|
|
By Lisa Lactivist, on March 17th, 2013 Aunty Lactivist is all of us, non judgmental mums with experience or ideas that can help.This question was originally posted on the Lactivist Facebook page – please feel free to add any ideas you might have to the comments below. The responses are cut and pasted from the answers on the Facebook page too.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
HELP! Any advice for 1 week old exclusively breastfeeding with possible colic?? Mama friend needs help quick!!
Infacol works brilliantly. But colic does pass in time.. Just stick with it
Sling?
Colief helped my daughter a littleWhat’s in her diet?
Call LLL helpline 0845 120 2918
Sling and google ‘colic hold’I have a 4 week old EBF with colic.
We usually give infacol, walk around with her, give her a warm bath or swaddle her and snuggle until crying stops. She usualy falls asleep and wakes up half hour later much happier. Hang in there it does get better x
tell mum to cut out caffine and spices and to drink some fennel tea not too much though good luck x
More information than this please….!!! IF it colic try the Colic hold which is laying baby tummy down across your forearm in a cradle like hold and swaying/bobbing whilst rubbing babies back… Upwards x
Baby wearing is great, being held against you belly to belly will help loads so suggest a baby wrap not a bog standard baby carrier, you can get on with housework and the motion of movement usually has baby asleep in minutes and also colief works wonders it is expensive for a tiny bottle but it goes a long way and you can get it on prescription
Infacol worked for both my exclusively breasted little ones x
And to cut out all artificial sweeteners…. So no diet drinks… ‘No added sugar’ squashes… Etc…. Stick to pure juice…. Water… or ribena is safe (just not the sugar free one obviously) and if you must have fizzy… Full far coke is ok… Artifical sweeteners will cause colic… In babies…. X x
no caffeine and no farty foods…eg cabbage, onions, beans
My eldest son had colic bad too… I couldnt get him to feed off me so I had to express a lot of his feeds until he got past it due to lack of help and being a new mum.. but it ws a last resort…. he found it hard to lay in my arms to feed… but I was determind to keep breast feeding and eventually I got him back on the breast.. with my second chld when he showed signs I gave him Weleda Chamomilla 3X Granules – homeopathic remedy, and they really helped with the colic … and I didn’t have to express at all… they are great for teething too!!
Before going into diet I would have tongue tie ruled out by a suitably trained professional and make sure baby is latching well. http://milkmatters.org.uk/2011/04/15/hidden-cause-of-feeding-problems-however-you-feed-your-baby/
It’s not always obvious, the tongue can look ENTIRELY normal to the untrained eye…
I would find a local support group and see somebody 121 a one week old baby would be unlikely to suffer colic.
If you are in the UK I would suggest contacting Helios Homeopaths – you can chat over the phone – set up an account with them – name, address (for posting out remedies) and use (someones) card to pay over phone – the remedies are usually delivered the next day – worth doing this with children in the home, as can be used again and again – I only ever had homeopathy in the home with children as they cannot overdose and kill themselves or poison themselves if they get to it. My children used to read up – find the right remedy and administer homeopathy to each other. They loved playing ‘doctor’ to each other and were always spot on!
Here’s contact details for Helio (I would also recommend purchasing their homeopathic kits of 30 odd remedies with a booklet to identify which remedy is needed)
Contact Us
HEAD OFFICE
Postal Address
Helios Homoeopathy Ltd
89-97 Camden Rd, Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN1 2QR England
We are open Mon to Friday 9:30am – 5:30pm G.M.T. and 10am to 2pm on Saturday
email any queries you might have to: pharmacy@helios.co.uk
email any orders to: order@helios.co.uk
Or you can contact us by telephone:
Main number ++44 (0)1892 537254 (14 lines)
Homeopathic Arnica and Aconite are musts in the home with children. I also found that offering remedies to children and getting them to find which one they are drawn to gets some brilliant and exact results.
That’s who I have used over the last couple of years .. they are brilliant great for making a homeopathic first aid kit too
cranial osteopathy cured my son’s colic. he was like a different baby practically overnight
Go to a local bf support group, see if there’s one near you www.realbabymilk.org having other bf mums around can make things easier for you and baby, there is often a professional bf support linked to a group
Real Baby Milk
www.realbabymilk.org
YouTube colic massage, the video you want is by a user who’s name stays with d then followed by numbers (on phone so can’t link), but this worked wonders for us, as did lots of babywearing
im a midwife and i tried everything for my daughters colic – eventually i went to someone who practised bowdens technique and it worked after 2 sessions! x
Baby massage, keep baby upright preferably on chest, warm baths, skin2skin as much as possible, check your latch is on correctly (LL league or breastfeeding supporter) think about co sleeping (seek advise how to do this safely)….hang in there it will get better!
