My 3-Week Old Constantly Leaks ... HELP

All three of my kids started on very watery rice cereal at 3 wks old before bed, before the bottle. Seems to have filled their bellies enough and they slept thru the night. They are totally fine with no allergies. My kids ages now, 16,11,almost 4.

B.- Your baby is trying to increase your milk supply and by giving him formula it will cause your body to remain producing only the amount you are now! When a baby starts feeding a lot more often he/she is trying to increase your milk so your body will produce more! Try getting him to nurse as often as possible the next few days so he can increase your supply. I know its frustrating and confusing and I'm lucky I had my sister to guide me and know not to give her formula but to just let her nurse and then amazingly the next few days BAM I had wayy more milk! You can also use a pump after feedings or in between to help increase your supply!

Make sure the pee-pee is pointed downwards and I found the swaddlers worked very well until we got past the newborn size and then we went tried a variety. Pampers Dry keep the baby the driest hands down and don't leak (but if his pee pee is upward it will spray out! Also check the legs that you have them tight!

GOOD LUCK!

How often are you changing your baby? He may just need to be chnged more often, every 2 hours. You may wnat to try a chnage in size, sometimes if they diapers don't fit right they can leak.

congrat to you on your first, I have a one year old son he's my first. he did the same thing. just keep doing what you do the older they get the less time you change untill they start eating cereol. which won't be untill their four months. when my son was three weeks he was drinking 8oz a day. when you feed him try changing the diaper before you feed him even if its a little wet. it might help. I do that to my son and he's fine through the night. when you mix water with your formula try warm water wamer then room tepature but not to hot. I hope this help you.

Hi, my son leaked all the time too. He was really skinny too. Here's the thing he leaked around the waste not in the leg. I found that it was better to use the next size up diaper and Pampers brand only. And that's how I knew when to advance to the next size because he would start to leak again. As long as his button is healed the diapers were best when they were high up and tight as they go around his belly.
My son's anatomy was little nub that stood straight up so when he pee'd he needed for the urine to hit the absorbant pad and the smaller size didn't reach were he was going.
Hope this helps.
Hang in there with the breast feeding. It's the hardest thing I've ever done but the most rewarding. And it gets easier.

Point his pee pee downward when you put on a new diaper. No one told me this when I had my son and I wish someone had! would have saved me a lot of clothing changes in the middle of the night in the very beginning.

As for the 6 oz, my son didn't drink that much as a baby but my daughter is 2 months old now and has been taking that much formula at a time since the beginning. She is a big girl and growing every day. I just give her what she wants. the other morning she had 7 oz before she decided to stop. It is perfectly normal for some, not for others. Go with it and don't worry!

I also put a little rice cereal in her bottles because she couldn't get enough formula and was miserable from acid reflux. The docs say not to do that but I wouldn't know why. The formula made for kids with acid reflux and stomach troubles has rice flour in it! Can't be too bad for them. If he seems to be eating nonstop and doesn't seem full or is a little grumpy about laying on his back, I wouldn't hesitate to add a little cereal if I were you. But I am not a doctor so do what your instincts tell you to do.

B. first of all, YOU ARE MAKING ENOUGH MILK. You need to trust your body. By taking the baby off and giving him formula though, you are telling your body that you need less milk and you will start to make less and less. Just let him stay on as long as he needs and you will notice yourself being fuller. Remember, it takes 3 days to change your production. So if you let him stay on as long as he needs today, 3 days from now, you will have more milk. BUT your body is continually making milk and he will never be sucking and getting nothing out. Also, pumping is not the same as the baby sucking. You will not get the same volume in the same amount of time. If supplementing with formula is what you want to do, then fine, but if you want to be breastfeeding, don't look at the clock, don't worry about feeling empty, just let him do the only thing he knows how to do!

As for the leaking, it has to do with the size of the baby and the cut of the diapers. When he gets bigger, it will not happen as often. Also, if he is getting that wet, then he is getting plenty of liquid!!! Just try to change him a little more often to avoid the leaks.

Please remember that your babies stomach is the size of his fist. Also, babies digestive systems are not mature and these amounts could cause him some grief. It is much better to do smaller amounts more often. This is your first opportunity to make a parental decision that may differ from what he wants at the moment. Hang in there with your milk production. It takes 3 weeks for mom & baby to get in sync with supply and demand and supplementing may sabatoge your plan.

Hi, my son, now 4, also soaked through his diapers until I got him Pampers and put him in 1's. For the 1st month 1/2, he peed on everyone, lol.

I guess I'm not going to say much of anything different, but..... Nurse as much as possible. Even if that means you just took him off two minutes earlier! I did this... Grrrr very frustrating at times, but it worked!! You have to remember it's a supply and demand system! If the boy child demands it (nurses) then the body will supply it!!

On the diapers... Like everyone else says... Penis pointing DOWN. Both my kids were and still are very tall and skinny!! I found with my two the Wal-mart brand works BEST... My son leaked out of all Pampers, Huggies, and anything else... I mean we still have some leaks, but when they're that skinny you just can't help it sometimes!

