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does crying and rooting after eating = hungry?

7K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  TurboClaudia 
#1 ·
my ds is 6 wks old but has been doing this for a while now. after eating he will cry and root, my dh thinks he is always hungry but he is gaining well and i tend to think that he cant' still be hungry, that he just wants to suck for comfort, which would not be a problem if i were exclusively breastfeeding (i had a breast reduction 10 years ago and am only providing 70% of his total intake- the rest being supplied by formula and i don't want to keep giving him more and more formula after feeds if he isnt' crying due to hunger)...

so since i always bf first then supplement when ds is still hungry (i usually tell based on how long and well he fed) (and aprox every 2nd feeding he gets one or 1 1/2 ounces of formula after the breast) but the question is what to do when i've fed him to where i think he's had enough yet he still 'seems' like he wants more... often i think he just wants to fall asleep by sucking.

so ? is: is rooting and crying always mean hunger if baby has taken a reasonalbe amount of food and is proving to gain well?

ho hum... how to know? or do i simply have a baby who likes to suck for comfort... i do not want to overfeed him.

is it posssible to know what he wants?
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any advice appreciated,
gwin
 
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#2 ·
Sorry to hop in on your due date club. I hope you ladies don't mind...

Quote:
is rooting and crying always mean hunger if baby has taken a reasonalbe amount of food and is proving to gain well?
In my experience, rooting always means hunger.

Quote:
how to know? or do i simply have a baby who likes to suck for comfort... i do not want to overfeed him.
Does your baby vomit up a lot after feeding? If not, you're not overfeeding. I don't have experience with supplementing so I can't speak to that. But I thought that babies won't overeat? I'm sure a mum will come along with similar experience to help you out.

Quote:
is it posssible to know what he wants?
Yes! Your baby is still so young. It takes time for him to learn how to communicate and for you to learn what he's trying to say. Be gentle with yourself. I promise, it gets soooo much easier as they grow and you both learn how to communicate with each other.

Also, I know there's a Low Supply Tribe around here somewhere. I bet they'd have some wonderful advice for you there if you want to cross-post. Congrats on your new baby. It sounds like you're doing a great job!

eta: I just noticed that you're in BC. If you're in Victoria, PM me!
 
#3 ·
I am ignorant on the subject of low supply. If you start with bf, then give formula, if he still wants to suck for comfort, couldn't you nurse him? If he has had enough food and just needs to suckle....
 
#5 ·
are you using an at breast supplementer like the Medela Supplemental Nursing System (SNS) or the Lact-Aid? if not, you might seriously look into it.

the rooting might mean he's hungry or it might mean he wants to suck. i think if i were in a similar situation as you, i would probably offer the nursing again after a reasonable amount of supplement was fed. it might serve two purposes: satisfy the need to suck and stimulate your milk supply.

the crying could mean he's hungry, he needs to burp, he needs a clean dipe, he needs to sleep or any one multitude of things.



pm me if you want more info about at breast supplementers, as i used one for about 5 months with our first son and may need to use one again with this little one (although i'm hoping not, as he is turning out to be a very different kind of nurser and gaining really well and growing better than our wildest dreams)

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~claudia
 
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