{"id":2379,"date":"2014-09-03T21:22:57","date_gmt":"2014-09-03T21:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebadassbreastfeeder.com\/?p=2379"},"modified":"2015-01-27T22:55:00","modified_gmt":"2015-01-27T22:55:00","slug":"ask-an-expert-common-newborn-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebadassbreastfeeder.com\/?p=2379","title":{"rendered":"Ask an Expert: Common Newborn Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Wendy Wisner, IBCLC<\/p>\n

Fan Question:<\/p>\n

“I am EBF (exclusively breastfeeding) my 7 week old son, William, I never get engorged. EVER. He also does a lot of.. Nibbling ? Like really fast sucking? Is that normal? I can\u2019t remember if my DD did that or not ? He also spits up after every feed? Anyone know some non- medicine ways to help with that? I don\u2019t feel like medicating my 7 week old!! And I am REALLY enjoying breastfeeding this time around so I don\u2019t want to stop! I hated it with my DD! Probably because she was tongue tied and the pain was unreal !”<\/em><\/p>\n

Congrats on your new baby!\u00a0 I am so glad you are enjoying nursing him.\u00a0 All the things you describe (lack of engorgement, nibbling, fast sucking, and spitting up) aren’t issues as long as your baby is gaining weight, is generally happy, and your nipples are feeling comfortable.<\/p>\n

But if you have concerns, here are some thoughts.<\/p>\n

Most women feel some fullness in the early days as their milk becomes more plentiful (\u201ccomes in\u201d), but not everyone feels overfull, or engorged. Again, as long as weight gain is on target, you are making just the right amount of milk, and there is no need to question it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNibbling\u201d or \u201cfast sucking\u201d could mean any number of things and I’d probably need more information to come to any conclusions.\u00a0 But good, deep latching and a well-supported baby usually solve most sucking issues.\u00a0 A tongue tie could also be a culprit for the \u201cnibbling,\u201d as a tongue tie causes the tongue to slip back and trigger the bite reflex.\u00a0 You could have these things (and more) assessed at by an experienced lactation consultant if you are concerned.<\/p>\n

If the baby is happy and healthy, spitting up is usually a laundry issue and nothing more.\u00a0 If the baby is very fussy during the spitting up episodes, or has other gastrointestinal issues, you can try to tweak your diet a bit to see if it helps.\u00a0 We know that certain proteins do pass into breastmilk, and many mothers report that when cow milk is eliminated from their diets, their babies spit up less.\u00a0 Other culprits include soy, eggs, wheat, and corn.\u00a0 You can also keep a food diary for a few days to track which foods exacerbate the spitting up.<\/p>\n

I hope this helps!\u00a0 Enjoy your sweet baby!<\/p>\n

\"unnamed\"<\/a>Wendy Wisner is a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), writer, and mother of two amazing boys.\u00a0 In addition to her work with breastfeeding moms, she has published two books of poems, and a handful of articles about mothering and breastfeeding.\u00a0 She blogs at www.nursememama.com<\/a>.
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