I

No it's a Snuz pod (wooden one). I put 2 encyclopedia under it last night thanks.
Bovril I also elevated the mattress.
Neither made any difference -same old ding dong argh.
I'll keep trying though. ...determined to get her to get some block of sleep in it so I can get a block of sleep!

tinkerbell

Lucuma, have you tried some saline nasal spray to help with the stuffy nose?

Lucuma

BusyIzzy wrote: »

Oh never saw those Lucuma I must have a look.My mum keeps telling me we all slept on our sides because that what they were told to do so....
...

This bad boy. I just ordered one! Keeps them on their side & prevents them from rolling onto their tummy. Side sleeping is deemed unsafe coz it can lead to tummy sleeping.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Delta-Baby-Sleep-White/dp/B000SZ90ZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463176494&sr=8-1&keywords=delta+baby+baby+sleep

Have a theory today mine just cannot sleep on her back. I fed her to the gills, got every bit of wind out of her, put her down asleep in elevated co sleeper and within minutes she was awake: tossing &turning, grunting & groaning.
Reluctant to let her on her side but seems to be only way she can sleep

Lucuma

tinkerbell wrote: »

Lucuma, have you tried some saline nasal spray to help with the stuffy nose?

Yeah thanks. I'm spraying it into her a few times a day then attacking with the de-snotinator (nasal sucky yoke)

RentDayBlues

Lucuma wrote: »

Have a theory today mine just cannot sleep on her back. I fed her to the gills, got every bit of wind out of her, put her down asleep in elevated co sleeper and within minutes she was awake: tossing &turning, grunting & groaning.
Reluctant to let her on her side but seems to be only way she can sleep

My second loved sleeping on her side, I gave in from 4 weeks!

Lucuma

RentDayBlues wrote: »

My second loved sleeping on her side, I gave in from 4 weeks!

I can't figure this little lady out at all. Why can't they come with an instruction manual!!
We had a recent sids death in the immediate family where the baby (ebf) was asleep on their side so it's not a decision I take lightly. Last night on her side in cosleeper still didn't work tho.....only falling asleep on the boob in side lying down position & being left there works....she'll sleep for 2 hour blocks or so like that.
When I get the sleep positioner I'll use it for when she's lying next to me.
That's if I'm still bf by then!

tinkerbell

Lucuma wrote: »

I can't figure this little lady out at all. Why can't they come with an instruction manual!!
We had a recent sids death in the immediate family where the baby (ebf) was asleep on their side so it's not a decision I take lightly. Last night on her side in cosleeper still didn't work tho.....only falling asleep on the boob in side lying down position & being left there works....she'll sleep for 2 hour blocks or so like that.
When I get the sleep positioner I'll use it for when she's lying next to me.
That's if I'm still bf by then!

OMG, that's just so awful Sorry for your loss

Lucuma

I gave up on the cosleeper last night and just left her in the position she fell asleep in on the boob while feeding. I had been swaddling her as it worked a treat on my 1st daughter to get her to tell the difference between night and day but I saw I think it was you tinkerbell? post in another forum the LLL guidelines that you shouldn't cosleep with swaddled baby. i was thinking it's not really safe alright. Daughter1 was always asleep in her own bed, on her back so it was different. So til I get her sleeping on her back at night, I've ditched the swaddle for now.

Normally I get a bit of a snooze in the mornings as she drifts off again on the boob but not today! Since 5:30 or so this morning she was fussing at the breast - latching on, delatching, latching on, delatching over and over and tossing, turning, writhing around. Obviously wind.

I winded her for ages, got some out, she wanted to be fed again so latched her back on, then she was quiet for a while and just as I'd start drifting off the grunting, tossing, latching, delatching would start again argh! I've started to learn to fall asleep while she's feeding despite the pain of it (nothing out of the ordinary just normal levels of first few weeks nipple pain) but I can't sleep through the fussing at the breast, it's a head wreck! I'm giving her gripe water now as well as the Infacol. I'll try anything! Hard to believe breast milk is actually good for her when you see how bad she is with the wind

tinkerbell

Lucuma, can you call someone in Ciudiu for some advice? They have phone numbers of Cuidiu counsellors on their website - you might get some tips from one of them?

LegacyUser

Lucuma, I can't remember if I said this before, but apparently if you drink fennel tea it helps with wind.