Warm bath for mum and baby, hand full of Epsom salts, skin to skin, colic is a fancy word for trapped gas. Relax and soothe. It will come up. No feeding restrictions. Love love love. X
There’s no evidence that Infacol works at all…
http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/pdfs/Colic.pdf
Cosleeping and feed with baby on her side propped up on your arm. Think about when u have bellyache, the last thing u want to do is lie flat. Raise the head end of whatever she sleeps in or let her sleep propped up on u. Also be reasonably firm when helping her wind. A gentle stroke is not enough to get gas up or down! A good move from yoga is laying baby down on back head propped if she prefers then bring both legs in bent to her tummy a few times x
I’d be really wary of deciding that a one week old has colic. Your milk has only JUST come in, her digestive system has only JUST started working. Colic doesn’t generally manifest until about 3 weeks, and even then it’s overdiagnosed, and its rare in EBF babies. What is she doing that makes you think it’s colic?
Very normal for a newborn to be feeding frequently and unsettled late in day at a week old. That’s not colic.
Dairy in mummys diet can cause terrible tummy ache for babes x
By Lisa Lactivist, on November 1st, 2012 Aunty Lactivist is all of us so please help with any comments, links or ideas if you can help at all. There are many issues in this question, the mum didn’t get much contact with the baby in hospital, she feels the baby is not taking much from the breast but will from the bottle, she also feels she cannot express enough.
This post will feed through to the Lactivist Facebook page so I will cut and paste any advice from there and add it to the comments later.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
I am wondering if you could maybe give some advice for my sister-in-law. She is currently living overseas and is not getting much help at all from the doctor’s/midwives with regards to breastfeeding.
Her daughter was born on 6 weeks premature and where she lives they do not allow the babies home until they are at what would have been the 38th week of pregnancy. However, my sister in law and brother in law brought the baby home after 2 weeks I think it was as the doctor’s said there was nothing medically wrong with her – other than being a premature baby – and kept wanting to do all these tests on her for no reason (they have to pay for each thing done over there).
While in hospital, the mum had to feed the baby by bottle every 3 hours – if the baby wanted more, she couldn’t have more than what was in the small bottle, she wasn’t allowed to be fed apart from every 3 hours. My sister in law did express (I’m pretty sure) the whole time so it was EBM the baby was getting. My sister in law also wasn’t allowed near the baby apart from during feeding time.
Anyway the past week she has been trying to breastfeed the baby as she’s been doing nothing but expressing and she’s really worn out. Here is some info from my Mother in Law.
She finds she is feeding the baby for a couple of hours – 45 mins on each breast , she is not taking much – then takes 90- 100 mls in a bottle. She then has to express 60 mls for the next bottle. Whilst some one is giving the bottle she is expressing the 30 – 40 ml top up. Last night at 11 p.m. she looked so weary & down – her husband was telling her to keep trying – she was pumping away and nothing was coming. All day and night she is trying to produce sufficient milk – apart from changing nappies and settling the baby. I really am worried about her – there is little joy in this routine. She hasn’t even been out to show the baby to anyone and has put off anyone coming to see her. A new Mum gets tired but should be having a bit of a life. The baby will be seven weeks on Sunday. I am making sure she is eating and drinking plenty and resting.
If there is anything at all you could suggest that I can pass onto my SIL I would be ever so grateful. When we see her on Skype she looks very tired and worn out – black eyes from lack of sleep, etc etc. I know I was tired after having my baby, but I don’t recall looking the way she did once I was out of hospital.
These are the Facebook page comments:
By Lisa Lactivist, on September 25th, 2011 Aunty Lactivist is all of us with experience or ides that might help this mum – please leave a comment if you can help.
There are more common and rare breastfeeding problems and solutions on the Ask Aunty Lactivist page.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
Hi I’m still after advice please.
My little one has started to bite me . She has bit me at least 5 time today I’m luck she hasn’t broke the skin as yet.
She’s got her bottom 2 teeth
I really don’t want to stop breastfeeding as she is only 7mths but I might have to if she doesn’t stop biting.
