ALWAYS CRYING OR FEEDING

hi, im hoping someone can help.... my son is 5 1/2 weeks old & is constantly crying or feeding & its really getting my down.
My mum had him for me the other night because i was crying that much over it (after he had been up constantly for nearly 24hrs) & he settled fine for her.... BUT she used aptimel because obviously she cant bf him for me.
He has been like this for me near enough since he was born :iconsad: we had 2-3 good days but thats all.
Ive asked a mw about it & she recommended feeding as & when he wants but this really ties me in to the house etc as i dont like being out when hes crying & hes feeding every hr or so this morning!! My mum phoned & suggested i try some more aptimel for him & if he has it he was still hungry but i dont want this to be the only way he gets full & settles :iconsad:
I know kids have growth spurts but he cnt have been having one since he was born!!! I cant stand having a day listening to him cry but at the same time my nipples are SO sore now as hes never away........ :tear:

:aww: Poor you ,you must be shattered & feeling so low. It can be tough especially at the begining , i rember thinking Emily was attached permantly for about the first 10 weeks. Its important to try look after yourself so if mum can come and help out so you can rest/sleep in between feeds & eat/drink plenty to keep your strenghth up. Its worth getting some lanisosh (sp?) cream its expensive but well worth it.apply after every feed whether your sore or not it really works wonders. One of the resident experts might be able tio give some clues/tips on the crying which you can try.
Have you asked the doc to have a look? i know a friend of mine had something silmilar that went on for 12 weeks only to discover her son had a reflux problem once that was solved he settled down fine. :scratch:cant think of anything else at the mo,do keep up the feeding on demand & hope it improves soon x

about 3 weeks ago they did think he had reflux so we were given infant gaviscon but that proved hard to give (15mls via syringe) & didnt make much difference apart from give him wind (which he now screams with) so they now think he hasnt got it... my mum is coming tonight after work but i KNOW her answer will be to give him a bottle to "give me a break" but i dont like this as how often will it end up happening??

I'm sure someone will be along to help soon.
It's hard at first but does get easier.
Please be carefull giving bottles. If you give a bottle try to express. I know your wanting a rest but you don't want to make the matter worse. Your body produces milk for the baby. If you give bottles the baby feeds less which tells your body your baby doesn't need as much milk.

Have you tried gripe water for the wind. It worked wonders for us.

What your saying sounds like what we went through. Kaydi used to feed every hour, thats if she would go for an hour. When she wasn't feeding she would cry. I tried loads of different distraction techniques to stop her crying. The hoover worked for a short while. Toys that are noisey, a walk in the sling.
I found that when i carried her around in the sling she would be quieter for longer periods. She would even sleep in it.

Someone who knows what they are talking about will answer soon.

Don't worry. Your doing really well, stick with it. I promise it gets easier.

aww hun :aww: :aww: :aww: :aww:
For me, like jane says, the first few month were the hardest. I felt like i was constantly strapped to the couch during the day feeding bethany. And she was exactly like your describing your little one. In fact she only seemed to cry when she wanted booby again. When she was on the breast she'd happily suckle for hours lol. And the night time was the same. Luckily, i started to co-sleep on night 3 so that was a big help.

The thing is with formula, especially at this stage, is your supply may not be fully established and so feeding formula or trying to express can interfere with your supply. I no how you feel though hun - your just that worn out when baby is constantly attached and all you want is to sleep!
:aww: :aww: :aww: :aww:

Hows it going Kerry?

i now REALLY feel like im not producing enough or something... mum came round last night & e managed to bath him & she stopped him crying (which he normally does for me in it) & then he had a bottle of near enough 5 1/2 oz of expressed milk (i'd managed all that when she had him for the night) & he was stuffed like a little pig! He lay playing in a chair for a bit & then got tired... he had the bottle at about 7ish, fell asleep at 8.15ish & only woke at 4.45!! I went to bed as well about 8.45 incase i was up loads in the night, hence im wide awake now
BUT does this mean he might not be settling for me any other time coz hes never full?? :iconsad: he didnt eat much (again) when he woke up at 4.45 but has nodded off for a bit so i expressed from the other side he didnt feed from (couldnt wake him up enough to try other side) & have nearly got enough for a decent feed tonight see if we get the same result.
Im mega paranoid now that im not making enough milk for him though or even though people say hes feeding right he prob isnt as hes obviously never full....

