Should I continue breastfeeding or go to bottles?

[Rachels_Mummy]

Hi Everyone, just joined up here and need some urgent advice

I am a mum to two wonderful kids, finley 2 and rachel who is 6 weeks on monday. I breast fed finley until he was 9 months and had no problems with any aspects of breastfeeding him :)
Not the same story with rachel - Rachel is often quite sick after her feed (she can be sick 3 -4 times) no set pattern as to when and the amount appears to be vary as well (it can be up to an hour after the feed and the amount can be a little dribble to both of us needing a complete change of clothes). I have tried changes to my diet to see if this helps but nothing has changed. Rachel is gaining weight and she is happy and content baby normally but she is starting to become restless after a feed. Also she has developed a rash and her skin on her face has become blotchy She is also showing signs of constipation (last bowel movement was 2 days and previous to that 5 days ago)
My mum in law suggests i go to formula but I am not sure???
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Bohemiamommy]

oh my gosh, i'm so sorry about her discomfort, What does your doctor or midwife say? I try not to go towards formula. I wish you luck and health.

[trylyn5]

I think diet changes can take several weeks to have an effect. I know someone more knowledgeable than me will come around but i would stick to a pretty restricted diet for a couple weeks and see if that made a difference. i'd also call the baby's doctor for suggestions of what to cut out. Don't give up yet!

[PeacefulMom]

Diet changes take about 2 weeks to make a difference. BF babies can go for a very long time without a poop so the time between would not be a good indicator of constipation. A better way to tell would be poop consistency, like are we talking little rocks?

Also, what do you mean by sick? Do you mean spit up? That is very common in babies and usually goes away. If she is really throwing up then it may be something else. Someone else will know more than I.

I definitely do not think switching to formula is the answer with the info you've provided so far. That usually opens up a lot more problems.

[tifttu]

Rashes, blotchiness, spitting up...I'm wondering if it's a food allergy. Like others have said it can take about 2wks of having the trigger completely out of your diet to see an improvement. The most common culprit is dairy. Soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, corn and wheat are other very common allergens. I don't know much about reflux, but could that be an issue?

I would definitely try a diet change before going to formula.

[CatSoup]

She may have more problems with formula, so please ask your pediatrician first. It could be reflux,which is often controlled by medicine.

[Rachels_Mummy]

Hi guys, thanks for all your replies and help :)
I have been back and forth to the doctor but he isnt able to give any answers - as long as she is putting on weight and she isnt dehydratrated then he thinks al should be ok (but then he isnt the one getting covered in sick everytime). The midwife thought she was over eating but I have never heard of a BF baby overeating before.
I think I am going to try removing dairy from my diet for a two week period and see if things improve and also speak to a local bf group and see if anyone has in suggestions. Thanks again for all your help xxx

[Amy_G_]

Lower the amount of milk in your diet, or stop milk completely. it will take 2-3 weeks for the milk protein to be clear of your system.

If you have an overactive let down or a high supply, baby may overeat a bit, trying to eat enough foremilk to get to the higher fat hindmilk. then the spit up is more likely to occur. nurse on one side only per feeding to help baby get the right % of hindmilk and foremilk.

Be sure you are stopping to burp. does she gulp her milk at any time while nursing? if you take her off do you spray everywhere?

Often spit up is a laundry problem if baby is happy, growing and doesn't seem to be in pain. It could be reflux, which doesn't always mean medicines. you can feed on one breast, smaller more frequent meals, pacifier may help keep stomach acid down, feeding baby in a more upright position, don't lay her down flat after a feeding, things like that.

If your baby has an unknown allergy, switching to formula if very seldom an answer. If baby is allergic to cow's milk, mom can remove it from her system. If baby is allergic to soy, nuts, wheat, blah blah, mom can remove it from her diet. But formula often contains those items, and it's very expensive to get a formula that is truly allergen free.

[Amy_G_]

Frequency of stools is not constipation. Hard balls of poop, that is constipation. when she does go poop, how does it look?
It is NORMAL for a baby to begin to skip days between poops as they get older. Breastmilk is very digestible with little waste products, so an older baby may begin to go once every 3-5 days, or even longer and be completely healthy. Sometimes babies don't like the feeling of going poop, and when they feel it coming out they will straighten their legs and cry and hold it in. stomach massage, bending the legs and pulling knees up to the chest often helps if that is the problem.

[maksmom]

The rash is what would worry me the most. I'd do an elimination diet. Spit up is just as common, if not more so, in ff babies, trust me, I know! Formula spit up is waaaaay worse than breastmilk. Just as previous posters have said it is normal for a breastfed baby to go several days between poops. It is the consistency of poop that is important.

[RedheadbyChoice]

I concur with the other ladies; spit is usually a laundry issue. And spit happens! ;) Amy G has some great suggestions for you. If babe is showing signs of an allergy (and the rashes would lead me to consider that) please be sure to take ALL dairy out of your diet, not just the biggies of milk and cheese. There is hidden dairy in a variety of foods.

But no, at this point I wouldn't even consider formula in the ball park of options. Babe is growing and gaining weight, so that's good. How is babe with the horking after nursing? In pain? Seeming uncomfortable at all? Have you noticed a pattern, at all, with what you eat?

Some babes are just spitters, too, with no rhyme or reason.

[pumpkinhead7]

Everything that you have described sounds like completely normal behaviour for a newborn to me. Some babies are just spitters. What is your letdown like? When your baby is nursing, does she gulp? Does she ever come off the breast sputtering? Does your other breast leak during a feed?

If so, you might have overactive letdown, like a pp suggested, and this is a really common issue. Babies have a weaker stomach valve to help keep them from getting overfull. If they're getting too much milk, they just toss up the extra. If she's happy, healthy and gaining weight, this is not a breastfeeding issue. Some babies just have weaker stomach valves than others.

The reason all of this sounds normal to me is probably because I had overactive letdown with both of my babies. I alleviated the problem somewhat by block nursing which just means I did at least 2-3 feedings per breast before switching to the other breast.

REgardless, this is not a problem that formula will solve. If it's a weak stomach valve, she'll still spit up and it will smell worse and stain more. If it's overactive letdown, block nursing will help.

In any event, congratulations on your new little one!

[pumpkinhead7]

P.S. ITA with Red!