Upset 2 Month Old, I'm Not Sure Why

Please, please please research the vaccines more thouroughly. Constant crying is one of the side effects that has been reported with vaccines, possibly indicating other things going on. I would be careful about vaccinating him again. If you want to know more, I have websites that I can refer you to with info on what is in a vaccine and some of the side effects. I've included some here:
http://drtenpenny.com/default.aspx
http://www.nvic.org//

Hi M.. My advice on your milk supply is to be sure to drink plenty of water and maybe start pumping to keep your supply up. My son was a "lazy eater" and didn't really latch on for the first several months, so I pumped all I could and supplemented a bit.

Could his fussiness be related to gas? I'm sure you're burping him often, but you could also try some Gripe water and see if that helps. Another friend of mine always nurses her daughters upright, saying that if they lay down while nursing it causes bad gas. I hope these help.

I'm not sure if he would still be upset this long after the vaccines, but check his temperature to make sure it's in the normal range. If he has a fever, you'll want to take him in, but that usually only lasts a day or two after their shots. Good luck.

It sounds like your son is hungry. I had a similar problem with my daughter - if she was really hungry, she did not have the patience for breastfeeding - she wanted the ease and instant gratification of a bottle. If you want to stick it out with breastfeeding, you might want to rent a hospital grade pump so that you can keep your supply up and pump in between feedings (esp. if he only wants a bottle). I ended up pumping milk and feeding my daughter from a bottle, that way she still got my milk but delivered how she wanted it. I had to come to the realization that it wasn't worth trying to force her to breastfeed if I was stressing her out and frustrating me.

If you are determined to try to keep him on the breast, make sure you are using very slow nipples when you give him a bottle. If he doesn't have to work at the bottle, it will be hard to keep him on the breast.

Hope this helps & good luck with your hungry little one!

jen

Hi M.,

First off, breathe!! So sorry this is happening to you and your little guy. Could be the vax, could be something else. A few ideas are you can use Brewer's yeast tablets to increase your supply, do NOT give up on the breast feeding, its SOOOOO good for him and you too! Some places to check for more info are: www.nvic.org, www.mothering.com, www.kellymom.com, www.llli.org.

You can email me directly for more info if you ____@____.com you are in Hampton Roads area I have a big bottle of those tabs and would be happy to share a few with you so you could try them w/o having to buy a bottle.

Good luck, S.

Hi M.,

There are two approaches i would take with this first I would rule out that he is sick or that the vaccines affected him since this seems to be tied to that. If your pediatrician wont listen then find one who does listen and is sympathetic with other parents who dont always vaccinate their children. I would also want to rule out that he is sick with anything else as well. Maybe you caught something while at the pediatrician's office. It could also be an ear infection that makes them really angry especially when you lay them down because it hurts more then.

Second it might be a growth spurt or increased appetite. I would go ahead and supplement after each feeding and see how much more your son is drinking. If he doesn't want more then it is not your supply he is just angry. But if he is regularly drinking a lot more it may be that you just couldn't keep up with his demand. Especially if this is a time of growth spurt that came on quickly.

good luck!

Please be careful with the vaccines. I've done alot of research, some children are more sensitive to the metals in the vaccines than others. My nephew landed in the hospital for over a week after getting the flu shot. Check out Dr. Sear's book about vaccines. I have my daughter on the alternative schedule, she still gets the same shots but spread out.

Obviously something is going on and I would definitely seek another opinion on why your baby is crying so much all of a sudden. As far as your milk supply goes, I use fenugreek in the pill form from GNC (auruveic blend GNC brand). I've tried Nature's bounty but it didn't work at all. Give it a try, might up your milk supply. Also if you have a pump, keep pumping your milk that will help with the supply (although not as well as baby could) maybe try to give him expressed milk from a bottle to see if that helps him move back to the breast?

Good luck! Let me know if you need more help!