B.,
My youngest also leaked a lot early on. Pampers Swaddlers are by far the best diaper I've ever tried. There really isn't much you can do about it. Babies are messy creatures. Good news is, that should stop in another month or so.

As far as the eating, with breastfed babies, it is VERY common for them to nurse all the time for the first 6 weeks or so. Every 3 hours is a minimum. Both of my boys would nurse every 1 1/2 - 2 hours for the first 6 weeks. They started eating longer at a time and going longer between feedings after that. If you want to try and go strictly breastfeeding, you can start off each feeding by nursing. Let him nurse off of one side until it's empty. You'll know there's nothing there because he'll start sucking faster and harder. Then switch to the other side. At the next feeding, start on the breast you left off with. If he completely drains both sides and is still hungry, then supplement with an oz or two of formula. It's pretty easy to build up your milk supply. Hindmilk (the milk in the very back of your breast) has the highest concentration of nutrients and calories. I've always let my boys completely drain one side and then switched to the other if they were still hungry. Also, if you still feel you aren't producing enough, try drinking a couple more glasses of water a day and add in a few more calories.

Congrats and good luck!!
T.

Hi B., The diaper issue is normal I think. I changed my boys a lot at that age and still had some leaks. You might try moving up a size, that ususally helped me when it seemed they were leaking more than usual. Those tiny diapers aren't made to hold an awful lot. Besided if he is wating that much, he is going a lot.
About the feeding. It seems to me that 6ox is a lot for a 3 wk old. How do you know he isn't getting enough? Just seems hungry all the time? I fed one of my boys every 2/3 hrs early on. It seemed he was always hungry a lot, but it slowed down. I would ask your Ped. or an lactation specialist (they are VERY helpful) about the production and feeding issue.
Good luck, it would be helpful if they came with directions.
A.

Congrats on the baby and yes Huggies are awful! I like pampers, luvs, or the White Cloud brand at Walmart. They are really inexpensive and work great! You are probably making plenty of milk for him but are unsure of yourself, most new breastfeeding moms are. Trust your body to do waht it is supposed to do. At his next check up if he isn't gaining properly your dr will tell you and make sure you voice your concerns. If you still want to bottle feed then pump your milk and give it to him that way. My oldest daughter was formula fed because I didn't know if I was making enough milk, but of course I was and when she was 3 weeks she had 8 oz bottles. Every child is different and just trust your insticts and if you that unsure than call his dr, that is what they are there for. I hope I could help and feel free to email me anytime! Good luck with your son!

When my son was smaller we would always put him in a size up diaper that he wore during the day. Like when he was wearing a size 1 suring the day we would put a 2 onhim a night and no leaks. As far as eating goes you let him be the judge of how much he wants. He may be going through a growth spurt

Well - we've been having leaking problems with our little guy as well and now he's 7-1/2 months old. He seems to be a pee machine! We finally discovered that Huggies makes an overnight diaper that is thicker - but it is only once they hit size 4.

Do you make sure that you point his wee wee down when you put the diaper on? That helps with leaks out the top of the diaper. Also - at night, you could use one size bigger diaper. Sorry - those are the only suggestions i have!
M.

My oldest peed right out of every diaper he wore for the longest time. Make sure that he is pointing down into the diaper not up to his belly. Even then sometimes they shift right back up. If he is skinny it can be worse, more room around the belly on the diaper.
About the feeding. The supplementing will not help your nursing efforts. You can cut you milk supply tremendously and right now you are building it up. Every calorie that he gets other than breastmilk right now is one more that your body does not think that you need to produce. If you are unsure of if he is getting enough, check his diapers. A 3 week old should have 2 or more decent sized dirty diapers a day. (Not necessarily exploding diapers, but more than a trace of poop.) What comes out must have went in, and you know that it is completely from you if they are completely bf. Keep trying. Breastfeeding is not easy at first, but once you get it, it is so much easier than bottles for so many reasons. La Leche League is a great resource for breastfeeding. They can help you if you are unsure.

I have a 4-month old daughter and have the same problem. I am very lucky that she sleeps through the night but every morning she would wake up and be soaked through her pajamas to her crib sheets. I got advise to put 2 diapers on her, I know it sounds crazy but it works great! Every night before she goes to sleep I double-up her diaper and don't have to worry about it anymore. Hope this helps, good luck :)

I just wanted to say that the first week my son was home we used Huggies NB size and we had huge leaking issues!
I haven't read all of the replies(sorry), but I found out if you make sure the elastic on the legs is pulled out and not tucked up in at each diaper change we had no leaks. Too much of a pain in the butt if you ask me! :P
The pampers swaddlers were nice, but every time he pee's the smell of them are gross. That and his "boy parts" get stuck fast to the lining in them! If you add diaper rash cream they only stick all the more.

