colic? hungry again? I'm lost...

My daughter Zoey is a little over 4 weeks old and seems to want to breastfeed at every hour then she'll fall asleep so I'll get super excited to lay her down and have some time to myself and she'll be up a couple min. later screaming her head off and most of the time acting hungry AGAIN. I can't even make myself a sandwich b/c she'll be screaming to the point where she gets bright red and boiling hot b/c she gets so worked up. She shows signs of hunger by sucking her hands or just turning her head to the side looking for my breast, when her dad holds her she'll start trying to suck his neck! It was funny at first but now I just don't know how she could be hungry so soon after, sometimes 20 min. later. She doesn't seem to breastfeed as long as she was before, now it's about 10min.-20min. at the very max. I'll try to put her back on but she wont take. I see alot of people always saying to get a sling to have your hands free but no sling I've tried is comfortable, she's always sinking in it and it doesn't look safe at all for her. I can't keep holding her day all day everyday, she seems to be getting more and more needy. Please help me.

Desire to just suck maybe? How is her output? Peeing and pooping ok? Gaining weight ok?

Do you know anyone IRL who uses a sling? Who could help you? A babe is indeed perfectly safe in one, if it's being used correctly, sometimes all it takes is a quick tweak.

In and of itself, a 4 week old nursing every hour isn't odd at all. She could be having a growth spurt. She could be a higher needs baby, who simply DOES need held often.



Hang in there, momma!

Did she have a 3 week growth spurt and want to eat nonstop? If not, she's just off a week and doing a 4 week growth spurt instead. *note 3 week growth spurt is an approximate figure. some babies have a growth spurt about every two weeks where they want to nurse non-stop and seem to be starving.*

Also about this time, a lot of babies start being unable to block out stimuli as easy as they could when they were newborns and could sleep thru anything. so they are a bit fussier trying to adjust.

Could you recommend a sling that maybe you use? Her weight gain is great the pediatrician said, she gained 1lb. in 2 weeks after she was born. She wets atleast 2 diapers a day and poops around 8-10 times daily, healthy poops too!!

I use either an OTSBH (which is a padded ring sling) or an unpadded ring sling. I like both equally well.

What really helped me, though, was seeing it used in person, and having an IRL person help me with it. Have you watched any of the instructional videos? Do you have LLL near you? Seems lots of moms (at least in the LLL that I've been involved with) use slings.

And woot woot, sugar, weight gain and poops.........way to go! Your supply is obviously working fabulously.

~ginger

Originally Posted by kelly-n-zoey

Could you recommend a sling that maybe you use? Her weight gain is great the pediatrician said, she gained 1lb. in 2 weeks after she was born. She wets atleast 2 diapers a day and poops around 8-10 times daily, healthy poops too!!

I don't know if this helps, but with the sling, I tighten it up and put baby in it with him facing me. His tummy to my tummy/chest. his little legs dangle out at the bottom. you can pull the top up to give her neck and head support.Same position for a carrier, yet so much more comfy. I've used that position since my son was newborn (6lbs. 10 oz). He still loves it at 4 months. I just don't pull it up as high, unless he is sleeping.

This could be a sign of reflux whether spitting up/vomiting or not. Does she lay down flat after you feed her? The type of cry that you described sounds like a pain-cry (reflux is painful) as oppose to a hungry cry however your babe probably wants to eat more because she's 'trying to put the fire out'. I dont know if that makes sense. Reflux is overwhelmingly common.

I don't know if this is something you would consider or not. In fact I was skeptical myself at first. My DD was the exact same way and I have three older children to take care of so I understand. My DD was a VERY hard burper and would scream and cry minutes after being laid down to sleep. Finally at my whits end I took some advice and brought my DD to a reputable chiropractor. He never actually did any adjusting just use some slight pressure to stimulate the nerves in her back. The change in her was immediate. It was like having a new baby. We want back for treatments over three weeks and she is now an angel. If this is something you decide to try just make sure you find one who works with babies and is reputable.

Dr Sears has a book called The Fussy Baby Book that you may find very helpful. I also agree with Red that LLL would be a good place to get help with a sling, as well as practical advice about dealing with a high needs baby.
Here is a link to find LLL near you
and
Here is a link about fussy babies
finally,
Here is a link about baby wearing and a link to a video to show you how