Really and you believed the doctors when they told you that? What does your gut say you know your son better than anyone! Besides Drs RARELY admit to vaccine injury. My daughter stopped breathing and nearly died from her vaccinations at 2 months old and they said it was just because of a bug that was going around and I believed them (it was 1999 I wasn't as research savvy as I am now) for her next shots the same thing happened again I STILL believed them this time it was blamed on the seasons.... PUMP don't stop breastfeeding he needs it now more than ever but its also going to be harder!

Please please please go to 909shot.com and repot it yourself because your doctor won't and in legal terms you only have 3 years from the date of vax to file a lawsuit and there is more information here http://whale.to

Best of luck!!!

Hi M., Im a mom of 5, there ages range from 12 to 28 and I have 1 on the way, your baby might be a little colicky but the first set of shots are always tramadic for babies, your baby probably doesnt feel very well, have you tried baby tylenol for aches and pains and maybe something to help with the colic? All my kids went through the same thing your describing, I wouldn't worry to much about it, even though its easier said than done. Im sure everything will be fine.

M. W

constant crying is a sign of reflux and happens around feedings too, since they are uncomfortable eating. Please do some research on symptoms of GERD or infant reflux- if you suspect it, talk to your pediatrician ASAP :) Good luck!

Hi M.,

I just wanted to weigh in, and let you know that my son, who is now a 2.5 year old toddler, also went through a state of extreme crying, and it coincided with his second Hep B vaccine. I didn't want to think that they were linked, because I was a mom who planned to give all the vaccines on time, and not question the doctor's advice, etc. But a mother's intuition is strong, and you know when your child is reacting to something other than colic or indigestion. My son was a very happy and content infant before the Hep B vaccine, and after that he had screaming fits which would last for almost an hour sometimes.

We ended up getting the vaccines anyway, but spacing them out a bit. Once, the pedi wanted to give my son like five vaccines in one go, but my son's daddy and I agreed that we wanted to do just one or two at a time, so we could monitor his reactions and so we would know if he reacted to anything, we would be more likely to know what it was.

I think you should definitely trust your instincts on this one. Your child's well-being is not something to play around with, so do some research, and decide what is best for him, according to intuition, and to your son's health. Just be patient, too. I'm sure you will get through this, and it gets better. Little babies have very delicate digestive tracts, and their organs are just forming, so I think their reactions to anything but breastmilk is much stronger than older children. Of course, I understand the need to protect your child, and others, from terrible diseases, but there is also a way to do it, hopefully, so that your child is healthy and happy, too. I don't have all of the answers, by any means, but I would just say, trust yourself and your instincts, and that will serve your baby well. Best wishes!!

M. - just to add my two cents from experience: You said you believe that the stress of the crying contributed to the reduction in your milk, but it very likely could be the other way around--he's hungry, so he cries. And he's at an age when a lot of kids ramp up their appetites. Despite the best efforts of using fenugreek etc. it may be that your supply is ending and frankly you may or may not be able to bring it back, so please, don't be wary of supplementing-- it may become his primary food. Having plenty of milk at the start doesn't mean the milk will flow indefinitely; you may not be producing as much as you think, which would mean he's not getting as much at the breast as you believe, so he'll gulp down supplements. I tried everything to continue breastfeeding, from fenugreek to a drug that helps with milk production but can only be used for a few weeks, to feeding formula through tubes strapped to my breasts, but honestly, the milk just wasn't there. Please don't be afraid or ashamed (or let anyone else make you feel afraid or ashamed!) if you end up having to go to formula. I am totally pro-breastfeeding, which is why I tried and tried, but if milk production doesn't come back after your repeated efforts, don't make yourself ill with stress trying to do something your body won't do. I'm not saying that's necessarily your case, but be aware that there is no shame in going to formula IF you cannot get your milk production sufficient for his needs. You can always give both so he gets healthful benefits of at least some breast milk along with enough calories and nutrition....The first person to hand me a can of formula was my lactation consultant, who said that getting our daughter fully fed was the number one priority.

