Help, I created a boob monster! « Back to Group Discussions

[Vegan Princess]

So Aria used to be pretty sleepy and hard to wake for a good feed - and super easy to put down after she was back asleep. I have a little fisher price fold up cradle that we keep downstairs so I can set her down while I eat or something. Our sleeping arrangement is a crib sidecarred to the bed and I have set a snuggle nest inside the crib and it's just next to my pillow. This has worked well until now. I would nurse her sitting up or lying down and then move her once she was asleep so that I could sprawl out and sleep on my tummy.

So now Aria is having more distinct awake periods. She seems to cluster feed most of her awake times - or fuss or spit up. So she ends up having a boob in her mouth a lot of that time. Also, I've started trying to nurse sidelying more again. So again - a lot of boob time at night. She usually takes herself off the boob and then uses it as a pillow (SO cute!). But now all the sudden, if the boob comes out of her mouth she keeps trying to nurse in her sleep and then wakes up and gets mad. I also can't seem to move her into her snuggle nest once she is asleep in my bed or to set her down in the cradle without her waking and crying. 

I am fine with totally cosleeping. Thankfully, our new king bed came on Friday and we have tons of room. I just can't sleep all that great with a tiny newborn up against me, I'm finding. I think I'd do better once she is a bit bigger. I'm just wondering if I've created a boob monster all the sudden. I was so excited that I finally had a child I could set down. My first daughter literally never ever took herself off the boob on her own and she would always wake when I took her off. I often used to just sit on the couch and let her stay on the boob while I watched tv, just so she would nap. I am so hoping to avoid that this time!

Any thoughts?

Cindy

[sillymom44]

Vegan-- My 1st impression is that she is intolerant to something that you're eating due to the fussing and spitting up.  But, that is becuase I have worked with infants and toddlers for years as a feeding/swallowing specialist (speech pathologist)....so I always jump to a solution instead of considering that it may be perfectly normal.  The cluster feeding constantly could be completely normal due to a growth spurt and a need to increase your milk supply, or it could be in response to reflux cuased by a food intolerance (the milk is soothing).  Try eliminating common allergens (dairy/gluten, etc...) one at a time to see if it helps. 

My baby doesn't sleep at all...unless he is beside me in bed...so I understand what you are going through.  We have an expensive Arm's Reach Co-sleeper that is now a bedside table full of stuff since he will not sleep in it.  :)

[dannic]

yes to intolerances...we havethose...but also, she may need an adjustment?  ds"stummy wassort of squished up and they re positioned his innerdsso to speak ,lol. it really helped.

[pregnova]

I tend to think Babies just like to be next to Mama and the boob. lol We had a snugglenest for ds...used it for exactly 4 hours one night and then he ended up finishing the night on dh's chest. After that, he would NEVER go back into the snugglenest, and we just settled into full on cosleeping with him skin to skin until he was a few months old and sort of drifted to his own area of the bed.

This one is the same only we never planned for anything different. She sleeps belly to belly with me and uses my boob as a pillow when not nursing. lol I guess I'm used to it though although sometimes I wish I could turn a different way in the middle of the night! We do a LOT of cluster feeding now...actually that's all she's been doing in her awake periods these past two days. I think I'm DEF. nursing a lot more with her than I was with ds at this point, but I don't have any soreness left, so it's not been too bad. I know she'll outgrow it once she's older...or at least there will be things to distract her with later on...

Oh...for setting her down during the day, I have the best success with either nursing her until she's asleep in arms and than propping her up in the boppy...I think it feels like arms still holding her. lol Or, if she's just a bit fussy and not really able to keep up with nursing, then I can bounce her a bit on my chest and then when she's asleep sort of roll her over so that she's on the bed on her side with a pillow pressed right against her belly...again, I think it feels like I'm still holding her? Or...wearing her in the sling until she's asleep and then just letting her sleep on the couch in her sling. 

[sillymom44]

Definitely try chiro 1st-- way easier than eliminating food!! We do lots of cluster feeding at different times during the day too- nips still a little sore, but only initially.

Hope things are looking up!!