Baby sleep schedules

[FrekeChild]

I use the Avent bottles with the level 1 flow (the slowest). I stop every ounce or so to burp and he usually burps really well right away.

Yes, the sleep was so much better. It's amazing what a difference it makes. Also amazing that I think 4 hours + 3 hours = a lot of sleep.

Hey, that is a lot of sleep at that age!

Sounds like you might be figuring it out! We used Avent too. Maybe his tummy was just upset?

 

[amc80]

I use the Avent bottles with the level 1 flow (the slowest). I stop every ounce or so to burp and he usually burps really well right away.

Yes, the sleep was so much better. It's amazing what a difference it makes. Also amazing that I think 4 hours + 3 hours = a lot of sleep.

Hey, that is a lot of sleep at that age!

Sounds like you might be figuring it out! We used Avent too. Maybe his tummy was just upset?

Spoke too soon. Last night he was up every 1.5-2 hours. I sort of expected it though seeing how he didn't eat as much as he should have during the day (thanks to the barfing). I talked to his pediatrician who suggested using one of the sensitive formulas. I'd rather stay away from it all together, so I'm working on increasing my supply so I can pump an extra bottle for the night.

 

[lliang_chi]

AMC, maybe try swaddling with one arm out? We did this for Ethan and he kinda liked it. Good luck!

 

[Munchkin]

Re: "sensitive" formulas:

Similac has 2 versions. 1 is Soy, I honestly don't recommend soy. It is notorious for causing very hard stools, DAYS between bowel movements and there is NO evidence that babies are actually lactose intolerant. (The lone exception being a temporary lactase deficiency which can occur after an illness.) 2 the other version contains rice starch which is basically cereal in a bottle. While it may "weigh down" the intake to reduce spit up, it can also delay stooling and increase risks for obesity. Enfamil has gentlease which contains corn syrup as the most plentiful ingredient.

I am a huge fan of regular ol' Good Start. (Full disclosure, I have serious issues with their research techniques in the past!) Good start "gentle" is a cow milk based formula but uses whey as the protein source and it is already broken down. Enfamil and Similac use casein or a combo of whey and casein. Whey is closer to breast milk and doesn't curdle when it hits the tummy. (read, MUCH easier cleaning and less painful spitting!) In my experience, the broken down whey proteins are infinitely easier on a baby's stomach. (Granted, I may be biased.) My child failed multiple hypoallergenic formulas including one that cost $35 a can! I swear Good Start saved his life, my sanity and our family's bank account. If you are looking for a "sensitive" formula for supplementation, try regular Good Start.

Bottom line, every day at this point will be different. My son had reflux and on an ordinary, typical day he would spit up 15-25 times, at least two of which would shoot several feet, until he was 10 months old. There wasn't anything majorly wrong, he just has nasty reflux. Some days were full of screaming, some days were sleepy and some days everything 'clicked.' I swear, just when I thought I was getting a grasp on things, a growth spurt, a cold or teeth hit us and everything derailed. The best advice I can give you is to roll with it and know EVERYTHING you experience is temporary, no matter how much it sucks in the moment. Also, don't be afraid to vent about the bad days! Don't feel that everything should be rainbows. Babies are HARD work and it's OK to admit a day has taken more out of you than you thought you could give.

Make sure you are SUPER well hydrated if you want to increase your supply. Fenu greek supplements and teas can help. Good luck!

 

[amc80]

Munchkin- thank you so much for your post! Very informative. One issue we have is B is apparently not a fan of dairy. He was really gassy and the pediatrician recommended I cut it out of my diet. I didn't notice a huge difference until the other day when I had a venti latte...the next day, the poor baby was SO gassy. So I'm not sure if a whey based formula would work for him? Although I hate to think soy would be my only option...

 

[megumic]

amc, an alternative to soy formula is lactose free dairy formula -- it's still dairy but the lactose is removed (or lessened depending which you choose) for lactose intolerance. we are currently using a lactose free formula and it seems to work well.

 

[amc80]

amc, an alternative to soy formula is lactose free dairy formula -- it's still dairy but the lactose is removed (or lessened depending which you choose) for lactose intolerance. we are currently using a lactose free formula and it seems to work well.

Thank you!

 

[pancake]

Lactose intolerance in babies is incredibly rare - human breastmilk is one of the highest in lactose there is. AMC, if you don't mind me asking, what is your doctor's rationale for using a soy or hydrolysed formula? Are you on an elimination diet for presumed protein intolerance in B?

 

[amc80]

Lactose intolerance in babies is incredibly rare - human breastmilk is one of the highest in lactose there is. AMC, if you don't mind me asking, what is your doctor's rationale for using a soy or hydrolysed formula? Are you on an elimination diet for presumed protein intolerance in B?

Basically, I mentioned that B gets super gassy. The doc asked if it seemed to bother him, which it does. I told him I had been using the gas drops and they didn't do much. He suggested that I give up dairy and see if that helped. It did seem to help a little. Then I fell of the wagon and B got noticeably worse. I think he thought it was the whey, not the lactose.

The night before last, DH and I decided to give B some formula at one of his night time feedings (so DH could feed and give me a break). All was fine until about 3 hours later when B threw up ALL of the formula. Well, not all- based on his poop the next day, he did apparently get some digested. I talked to the doc again who suggested one of the gentle/sensitive formulas. Didn't even think about the dairy thing until later, and I haven't discussed it with him. It was more my logic that if my eating dairy is an issue, then surely a milk based formula wouldn't be good.

But I fully accept that my logic is wrong

 

[megumic]

My pedi said that b/c I was BFing and supplementing, that it wasn't a lactose intolerance, but that baby could be getting too much lactose since breast milk has lots of lactose, and hence why he recommended lactose-free formula for us. I don't know that that makes more or less sense than an intolerance, but perhaps it could it be that?

 

[amc80]

I am a huge fan of regular ol' Good Start. (Full disclosure, I have serious issues with their research techniques in the past!) Good start "gentle" is a cow milk based formula but uses whey as the protein source and it is already broken down. Enfamil and Similac use casein or a combo of whey and casein. Whey is closer to breast milk and doesn't curdle when it hits the tummy. (read, MUCH easier cleaning and less painful spitting!) In my experience, the broken down whey proteins are infinitely easier on a baby's stomach. (Granted, I may be biased.) My child failed multiple hypoallergenic formulas including one that cost $35 a can! I swear Good Start saved his life, my sanity and our family's bank account. If you are looking for a "sensitive" formula for supplementation, try regular Good Start.

We bought some over the weekend, and it worked! We bought it partially due to what you wrote, and partially due to the timely $14 coupon we received the day before in the mail

I gave him a little over 3oz and he kept it down. He did spit up a bit later, but it was a really small amount, like 1tbsp. I'll call it a success.