Any advice would be grateful
H
By Lisa Lactivist, on September 22nd, 2011  Just a quick post to flag up this article – http://parentingsquad.com/breastfeeding-and-boosting-your-milk-supply which lists some ideas to boost your breastmilk supply.
In short they are : Try Fenugreek, Nurse Often, Cluster Feed, Pump at Night, Breast Compression and Drink Water but please follow the link to the article for more information.
Can you add anything to the list? I can think of oats, which is a great excuse to eat flapjack 
By Lisa Lactivist, on September 20th, 2011 Aunty Lactivist is all of us so please add a comment if you can help with any ideas or links to websites that might help this mum.
Aunty Lactivist has solved problems for loads of mums over the last couple of years – you can see the list here : www.lactivist.net/?page_id=3379
Dear Aunty Lactivist,
Does anyone know a way to boost your breast milks calorific value. I’ve been breast feeding for nearly 11 weeks and my baby is not putting on much weight, he’s gone from the 75th centile at birth to under the 0.4th in his red book.
I’ve been expressing and putting him on the hind milk then topping him up with EBM after, been doing that for 4 weeks and yesterday was weighed and he hasn’t put on any weight in a week.
I still want to breast feed but I’m now having to top up with formula after a feed. Any ideas anyone on a way to boost my milk?
By Lisa Lactivist, on September 8th, 2011 If you can help this mum with any ideas, personal experience or links to useful websites then you are Aunty Lactivist! The idea is that mums can support each other so please leave a comment if you can help at all.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
I need some advice…
My 7 month old wakes about every 2 and a half – 3 hours at night, at first I put it down to needing more than milk but now she’s having 3 lots of mush a day – and she can polish a couple of icecubes at a time off – and her usual milk from me and she’s still unsettled at night.
As soon as she’s fed she goes straight back to sleep but I need to get more sleep!!!
I can’t remember the last time I slept for more than 3 hours at a time… anyone got any advice or tips? xx
By Lisa Lactivist, on September 7th, 2011 Aunty Lactivist is all of us, so if you have any advice for this mum, any experience you can share or ideas that might help please leave a comment below.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
Nipple advise ladies!
I breastfed S exclusively for 6 weeks then introduced a bottle and continued with the boob too till she was 10 months. I hated every minute of it  I have never felt pain like it, worse than labour and birth. I got thrush in my nipple but even when that cleared up it was just awful. I continued cause I thought I should.
Anyway, I know like pregnancy that it could be completely different this time so I am going to give it a go so I’m after advise on how best to prepare my nipples. I don’t think my milk production was the best as never at to wear a breast pad and never had that engorged feeling others talk about, even when I stopped feeding. Really want to enjoy it this time so please help xx
any advice would be fantastic
By Lisa Lactivist, on August 30th, 2011
Breastfeeding buddies back ‘breast is best’ campaign in Halton
Jun 30 2011 Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News
A GROUP of mums is hoping to kickstart a campaign to move Halton from the bottom of a health league table.
The NHS Health Improvement Team’s ‘breastfeeding buddies’ will act as ambassadors across the borough to encourage other mums-to-be to give breastfeeding a go.
Just 21% of women across Halton and St Helens are still breastfeeding their child at six to eight weeks – the second lowest figure in England.
The top area has a figure of 83%).
A health team spokesperson said: “Breastmilk remains the best source of nutrition for babies as it helps protect them from infection and diseases.
“Breastfeeding also allows a mum to get closer to their baby both physically and emotionally.”
Dympna Edwards, interim Director of Public Health for Halton and St Helens, said: “A mother’s milk is the ultimate designer food for babies.
“It is convenient, always available, protects babies from infection and helps mums and babies bond.
“It has many benefits for mums too. Breastfeeding for a few months helps women to regain their pre-pregnancy figure more quickly and protects against cancers.”
The group (supported by Kings Cross Community Parents) will work closely with the local NHS midwifery team by offering support to women across Halton at antenatal classes, breastfeeding groups and after birth during the initial days of breastfeeding as a new mum.
Contact the Buddies on 0151 420 4905 (9am–5pm, Monday–Friday).
By Lisa Lactivist, on August 24th, 2011 Support for Carlisle’s first breastfeeding cafe
By Pamela McGowan http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/support-for-carlisle-s-first-breastfeeding-cafe-1.850408?referrerPath=news
Last updated at 14:26, Thursday, 23 June 2011
Carlisle’s first breastfeeding cafe is helping new mums by playing host to weekly support sessions.
