Coffee Catchup 29th August with Dorothy Waide

Hi Trish
Okay I would look at the following to help with your milk supply and my question also would be is there a reason why you are offering both breasts. The reason why I am asking this is that we want your baby to get as much hind milk as possible so therefore you need to encourage him to feed as much as possible off one side.

In my experience with reflux babies I would encourage you before going back on dairy whether his reflux is better without dairy in your diet. It wont stop the reflux but is he in less discomfort if the answer is yes thenI would definitely not re introduce dairy. You can take calcium supplements if not having dairy is a concern to you.

I would suggest that you take additional omega 3's, fenugreek, breastfeeding teas are good, good protein snack 1/2 hour before a feed gives your milk a good burst, eating a good balance of protein and carbs and ensuring you are drinking effort fluids.

Have you considered alternative treatments for the reflux - cranial and acupuncture are both good.

At 8 weeks Jamie's awake time will be approx 45 minutes to an hour and then napping for a minimum of 1 12 hours. Sleep is important. Babies need two nutrients - sleep and food.

When Jamie is on the breast for 10 to 15 minutes is this 10 to 15 minutes sucking or being on the breast. If he is not sucking then he is not feeding so it is not the length of time on the breast but the sucking time. Do you use the rugby hold as this sometimes will encourage the baby to start on the same side.

When he is lying in his bed awake for an hour does he then fall asleep. My suggestion would be that after 20 minutes I would then go and intervene with either a dummy and cupping and shushing or just cupping him off to sleep.

I think sometimes we also worry to much about our milk supply and although it is a concern he is not gaining my question would be to ensure you are using the same scales and the same time of day so that you can see whether he is actually losing or not.

You could also pump off a little on the second side before feeding so that hopefully he gets more of the hind milk but dont over pump.

Hope that helps Dorothy

Hi Kate
From your message it does sound like he is ready for solids however before you do this here are some suggestions for your routine. I have based this on his awake time being 2 1/4 hours and naps of 1 1/2 hours. By the time he is six months old his awake times will have stretched out to 3 hours and just 2 naps

7.00am wakes and feeds
9.00am Top up
9.15am Nap

10.45am wakes and feeds
12.45pm Top up
1.00pm Nap

230pm Wakes and feeds
4.30pm Top up
4.45pm Nap - this is a band aid (only need this until he stretches out his awake time and then this will be dropped)

5.15pm Wakes and feeds
Bath, feed
7.15pm Bed for the night

If he wakes resettle before offering feed during the night

NOw the answer to your question re the afternoon nap yes this is okay as mentioned above that once he starts to stretch out his awake time to 3 hours this will be dropped. Basically you dont want him at this stage sleeping after 5.15pm.   Ideally he should be having a feed around 5 then bath then top up and in bed but this will happen over time.

How long do you take to resettle. I tend to encourage them to stay in their cots or in arms for the full 1 1/2 hours so if they wake up after 45 minutes then I will take the rest of their nap time to resettle.

I think once you start solids that things will settle down as well.    I have put the solids notes and introducing vegetables up on the forum earlier - if you cant access them let me know and I will re post them
Dorothy

Hi Ladies
Thank you for all your questions and hopefully the answers will help you. It was lovely to meet you all at the OHBaby Coffee Catchup.

Remember before you do anything STOP, THINK, and ACT – work out what you are doing, why you are doing, and what you are trying to accomplish and then act.

Remember YOU are the baby’s mum and so listen to your heart and instinct.   Yes, we all don’t do it by the book, or get it right the first time, but you need to make ‘mistakes’ to get it right for you.   It’s a time of learning a little person’s personality and figuring out what works for your home life.

If you have the time I would love to see you pop over to http://www.facebook.com/BabyWithin
and 'like' it. You can then keep up with information that I post from time to time or hear from other mothers who write on the wall.

Please remember as a parent or carer that you should understand and acknowledge that Dorothy is NOT a licensed medical doctor or other licensed medical provider and the information that I share with you has come from experience and working with numerous families and babies and toddlers

My pleasure