Don't think your not producing enough. Please know we all go through this thinking were not producing enough. Is he's having wet nappies and dirty nappies? How is his weight gain?

Kaydi was exactly the same. When i gave her a bottle she settled. It makes you feel like your not giving them enough from you. You have to remember that when you express you don't get as much as baby takes. Baby is more efficient at getting the milk. Also your supply hasn't fully established to your babies needs yet. This only happens around the 6 week mark. baring in mind you have a massive growth spurt at 6 weeks so he will feed loads to get your supply up to what he needs.

Has anyone sugested eating oats? They are good for increasing your supply. I also took fenugreek at around the 5 week mark. This is a herb that increases your supply too.

As for the sleeping till 4.45 i presume he doesn't normally do this. At such a young age its quite usual for a bf baby to wake alot in the night as this is when you produce the most of your milk.

Don't get paranoid. All you need to do is get yourself a brew, the tv remote, a snack of somesort. Perhaps a glass of water. Sit relax and feed. Don't get worked up about it. Just enjoy the rest. Don't stress about how your doing nothing just relax and enjoy it while you can.

BTW are you Kerry from Hindley bfing group?

the one whos son is good when hes there... oh yes! once we are home & havent had a 25min car journey to settle him to sleep we are the worlds biggest & longest screamer!! thought it might be easier to ask questions on here as everyone at the group seems to be doing really well so i feel bit embarrassed always having problems!

no he doesnt normally sleep til that time, although dont get me wrong i enjoyed the rest last night

hadnt had oats suggested... & what is fenugreek? how did you find that?

lukes weight gain is fine, plenty of wet nappies, not so many dirty ones. spoke to sue from nct today & shes coming to visit on tuesday. meanwhile the little sod, sorry sweetheart continues to scream & do nothing but feed. i may need to push him round wigan screaming as think we could both do with the fresh air but the cold air doesnt help my already raw nipples!!

I would try oats alone before fenugreek, or you could end up with an over supply.
Have you tried carrying baby in a sling? Carried babies tend to cry less than those who aren't, so you could try that. It also gives you a chance to get things done if you're finding it frustrating being sat down alot.
We have all been through this, I think the thing to remember is that it does get easier, and we're all here to support you. :aww:

As long as you have wet and dirty nappies and he's gaining weight, he's getting enough milk. Kaydi has only just started doing a poo everyday! (gutted.....lol) She usually went every other day at 5 weeks. Sometimes much longer. Up to a week once. Its normal.

Don't be bothered about asking questions at group. They are really helpfull. I found it easier to write down a list of things i wanted to ask. I just give them the list then. Plus i had a whole week to put things on it....lol.

Sue is lovely, she will help you. I'd write a list of things for her too. you won't forget to ask about anything then.

Gem's suggestion is a good one. I ended up carrying Kaydi round in a sling. Even round wigan.....lol I would wear 2 tops a vest top and a normal top and feed her while i walked. she usually fell asleep and slept for ages in the sling. I still do this sometimes.

I have a sling you can use if you want to try it out. I can help with putting it on and how to feed in it and stuff.

Were off to wigan to meet up for lunch with hubby. So we might see you if your out.

I'm not too sure about sore nipples, i do know you can buy a cream begining with L in a purple tube. Its suposed to be really good. I think its about £10 from boots or mothercare. They have samples at group if you can wait that long.
Lansinoh - I looked it up......lol

:bighug: you will get there. I know it doesn't feel like it at the moment but if you stick with it you won't regret it.

PM me if you want to have a go of the sling and we can meet up somewhere. Perhaps the children centre in hindley. Or you can come here.

And also, baby can get out much more than you can express - so if you managed to express 5 oz thats fab ( i can only mange 3 over a 24 hour period!)

Getting 5oz out is briliant!! I was never able to pump much at all!!

To me your doing very well!

