Newborns And Colic! Help!

[@llli*annamlaila]

Hi guys,

I'm 30 weeks pregnant with baby number 2 and I'm so nervous. I am so very excited to meet my little baba but looking back at my experience with my first daughter is really starting to bother me. I remember the first day she was born, she was so perfect and content..I didn't find it necessary to get any help from the nurses with breastfeeding as she seemed fine but day 2 was a different story!! She would uncontrollably cry, non-stop! And it seemed as though when she was suppose to be feeding she was just using me as a pacifier, maybe I got that wrong? All I know is that she was crying, I was crying and no one could soothe her. I've never been so stressed and upset in my life, I turned to formula and stopped breastfeeding by she was 2 months old.

[@llli*iritita]

Congrats!! It is so exciting expecting a little bundle. The only advise I can share with you would be to be patient and relax. Not every baby is the same and you might have a total different experience with this one and maybe with new challanges. No need to start worrying now..just enjoy these last few moments of pregnancy and get as much sleep as you can...and "so what" if you become a pacifier...that is part of nursing....to be able to comfort you LO not only for nutrition but also for comfort...hope it all works out for you ...keep us posted!!!

[@llli*debbers]

I read a post on this forum that stated 'don't borrow trouble from the future'. Really sound advice. But in the event your baby is a constant nurser, cryer as mine was for 3 months, guess what? It's temporary. I now have the most incredible, happy, smiley, playful l, healthy almost 9 month old. She still nurses a lot especially overnight (we co-sleep, which I believe ensures I actually get some sleep), but the toughest days and nights are a distant memory.

[@llli*mommal]

Don't borrow trouble! Your second nursing experience could be the complete opposite of your first. I know mine was, at least with respect to the early weeks.

It's normal for babies to be fairly groggy on their first day. Within about an hour of birth, most babies fall into a deep sleep. It looks very contented. On day 2, they start to wake up to their new surroundings, which are extremely loud, cold, uncomfortable, and dry compared to the womb. That can result in a lot of fussing! Anyway, here are some tips for getting nursing off to a good start with the very youngest of newborns:
- Assuming both you and baby are well after birth, have the baby delivered immediately onto your bare chest to warm up skin-to-skin, nurse, and bond. This can happen before the cord is cut or the placenta has been born- and in fact, nursing will speed the delivery of the placenta.
- Delay all the routine newborn procedures- weighing, measuring, footprints, little ID bracelet, eye ointment, trip to the baby warmer, etc., until after the baby has had a chance to nurse. There's no medical necessity to do them immediately, and all baby requires in order to stay warm is a little hat on his/her head, a blanket, and skin-to-skin contact with mom.
- Room in with your baby. When moms and babies share a room, the mom will have a chance to nurse the baby before his/her early hunger cues (rooting, hand-sucking, small noises) escalate into frustration and crying. Babies are more difficult to latch when they're frustrated, so you want to start trying to nurse before the baby is in a frantic state.
- If your baby is frantic and having difficulty latching, try offering a clean pinky finger to suck, with nail held down towards the tongue rather than up towards the delicate soft palate. A few seconds of sucking on mom's finger can calm a baby enough to enable a repeat latch attempt.
- Take advantage of whatever breastfeeding resources the hospital can offer. If they have a LC on staff, make sure you see her.
- If there is an IBCLC in your area, make sure you have her number. Often hospital LCs are nurses with just a small amount of additional training. If you run into trouble that the hospital LCs can't help you with, you want to call in the IBCLC.
- Avoid artificial nipples for the first 3-4 weeks (pacifiers) or 4-6 weeks (bottles), or longer if you are having difficulties with nursing. Babies suck differently on bottles/pacis than on the breast, and introducing them early can screw up a baby's latch.
- Don't supplement with formula "just until your milk comes in". Formula supplements result in decreased nursing, delayed milk production, and poor supply, and should be used only when medically necessary.
- Feed on demand, or at least 10-12 times a day if baby does not spontaneously nurse that often.
- Go to an IRL La Leche League meeting before baby is born. Ask about breastfeeding-friendly pediatricians, get the Leader's number, ask about local LCs and IBCLCs, etc.