Need Advice on "Fussy" Feeding...

My daughter is now 5 mo old and I went through the same thing with her..I tried the mylicon drops with no success and she sctually just continued being fussy for the next few mo until someone told me about these drops you can buy. I found them at Walgreens in the baby section they are called "gripe water" and they are safe for infants. I asked my ped about them and she said she had another patient using them on her infant and was finding success with them also. It worked for my daughter so hopefully it will help!! they started zantac for my daughter too but I still think the gripe water works good with it if he is still fussy.

Hi, C.,
It is frustrating to have to spend so much time calming a fussy baby, expesially if you have another child to take care of.
Was this the first bottle you've given him? Does he take a pacifier?
Usually the diet has little or nothing to do with it. Though is worth looking into if everything else fails.

hello C.,im a mother of three beastfeed babys.all three of my kids got really fussy and gassy from time to time,it have alot to do with what you are eating.your son may be very sinsitive to any thing you are putty in to your body.my first two it was dariy,my last was anything citrus.the problem is not always hes not getting enough but his little tummy may not b able to handle it.the best thing to do is to keep a diary and limit you food so you can see what you ate that day and see what may be upsetting his tummy,that should help.

It sounds to me like he has a similar problem my son had. I would eliminate dairy from your diet. I did for over a year he is still nursing at 19 months and I have added dairy back slowly and now fully except he still cant have dairy or he throws up. He was fully breastfed for over a year.

Reflux is pretty impossible with breastfeeding check out some diet changes for a few weeks it can take a whole month to get the dairy out of your milk.

If he is he could be aspirating the milk which is serious. It is possibly nothing but check his breathing before and after feeding him and if there is a change email me. Count for 30 seconds each time and write it down after. ____@____.com

Hope he feels better soon.

J.

I have a ten week old and have gone through the same thing. I tried cutting out any gassy and recommended foods that usually are the culprits of gas for a nursed baby. If you are already experienced with reflux I would consult your doctor . My daughter also only had a bowel movement 1 time a day and sometimes every other day. My doctors told me to give her a tsp of Karo syrup in 4 oz of water 2x a day. My sister who has had reflux babies was told to give her girls .04 of Maalox. I would check with your doctor before using either of these but has helped alot with mine.

Kimberly L had some great advice. I agree with the elimination diet. We had issues with my diet affecting baby's digestion for the first 3 months, and less so for the following 3-4 months. I just had to learn what not to eat.

I would definitely avoid going to formula. You should make the number of variables in his diet fewer, not greater, in order to more easily resolve the issue.

Hi C.
It might be over-active let down. Does he also have explosive bowel movements and sometime they are green? Do you hear him gulping? I'd see if you have a local breastfeeding group or lactation consultant. I've heard the ones I go to describe this problem with lots of moms. There are ways to only nurse on one side and lean back with the baby on your chest to help. Best wishes and keep on breastfeeding, it's the best thing!

no dairy or anything that causes you gas. I BF both of my kids and went through exactly what you are going through....diet is key in the early months....basically no comfort foods. It takes a few days for the diet change to kick in, but stick with it and you'll see results! It got to the point with me...if I had a slice of pizza...they suffered!

HI C. in my opinion it very well could be reflux but that would also produce a lot of spit up or projectile spit up, very frequently. I still breast feed my son he is 13 months and I'm working on weaning currently but in my experience with him, I try cutting back on things that make you gassy or even if they don't make you gassy things that are known to be gassier foods. Like onions, only eat small amounts of broccoli and other greens at a time because though important for him and you both especially him since he has to develop taste buds for it they can make you very uncomfortable. My advice is just think about what you eat as a whole and make sure you aren't putting too much junk or gassy foods in your tummy because it does go straight to his, even decaffinated soda because the carbonation goes straight to him. I always notice with my son that when he is gassy or seems uncomfortable so do i but since he is so little it is like 10 times worse I feel. Another method I've tried when he was constipated or just seemed really gassy I would easy extra stuff to help the gas and food move through me and it worked the same for him, so maybe if you eat something spicy or gaseous follow it with some noe gassy fruit like melon or a lot of water. Good Luck!! and congratulations.