Every Wednesday parents meet at the Old Hall Cafe, at Petteril Bank School, alongside breastfeeding support workers and midwives.
The aim of the cafe it to change public opinion, getting more people to see it as the norm and give mums more confidence feeding their babies in public.
To mark Breastfeeding Awareness Week, infant feeding coordinator Helen Ferris wants to spread the word about the cafe and other support groups.
She hopes that knowing help is out there will encourage more new mums to consider breastfeeding their children.
“By holding the support group in a cafe environment we are moving away from closed environments and integrating breastfeeding as being normal within the local community,” she said.
“I thought we’d get a few raised eyebrows but people have been absolutely fine about it. It’s been great.”
The group meets every Wednesday from 1pm to 2.30pm. Mums can also bring along their other youngsters and it has become a real social event for new parents.
In the past six years, Helen has seen the breastfeeding rate in Carlisle rise from just over half of all mothers to more than 70 per cent. She believes this is largely down to the improved support available, meaning mums can get together with those who have been through it and talk about problems and share tips.
Each group has its own peer support workers, who have signed up after breastfeeding their own children.
At Petteril Bank they include Sarah England, 40, of London Road, who has two children, five-year-old Benjamin and Estella, two.
She breast fed both, despite family and friends trying to persuade her to use bottles. “It was something I really wanted to do but I did find it really hard at first. I started to go to the breastfeeding group and without it I would probably have given up, but I’m so glad I didn’t,” she said.
Sarah says she notices the difference and believes her children have better immunity to illness because of it.
Helen said the support available has been further boosted after funding was secured to employ two volunteer supporters on a part time basis, Wendy Tate and Lindsey Russell.
Mum-of-three Wendy, 38, of Stanwix, said she would encourage all new mums or mums-to-be to give breastfeeding a try. “There is help out there if you find it difficult. Often my job is just a kind word when someone’s having a bad day,” she said.
To coincide with Breastfeeding Awareness Week, Helen and Wendy will be offering support and answering questions about breastfeeding at Mothercare in Carlisle on Friday from 9.30am to 11.30am.
A teddy bears’ picnic is also taking place that afternoon at the city’s Morton Manor.
To find out more about the support groups contact Helen Ferris on 01228 814269 or email helen.ferris@ncuh.nhs.uk.
First published at 11:29, Thursday, 23 June 2011
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
By Lisa Lactivist, on August 18th, 2011 The website for Save our Sleep says this about Tizzy Hall:
“Tizzy Hall is The International Baby Whisperer and bestselling author of the Save Our Sleep® series.
Her program focuses on teaching parents to identify issues that are affecting their baby or toddlers sleep, to interpret their children’s cries and to deal with the inevitable sleep problems when they do arise. Consequently, it gives parents back their own sleep.
Tizzie’s SOS offers a complete service to allay a large range of parenting concerns. In addition to sleep solutions, Tizzie is an experienced consultant in positive discipline methods, dietary and home environmental consulting, potty training, toilet training and cot to bed transitions to name a few. She can also supervise or develop programs to get children on and off bottle-feeding or to eliminate dummy dependency and thumb-sucking. Tizzie’s tried and tested approach will teach you how to deal with the known and the unknown causes of sleep, behavioural and developmental issues in baby’s and toddlers based on many years of experience with young children.”
Tizzy has come under a lot of critisism for her methods recently and the very best article I have seen about this is from the qualified and very experienced breastfeeding counsellor behind Analytical Armadillo.
The article is so long that is is split into two –
Part One , explores restricting breastfeeding frequency, some of Tizzie’s ideas and why I think mums planning on following Tizzie’s advice should be cautious…
Part Two. which explores Tizzie’s recommendation to also limit the duration of feeds.
Here is a little snippet:
“In her book “Save Our Sleep”, Tizzie firstly suggests that feeding “on demand” may be linked to obesity in later life.
“If your baby knows you will keep offering him a snack every couple of hours, he will never feel the need to have a full feed. Putting your baby on a routine gets him into the habit of filling right up when you offer the breast or bottle, because he soon learns it will be quite some time before you make the offer again.”
and
 “Teaching bad habits:
If you feed your baby every time he cries, you run the risk of teaching him that the answer to all his emotional ups and downs is to eat, irrespective of whether he is actually hungry. For example, if a baby is tired and crying because he doesn’t know how to put himself to sleep, feeding teaches that he needs to eat in order to fall asleep. If a bored and crying baby is picked up and fed he starts to understand that if he is bored then eating will help.
