Questions About a ONE Month Old?

I wouldn't worry yet. I don't think my son was making much eye contact at that age, but my daughter was. I think each baby is different. My son's eyes still crossed at that age and even until two months (maybe even longer!) and I began wondering if he was going to have issues. Turns out he's just fine and he makes great eye contact now. I think some babies take longer than others for whatever reason. I wonder if it's a difference between boys and girls - girls seem to make eye contact sooner.

As for the feeding, it can take them quite a while to get it down. He sounds completely normal to me. As for the fast milk let down, I had that problem too and after a while my son caught on and learned to swallow fast enough. It did take a while though. It all sounds pretty similar to my son;-)

Eye contact at one month is a bit too early. For one, they can't really see or focus well. Everything is a big blob for them. I've also read that babies do not realize the difference between themselves and their mother so they won't do a lot of eye contact for that reason. They don't know there's a difference between them and you. I think you can relax on that front for now.

Regarding the nursing, you should get in touch with your local La LEche League for help and support. It's free and you don't have to be a member. They were really a life saver for me since it's other moms providing support and guidance. It's the been there done that crowd who can offer a lot of help. You might also consider getting in touch with a good lactation consultant to have him evaluated. It could be a lot of different things -- over supply, poor muscle control, poor latch, etc. I know there's something (I forget what it's called it's been a few years -- macrosomething???) for babies with poor muscle that chiros do. I know someone who had a good deal of success with that. I know someone at LLL could tell you for sure. Also check out www.kellymom.com for some guidance too. It's a great website.

Congrats on the baby and good luck!

My son stayed awake for an hour after he was born looking around and could make eye contact at birth.  But his iq is genious level and now I can see why.  My daughter on the other had didn't and was a very normal child.  She was my second also and it scared me too because I was basing everything on my truly abnormal son who could actually say words at 6 months.  Don't worry now, if there still seems to be issues at the babys next checkup mention it to the dr. and then let them decide if there is a problem.

Don't give up on breast feeding. I never gave either of my children bottles...ever. (never had to though) They were breat fed until 18 months. The baby will catch up and learn really fast. You just need to stay calm and follow your Dr. advice.

I had a the same problem with my son my milk let down was way to fast and he would start choking. My lactation consultant told me to lean back when feeding him. That way gravity was not helping. It really seemed to worked a little bit. The reality is the older he got the better it was. So just try to keep breastfeeding he will learn to eat slower in a couple of months. I also agree with the last post one month is a little early to make eye contact I think they can only see 6-8 inches infront of their face.

Don't give up on the nursing. It is so good for your baby and for you! My milk let down too strongly on one side for both of my kids and they would gag/ choke but if I just pulled them off for a minute while that taperd down, they did fine. They would grab on and pull away when it got too strong. Then they grew a little and could handle the stream of milk just fine.

Go to a La Leche League meeting. They will help, support and advise you. Its free and it is a great time to engage with other moms while learning to give your baby this wonderful gift.

Good luck.

I think it was a while before my younger daughter was making eye contact. It just wasn't her thing until she hit the smiling stage around 2 months.

And, if it is helpful, I had a lot of trouble getting nursing established with both my girls and had to bottle feed both of them for a while. (I pumped and fed them bottles.) But, as they grew, I kept trying and they managed to grow into nursing like champs.

Good luck! Stick with it if you can. And maybe think about babywearing to help with the bonding with your son. La Leche Leage can help with this.

When my little one was 1 mo she also seemed to avoid looking at me, and sometimes still does (she's 6 mo now), but I think that it is cause she already knows her mommy...She just wants to see what else is around. My son also did not do this, I think they just have very different personalities.

I hope you can get your nursing situation worked out...I think if you just stick to it and keep it up your milk supply will level off and she will feed easier. When your milk lets down I would unlatch and express a small amount so that you don't over whelm the little one. The more you use the bottle the less she will want to nurse because infants who bottle feed will become impatient for the milk to let down.

Good luck! Hey, my boy and girl are also 15 mo apart!!! They are already playing together.