It could definitely be your diet. I'm sure you've heard no onions or green peppers or legumes (beans, peanuts, etc.) also, cook ALL of your veggies really well, avoid spicy foods and if you still notice a lot of gasiness, you may want to consider some other, more drastic restrictions for yourself. My son suffered from horrible colic and I did a lot of reading about changes I could make to sooth him because I was not willing to stop breastfeeding so soon. I tried an experiment of giving up dairy and saw a major improvement in my son. It didn't happen right away as it takes quite awhile for all of the dairy to clean out of your system and then your milk, but it did work eventually and it was completely worth it. Being a dairy fanatic, this was pretty difficult for me, but imported feta cheese (made from sheep's milk, not skim milk) and goat cheese were ok, so I made due with those as a substitute. Good luck, if you can get through this difficult period, you'll be glad you put your son's needs over your own. :) Best of luck to you.

Hi C.,

Yes it could be your diet (and any emotional things like anxiety or stress also)I agree with Kimberly about taking everything gassy and greasy out of your diet and adding it back one at a time. Mylicon helps discomfort immediately but does long term damage to the little ones ability to digest food. Your stomach is supposed to be acidic to digest, i.e. break down food, and Mylicon,and other antacids,reverse what it is supposed to be doing. I learned this the hard way with my youngest daughter.

Some acidophilis, active culture plain yogurt, will help for digestion. I have a supplement that I have opened up for little ones before so the amount is standardized, but a little plain yogurt would do fine. Even lemon water will work. Watch your diet and your emotional state.

God bless!

M.

Hi C.,
Easiest way to tell if your diet is causing it is to give up all gas-producing things like brocoli, beans and also give up dairy at the same time. Then you can gradually add back in one thing at a time and see how it affects him. My daugther had a terrible dairy sensitivity at 1 month that she's since grown out of, but I had to give up diary, and all spicy, gassy foods for a month to get it calmed down. She took the drops every feeding too but it was really bad and she was in so much pain, she couldn't nap laying down, she had to be sitting up (in her car seat or swing). Once I quit dairy, it improved immediately! It only takes 48 hours before you know if they're better. Could be reflux, but try this first before a trip to the doc. Also, I recommend Gripe Water... that helped a lot too.

Good luck!
K.

Hi,
My 2 youngest both had reflux along with other stomach issues with breastfeeding. It's great to adjust your diet but in the mean time you will be having a gassy baby. You should call your peditrician and tell them what's going on. After my 2nd child was confirmed of having it after a few months of him being in pain and constant spit ups I didn't wait after I suspected it with my youngest. She went for a very easy test at the hospital and they confirmed the reflux, put her on a medicine and she was the happiest one of my 3 children. God bless and hope he gets feeling better soon!
L.

i would start playing with YOUR diet. i had to cut out dairy completey when i nursed both of my girls. no cheese and no milk in anything! and soy didn't work for my second daughter either. onions, brocolli, and wheat could be next on the list:(

good luck!

H.

One other thing you may want to try is adjust the way you're holding him while feeding. He may just be uncomfortable. If he's having the burping, try a different position with the lower part of his body much lower than his head instead of the traditional laying across while eating. Then keep him upright for a little while after eating and see if that helps at all.
Good luck and hang in there! It's tough but you can do it!

I had the same problem with my son turned out to be the things I was eating. He was lactose intollerant. After I took dairy out of my diet and replaced it with a suppliment he was fine. I would talk to your doctor.

everyone has some great advice dont think i can add anything more just that i went thru the same thing. i had the blandest diet i could possably have. i even had to cut out a morning cup of coffee and no bacon (love bacon) and nothing with red sauce. my sons reflux was so bad that by 4 weeks old he was on prescription zantac. he would projectile vomit and always spit up really bad. oh yeah. this might help. if you think he has reflux. its a little hard, but try to breast feed him in the most upright position you possibly can. dont lay him flat while you feed. and also keep him in an upright position for about 30 minutes after each feeding too. sometime the flap that holds the food down isn't quite working right and it allows the acid to rise into the esophagus(can't spell). good luck. oh yeah if you can hang in there, your son will benefit so much more with breast milk than formula. with all three of my sons i never had problems with them getting sick or ear infections etc. and they all seem very smart.

You might want to consider formula. Sounds like the natural milk is no longer agreeing with his digestive system. it's natural. Don't fret. He will be fine. Talk to your Doctor. Tell him of the gas and see which formula he recommends.