Need some motivation, please!

[whittywan]

I have been EBF my almost 7 week old DS and things have been very tough this last week. We started off very well with him feeding very effectively (10 -15min per feed for most feeds every 2 -3hrs) and gaining weight wonderfully.

Last weekend he caught a nasty cold from a visitor and virtually refused to feed all of Wednesday - I was so worried we even had him seen by the paed at the hospital. He has been very blocked up and stuffy (especially at night)and his feeds have gone all over the place.

He no longer has ANY pattern, often suckles for only a couple of minutes, only to want to come back to the breast 10 minutes later and then at other times will go for more than 3hrs before getting hungry. Worst of all has stopped having any sort of sleep at night. He used to at least sleep for 2-3hrs from 11pm - 2am and then another 2hrs between 3am and 5am. And although he has been alot happier during the day yesterday and today - he sicked up quite alot last night. (And since we co-sleep it has made a huge mess!)The only place he will sleep during the day is in the sling and as soon as I try to lay him down he is awake again, even if I lie down with him.

The thing that worries me the most is that I don't really feel like he is getting as much milk as he used to although he is still getting plenty of wet nappies and at least 3 dirty nappies during the day.

Add to this general colickyness since 4 weeks and I am absolutely exhausted.

Is this normal for a baby after having had a cold and how long does it usually take for them to recover and get back to their normal self?

sounds like a 6 week growth spurt and recovery from illness have co-incided

I am sure he is getting enough milk - the wet and dirty nappies would indicate this

Aren't they supposed to feed more volume and more frequently during a growth spurt?

It feels to me like he is hardly getting anything as much as before, and he doesn't seem to be enjoying his feeds anymore and he is posseting/being sick a lot more frequently. I thought that that was because he was poorly and perhaps swallowing some mucous. But his cold seems a lot better.

He is otherwise bright and cheerful.

HV and GP not very helpful - just say that he's gaining weight well so nothing to worry about.

But I feel that it can't be normal for him to not enjoy his meals - or is it?

Are you sure he is hungry if he is coming to the breast every few mins? Perhaps he is tired/overstimulated etc and you are taking his crying cues for hunger? Perhaps the milk is not what he wants and it gives him a sore tummy and then he is sick? That might account for what you call his colickiness?

If you were to try and put him in some sort of routine i.e. feed him and then give him a little bit of playtime then pop him for a sleep and only feed him again in another 2/3 hours when he wakes this might work and he may settle down again.

I did this with my DS, you don't need to clock watch but it just gives you an idea that if he has just fed well and was satisfied by it (came off the breast himself), then then next time he cries he's prob not hungry but tired so could go off for a sleep rather than another feed.

Also with regard to the sleep thing, once you have fed him, let him have a kick about or a play on his activity mat etc and then when he starts yawning, take him up to his cot straightaway and lay him down awake and try sh sh sh pat thing til he falls asleep. If he won't go off, pick him up and comfort him and when stops crying put him down again until he goes off to sleep - this may take a few goes! It was a big turning point for me when DS could go to sleep on his own and it only took a few tries for him to get the idea.

I hope things improve for you asap - I can only offer advice about what I have done myself as a novice mum but it seemed to work for us. Let me know how you get on x