M.,
Sorry to hear you're having this experience. I myself have been through something similar with my son. It sounds like your son may have a combination of things going. 1. your milk supply might be down and therefore he's hungrier or less satified. Do you have a pump and can you pump? Try increasing your water intake and make sure you're not taking any allergy medication as they may dry you up. 2. he could have reflux. Try feeding more frequently and burp well. Keep head elevated for 15-20 mins after feedings. 3. it could be colic or milk intolerance. Does he have any blood in his stools? Are his poops normal? Have you tried to eliminate certain foods out of your diet? 4. he could just be going through a growth spurt.
It is so frustrating to go through this. My son had all the things I listed above. Most importantly it was reflux and milk intolerance. He would cry all day and wear himself out at night. His poops would be explosive and had small amts of visible blood in them. I was so distraught that I stopped nursing and gave this special order formula as requested by the dr. I really never felt guilty about giving the formula as much as I felt like a failure. Looking back, I did what was right for me.
Just know you're not alone in this. As much as colic is common it just doesn't feel like it should be normal. Hang in there. If nothing is working maybe see your dr again or possibly another dr. You may even want to call the lactation consultant.
Good luck. Hope this helps you.

Try positioning him differently when breastfeeding, like use a boppy or try a different position, mabey laying down in bed belly to belly, try music when breastfeeding and relax, he can feel your tension, also try feeding outside, I did and it works. Make sure you guys get outside enough the rays of the sun promote "good feelings" and vitamin D for you and your baby. Also, take a look at what you are eating to see if that is bothering him. My daughter had colic and cried all the time and hardly slept at all, we had her sleep in her swing or bouncy at night until she was like 5 months old, we also co-slept with her because that was the only way we could get some sleep. Good luck, hope this helped. Also about your "supply" being low, mother nature wouldn't let it happen that quickly, I don't care what anyone says, I breastfed all three of my children with no problems, first thing stop supplementing, and let him suck on your breast asap and as much as possible, he will be stuck on your boob all the time for the next week or so but he is the only one that can up your supply of milk. If you want it to come in faster use the breast pump only after you feed him, this will get your milk flowing like a waterfall, feed him then pump the rest out of both breasts, and think positive, negative feelings can contribute to the low supply, ie,. depression or the sorts.

It sounds like he may be hungry. Do you have a consult nurse that you can call about how to get your milk supply up? Something to try is to pump into bottles and then to feed him from the bottles. It may be that he's not liking to latch on. I would try supplimenting and see if that makes the crying stop. If you don't have a feeding preference and your supply is low, I say to switch to formula.
M.

I don't know about the vaccine thing or colic. I do know that I had an experience with my second child around that age. I would put her on to nurse and she would scream or act uninterested and even angry that I was trying to feed her. I went to my lactation consultant, and she basically said that (for some reason) she had learned a bad habit. She suggested trying all new routines for nursing - take off her clothes, change position, etc. For a couple weeks, I eneded up feeeding her in an upright position. It was strange but it worked. Try changing position and see if that helps. He may be in a rut now where he cries at the breast, and you need ot shake him out of the habit.

I wonder if perhaps your supply issue came first. Now that he is bigger (or having a growth spurt), maybe your supply isn't enough for him? Definately supplement, he sounds hungry and the crying at the breast may have started because of that. But in parallel you definately need ot work on your supply with a feeding and pumping routine. Also, drink A LOT of water and take naps.

The hardest part about starting to nurse with my two girls was getting the supply to stablize and matched to the baby's need. I pumped after every feeding and a ap nreally does wonders to bring up supply. I am also a huge fan of lactation consultants - they totally saved me. I didn't look at your location, but Northern Virginia Lactation Consultants are great. I nursed 13 months and 18 months with my 2 girls!!

A lot of this could just be coincidence. Your son is now 2 months old and he is waking up and getting smarter and may be having a growth spurt. It may just be one of the first mood changes you see. I know some people will probably agree its vaccine related. I honestly don't know, but either way he sounds hungry and it sounds like some support with nursing would help. Good luck and enjoy your little one!!

