Desperate... about to quit...

[jenkaye21]

I have EBF my son for 6 weeks 3days now.  I also pump and he takes a bottle and breast equally well.

The problem is, up until about 5 days ago, he was a happy, easy-going, fairly predictable baby.  Sleeping in 2-3 hour stretches.  For the past 5 days, he has not slept longer than ONE hour staight at a time. I KNOW this is not normal!! I am talking about day or night  He will fall asleep and usually wake up within minutes,  Fussing and crying soon commence, and i try to feed him (even tho i may have just finished).  

I have tried everything i can think of to calm him and get him to sleep.  I am desperate.  I go back to work tomorrow, and I am about to just call it quits and give him formula,  but i know if I do I won't be able to go back.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!  

[jenkaye21]

He is doing much better, but I attribute that to the formula.  Beginning on Monday, I had to give him 50/50 (formula/breastmilk), and by the end of the week it was more like 75/25,  With working and having three other kids, I just cannot pump as much as I would like, and I have to really fight to get him to nurse now; I guess he is accustomed to the bottle and how much easier it is.  

Still, as long as he is getting *some* breastmilk, no matter how little, I guess it is better than nothing.  Thanks for all the suggestions!

[tiredbuthappy]

is he doing any better?

i got very tired this week and decided i had to do something before i ended up just giving in and putting the baby in bed with me. i looked online at reviews of the kiddopomus swaddle blanket. i thought dd hates being swaddled, but i bought it yesterday because the reviews made it sound like a miracle. while she didn't sleep through the night, i did get an extra hour, so it definitely helped. also, my little one grunts all night, waking me every 3 minutes. she actually didn't make those noises in the swaddleme, so my quality of sleep was much better too. you may want to try it- definitely worth the $11

[JAXX55]

I ordered a supplemental feeder system to use while I wait for my supply to build back up... coaxing baby back to breast more than bottle and adds stimulation to build supply... we'll see how it goes...

[colorado_g]

i would eat a lot of bananas (or other source of potasium) it will help get more milk

[jenkaye21]

Thanks.  Yesterday i fed him bottles only, had to dip into my freezer supply, and he was the happiest baby.  NIght and day difference from this weekend.

Today he went to daycare for the first time and i had to mix breastmilk/formuka 50/50, because i didn't have enough.  I am pumping at work, and hope i can maintain my supply so he gets at least HALF breastmilk.  

I would love to hear what you learn!

[JAXX55]

probably a growth spurt. have you asked his doctor? mine takes breast and formula and does fine. i wish he'd take more breast but yes, the formula is more filling and is hard to get them off of once you start. im attending a class this week about the subject. i'll let you know what i find out. until then, good luck. i know sleep deprivation is tough! hang in there... :)

[jenkaye21]

Thanks, i believe 6 weeks IS time for a growth spurt.  I hope it passes soon!  It is hard for me to fathom how he can be at the breast probably 2 hours out of every 3 and NOT be getting enough!! lol

[NicMom]

Could be a growth spurt. we're going thru something similar sleeping only one hour at a time.I'm giving her formula only at night so we can get some sleep and she will still take the breast durring the day. Maybe you could try the formula only once a night.