I'm at 6 weeks, almost 7 now and she is getting the wind out a lot easier, although she'll still fuss with it. She's sleeping much longer now (8:30 - 4ish last couple of nights) but I have to start getting into the habit of putting her in her basket after her 4am feed. She grunts and groans a bit when you lie her down, but it has reduced and I think if I was to start putting her in the basket and persevere, I'd manage.It's just that No.1 gets up at 6:30am....and I really need that little hour of sleep between the feed and getting up for no.1...... She spends the night in her own basket otherwise. I do give her a bottle feed for "bedtime" now, just to get her used to it, to give me a little break and to let me put no.1 to bed a few nights, because she likes that one-on-one time, it's her little slice of normal in the new craziness

I definitely found the baby was at her worst at 4-5 weeks and then suddenly it got better, the wind came out quicker and with less pain. Actually it was like something just clicked at about 5 weeks and I suddenly began to understand her cues for eating, sleeping and wind a whole heap better, it's made life much calmer for us all. So hoping it continues to get better, and maybe you'll have a similar experience. I go to a local bf group the last few weeks and I've found it very good, maybe there's something similar there for you?

Lucuma

thanks Izzy. yeah i'll go to the HSE bf group now on Tuesday. i picked up a few tips online about windy babies - one was to feed them sitting up coz they're vertical. so i do that now for all day time feeds. I also give her infacol before feeds and I got some good winding techniques from the web, some of which i was doing already (cycling her legs, pushing her legs up to her chest) but they take it a step further (stretch up her arms, bring her toes to her nose) and I'm getting a lot of farts out now using those techniques. i also bought almond oil and am doing baby massage (the ones on their tummy like clockwise circles, making a U on their tummy, fingers walking across their tummy etc) at least 1-2 times a day. she seems to be better today actually for wind. could also be coz i stopped taking the prescription laxative the last 2 days, i'm finally at the stage where i don't need it anymore.
yeah my GP told me to drink fennel tea and also to give a dilute version to the baby. i've had a few cups but haven't given it to her yet.
baby is 3 wks plus 1 day today so i've officially surpassed my record....i stopped bf'ing no.1 at 3 weeks. it might not seem like very long but for me this is a huge personal rubicon and milestone and i'm delighted and proud :-)
went and got fitted for bf bras today. i had been hoping to get away with the ones i had from last time which are Lidl so the 'jolinesse' brand which are underwired, were really cheap. i have about 5 of them. but it's become apparent the last few days they're far too small, as if i don't have enough things making my nipples sore they don't need to be squashed into a too-small bra as well. was reluctant to go to the shops though coz i know you can only get non-underwired ones in the shops. but i went to mothercare and got measured. the lidl ones i have are 36C and in mothercare they said i'm 38 DD ha! never thought i'd be that cup size in my life! i bought 4 of them anyway from the mamalicious range, they actually give plenty of support even without the underwire, i was pleasently surprised. and the relief of wearing a bra that's big enough now!
bf past 3 weeks is unchartered ground for me now.....it's all surprises and unknowns from here on in! kind of exciting though.....so i don't know will i stay 38 DD now or will it go back down around 6 weeks when my supply settles i wonder

spottybananas

Congrats on your milestone Lucuma, well done

bovril

Yes well done Lucuma. The pride and satisfaction from the milestones only gets better too as you reach the next one. You're doing a great job.

yellow hen

I'm 6.5 weeks feeding now and I still leak uncontrollably. I thought it might have stopped by now?

IvyTheTerrible

My girl is two months old and I still leak at night. I have to wear pads.
I don't leak during the day, except at the start of a feed, when the boob not being fed on leaks at let down!

yellow hen

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

My girl is two months old and I still leak at night. I have to wear pads.
I don't leak during the day, except at the start of a feed, when the boob not being fed on leaks at let down!

Thanks ivy. Exact same here.

jlm29

My boy is 5 and a half months and i still have the odd leak. Wouldn't chance going without pads!

rainbow kirby

My little guy is 7 weeks and I'd be the same - would leak just enough for it to be a bit embarrassing at the wrong time.

Lucuma

spottybananas wrote: »

Congrats on your milestone Lucuma, well done

Cheers. I totally jinxed myself by writing here that her wind was getting better ....disaster again last night.
I get up at circa 4am every night now, change her nappy, do tummy massage & go through an elaborate stretching/bicycling legs procedure to get wind out of her. I also have a herbal cuppa & a nature valley bar . Anyway after de-winding her we settled back down around 5am. Unf instead of nodding off once she had a bellyful of milk she started grunting, groaning, tossing turning etc. So no sleep for me. I did not have the energy however to get her up & dewind again. Tried propping her head on my belly but even that didn't stop the grunting & groaning.
Called it a night at 9:30 and got up. I actually did have a big dream somewhere between 5am & 9:30am though so it seems I actually managed to nod off for a short period of 1hr or so! I can't believe from exhaustion I'm morphing into a creature that can sleep through a little pair of jaws constantly latching & delatching off my nipple while grunting & groaning to beat the band! :-D