spitting up more and screaming when feeding

[@llli*samj]

this last week lucas seems to be spitting up after every feed..sometimes just once, sometimes more than once, i was told if he didnt want a feed after 3 hours to wake him up abd feed him, he usually does wake up after about 2 hours for one, but when i do have to wake him, he screams and is shaking his head when i try feed him, he also does this sometimes when he wants to feed, and latches on and off.......also during the nigth, he is now only waking up every 4 hours or so, but then only eating for 2-3 mins then falling back asleep and refusing anymore i try and feed him some more, but he will scream and get upset.....he still has plenty of dirty and wet nappies, ive been counting, altho, ive went to change him after a cpl hours sometimes, before we go out or something, and it has been completly dry, but he does have 4-5 wet nappies and plenty of dirty nappies also...so im not sure what to do..

it was going well, but now it is really upsetting when i try and feed him and he screams, and trys to push himself away, if he just isnt hungry then fine, but he then i dont know if to leave him lonher than 3 hours.....

i have my hv visit tommorro so i can hopefully get her advice and he will be weighed so i can see if that is ok, as last week he put on 10 ounces and the week before 15 ounces....

we had been in a lovely pattern, he was waking up every 2 hours for a feed, 10-15 mins on 1 side, then sometimes 5 mins on second (but not always) and every 3 hours or so in night, now it changes every day...sometimes he feeds every hour and feeds very well, just gets on and starts feeding straight away, then sometimes i have to try and get him to feed after 3 hours with no luck......it is quite upsetting when im trying to feed him and he screams...feels like it is me or something, maybe he doesnt want it anymore....

[@llli*apron.strings]

My experience is that as soon as we get a good rhythm going with anything ((eating, sleeping, pooping, etc.), it changes. Something throws a monkey wrench and it all starts again!

I would try to burp lo halfway through feeding and maybe try to elevate lo while nursing and after lo is done eating. Those things, especially the burping, helped my ds keep down his meals.

Has Lucas gained back his birthweight? I was told that once ds gained back the weight he had lost after being born that I no longer had to wake him up to eat.

If he's gaining nicely-which it sounds like he is-and making good diapers, I'd let him sleep! I wish mine wanted to sleep when he was that young-he wanted to eat non-stop! Sounds like a dream baby to me!

[@llli*amy.marie]

It kind of sounds like you might have over active letdown or he might have reflux.

Here are some good links on the subjects from kellymom.com
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html

Sorry I'd try to help more but DS needs his nap NOW!

[@llli*samj]

he never lost any weight tbh, by the time he was 6 days old he had put on 7 ounces...and by 3 weeks 5 days he had put on 2lbs 5 oz....the hv said i was to wake him every 3 hours till midnight to feed, and this was in the second week, so ive been doing that, but maybe i should stop....it is usually the morning and early afternoon if i have to wake him, but in evening he wants to feed every hour or so himself..

[@llli*apron.strings]

I would call your pediatrician or nurse and ask if it's necessary to still wake up baby to eat. It sounds unnecessary to me, even counterproductive, in my opinion. As I always understood it, once your full-term baby is two weeks old and has gained back any weight s/he lost after birth, let baby sleep. Once the two weeks has passed and s/he met those requirements, I didn't have to wake baby up to eat. Were there any reasons given to you to continue to have to wake up baby at this point?

What is hv? and tbh?

The only reason I would think that they would ask you to continue to do this is if they want to get lo on a schedule, which is not a good idea to try at this stage. I just followed my baby's lead.

[@llli*llllbrittney]

I would keep an eye on it....sounds like reflux

[@llli*samj]

well, he seems much more settled today, ive stoped waking him, he normally wakes himself every 2 hours or so for feed, but there was a period between late morning and mid afternoon where i would have to wake him a cpl times in the day...and he was getting very upset at my trying to feed him.....as was i...

i also got some infacol to help with his wind and seems to be helping also, as well as keeping him upright and not moving him too much 30 mins after

he has put on 11 oz this week, even with him spitting up more than normal, so maybe not as much as ii was thinkig, altho sometimes looked like his whole feed..

the health visitor said it is ok for him to go moer than 3 hours, as he old enough to be regulating his own feeds now..as long as he is not going like 6-7 hrs between feeds...going to keep an eye on him this week, and then next week we have an appointment with the pead so i can tell him any concerns if it is continuing..but at least he gaining well...



ty for all the advice, i will mention to pead next week about checking for reflux definately.......and see where we go from there....but if i can keep it like it was today then that will be good...keeping feeding calm and letting him regulte his own feeds etc..

[@llli*cielito]

I agree with pp that it really sounds like you've got a case of reflux on your hands. I just had DS at the pedi today for the same concern. She wants me to try a small amount of Pepcid (prescribed) for a week to see if it helps, along with some of the home cautions (raising the mattress, upright after feedings, etc.). I was also using gripe water for his hiccups, as he was getting them 2-3 times a day. It is a good idea to follow baby's lead if he or she is healthy, and it sounds like yours is. You'll figure it out, !

[@llli*wfhm2007]

"...he screams and is shaking his head when i try feed him, he also does this sometimes when he wants to feed, and latches on and off.......also during the nigth, he is now only waking up every 4 hours or so, but then only eating for 2-3 mins then falling back asleep and refusing anymore i try and feed him some more, but he will scream and get upset

it was going well, but now it is really upsetting when i try and feed him and he screams, and trys to push himself away, if he just isnt hungry then fine, but he then i dont know if to leave him lonher than 3 hours.....

......it is quite upsetting when im trying to feed him and he screams..."

Sounds like reflux, we experienced all of this

DS is now on prevacid (zantac worked , but just ok, prevacid worked better and easier to dose with the solutabs)

Some tips in the mean time to help you and your LO, that worked for us:
1) we elevated one end of his crib so he slept on a slant (idea was to keep the stomach acid in his stomach, so stomach lower than head)
2) i modified our nursing positions so he was always on a slant (again, to keep the acid in his stomach, i always made sure his stomach was a bit lower than his head)
3) when it got really bad (before meds) i would feed him when he was sleeping (yes, it sounds weird, and i didn't beleive it would work...but it did, I'd lift him gently out of the crib, and get him to latch on, all while he slept...it's just instinct for them to eat...)these were some of our best feeds during this time.

HTH and good luck with it all...oh the joys and challenges of motherhood !