Breastfeeding and colic

[TeacupTempest]

DD is 6 weeks on Friday and over the past week has often being getting very uncomfortable in the evenings culminating last night with full on red screaming until DH finally managed to wind her enough for some relief.

So I am thinking she must be suffering with colic? I can often feeling wind moving through her little body! Thing is I am wondering what to do as I am unsure about winding her after every feed as she goes to sleep on the breast...I would have to wake her! I think she has only fallen asleep off the breast on a car journey!

Any advice please?

I think colic starts a bit earlier to be honest, and it would be strange at 6 weeks to suddenly have wind pains if she hadnt suffered before.

You know intense crying makes them ingest air sometimes, culminating in a big burp.

It sounds more like a growth spurt to me, perhaps you need to offer her a feed a bit more for a short while.

Or maybe you ate something that disagreed with her the night before? I couldn't eat bell peppers when DC3 was teeny!

Well she has always been a windy baby! Evenings have also always seen more crying and trumping though usually sorted before the full on screaming stage.

I thought that it could be a growth spurt but she had such difficulty latching on as she was so upset and her little legs were cycling so much she kept pushing herself away from me.

I hate seeing her so distressed!

The only different thing I ate yesterday was a scone...

Hmm......wind, wind, wind.......:( :(

What we in this culture call 'wind' and 'colic' may be nothing of the sort.

TruthSweet posted a link to a good article about this topic the other day: breastfeedingqueries.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/gone-with-the-wind/

teacup, there are points in your post that make me a bit sceptical:

• feeling wind moving through your baby's body means nothing. Even hearing wind means nothing :) We all have air in our stomachs. Stick your ear next to anyone's tum and you'll hear it. Put your hand on any (slim person's) tum and you may even feel rumblings. A baby has very little fat/tissue over his abdomen, and of course their tum is nearer to your ear, so you will hear, feel and even see the activity - the normal, digestive, metabolic activity - going on.

• being uncomfortable and screamy in the evenings does not have to mean wind. Babies get confused and frustrated and over-stimulated - and constant patting and jiggling and tipping upside down and goodness knows what else can make them even more wound up - and they cry more. They take in air when they cry so naturally they will burp...eventually

This focus on wind stops parents from just carefully watching and responding to their baby - see the article.

Snuggling on the sofa together, feeding off and on as your baby wants, and absolutely not waking her to wind her, may make your nights and evenings easier :)

Thanks tiktok though to be honest your last paragraph pretty much sums up what we had been doing up until late last night.

I shall explore the link, thank you.

Just been reading the link and sone others from a mn search.

It seems very much like what we had been trying to do really...

I feed on demand, use a sling, co sleep so little one is held by one of us most of the time. I think we are probably increasing eye to eye interaction though as she seems so much more attentive. paerhaps that has been overstimulating. WE often have visitors that want to interact during the day too.

Hmmmm poor little mite.