babywearing for pukers

[mediocrewitch]

Hi!

I have a problem for which I imagine there is no real answer....but I finally figured it can't hurt to ask. Actually there are several problems I'm facing...

I just had my first baby and was very excited about baby carriers.  He was really colicky the first 2 months & we could never put him down and therefore never get anything done! Not so bad while I was on maternity leave, but now I'm back to work (wish I didn't have to be!). I've tried sling carriers and wraps and he seems to really hate being in the cradle hold in either. His dad bought an "infantino" carrier at a box store and he'd be pretty good in that...but I didn't like the way it held him. After seeing much advice online I bought a Beco Butterfly 2, and I have a Babyhawk on the way.

Here's our biggest impediment:. My baby generally gets hungry nearly every hour (I am breastfeeding). After he eats...he spits up copious amounts for awhile. Usually there's only maybe a 20 minute window between when he finally quits spitting up and when he starts screaming for his next meal! So far I've only tried him in the Beco 3 times...the first time he did pretty good but when he started fussing to be fed and I started to undo the thing to get him out--he puked all over it. All over the inner panel and the infant insert and the straps- and himself and me, of course. The next 2 times he puked while I was putting it on so we got no practice at all. I'm looking forward to the Mei Tai arriving...at least with that he'll probably only puke on me and himself and I'll be able to just change our clothes and put him back in the un-puked on carrier. I have to wash the Beco and wait for it to dry each time due to the layers between us that get soaked.

Any advice? I feed him with his upper body inclined, I pause to burp him, I've tried not letting him nurse as long as he wants (people have suggested he only spits up because I overfeed him), he's not only gaining weight well but fast, so the up-chucking isn't hurting him--only making it impossible for me to wear him and become semi-productive!!

BTW- he just puked in my lap while nursing as I'm writing this!

My other question is about the carriers- He's now 3 months and 15 pounds. He can't sit up yet but he's holding his head up pretty well....but not all the time yet. He now hates being in the front carry position in dad's infantino facing in--but dad says he likes facing out. I thought you were never supposed to have them that way?! The carrier's instructions do show that being an option....can you explain?  Is it actually bad for the baby? The Beco does not offer that position in their instructions. I'm not sure how old they have to be to be worn on the back facing forward. That would make him happy....but I don't want him puking on my hair and having to wash that too!

[mediocrewitch]

Oh- I forgot...the other problem with the Beco is the wide seat. It looks like I'm making him do the splits!!! Is that really ok for his hips?

[mosomers]

Gotta love the perpetual spit up. I always complain to my husband that I can't wait for the day when I can wear the same sweatshirt two days in a row again. I constantly have snot, drool, and spit up on my shoulders. Ew. My aunt tells me it's a rite of passage. 

As for babywearing with a puker, the best thing I came up with was to always have wet wipes on hand and to put a prefold or other spit up cloth between me and baby. I mop things up as best I can with the cloth and then the wipes and call it good. I gave up on washing carriers and clothes after every puking a long time ago. Not worth it. So, yeah, you'll smell a little like residual baby puke, but at least you can still wear your baby. I also have a plethora of carriers so there's always another on hand if one needs a washing.

There are also a bazillion ways to wear your baby and you aren't at all limited to manufactured carriers. With a little exploring on http://babywearingvideos.com/ or youtube (I'd start by typing in "infant rucksack carry" and video hop from there using the suggestions in the sidebar) and some experimentation, you might be able to find something that works for both of you and maybe even reduces the spitting up. As a mom, I have no shame and have  resorted to using my carriers as a spit-up rag when out and about and in a pinch, then washed it later when I got home. Just keep on keepin' on. 

And then you asked about safety of positions. There are certainly others out there who are better educated on the ins and outs of safety as it pertains to development of babies being worn, but I am an avid babywearer and have been for 7 years and 4 kids. My opinion is that babies will typically let you know when they are uncomfortable. My rule of thumb, though, was to tuck my infant's legs froggy style in the tummy-to-tummy carries until my baby could easily wrap his/her legs around my waist to sit on my hip. When I started holding them on my hip, I knew they were ready for the regular seated position in the carrier. As for facing out, that's a perfectly fine position for any carriers designed for it. Moby's, Beco Gemini, most Infantino's I've seen, Bjorn's, etc. I personally have never seen anything warning against forward-facing carries as long as baby is happy and comfortable. The design of some carriers would make it rather uncomfortable; your Beco Butterfly, for instance would be too wide across the crotch. But I've seen people come up with various ways of cinching the crotch on mei tai style carriers, so maybe you could come up with something for your Beco?

As for back carries, they are my personal favorite! I don't think I could live without them! I have several mei tais that I make myself and are much like the BabyHawk and I start wearing my babies on my back in them as soon as they can straddle my waist. I use other SPOC (Simple Piece Of Cloth) carries (another good resource for them in addition the video site is http://wearyourbaby.com/) to wear my babies on my back from birth, but it took some practice and a spotter to feel comfortable with it. As for the spit up in the hair, I always wear my hair in a bun or a braid over my shoulder when my baby is on my back anyway so he can't pull it or puke on it and so it's not in his face.

I love babywearing and think that it's totally worth the puke and the hair pulling and the tired back. Babies and toddlers just love it and it helps form such a great bond with your little ones. Plus, at 3 mo, your little guy should be getting closer to puking a lot less. Good luck!!

