Night feeds and nappy changes

[user1492004902]

I’ve a 10 day old breastfed baby who likes to be nursed to sleep. However, he’s also a gassy baby and sharts his pants at every single feed. He absolutely hates nappy changes and screams his head off every time.

I’m stuck in hell - he feeds, does a poo, gets so upset when I change him that I have to stick him back on the boob to calm him down. He then shits himself again.

I don’t know what to do. He does not seem bothered by the poo and it’s so tempting to just leave him to sleep until it’s time for the next feed, although I know I shouldn’t. But if I keep changing his nappy he just won’t stop all night.

How to get around it??

How often are you feeding?

When is the explosion? During or after the feed is finished?

Can to change him at start of feed and leave him?

My DD did this at just over a week (she's now 4 weeks), doesn't do it anymore. At 10 days their system is still getting used to working properly as it should so does weird & not so wonderful things! I doubt your son will still be pooing at every feed in a week so try and bare with.

I know it's not what you want to hear but I wouldn't leave him in a pooed nappy -the reaction of poo & wee, when left, can cause nappy rash and if that happens he'll cry even more at changing time.
He'll cry because he's nice and warm and then you undress him, he has a cold bum and then a cold baby wipe put on him. Change him on a towel and try using baby wipes run under warm water. And nappy cream - bum probably sore from needing to change frequently anyway. X

They’re more like wet farts and there’s usually only a small amount of poo, enough to warrant a change though. He normally poops during the feed and after when I wind him.

He likes to cluster feed in the evening and at night and asks for the boob every time he’s awake. I know most of it is comfort feeding but I don’t feel like I should deny him the breast, and he’s also pretty inconsolable if he’s not latched on.

I’ve been tempted to give him a dummy but I think he might be too young for it.

I just changed him 5 minutes ago and now he pooped again! It’s like every time he farts poop also comes out. The midwives assured me its normal that he poops so much but surely it can’t be?

It is normal but it does stop. For now it's just one of those incredibly annoying things.

Could you try sleeping him in a bundler? So much easier for a nappy change - just lift it up, quick change and away you go

My DD was a bit like this and a terrible sleeper. I remember the health visitor's shock when I told her about this problem. She said just slather her bum in barrier cream then you can leave her to sleep and can get some sleep yourself! She never got nappy rash. We all slept better. Unless it's a proper poo explosion, give yourself a break!

I used to change my DD after she'd finished feeding, then I'd stick her back on the other boob. As PP said? I'd just slather on a barrier cream and leave him unless it's a big poo.

Also dummy - it was a lifesaver for me. Never interfered with feeding. Never became a problem in fact we only used one for sleep and she stopped needing one at about 7 months or so. There is so much guilt at this early stage. Do what works and makes everyone happiest.

This is completely normal - they have a lot of 'rubbish' inside their systems to get out. It's really annoying - we changed 10 nappies in a row once with a tiny bit of poo in them. You just have to ride it out and it will stop - it can also get very sore cuz the 'rubbish' is very acidic so you might need some nappy cream.

Take care - you are in the hardest bit the first month or so xx

Thank you!

It’s so incredibly frustrating as he falls asleep so peacefully after feeding and burping, we finally got him to settle in his bedside crib too, so having to wake him up for a change seems counter intuitive and sets off a cycle where neither of us gets any sleep at all.

I try to do it as stealthily as I can, wrapping him up in blankets and warming up wipes. Occasionally it works in that he doesn’t scream like a banshee but it still unsettles him enough to wake him up and seek comfort boob. The problem is 15 minutes later he’ll do another wet fart and then I’ll have to do it all over again!

During his night cluster feedings he never gets completely zonked out on milk like he does during the day, when it’s easier to change him and easier to settle afterwards.

DH took him to the other room last night to give me a bit of a break and to try to settle him without the boob. Took over an hour, basically until DS got tired of protesting - and another 4 nappy changes. DH played a blind eye after the last one and a suspicious fart, as he’d finally got him to sleep and just couldn’t handle any more.

When I changed it 2 hours later it had a small amount of runny poo which has mostly soaked in the nappy and basically none on his skin. That’s how most of his dirty nappies are.

I’ll ask my health visitor for advice, but I’m tempted to go with a good barrier cream like you advised, spread nappy changes to every couple of hours instead of reacting to every wet fart, and hope for the best. I can handle cluster feeding as it does get him settled eventually and gets me at least an hour of sleep in between feedings, but the constant cycle of feed-change-feed-change with no sleep, peppered with screaming the house down at 4 am is just too much to take for nights in a row, however many weeks this will last.

It is such hard work OP I remember it well... But I'm 5 weeks away from doing it a second time so it must get better (or I might be mad?!) Sounds like you're both doing a great job remember that your own sleep and sanity is important too.

We also had similar, DS pooed so much! Echoing what others have said, just hang in there and it will pass! It was such a relief when he started pooing much less!

Not too young for a dummy. The earlier the better.

Dummies are AMAZING! They are especially brilliant sanity-savers to give breastfeeding mums a break.

I just changed him again and he’s developed a bit of a rash. Thankfully it doesn’t look too bad at this point and he doesn’t seem in pain over it. I put some Sudocream on it.

But with so many changes and bum wiping required, possibly 20+ a day, how do I avoid irritating him even more? It seems like I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t

We also had problems with nappy rash as DS pooed a lot. Try to get it as dry as possible, and give him some nappy free time, if at all possible (realise this is really tricky when they are newborn and going constantly, but it gets easier. It's the best way to treat and prevent it). Once very dry, thin layer of Sudocrem. I used water wipes as I found cotton wool and water too hard to get him really dry. Now he's older, what I do if he has painful nappy rash is to wipe him with cotton wool and Johnson's baby lotion (sounds weird but apparently what they used to do before wipes, and I've found it really helps)- you probably don't want to do that yet though as he's still so young.

Ds was similar on poo for about 6 weeks then it changed and it's now only every 2-5 days, although it's usually emergency bathtime at 14 weeks

but rarely too upset by changing

It won't last long I promise

I found Boots zinc and castor oil much better to use than Sudocrem. I would use at each change so never had nappy rash. I used washable nappies so dc were changed two hourly.

I know this nightmare and it does end! You can't leave a baby in a soiled nappy as they will get a rash. Just write off nights and try to nap during the day.
Also, I doubt your baby is comfort feeding.. They are building up your supply and are never off the boob. It's all normal....and does get much, much easier I promise!!!

We used bepanthen, we hardly ever got nappy rash, you can get it at boots and I remember buying it from Chemist Direct, I think the midwife recommended it.