I definatly agree about wearing a sling, he will always be close to you, you can get your boob out and feed him while your walking around, so its great for supply (though I dont really think you have much problem in that department your just not confident with your bodies ability)

Also lanisinoh is a brilliant nipple cream and you can leave it on while feeding, make sure you rub breastmilk on them too and let them get plenty of air.

Also for the wind trouble, Oli went through this, I remember the screaming!

I found if I layed her on her back and did a cycle motion with her legs, then pushed them toward her belly, she seemd to let alot of it out and looked much happier after.

Fenugeek is a herbal supplement to increase breastmilk, I dont think you need that at all, from what I read you really dont have supply issues, its just he is trying to build your supply, its perfectly normal.

Just doesnt help with the screaming! I can imagine.

Breastfeeding certainly isnt a walk in the park, but you are doing a wonderful thing for you baby, when this calms down and he is more settled you will be wondering why you ever felt like you did :aww:

:aww: :aww: There's nothing I can really add and I agree with everything the others have said :aww:

I know everyone says it but it really does get easier. I hope it all settles down for you soon:aww: :aww:

i did only get 5oz out after he hadnt fed off me properly for 12 hrs! (only got 2oz out while the OH was giving him a bottle of expressed so he feels like hes doing something & give me a break) i would never have got that normally - 2oz is usually my max
Claire ive sent you a PM about the sling now youve found me out hehehehe Weve had a really good day today after making sure he was positioned better (spoke to sue on phone) as maybe it wasnt quite right now hes bit bigger & we havent had half as many scream! wooo hoooo lets see if this continues!
Oh & i did buy a tube of lansinoh but ive misplaced it & refuse to buy another one at £10 when i know i have a fairly new tube somewhere in the house!! So ive got some samples to use now & when we have our 6 week check on tuesday im going to push my luck & see if the dr will prescribe it (may have to play on it a bit but im going to try.....)
Thanks guys for all your help!

:aww: No problen hun, I hope it continues to get better (im sure it will!)

Well done hun x

natasha - just read your signature... did you really manage 13 months?!

As long as you try to concentrate on your position everytime you feed you should start to see a difference.
Hope your Dr prescribes the cream for you. You can only ask.

I'm a bit busy this weekend, step son has a party sat and its his birthday on sunday. Do you fancy meeting up Monday? I ironed my spare sling for you today......lol

we can try if you want. whereabouts are you? im in whelley...

well done for keeping going, i think this is the time most mums quit, it can be touugh at times & if you dont have support its easy to think you must be doing something wrong or baby must be hungry. Heres hoping for another good day for you & remember to put the cream on after each feed even if your not sore as it really protects them.
Well done again

ive just "won" a new tube of lansinoh on ebay so if the dr says yes to a prescription ill have a lot, if not ill still have some!
we tried doing everything late last night ie bath to see if he would sleep well again but at better times for us... still woke uo at 4.30... maybe he just likes that time. hehehe although he is still doing nice routine today.... hr(ish) feed, little nap, awake time, nap.... feed again... but at the mo its been a 3hr cycle so im getting 2hrs where my boob isnt out.
dont think there will be a bottle of expressed tonight though as hes feeding well! lol OH will have to miss out as the aptimel is for mummy meltdowns only i reckon

My docs always prescribed lansinoh on prescription so fingers crossed yours will too!

Claire & Kerry next time i'm at my mums we will have to meet up in wigan somewhere! :aww:

have all you guys REALLY been breastfeeding for as long as your signatures say?!

kerry wrote:have all you guys REALLY been breastfeeding for as long as your signatures say?!

Yep, every single one of us has got through all those bad times your experiencing hun :aww:

I would of carried on longer but Oli wasnt really interested, 13 months was such an achievement for me, before she was born I hated the idea, really scared me

You think your not doing well, not giving enough and you feel like sometimes you cant cope, I felt all those feelings too.

Unlucky for some of these ladies they have soldierd through mastitis more than once, thrush and a whole number of other problems.

Your not alone hun, we have all been there and will come up against something else again im sure.

Breastfeeding can be very challenging, but its the most rewarding and worthwhile thing I have ever done :aww:

just wanted to send you huggs!!!!! only juse t seen this! it is hard at first but it does get heaps better! keep up the good work. xx