My problem with this is that as your baby turns into a toddler, his whingeing will see you starting to replace bottles or breastfeeds with a piece of fruit or a biscuit which reinforces the regime of feeding him when he cries. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why we now see a lot of obesity in children and teenagers, and why others eat to solve emotional imbalance.”
What doesn’t get a mention in the “obesity ponderings” is that not breastfeeding has long been linked with increased risk. But that aside really just how healthy is “filling right up”? Don’t recommendations now support responsive feeding regardless of how an infant is fed?
Breastmilk is digested within a couple of hours, so a baby eating every couple of hours isn’t “snacking” – but eating normally. Little and often is actually exactly how humans are supposed to eat, it keeps blood sugars stable and promotes normal metabolism. Paul Mckenna’s whole diet theory is based on adults learning to re-recognise when they are full, but at what point did they forget? Milk is all an infant gets, their tummies are much smaller than ours – yet I wonder how many people reading ensure no food or drink passes their lips unless three hours has passed?
Lynne Daniels, a professor of nutrition at Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and researcher with the Early Prevention of Obesity in CHildren (EPOCH) collaboration, has demonstrated routine fed infants were heavier at 14 months than those fed responsively.
The professor said:
“If the mother is responsive, she is responding to the child’s cues of hunger and not over-riding them. Whereas, if a mother feeds in schedule, she decides whether or not he is hungry.”
You can read the full articles, which are packed with references at www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk
By Lisa Lactivist, on August 17th, 2011 Aunty Lactivist is all of us – a team effort so if you have any ideas or links to other sites or suggestions that might help please leave a comment.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
I was wondering if anyone here has had experience (and success) with breastfeeding a baby with a small mouth and nipple/areola that are large?
I was unsuccessful with bub #1 and ended up exclusively pumping .. The midwife for this second pregnancy said it could’ve been because of the size of bub’s mouth.. Was a shock because I hadn’t heard of that speed bump before and want to be more prepared this time around ..
Would love any stories, links, advice, etc.. (hoping not to try shields).. Thank you )
By Lisa Lactivist, on August 12th, 2011  A growth spurt is a babies way of increasing your milk supply and changing it’s nutritional value. They can come at any time but are generally they happen between 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months. All babies are different so here is what to look out for:
- Your baby may seem hungrier than usual
- Feeds might take longer
- Feed requests might be more frequent
- Your baby may nap or sleep longer than usual
- Your baby might be clingier than usual
Growth spurts do not mean that your milk is running out! This is one of my big subjects to rant about – the baby food industry cash in on mums who are worried that their babies are hungrier than they can supply milk for. Just keep breastfeeding because topping up with formula or introducing solids can cause problems with the breastfeeding relationship. Babies have no other way to change your milk than to feed a lot.
Remember you can always ask for help if you are worried about your baby and there are some fantastic online resources:
www.kellymom.com on growth spurts
www.kellymom.com if you are worried about milk supply
www.llli.org the LLL faq about growth spurts
Here are some tips from the lovely mums on the Lactivist Facebook Page, if you have any others please add them!
- Be patient, sure its tiring but they are growing and thats great! It doesnt last more than a few weeks and before you know it they are back to normal
- The thing that helped me the most was seeing the chart that details the weeks most likely to have developmental & growth spurts – bad weeks marked by thunder clouds and settled weeks marked by suns! Made me realise it does all fall into a broadly identifiable series of phases… Each one does pass…
- Remember babies can’t read the calendar and may start spurts earlier or later than the “lable” given to them.
- What helped was talking to other mums, Breastfeeding cafe’s, online forums etc. For me generally the worse of the spurt would be the first three days whilst my body catches up, having lots of snacks, drinks to hand and a good stock of tele to watch and a good forum to chat on helps. Having friends with babies help who I can go and visit and not have to worry if baby feeds the whole time cause they understand too.
- I think the most imporatnt thing to know is that they are normal, and the easiest way to get through them is to follow the baby’s cues. The baby will direct what they need and fighting against it will make everyone miserable, but going with it and following their lead will be the best way through it to the other side.
