Schedule Order for 3 month old

[Anonymous]

Hi,

My daughter has refux and colic and I am wondering exactly what order should she be eating-sleeping-playing? We have been doing it in the following order:

8-9am wake and eat 6 oz. bottle

Play

11-12 eat 6oz. bottle then sleep

3-4pm wake and eat 6oz. bottle

play

6-7pm eat 6 oz. bottle

8-9pm at breast (long storey, but I am trying to find a way to bring her back to the breast.)

9pm Bath

9:30pm 6oz. bottle then bed

She has done good on it for about 5 days and now she is all mixed up today. I have been reading they should be eating playing then sleeping, but I can not figure out how to get her to sleep without a bottle. Especially at night before bedtime. She cries so much that I jsut try to do what I can to pacify her and I thought I was doing good when she started sleeping through the night. But, last night I tried putting her in the crib (in her chair of course) and she woke up at 2am, I tried to feed her and she went right back to sleep after about 2 oz. Then about every 30 minutes afterward would cry. I did not pick her up though she would cry herself back to sleep and then wake up again. Then, this morning she finally just got the breast and I laid down with ehr becasue I was exhausted and she went on back to sleep. When it got time for the afternoon bottle I gave her breast milk in a bottle and she kept falling asleep while eating and I would put her down and 15 mionutes later she’d be right back up…

I do not know how to get her back on a routine now and I am scared I will not be able to get her back breastfeeding or eating pumped breastmilk becasue she keeps falling asleep…

Sorry if this is long winded, just had a very long day and I am very tired! Please help!

[Anonymous]

there really are no rules—especially with a reflux baby. you are lucky if you can get any kind of schedule done with a baby that young—and just as soon as you do, it will change. is your baby on any kind of medication for the reflux? if you are trying to get her back on the breast, i think it would be a good idea to nurse her whenever she wants to build your supply back up.

[hellbennt]

at her age I would concentrate on getting meds ‘right’ and perhaps ‘diet’ right and just follow her lead…I think its called ‘baby-led’ schedule/routine…

have you checked out http://www.askdrsears.com?

or http://www.kellymom.com?

~laura

[Anonymous]

None of my babies were on a very predictable schedule at that age. That didn’t happen until they were sleeping through the night consistently. Once they are doing that, then they typically will wake up around the same time, and and so then a schedule begins to emerge.

I agree with Laura about making sure she’s on the right medication and the right dose. Is she on a PPI like Prevacid or Zegerid?

If she’s not properly medicated for her reflux, she may be waking frequently because she is in pain from the acid backing up into her esophagus. I remember when I was pregnant how hard it was to get a good night’s sleep because of the hearburn. That’s what these poor reflux babies are experiencing.

As for eating, playing and then sleeping; yeah, I’ve read that, too. But let’s face it, that’s not always feasable. When she gets older that may work to help her learn to go to sleep without feeding, but at her age I wouldn’t worry about that. If you want her to learn to fall asleep without a bottle or breast, you can try feeding her and letting her fall asleep, but when you lay her down, wake her just a little so she is not in a sound sleep, so she gets used to falling to sleep in her bed. That’s what I always did with my babies, and they all have no trouble falling asleep alone in their beds.

I still feed my 7 month old before his afternoon nap and before bedtime. I fed my girls before bed and naps until they were off the bottle at around 18 months of age, and they still learned to sleep fine.

Here’s a link where you can check on medications for reflux to see if your baby is getting the right dose for her age and weight. http://www.marci-kids.com/

Good luck and welcome to the site.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the ideas everyone! I have tried other chat sites and didn’t get as much help! I really appreciate it.

How do I get her to take the breast more often when she keeps moving her head and shaking it back and forth, like trying to get it to come out faster? She is only on Previcid, 15mg packets of powder 2x a day right now. First we tried Zantac, didn’t work. Then prilosec and bethanachol, helped spitting, but still very fussy. Then we had upper GI and put her on Previcid and Reglan. She had allergic reaction to reglan and was up over 24 hours straight! So now we are just on the Previcid. She seems to not cry in pain anymore, but she still like fussy cries a lot. They also just changed her formula to Simalac Alimentum. She has lots of gas and was jsut recently put on levison to try and help. I only give it when she seems to be in pain though.

Thanks for the web-site recommendations. I will have to check them out!

I went to the web-site to check her dosing of Previcid, but I do not quite understand which chart to read for Previcid. Can someone help? I am sorry I sound so elementary. She is 13 weeks old and weighs 12 pounds.

Thanks to everyone for making me feel more comfortable with her not being on a schedule yet. Her grandparents keep asking me “Is she on a schedule yet?” And it stresses me out! I would love for her to be on some kind of routine though so I could get out the house! I am afraid to go anywhere becasue everytime we try she starts screaming and it makes me and my husband nervous. We can only take her to Wal-mart with a bottle in her mouth, eating. But, we have to get in and get out before she is done! The only other thing we do is walk around the neighborhood.

Again, thank you to each of you for all your help! I feel like I have a million questions and I am sorry if I put too much on one post.

