Is this "normal"? Crying after BFing

I don't have much trouble with the nursing, it is afterwards that is stressful. I fed baby boy today and then baby girl (have 5.5 week old b/g twins). Each ate well. I burbed baby boy, changed him, and he settled down for 10 minute nap. Woke up needing a change and then cried for the 1.5 hours off and on. Every attempt to soothe him -- swaddle, shhssh, jiggle, swing, walking around, singing, play/engage -- met with crying. He eats on a 2 to 3 hour interval (I feed on demand), and he's cried right up to the next interval. The same thing happens in the middle of the night, which pretty much guarantees I'll be up all night.

Is this "normal" (I realize there is a whole range of "normal") -- and is there something I can do to make him more comfortable. It's really frustrating not knowing what to do...

Maybe he'll just out grow it. Thanks for listening...

Anne

 

Is it possible they are heading into a growth spurt and wanting to eat more often? 6 weeks is a prime time for a growth spurt.

 

we're going through the exact same thing....

 

QUOTE(mrsfussypants @ Jun 3 2007, 03:26 PM) [snapback]277870[/snapback]
we're going through the exact same thing....


Nice to know i'm not alone! All the crying really wears me down. Thanks. Anne

 

Does he seem uncomfortable aside from the crying? Does he pull his legs in toward his body? If so, that can be a sign of gas.

 

Babies cry alot at this time -- but if you eat a lot of dairy in a day, you may want to be careful with it. It's very common for kids at this age to have trouble processing dairy through your breastmilk. if you meter your usage now, you may not have a problem with dairy protein intolerance down the road.

for me, I had to totally elminate it, but my friends just needed to moderate their intake for a few months.

Teri D

 

A couple thoughts:

1. Growth spurt
2. Reflux
3. Comfort sucking

If it is a growth spurt, you will need to nurse more often for a few days. Reflux can be "silent" - that is, not spitting up, but still having pain from stomach acid backing up into their esophagus. That can cause a lot of discomfort. In that case, reflux meds might help. My other thought is that he just wants the comfort of nursing, even beyond being full. Have you tried a pacifier?

Michelle

 

If you've read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," the doctor explains that, for most babies, their fussiest time is around 6 weeks and then slowly after that, they get more and more agreeable. I was pulling my hair out, too, and once or twice, even fed my babies some EBM from the freezer just 'cause I was sure they were starving. Sure enough, they were just as fussy after the extra bottle as they were before. Sometimes it can help to do things like that 'cause it stops your mind from blaming yourself for their crying (don't we blame ourselves for everything???). If the crying is severe, it wouldn't hurt to see your ped, but it's normal for babies to cry even 3 hours out of the day at that age. Just do your best and if you get extremely frustrated and angry, put the babies in their crib and go play freecell for 5 minutes or walk out to the mailbox to get your mail.

HTH

(My 1st had SEVERE colic for 4.5 months, so I've BTDT)

 

Does he seem to be uncomfortable or in pain? How long has this been going on? Both my boys did the same thing until they were diagnosed with silent reflux. We had suspected it for awhile b/c nothing we tried really seemed to soothe them, but they didn't really spit up. It only happened after feedings so it wasn't colic. We did notice a lot of "wet" burps (sounded like there would be tons of spitup but nothing came up), which prompted us to talk to our Ped about it. Things are much, much better now that they're on medication. Also, breastmilk has a natural antacid, so if it is reflux he may want to constantly nurse to help soothe the pain. Gripe water helps my guys, too. Oh, and I've eliminated dairy, which seems to have helped.

I hate to imply that it is definitely reflux. It could be any of a number of things or nothing serious at all...what you described just sounds so similar to our experience with reflux. I would definitely recommend calling your Ped. to see what he/she recommends.

 

QUOTE(MommyTo3andCounting @ Jun 3 2007, 04:07 PM) [snapback]277684[/snapback]
Is it possible they are heading into a growth spurt and wanting to eat more often? 6 weeks is a prime time for a growth spurt.


That's what I was thinking.

 

I really appreciate all the advice. I keep trying to figure it out. Like everything, some days are better than others. If it persists, I'll bring it up with the ped at our 2 month visit. Can't believe how thie time is flying!

QUOTE(sottovoce @ Jun 3 2007, 11:54 AM) [snapback]277670[/snapback]
I don't have much trouble with the nursing, it is afterwards that is stressful. I fed baby boy today and then baby girl (have 5.5 week old b/g twins). Each ate well. I burbed baby boy, changed him, and he settled down for 10 minute nap. Woke up needing a change and then cried for the 1.5 hours off and on. Every attempt to soothe him -- swaddle, shhssh, jiggle, swing, walking around, singing, play/engage -- met with crying. He eats on a 2 to 3 hour interval (I feed on demand), and he's cried right up to the next interval. The same thing happens in the middle of the night, which pretty much guarantees I'll be up all night.

Is this "normal" (I realize there is a whole range of "normal") -- and is there something I can do to make him more comfortable. It's really frustrating not knowing what to do...

Maybe he'll just out grow it. Thanks for listening...

Anne