- For me it helped to know when to roughly expect them and that it doesn’t mean you don’t have enough milk or that your milk isn’t enough for them anymore, just that your baby wants to make more as it can be a confusing time when people worry about their supply and might give up or supplement.
- To trust your baby knows how much they need, that it is normal. That your baby won’t just want to be feeding all the time but may also be unsettled, more tired, cry more, be grumpy, until they get more of that milk! And to prepare for it and enjoy it as time to chill out with your baby and read/knit/do anything you like to do as soon you won’t get so much of all that lovely time to rest and do something for yourself. Good excuse to be lazy and looked after.
- And you need to eat and drink more, I lose a few more pounds during each growth spurt so love them!
- You do not need to top up with formula x
- Have support from other moms who have either been there or are currently nursing.
- Stay positive and patient.
- Some signs of a good supply are lots of wet nappies, weight gain, etc so youcan be confident that it’s not low supply.
- Milk booster tips are choosing oaty snacks or drinking fennel tea - may see a slight increase the next day
- Sleep when you can,
- Have lots of snacks and quick cook food to hand,
- Get in lots of DVDs!
- You could be lucky and have a baby who goes through one day growth spurts or ones that last weeks! X
- That they don’t last forever. and its normal during a growth spurt to have baby on your boob all day and night!
- Babies eat and sleep more when going through a growth spurt.
- The 4 month growth spurt is big and baby doesn’t need extra food, mummy milk is just fine!
- Just like a flower needs sun and water BEFOR it grows, your baby will feed and feed and feed for no obvious reason dont fret, you are producing enough, within 2 weeks your see they have bloomed and grown loads.
- Growth spurts don’t come at specified intervals, so just go with the flow (pun not intended) and let the baby at the breast as long as he/she wants… your supply will catch up- it’s another beautiful thing about BF, your body knows what to do!
- The length of each growth spurt extends as baby gets older, so each one lasts a bit longer than the previous, as I kept think this can’t be another groth spurt its too long!
- We had cluster feeding from 6pm-11pm for 1-2 weeks at a time and every hour feeding round the clock! Just relaxing and telling myself it was normal helped me along with the hubby realising it was non negotiable and he had to help out more!
- The knowledge that my baby is going through major neurological development and that it’s just as difficult for him like it is for me. Plus that when it’s over, he will have new skills or perceive the world differently. Fascinating!
- What helped me was a bottle of water / snacks always at the side of where I nursed in case I got stuck there for a while, and having meals ready prepared!
- Sit back with some dvds or the tv remote and relax! They last for as long as they last – just nurse nurse nurse and use the excuse for a rest ))
- I found Kellymom to be my saviour. Huzzah for her. Bec*
- I remeber DS feeding what felt like constantly for his first 4 months. I think the key with growth spurts is to just feed as often as baby wants to and try not to worry about myths like ‘I’m not making enough milk’, it’s all supply and demand.
- Don’t be tempted to top up with formula
- Ignore all those that tell you baby MUST need PROPER food as it’s obviously not satisfied *rolls eyes*
- I’ve always been told “if in doubt, get your boob out” and its worked for me. Especially 2 o clock in the morn where we have tried every possible thing, he has just finished a feed, is clean, warm etc offered him the boob again and he took some more! A week later he grew out of one clothes size and into the next.
- Trust your baby to let you know what they need : )
- They happened and i didn’t really notice until after when i thought phew that was a tiring few days! lots of feeding and sleeping so more excuse for feet up
- They are Normal, Nessecary, Not gonna last forever!
- My daughter seemed to have a growth spurt from birth – 5 months I would of liked to have been told that some babies just need to feed a lot she took a long time to gain weight then at 5 months she gained 3 lbs in 2 weeks and I now get a break I’m pleased I kept it up but there were times when I just couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel
- If u go with it and feed feed feed your milk supply catches up much quicker so the whole thing will not last as long Mums that still try to stretch their babies to ‘every 3 hours’ during a growth spurt means they will be just extending the period of time the baby is unsettled! I tried it with my twins Learnt very quickly not to and go with the flow a bit more
- The baby is feeding so frequently for so long in order to increase your supply, NOT because you don’t have enough milk! Growth spurs seem to be times when mamas stop breastfeeding, either because it’s too tiring or because they are convinced they don’t have enough milk, or both.