Well first off i don't believe in colic... persay. Most children cry for a reason in my opinion just because we don't know what it is doesn't mean there isn't one. But i could say that what is going on with your son is prob. sleep based. When is he sleeping? What time does he wake up in the morning and wake up? How many naps does he take and when? He should be going to bed in the evening at about 7pm or earlier in some cases. He would be getting up at night and being changed and fed. But i advice having food ready when he wakes up or very quick after. Don't turn on lights or turn the tv or anything on. Any indication it could be day time. Feed, change and back to bed. Almost as if he wasn't up at all. When he gets up at 6am or so. keep him up until about 9am nap for about a hr or so. noon time nap right after lunch for an hour or so and than another nap at about 4pm or so. for an hour.
As my mother says most child problems are based on sleeping or more so lack there of sleep when THAT child needs it.

Hi M.. Your situation sounds pretty stressful. I would first try to talk more with your doctor and maybe a nurse at your doctor's office about things to try--he may have more ideas, and if it is colic, he may have some advice. Be sure to tell them your experience with supplementing and how you feel about your milk supply. I think it's pretty normal at your stage to not feel letdown as much, but if he drank such a big bottle right after feeding, he may be hungrier than your milk supply is ready for at this point. Or maybe he'd just gotten himself too tired for the extra effort of breastfeeding, and he really enjoyed the easiness of an artificial nipple.

I'd supplement as needed (because making sure he gets enough to eat is priority #1) and, if you're committed to trying to keep breastfeeding on track, get in touch with a lactation consultant for help. This helped tremedously with my second child--I never had to supplement with my first, but I went through a period of supplementing and working with a lactation consultant with my second. With a little formula, lots of nursing and pumping, and some fenugreek (I used the capsules instead of the tea), we got things back on track to exclusive breastfeeding.

Also, 9 weeks is a pretty fussy age for a lot of babies, so this may in part just be something you have to live through. It will get better! Another thing to look at might be sleep--I'd find a sleep book whose philosophy you like (I'm a big fan of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child), and make sure your little guy is getting what he needs sleep-wise.

You will both make it through this! Good luck!!

Hi

I'm not sure what to advise on the breast feedings issues as I did not BF my kids , I do know that it can take up to 7 days for the side effeccts (if any) to show up from vaccines , he may not have a fever but the area where they injected could be sore and this can make them grumpy. But it also does sound like he is hungry , to take 6oz of formula after you have fed him. If you want to carry with feeding him yourself then can you see a BF consultant?

Sorry to be so vague , I hope it get's better

K.

This sounds exactly like my son. He was so happy and easy to please until he got his first shot (even though it was at one month). I also breastfeed, but have always had to supplement due to low production of milk. I let the crying go for a little over a week, figuring it was just a newborn. Then I decided I wanted to make sure it was nothing we couldn't easily help. He would cry a lot during the day and very little in the evenings and at night. He was still sleeping fine and typically eating fine. When I called the doctor he suggested we try Mylanta as it was probably acid reflux. This helped him a lot! It is safe to use with each feeding. He hates the taste so we mix it with a little milk. After he finishes it we let him have the rest of his milk.

We also switched to a gentler formula to help releave gas (as he is also a very gassy child). He is doing so much better! Now when he cries a lot when know to try one of the things listed above and it usually helps him alot! He is almost 10 weeks old now.

Maybe you will want to ask your doctor if you think it is acid reflux and see if that can help your son.

Hi M., my 2.5 year old did the same thing, we brought her home and thought we had the "perfect" baby - joke was on us! The doctor said she was NOT "colicky" but remember these little guys are just trying to adjust their systems to their new bodies and some take longer and are more sensitive. We used the formula Alimentum (it is the most expensive) but it worked wonders and so did Gripe Water by Babies Bliss - we put this in her bottles and it calms their little bellies. It is a natural supplement (mostly ginger). Today my daughter is an excellent eater and a great sleeper (sleeps through the night) You can drive yourself nuts with the information out there about vaccines, they have taken out the element that was said to be causing troubles (at the age 1 vaccine) in the vaccine! Hope this helps, take care of yourself!!