[Jane McClintock]

Hi mama, and congratulations on your new baby!

The first question I have is whether you've spoken to your doctor or midwife, and/or lactation consultant, about the spitting up to make sure there's no medical issue. That amount of spitting up, plus spitting up and needing to nurse again 20 minutes later, could be a sign of a problem and definitely should be discussed.

One possibility to look into is oversupply/overactive letdown: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html -- but it could also be other things like food sensitivities, reflux, or in rare cases pyloric stenosis:

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html

If baby is projectile vomiting then that DEFINITELY merits a trip to the doctor.

Even if baby is gaining well, it's worthwhile trying to figure out what if anything is causing the massive amounts of spitting up!

A BabyHawk mei tai would be a lot more washable than the Beco -- with such a heavy spitter, you might put the Beco away for later as it's harder to wash and dry quickly. What I would recommend is a stretchy wrap like a Moby or a Sleepy Wrap -- you can pop baby in and out easily but the best thing is they can be washed and dried quickly and easily.

The leg position in the infant insert of the Beco is just fine -- a wide-legged posture is actually really good for babies' hip development. Going by baby's comfort level is the best thing -- if he's not complaining in the Beco or the Babyhawk when it arrives, then he's fine. If the Babyhawk seat seems a bit wide at first, you can scrunch it up and use a hair scrunchy or a scarf to make it narrower, and/or you can tuck one leg in with the knee bent, foot flat and parallel to the waistband, toes pointing out. (But be warned that if reflux is causing his spitting then this might trigger it).

He won't be old enough for a regular back carry in the mei tai or Beco for another 2-3 months.

As far as the forward facing out, I tend not to recommend carriers like the Baby Bjorn or Infantino for that position because the crotch is so narrow that it dangles baby by the pelvis. There are other buckle carriers like the Beco Gemini and the Pikkolo that do enable an ergonomic forward facing out position, and it can also be done safely in wraps and some mei tais. I like to rotate baby's hips forward so that baby is sitting and not dangling, and it's also best to use the carry for a limited time so that baby does not become too used to it. If it's not done for hours at a stretch, I really don't have a concern that it will be harmful to a baby either physiologically or psychologically. Just pay attention to baby's cues and make sure s/he is comfortable and enjoying it.

Originally Posted by mediocrewitch 

Hi!

I have a problem for which I imagine there is no real answer....but I finally figured it can't hurt to ask. Actually there are several problems I'm facing...

I just had my first baby and was very excited about baby carriers.  He was really colicky the first 2 months & we could never put him down and therefore never get anything done! Not so bad while I was on maternity leave, but now I'm back to work (wish I didn't have to be!). I've tried sling carriers and wraps and he seems to really hate being in the cradle hold in either. His dad bought an "infantino" carrier at a box store and he'd be pretty good in that...but I didn't like the way it held him. After seeing much advice online I bought a Beco Butterfly 2, and I have a Babyhawk on the way.

Here's our biggest impediment:. My baby generally gets hungry nearly every hour (I am breastfeeding). After he eats...he spits up copious amounts for awhile. Usually there's only maybe a 20 minute window between when he finally quits spitting up and when he starts screaming for his next meal! So far I've only tried him in the Beco 3 times...the first time he did pretty good but when he started fussing to be fed and I started to undo the thing to get him out--he puked all over it. All over the inner panel and the infant insert and the straps- and himself and me, of course. The next 2 times he puked while I was putting it on so we got no practice at all. I'm looking forward to the Mei Tai arriving...at least with that he'll probably only puke on me and himself and I'll be able to just change our clothes and put him back in the un-puked on carrier. I have to wash the Beco and wait for it to dry each time due to the layers between us that get soaked.

Any advice? I feed him with his upper body inclined, I pause to burp him, I've tried not letting him nurse as long as he wants (people have suggested he only spits up because I overfeed him), he's not only gaining weight well but fast, so the up-chucking isn't hurting him--only making it impossible for me to wear him and become semi-productive!!

BTW- he just puked in my lap while nursing as I'm writing this!

My other question is about the carriers- He's now 3 months and 15 pounds. He can't sit up yet but he's holding his head up pretty well....but not all the time yet. He now hates being in the front carry position in dad's infantino facing in--but dad says he likes facing out. I thought you were never supposed to have them that way?! The carrier's instructions do show that being an option....can you explain?  Is it actually bad for the baby? The Beco does not offer that position in their instructions. I'm not sure how old they have to be to be worn on the back facing forward. That would make him happy....but I don't want him puking on my hair and having to wash that too!

[mediocrewitch]

Thanks for the advice, both of you!. Sorry, I don't get computer time often....

My midwives are unconcerned about his spitting up. He's been amazingly gassy from birth ---I even went on a strict diet the first month that excluded all known colic/gas triggers, and it made no difference (though I still try to limit my intake of the worst offenders). Some days he hardly spits up at all, but others....oy! Never projectile, though. I do have a strong let-down, and we're doing all we can! I keep the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding on the dining room table!

We've tried our babyhawk and he likes that much better- I'll save the Beco for when he's older, and for safer back carrying later. Unfortunately, it's in the 80's and 90's here with high humidity, so we're not getting out for walks in the carrier now.  We'll keep practicing indoors!