- Often once baby has increased the duration or amount of feeds- they dont let you supply decrease, they simply adjust the duration of their future feeds, or your milk will flow in vast quanities.. Guess what im trying to say is – Dont expect that the feeds will decrease after a growt spurt.
- Expect cluster feeding/fussy time in the evening. We had fussy time from 5-8pm every evening I could set my clock by it!
- What you can express is NOT an indication of milk supply!!!!!! This is such a common mistake: “I can only express 1oz if I’m lucky therefore I don’t have enough milk” is such a commom myth. Baby is the best at getting milk out if you can’t express successfully
- When your sitting watching the telly, offer baby snuggles and the breast, often comfort feeding in their sleep is a great way of increasing feeds during a growth spurt… Or indeed any other time, remember your baby is constantly developing.
- Trust your body. It’s normal for your baby to be more unsettled during a growth spurt. Don’t give into temptation to give formula to ‘satisfy’ them. It will only hinder your breastfeeding relationship. *You* are everything your baby needs.
- I would say that growth spurts can happen at any time. If your baby suddenly wants feeding a lot more often, it’s probably a growth spurt and don’t panic, your boobs will catch up to their demands if you just keep feeding them – it might seem like you don’t have enough milk but don’t be fooled, it’s a booby trap, you DO!
- Learning to enjoy it really helped me get through them! When we have growth spurts my tiny person is up all night feeding, the first few times was really really hard but now I enjoy it! It’s special quiet time for just me and my little boy when the rest of the world is fast asleep and nothing else matters. Seeing him staring lovingly into my eyes for feeding him at stupid o clock makes everything worth it
- Trust your baby AND your body, when breastfeeding they work together like a miraculous well oiled machine and every feed is for a reason. Our longest so far has been 3 weeks though I barely noticed until it was over, letting baby and body take over works for me and seeing him thriving from mummas milk only makes me so proud and shows me just how important letting him lead the way is
- That it is okay to feel overwhelmed during a spurt, and that everyone else does too! That they happen at all, as no-one mentioned them when my ds was born and I did the ftm freak about not enough milk! That everyone thinks the same about that too, even 2nd time round!!
- The 4 month one is NOT a cue for food….a spurting baby needs full fat milk not steamed carrots to fill them up xx
- It won’t last forever! With my first daughter I got really depressed and wanted to give up. Second time round you know it gets better so I’m just trying to enjoy it more!
- That your baby needs you to sit on your bum, relax, look into their eyes & enjoy been fed on demand. That it won’t last forever and before you know it they’ll be running around doing somersaults, with your nipple in their mouth still! Your meant to be a Mom, not a robot cleaning woman making ta for strangers. Feed feed feed & enjoy it!
- I think any info on growth spurts helpful as I didn’t know about them at all from our ante natal classes, that it’s normal for them to feed more and especially at night due to prolactin which stimulates milk supply being highest then so it’s best way of upping supply to meet the demands of a growing child.
- It’s temporary, it’s necessary, it’s healthy. Ride it out.
- It can feel like you are feeding non stop, go with the flow and spend some quality time and lie down in bed to feed/ try different positions and enjoy that bonding time as they need their mummy.
- Don’t take too much on yourself and commit to a load of things you’ll feel bad about not getting out of.
By Lisa Lactivist, on August 10th, 2011 Aunty Lactivist is all of us so please leave a comment if you can help with any personal experiences, ideas or links to helpful websites.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
We are going through a growth spurt and thrush at the same time, I feel like I would be in less pain if my nipple got cut off, any advice?
By Lisa Lactivist, on July 27th, 2011 Aunty Lactivist is all of us so please leave a comment if you can help with any ideas. Sharing your experiences will help other people.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
Is this a 16 weeks growth spurt?
My daughter is suddenly feeding lots and is quite clingy – all of which I am attributing to a growth spurt but might this also be affecting her bowel movements?
She used to ‘go’ every day, first thing in the morning but last week she went 4 days with no poo so I gave her a drink of cooled boiled water which seemed to help.
It’s now been another 2 days – might it be linked?
V
By Lisa Lactivist, on June 23rd, 2011 I’ m really pleased to welcome Become a Mumpreneur as new Lactivist.net sponsors.
They are a lovely team who have helped Lactivist hugely. I’ve been listening to the free e-course they are running and it has loads of very helpful ideas. It is for anyone, if you are just thinking about starting your own business or if you have been running it for years there will be something useful for you, and as it is free you have nothing to lose!
