HV said poor latch can cause colic - any truth to this?

[RGPargy]

Hi all

Had the HV round today for a weigh in etc (baby is putting on lots of weight and thriving, incidentally) and i mentioned to her that DD has been suffering from colic from 5pm til around midnight every night. She said that one cause of this could be a bad latch, i.e. she's so used to knowing what she's doing now she's become a bit sloppy with her latch and is taking in air.

I can see how this could cause problems, but before i try and rectify something that i thought was going very well, i just wanted to throw this theory in here and see what you think?

I want to point out that i have never had any pain or nipple issues whilst BF and DD has been on the 50th centile for weight gain etc the whole time and is thriving.

DD is almost 4 weeks.

TIA!

[LIZS]

Could certainly cause wind but less sure re colic. Always thought it was more to do with the baby physiology myself.

[LIZS]

baby's

[purpleduck]

Nope, don't think so. I took my dd to an osteopath and it worked like a charm (took about a week to kick in though)

Good luck

[kiskidee]

it doesn't sound like you have poor latch. you would more likely noticed the painful/cracked/bleeding nipples first.

what would make the hv think that she is windy?

[kiskidee]

have a look at this on kellymom. it is more a shot in the dark than anything.

my last question seems dumb but I guess it is because I am thinking that colic and wind are different things in my mind.

[RGPargy]

Coz i told her about DD being up screaming in the evenings with typical colic symptons!

I thought i would have nipple pain etc if the latch was wrong too, but in all honestly it has never hurt and if my daughter is putting on weight we're obviously doing something right!

[RGPargy]

Oh and incidentally, DD farts an AWFUL lot!!!

[kiskidee]

cross posts, see my previous one.

[RGPargy]

hmmmm not sure about over supply. She doesn't tend to gulp or choke unless she's in pain and goes rigid. The only way to stop her doing this is to sit her up on my lap and attempt to wind her a bit. It's just the position itself that soothes her, not the actual releasing of wind.

[kiskidee]

what i was thinking that even if she isn't gulping and choking, it may just be enough to maybe having a but of an oversupply of foremilk and it is the lactose that causes the excessive wind and trumping later on.

maybe someone more experienced will come up with better ideas later on.

[RGPargy]

Oh right! I have no idea. Dont know if it's anything to do with it, but whenever i feed DD (i only notice when i'm feeding topless in the night) the breast i'm not feeding from will be just dripping with milk, so much that it drips and then runs down my body!!

[soapdodger]

you can try feeding from one side for 2 or 3 feeds before swapping sides. express for comfort only from the side you are not using. then feed from the other. see what happens over 24/36 hrs? to see if there is any improvement. it won't muck up your supply for such a short time. and keep an eye on this tread, i wouldn't call myself an expert so someone else may come along and correct me.

[soapdodger]

excuse the silly namechange.

[RGPargy]

Thanx for that. I was initially feeding just one side per feed when i first started BF because i didn't know any different.

I've just tried to feed her and she fed for a few minutes, then went rigid and threw herself backwards crying, which is what i get most nights. It's horrible because it looks like she's in horrendous pain and even though she's hungry, she sometimes wont feed!!

Will re-try just feeding from one boob per feed again as i dont recall her being this fractious when i was doing it before. Saying that, my brain is mush these days and i dont remember what i had for breakfast, let alone stuff that happened 2 weeks ago!

[RGPargy]

What do osteopaths actually DO?

[claraenglish]

Message withdrawn

[RGPargy]

Thanx Clara, that's really helpful because it sounds very similar to what's going on with me too. I will do the 2 feeds from one side thing i think and i will try some different positions too. I've looked on Kellymom so i kinda know what positioning you are on about. I cant get on with the rugby ball hold either!

Fingers crossed mine gets better over night too!

[Sufi]

This is v helpful as sounds like my ds as well - am sure it's not a poor latch, tho, as my ds has always had a gd latch and my nips are still in one piece!

I also get leaky boobs from the non-used boob. Looks like a wet t.shirt competition some mornings...

As ds's wind is worse at night, I've tried feeding in a more sitting up position (him, not me!), as I read somewhere that that can help. We co-sleep, but for his 11pm feed I prop him up a bit with pillows (and put him back flat on back when done) and for his 4am feed I sit up and put him on my knee, so he's 'sitting up' too. Does seem to be helping, as he's arching his back less during the feed, and is able to fall asleep straight after (instead of fussing, going red, crying and bunching his legs up).

Only done it for a few nights, tho, so it could just be coincidence!

[RGPargy]

Sounds like it's working for you Sufi! Keep it up and let us know what happens.

[devondoris]

Not sure I can help re the feeding stuff, tho I would say it does sound a bit colicky. One of my DTs did the huge cries and arched back in the evening thing, but I was never sure if it really was colic or not. There are some homeopathic remedies you can get in the local chemist which may help. I have friends who used them, but I didn't bother.

The cranial osteopathy (which is what I'm actually posting about!) is where the osteo holds the patient's head and manipulates the cranial system, which is a bit like the nervous system and which has a rhythm of its own, a bit slower than the respiratory system. When you're having it done you can sometimes feel a tingling in your head and neck which comes and goes, and that's it. I had DT2 done and it did make him a lot happier. I also have it done myself every so often, and it works for me too. In fact it got me through my twin pregancy, so much so that I got to 41 weeks! It's incredibly gentle and re-balances the body. HTH.

You should find that by 6-8 weeks the feeding settles down, and again at 3 months it gets easier. If your nips aren't sore I'd say you have a good latch. And IKWYM about the rugby ball hold - you need the right pillow to be able to do it properly I reckon. I couldn't do it with DD but didn't do anything else with the DTs.

Anyway, go Diva with the bfing! It will get easier and better and you will stop flooding the bed soon! (The milk collecting nipple shield things are quite good if you can be bothered to put them in your bra as you start feeding at night.) Otherwise sleep on a towel!

[RGPargy]

Thanx for that info doris! Very helpful! At the end of the day i spose i can take comfort in the fact that it'll only be for another 2-4 weeks (hopefully!) and then she'll settle down a bit.

I'm really enjoying the BFing and must be doing it right if i've never had sore nips!!

[devondoris]

Pleasure!

And if you're enjoying it, then it's downhill all the way. Makes so much difference to how quickly it all gets easier for the babes when you enjoy it, and that makes them more settled. I had sore nips the first time until 10 weeks, and second time round I realised I was bleeding when DT2 threw up pink sick. Nice. Looked like a small vampire baby. He had a strong suck. It passed though as everything does - though I don't ever want the needles-inserted-into-the-nipple-feeling ever again!