Hi My son is three months and eats 6 t0 8 oz every 2 to 3 hours and he was doing that since day one. My peditricain said as long as he is not spitting it up then he can handle so don't worry. THe wetting issue just put him in the next size diaper up especailly when he sleeps. My son was having the same issuses and use loves they are better for absorption. Remember is kidneys are jsut like a puppy for the first few months

I had actually had the same problem but it was with luvs when i switched my son to huggies it stopped so if huggies was the problem i am not sure what to say except change him more often maybe he is wetting twice in the period betwwen changings at the times when he leaks so halfway between the changes check him just to make sure

We had the same problem with my son! If you always make sure his "peepee" is pointing down when you close the diaper, it should fix the problem. That did it for mine. Once he starts to put on a little baby fat, he'll fit in the diaper better, & the problem won't happen anymore. As for the breastfeeding, I also had that problem. It seemed like Jayden wanted to eat twice as much as the milk I was producing. I think it was right around 3 weeks when we had to start supplementing w/formula, and our pediatrician said that was fine. He was also up to 6 oz at this time. My body just couldn't keep up with him, & he'd get so upset when milk wouldn't come out anymore. That is when we would then get him a bottle...so it sounds like you are doing the right thing. Your pediatrician will let you know if your son is eating too much, or not enough. Hope this helps a little! Good luck, & congrats on the new baby!!

Hi B.,
I'm not sure if this would work but you may be able to use two diapers. You can put one on him that has a slit in it so that the extra can leak through to another diaper. It's just an idea. I do think that pampers are the best though.
Good luck.
J.

that happened a few times with my son also. he was long and skinny the pampers premies worked for a week- till he outgrew them and we switched to pampers swaddlers and they seemed to work best.

If he's small, it may be that the diapers don't fit tightly around the legs and just not much you can do to stop the leaking.

Are you sure you're not making enough milk? Supplementation can be a downward spiral because of the supply and demand nature of breastfeeding. And the more you increase the formula, the more he'll take, until you end up totally weaning. :( Did he go through a growth spurt and want to nurse just about constantly? That's totally normal. I know you always hear "every two to three hours" but that's really the minimum amount they'll want to nurse. Have you sought help from an IBCLC or La Leche League? You really can't rely on an OB or ped for breastfeeding advice; it's just not taught in medical school.

I was just thinking, even if you don't want to switch to cloth, you could get covers for cloth diapers to put over the 'sposies. I wouldn't go with those plastic pants though. They're really uncomfortable and just asking for a diaper rash! I would look into wool soaker pants. They also double as their outer pants so you don't have to put anything else on them. Or maybe something like a Stacinator wrap cover.

Also, although a lot of people are saying rice cereal, don't do it! Babies tummies aren't anywhere near ready for solids until around 6 months. And rice cereal is simple carbs, not much better than giving them plain sugar. http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

Good luck, mama!

What I would do if I were you is get those plastic covers for the cloth diapers & put that on over his diaper. My sons almost 11 months & I did the same with all the brands of diapers. I currently use Pampers. I think they are a great brand plus you can collect the codes inside the diaper bags & get stuff with them.

Make sure you are changing him enough. Since you are breastfeeding he should be getting changed about 9 times a day. I still have that problem with my 8 month old boy/girl twins. I just say make sure you are changing them often enough.

27 yr. old mother of 11yo boy 9yo girl 8mo b/g twins

All 3 of my sons leaked through their diapers. They still do they are 3, 2 and 9 months. It doesnt matter what kind of diapers I use they still leak. I think at times it comes with having boys. I just have to change them often.

hi B. i found out if you make sure there peepee is done sometimes that helps cause my son hes 2 now but that use to happen all the time till my friend told me that put it down

I think that has alot to do with with him being skinny, and also the way the diapers are made to fit. I would change him more often at night. If he awakes to eat, I would change him quick, and then feed him. I used to have to change my daughter a few times a night. How do you know that you arent making enough milk? Did you pump? I defintaly would put him on the breast as much as possiable,"To get your milk coming out". The more you put him on, the more you are going to make. Seriously!At that age, I was exclusivly breast feeding..Every two/three hours and 15 min on each breast...I like being a human pacifer too....so she was like always attached to the breast. LOL....I am going to say that I pumped a few times in the beginning just to see what i was producing...and it was like 4 oz at like a month old....I would say 6 oz is ok, if he is going longer than 3 hrs per feeding. I am only a first time mom though, and mybe the other moms think differently.

My little boy is 4 months now. I had the same problem as well. I also realized that the pampers swaddlers were the best as well. I also realized that (2 things) I tried the next size diaper and that solved the problem (though they were a little big) as well as when you are putting the diaper on, pull it up more on the front side as opposed to the backside since they pee in the front. Good luck!

hello B. i had the same problem with my son he would leak thourgh his diaper and clothes all the time. we tried every brand of diaper out there and what we found that works is parents choice diapers and a bigger size. he should still be in a size 3 because he is only 25lbs but we put him in a size 4 because it fits around his belly better and it helps to keep him from going through. i know i used to wake up in the morning and his room would stink because he had gone through his diaper and his pajamas. we even tried huggies overnight diapers on him and he even wet though those. i hope this has helped take care

This happened all of the time with my first son. Point his member down when you change him, make sure the side of the pamper is nice and snug and fasten it as tight as you can.