There are lots of reasons why mums become Mumpreneurs, for me it was a lifesaver – my son was badly bullied at his first school and developed behavioural problems so he spent a lot of time out of school on exclusions. He is 8 now and things have settled down for him (new school!) but if I had a ‘proper’ job insead of being self employed I would have been stuffed! What employer would put up with absences at no notice, or at best, the day before? I’ve been able to work despite his difficulties because my office is on my sofa with a laptop.
Become a Mumpreneur is run by mums who juggle work and family, just like you!
Do you want a better way to work in 2011?
Would you like to have flexible work that fits with the family? Join our free 30 day e-course to find out all your options so you are ready to make a change for the better!
Find out how YOU can:
- learn 3 essential concepts for a flexible family friendly business
- change the way you think about work to OPEN UP more opportunities
- get INSPIRED about the potential for your own flexible business.
Marion is taking part in the course and she says, “Thanks you for all this advice. Please keep it coming!!”
You’re probably wondering:
“How can I work while being around for my family?”
“Could I find a job with flexible hours?”
“How do I take the first step to start a business?”
Join ‘Mumpreneur in a Month’. It is FREE to take part and the 30 day course has the answers you’ve been looking for.
If you are interested in advertising on www.lactivist.net prices are from £5 a month and there is more information here
By Lisa Lactivist, on June 10th, 2011 Dear Aunty Lactivist
A dear friend of mine just had her third baby ( after 14 years another one) via c section on thursday this week…..
so far breastfeeding is not going well….. she had breast implants under the muscle several years ago. and she is saying NO MILK what so ever….she is nursing the little one plus pumping, the lactation consultant at the hosptial is worthless as always in the US…. I told her to drink fenugreek tea and mothersmilk tea, and nurse and nurse….I cant drive over to offer anymore support unitl monday since she is 2 hrs away….Any thoughts at all on your end???
Aunty Lactivist is all of us so if you can help with ideas or links to other sites please leave a comment.
By Lisa Lactivist, on June 7th, 2011 Dear Aunty Lactivist,
I’m still finding it hard to breast feed in public after 8 weeks, feel so embarrased even though its natrual.
What can we do to help this Mum?
By Lisa Lactivist, on June 6th, 2011 Aunty Lactivist is all of us so please leave a comment if you can help at all.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
My Medela Breast pump broke after a few uses and I don’t have the receipt! I don’t really want to buy another expensive electric pump if I don’t have to. Just wondering if any of you think manual pumps are useful at all? I just need a pump a few times a week so that I can have the odd night out, not for work.
Any opinions??
By Lisa Lactivist, on May 31st, 2011 Aunty Lactivist is all of us so please leave a comment if you can help this mum with ideas or experience.
Dear Aunty Lactivist
Can anyone give me some advise?
My little one is 16 weeks now and exclusively breastfed, but I want to be able to express so I can go out once in a while and my hubby can bottle feed her.
My problem is that she won’t take a bottle, we have tried several times with either tomme tippe closer to nature or avent bottles both no.1 teet but she gags andjust keeps turning her head away until she gets hysterical and I end up breasytfeeding her in the end… anyone had any simular issues and got through it??
L
By Lisa Lactivist, on May 24th, 2011  Aunty Lactivist is all of us so if you can help at all with ideas or links please leave a comment.
“Dear Aunty Lactivist
Hi I wondered if anyone can help? When i went to a weaning class a few months ago i remember being told that if i am still breastfeeding at 6 months then i need to start to give my baby vitamin drops?”
What can we do to help this Mum?
|
|
|
I now it’s not want anybody would want but if it’s putting her health at risk and there’s no help maybe express during the day so she can use it at night or the next day and use formula in the interime. I no its not the ideal solution because I’m all for breastfeeding but if it’s getting to the point where she’s not going out and her health isnt get nobody can blame her for needing extra help and it doesn’t make you a bad mother something is better than nothing and hopefully if she expresses more constitantly and builds up a store that will be better- I also think stress plays into it as well. If I was stressed or anxious I would find it almost impossible!! I no I would rather give my children milk that was made my me for them it’s seems stupid not to but try having a relaxing bath being calm, meditation even?
Care Instructions – Shopping Bag 
Mummy Milk Rocks – Shopping Bag 
Any Old Cow – Shopping Bag 
Recent Comments