bf guru's, TikTok and friends - have you experience of...

[treedelivery]

...slow gut motility in fully bf newborns?

I ought to search threads but I'm too tired, miserable and demoralised so forgive me.

dd2 is 6 weeks - has colic or wind or constipation or belly ache or something.

She has only opened her bowels every 3 days since birth which I know to be odd in a tiny babe, but normal in a month or 2 old baby. I'm a mw so I can rationalise most bf stuff that goes on in our house but I cannot get my head around this.

The poo is soft, yellow basically Korma style. But When it is due she is miserable. Truly in agony.

We've tried and persued Lactase drops, infacol, gavison, chiropractor - that helped - and homeopath. I baby wear [not my choice!], massage and she co sleeps. Still the misery with wind, burps, possits and bowels.

Where the hell does the wind come from, and why does poo-ing hurt so much? Arrrggggghhh!!

Am just starting treatment for breast duct thrush too. oh my life!!

Hi treedelivery, congratulations on your DD (missed your birth announcement too) - I am a chiropractor (in Canada though so not much hands-on use to you though) and I've treated a number of babies for constipation and general bowel unhappiness. I usuallu adjust the sacroiliac joints and the low back using the Activator instrument (or my thumbs, depending on how tiny the baby is) and then do abdominal massage/ release, which basically involves using mint oil (or spearmint, catmint, chamomile or rosemary) in a carrier oil like sweet almond oil (1 drop to 6 drops), and hold the baby on my lap, sitting up, and massage the oil into the tummy in an up-on-the-right and down-on-the-left motion. I tend to really "dig" (not really, it's very gentle, but hopefully you know what I mean) on the lower right in the area of the iliocaecal valve, and the lower left in the area of the sigmoid colon. Often there is "nappy action" during or right after this, as well as lots of burps. I make sure I get into the "corners" under the ribs, too (again, gently but with enough pressure to get some results). The babies I've treated are usually initially a bit startled by having their bellies probed but tend to settle down rather quickly so I assume it must feel good. I've also done this sitting beside the mum while she holds baby on her lap.
It's usually worked really well.
You can try do this yourself even if you feel confident about it. The up-on-the-right and down-on-the-left circles are important because (as I'm sure you know) the ascending colon is on the right and the descending and sigmoid colon on the left so you're stroking in a "get it toward the exit" direction.

Hope that helps!!

DOnt recoomend you use a pump to express at the mo as this will increase your supply.
I found hand expressing just a bit before each feed helped so by the time I latched him on the flow had slowed a bit.
Never really did block feeding but is is supposed to help if your let down is really fast.
Plenty of info on the kellymom link I posted above.
Good luck.

Hi treedelivery

I could have written your post myself when my ds was 6 weeks. I tried pretty much everything too. The osteopath I went to said that in her opinion most babies being treated for colic actually have thrush in their guts - born with it after it being transmitted via Mum at birth. I think that this is true - as every time he has had thrush in his mouth I've noticed his poo/wind problems getting worse.

Can you get acidophilus supplements for infants where you are, to help with re-establishing normal gut flora?

I have a girlfriend who is a naturopathic physician and she recommends Genestra's HMF Natogen for babies with thrush. Again, not much practical use for you if it's not available in the U.K. but just thought I'd mention it.

Hi everyone and apologies for not being about. Was away and no wi fi in hotel. gutted!!

Jacksmama - our chiro is planning an abdominlal release tuesday so am very encouraged by your post. off to read through properly, got a frantic baby and sick dd1 here. great!

I have noticed and so did dh that her poo smells very acidic, almost vinegar like. I think this adds to the idea of thrush in our systems. If anyone is still around I'd love your opinions.

Will look into the accidophilus for babes too, maybe i will up our skin to skin contact too. might help with it all.

I Started the thrush treatment of fluconazole a week ago and I think i have noted more wind in dd2. A double edged sword it seems!

Thaqnk you all for your responses.

vinegar smell could be intolerance of something in your diet maybe?
dairy most likely suspect. I have stopped drinking milk, and ds' 'colic' seems to have ended, and stools are now more like the ones dd had. (prev v watery. with LOADS of wind)

or gluten?

Hello.

Have you found it hard though? The thought of no milk in tea.....

I'm only drinking peppermint or fennel tea atm- I go caffeube free in pg and bfing....

Am having a caffine free milky coffee now. T'will be my last. On a hunt tommorrow for dairy free dietry advice - my mind is made up. I have to at least try for her sake.

dd2 stool today was foamy, which I think is an intolerance type clue?? I think? It had been 3 days and she must have passed half a pint of korma!

Then She had her abdominal release. Followed 2 hours later by spinach poo. So I guess thats a reaction of some sort! She has spent a fairly miserable evening but is now sleeping in her own bed and has been for 2 hours. This is mega.

So the battle moves to a new frontier!!

How are you Peach? Must catch up on how you and dd1 are doing! My dd1 is trying her best but is essentially gutted by how little she see's of me. If I can get dd2 a bit more settled, I can make dd1 happier.....oh the guilt.

have responded on post-natal thread- oops
can't retype one handed, sorry

but, I am in a better position, asDS is a dream baby- can't velieve it after dd... he feeds, sleeps, coos, burps even- complete opposite of her- thank goodness, or I really would be on my knees rocking in the corner.
Most of the time, its dd giving me heartache, not him.
he's a big smiley giant- classic contented baby.
I do feel for you though- dd's babyhood nearly killed me

Treedelivery, have just read your thread and your DD is exactly the same as I was as a baby and how DD was. The only things that I would add to what people have been saying is to definitely buy some mint essential oil and do daily tummy massages. Also, the one thing that helped DD (and me as a baby) no end is gripe water. Unfortunately for us, it is only Nurse Harveys that seemed to do the trick not the alternative that is easy to get hold of. But, it was well worth getting some ordered from the chemist or off of the internet.

Ah nurse Harveys. In the good old days in had sugar and alcohol in it. I could do with a drop myself!
I maybe need to do more massage. Till recently this was out of the question. The child went ballistic if I so much as unswaddled her for the first month. I have since been a bit loathe to faff about with her. Maybe I need to get going a bit.

The chiro is going to teach me the abdominal release massage thingy too. Thanks for your suggestions.

Ta Peach, am on the postnatal thread too.

LOL treedelivery! Nurse Harveys still worked for my DD even though there's no alcohol in it. I'm surprised that my mum used to give me loads of it as it 'calmed me down'

Just one other thought, I found that giving DD Nelson's Teetha calmed her down a lot and really helped soothe her tummy. It's only chamomile which is supposed to be good for soothing a sore tummy so I guess it isn't just for a teething baby.

Have the teetha. We went on to get a full homeopathic remedy as that seemed to help. We now need to deal with root cause I think. Just in case it doesn't go away at 2-3 months like everyone tells me it will! God what a thought.

My DD didn't really get loads better until she was well established on a varied solid diet that didn't contain anything that upset her tummy. However, I have spent a lot of time in hospital in the past with bowel problems and have an underlying condition that causes me problems so the fact that she improved at all is a relief. For some reason, I'm mad enough to be expecting DC2 soon

OOO good luck!!