I had a lot of trouble with my son, he cried all the time, the doctors called it colic even though it was all day long and not just evenings like a lot of babies you hear about. I think "colic" is kind of a catch-all diagnosis, when they can't explain the crying it is "colic"! My baby was just really sensitive and required lots of conforting and walking the floor to keep him happy,, fortunately by 6 months old he became a very happy baby again!
I would also recommend that you contact a lactation consultant. You could be having trouble with your milk supply because of the fussiness or the fussiness could be a result of the supply. I tried the fenugreek, mother's milk tea, rented a hospital grade pump, tried prescription medicine and still had trouble with nursing. My son had a good latch but there just wasn't enough milk to satisfy him and he would get so frustrated that he would refuse to eat. He could be going early into his 3 month growth spurt and needs more to eat. I continued to breastfeed until 6 months but I did have to supplement with formula. That did seem to keep my son happier than just the nursing. Don't feel guilty if you have to supplement with formula, any breastmilk they are getting is better than none and my son is the picture of health despite switching to formula at 6 months! Good luck!

i can't stand the way doctors are so knee-jerk dismissive of vaccination issues. it may NOT be anything to with the vaccs, but certainly the first thing to do with any sudden change in health or behavior is to investigate what happened immediately prior to the change. coincidence is not unheard of but it's just dumb to ignore what's staring him in the face.
i agree with you, it does not sound like colic.
i would continue to supplement him while he seems to need it. the first priority is to make sure he's not hungry. i love the suggestion to shake up his routine, and pray that it's just something as simple as that. and it probably is. good luck!
khairete
S.

I would contact La Leche or the breastfeeding team at the hospital you delivered. They can watch you attempt to breastfeed and maybe able to offer tips and advice. I know my son was not getting enough milk at 2 months and was waking more and crying more, I supplemented for a few weeks while continuing to nurse first and pumping after each feeding and he was eventually able to go back to nursing full time but just needed some extra at that point. good luck.
L.

Hey Michele -

I had a similar experience with my baby, though it was earlier. Does he seem to settle after the formula? Generally, consistent crying is a cue for either unsatieted hunger or discomfort. Is the crying in sharp screams, or whimpers? The sharp cries tend to be hunger. It's possible that something happened to your supply, and he's not getting enough to eat. If you're noticing symptoms fo a diminshed supply, its a pretty good guess. The fenugreek tea is helpful, but the increase in supply isn't really significant (despite the labelling claims). Have you seen a lactation consultant? They're infinitely helpful in trying to figure out what's going on.

Do you have a baby scale at home? Try weighing him before and after a BF session so that you can see how much he's getting in. You may find he's not getting enough. Have you checked his suck? Dip your finger in milk or formula - when he's hungry, he should suck your finger hard enough that you have a lot of trouble pulling it out of his mouth, and you should feel his tongue curl around your finger, and move back and forth between your finger and his lower lip.

There's nothing wrong with supplementing - don't let anyone try to tell you there is. I had a lot of problems breast feeding because my baby was given a bottle (against my wishes) in the nursery during my C-s recovery. It was a nightmare - finger-feedings, reteaching her to latch, screaming baby, ugh.

In the meantime, my mother and MIL both basically made me feel like I was a horrible person for not having instantly abundant milk, and for supplementing her rather than just "letting her nurse" 24/7....the fact that she couldn't latch was also somehow my fault. I drove myself crazy for about 4 weeks, and finally just gave the baby formula in a haberman feeder. Since then, she's been the happiest, easiest baby I've ever seen.

It also may just be a growth spurt, and he needs more than you can produce. Try supplementing him after each BF session and see how much he takes. At around 9 weeks, my LO was hungry 24-7!! Her intake of both BM and formula increased dramatically!

Anyway (and I'm not saying this to scare you, just something to be aware of) if he's rejecting the breast, I might also go see my OB/GYN to check my breast. In rare cases, babies will reject a breast due to an as-yet undetected malignancy. It's almost certainly not the case, but it does happen. Again, if you're noticing a drop in production, its something that needs to be assessed.

Also, I would probably seek a second opinion, or be a little more aggressive if my pediatrician was so dismissive. Colic is not a blanket excuse for a crying baby. If my ped flatly told me that it was colic, with your description of the situation, I may find a new ped....

Good luck, and try to hang in there!
~O.