14 week old and crying non stop, except on breast![sad]

[kutilputil]

hi, this is on behalf of my sis in law regarding my nephew who is 14 weeks old. he is a very healthy boy, growing well and exclusively breast fed from birth.he was doing really well until they moved home and since then he has developed a rough texture all over his body which now have turned to patches of red rash like eczema in certain areas (not yet diagnosed) and he cries almost all the time when put down and only wants to be at the breast.up until now he has slept well at night but now has begun to wake frequently in the night for feeds and its driving my sis in law pots and close to a nervous breakdown.he is the youngest of three boys and she has her hands full.pls can anyone give any advice as to what is happening and how she can help the situation.also does it affect a breastfed baby if the mother is fasting as she has been for the last week?pls help any suggestion welcome!

[hairymclary]

he may be going through a growth spurt which would explain the constant feeding.
has he seen a gp about the rash?
I honestly don't know about fasting, altrhough I suppose in the olden days people would have breastfed and still fasted with no problems presumably.

[sorrell]

Why is she fasting? He sounds ill tbh. Are they giving him anything?

[moondog]

Is she Muslim?
Breastfeeding mums are exempt!

[Lact8]

From what I know its always a good idea for the mum to be drinking and eating well when they're breastfeeding.

In my experience, not eating regularly/well and breastfeeding a baby during a growth spurt is a recipe for disaster. Growth spurts have always left me feeling drained and I've been lucky enough to have a lovely mum who has arrived each day with goodies to eat and an extra pair of hands to help out.

Could the previous owners have had pets which are causing a possible allergic reaction?

[sorrell]

I also think fasting v bad idea.

[sorrell]

I also think fasting v bad idea.

[Mumpbump]

Fasting must make a difference. I'm really bad at watching what I eat and, with hindsight, wonder if that's why ds fed every two hours for ages. Also, one of my antenatal class friends is a proper domestic goddess and her daughter always possetted creamy milk, nothing like the watery substance my ds chucked back up!! Assume she is seeking medical advice on the eczema as you seem to anticipate a diagnosis - think that's the best starting place...

[Mumpbump]

Relevance of domestic goddess remark being that she always ate proper meals...

[littleducks]

ah, poor baby and poor sil, i have been fasting half this week (trying to keep one miss one if you see what i mean) and as long as i drink loads of water at night i dont see it as a problem, i'm only keeping half as i want to build up my strength after having hg when pregnant, i decided to fast after info on here that breastmilk quality isnt affected by mum's diet.
Not sure about the rest though, hope someone more useful is along soon.

[sorrell]

Is this an Islamic thing? Surely it doesn't apply to pregnant women or breastfeeding women? I though Islam was v protective about that sort of thing.

[shrub]

i understand a little about the enormous energy required for breastfeeding a baby as i also have 3 boys. i believe you are suppose to consume an extra 1000 calories a day if you are exclusively bf.
the main thing i would say is if you are near or you know of people who are please give her your time by taking the children out for a couple of hours so she can catch up on sleep when possible. sounds like baby is hungry or possibly teething - has she tried a dummy?
another idea is a sling seebigmamaslings a good book that may help is 'the continuum concept by jean lleidloff continuumconcept
the rash could be eczema has she tried a different washing powder or baby wash. gentle ones are: ecolino, ecover and have found great success with weleda calendula baby oil for getting rid of mild eczema patches by massaging it in a couple of times a day and using no soap or shampoo when bathing. another good make is greenpeople
very best of luck and wishing her lots of rest for her and baby x

[3andnomore]

Fasting...I would think that is a real bad idea...if you bf and want to loose wait forinstance you shjould never loose more then 1/2-1 Ib a week, as otherwise you gonna overload your child with all those toxins that are usually stored in our fatty tissue that get released into the blood and then into the milk from there...so, I would think that this might be the cuase of the skin looking odd and him being this unsettled!

[shrub]

just saw from your post that they have recently moved house - is the water quality different ie. going from soft to a hard water area?
the other thing i would say is that having just gone through this feeding frenzy with my ds3 i had to learn to surrender to the feeding and not fight it or resent it in anyway. they are only tiny once, it will pass. if there are family that can help then i would just offer any time you can to make it bearable for her.
x

[kutilputil]

hi, thanks for everyones contribution to this message.just to clear up some facts, yes Islam does not impose anything on someone who will not be able to bear it so as for pregnant and breastfeeding women they are exempt from fasting, its just we do it becasue there is a unity in doing it together and if we dont, we will have to make up for it later...alone...and thats really difficult.howver, my sis in law is considering not fasting for some time.as for the water, maybe you have a point as they moved and the water may be different to that of teir previous house so i'll tell her to check it out.sad thing is they have been told by someone (a doc!) that it could be her breastmilk, and to get him off and drinking soya milk...now is that possible?!pls

[shrub]

crikey kutilputil - sounds like her doctor needs some information on the merits of breastfeeding - have never heard of this, i would ask her to get a second opinion. also maybe worth her getting in contact with her local la leche league (breastfeeding group) for support laleche i think you can phone them any time and/or meet up