Help for my cousin! (x-posted in health and healing)_

[Oceanjones]

My cousin had her third child at the beginning of December. She is committed to breastfeeding her for a year minimum. She just called me in tears though and feels like she is doing something wrong and should maybe just give up and start her on formula. She doesn't REALLY want to do that though.

This is what's going on.

Her dd will be 3 months in a few days. She is crying and miserable all day unless she is being held upright. The only way she will sleep at all is in the bouncy chair. At first I thought it was that my cousin likes to have a soda everyday but she totally cut that out weeks ago and it helped for a minute but the poor baby is still miserable. She cut out dairy too although she admitted that she had some cheese and a little milk a couple days ago. I don't know if I think it is the dairy because she has been totally free of it for at least month with the same problems regardless.

She says her dd only nurses for about 5 minutes on each side and then she doesn't want anymore and cries. Jess thinks that she is hungry and not getting enough from her milk but the baby is so young and Jess says she knows she has plenty of milk she can feel how full she is and she has been eating oatmeal a lot since before she was born to make sure she had that extra boost for her supply.

I think it might be reflux. But then again she does sleep pretty much all night long. Still she has to be mostly upright. She says she doesn't seem gassy and this is how her other dd acted and when she switched her to formula she was more satisfied.

I don't know what to tell her. I just hate to see her give up nursing her baby without trying to see if there is something else going on with her.

Any help or suggestiongs would be appreciated! Thanks!

[foreverinbluejeans]

1. If her baby is crying and miserable on breastmilk, the baby will be worse on formula. Breastmilk is made to meet the baby's need and is easy to digest.

2. The best way to tell is a baby is getting enough milk is if the baby is gaining weight. At home you can tell if the baby is getting enough by if the baby is having wet diapers. As babies get older they may only have stools twice a week - but watch out for those stools, they should be very large in amount.

3. The baby could be reacting from immunizations.

4. The baby could have an ear infection or other illness. The illness could be so mild the doctor can't diagnose it. Or it could be an illness that is in the early stages and will be diagnosed later.

5. She said her other child acted this way and when switched to formula became more satisfied. Babies do not do better on formula by any measure. Sometimes women use this as a justification to quit nursing either because they don't want to keep nursing or because they quit and they wish they had tried more.

6. It's not all that common for a baby to react to things a mother eats especially in a family without allergies. Usually a mom can eat whatever she wants.

7. Some babies get all they need in 5 minutes! Some babies are good nursers. Some moms have efficient breasts.

8. Many formula fed babies cry all day and are miserable unless held.

9. How to help her - reassure her that breastfeeding is best for her baby and her baby will outgrow this. She is lucky the baby sleeps at night and in the seat, she and the baby are getting rest. As long as the baby gains at least a pound a month, and doubles the lowest weight around birth, then she can be sure the baby is gaining enough.

10. Encourage her to call her local LLL Leader or LLL International. This is an area they are especially good at.