[Anonymous]

I wish I had better news, but my son is 4 1/2 months and is just starting to get on somewhat of a routine. We have always just followed his lead. It gets frustrating not having a set plan for our days, but stressing about it just makes it worse.

[Anonymous]

The chart for Prevacid says Pediatric Dosing for Lansoprazole (the actual drug name for Prevacid). For a three month old weighing 12 lbs they reccommend 8 – 9.5 mg / 3 x’s daily.

Is she getting the full 15mg packet twice per day now? It would probably work much better to give it to her three times per day. It looks like you have enough to give her the proper dose, but giving it twice a day is not as effective as giving it three times. You can email Joel and he can probably tell you how to make three doses out of the two packets. (I use the solutabs, so I don’t have any experience with the packets, but I’m sure it can be done). Here’s Joel’s email andrewsjj@health.missouri.edu

As for nursing, I’ve always been told that babies who are offered both breast and bottle will usually develop a preference for the bottle because it’s easier…they don’t have to work as hard to get the milk. I’d nurse her as much as possible if you want her nursing rather than bottle feeding. Also, your milk supply will diminish rapidly if she is not nursing frequently. Are you pumping? You have to pump a lot more than a baby feeds in order to keep an adequate supply. It’s a lot of work. I had to do it for all three of my babies because I couldn’t nurse them due to various problems including poor latching, and reflux. Reflux babies can nurse – I just didn’t have the information or help available to keep nursing. I wish I had known then what I know now.

How long has she been on prevacid? It takes about two weeks for the full effect.

I hope things get better for you soon.

[hellbennt]

I agree with christine…

you have to keep offering the breast and she’ll take it…

also, I’d get to a LLL meeting or get to a lactation consultant to help you…you can even check out to see if you cut out things from your diet to see if there’s any proteins being passed through your milk that’s affecting her- it wouldn’t be your MILK, but the proteins that make their way into your milk, and you can control those, if you have to (you might not!)

more advice, LOL– where do you live? I can try to help you find a local ‘babywearer’ group where you can meet some great mamas in real life who can show you how to ‘wear’ your baby so that she’s by your breast and can nurse more and you can have your hands free and walk around w/o anyone even knowing you’re nursing– like instead of the bottle in walmart, you could have her in a sling or wrap nursing and no one would even know, LOL! a great resource is http://www.thebabywearer.com but it’s a huge site to navigate, not that you shouldn’t take a peek,lol, but anyway I can help you find people in real life to help, too…

[Anonymous]

Christine, you said you use the solutabs, what are they and how do you give them to baby? I asked the doctor if Previcid could be compounded or have any easier way to give them and she said no. She is getting the full 15mg packet 2 times a day. She has been on Previcid about 4 weeks now. I wish I feld like she would get enough milk from just me right now, and not have to supplement with formula or pumped milk. I pump, but only get about 12-15oz. a day. She is drinking 30oz a day. My milk is so low now that I am afraid she will be hungry still after nursing. I just wish I had not listened to everyone else and stuck to my gut about just keeping her at the breast and not supplementing at all. The doctor told me to at about 2-3 weeks becasue she was not gaining weight fast enough, she was jaundice from birth-2 weeks.

Laura, I do not think it is any food I am eating because the past 2 days I have given her nothing put breastmilk all day and one formula at night and she has not acted any worse than when she was on just formula. I live in Columbia, SC. I would love to just exclusively breastfeed if I could be sure she would get enough milk each time, but what do you do when they go to stay at grandma’s for the night or weekend? I just wish I had an abundant supply of milk so I wouldn’t be afraid she was not getting enough. Ever since the Dr. made me start supplementing becasue she wasn’t gaining fast enough I have been afraid to do nothing but put her to the breast. Especially since I only pump 12-15oz. a day.

SHe has been pretty good today. She is in her Swaddle Blanket sleeping at the moment! I do not know what I would do without that thing! She was always waking herself up becasue she would startle herself in the middle of sleeping, her arms would throw open and she’d wake up. When I put her down without the blanket you can expect her to be back up within 30 minutes! I hope that I will be able to use this until she stops startling herself! Does anyone know how long that reflex lasts?

I am sorry I always get off onto another subject! You guys help out so much! It is just nice to have someone to talk to during the day when you are stuck home all day everyday with a baby! Thanks a BUNCH for listening!

[Anonymous]

The solutabs are very easy to use. You just divide the tablet into the dosage you need and then dissolve a few ml’s of water and administer using a medicine syringe.

I had to pump for my babies becuase they wouldn’t nurse for various reasons. There are ways to increase your supply…but it’s a lot of work. You don’t have to do it forever, so maybe you’d be willing to try. If you want to email me I’ll give you some tips on how to increase your milk supply. ndakotarose@yahoo.com

My middle child slept swaddled until she was about 4 months old. That startle reflex where they flail their arms and wake themselves up doesn’t last that long, but many babies still enjoy being swaddled for sleep. You’ll know when she doesn’t like it anymore!

[hellbennt]

ainsleymom,

I tried sending private messages to 2 mothers from TBW who are near you- I hope they respond…in the meantime, can you get to LLL to get some help?

~laura

HEY! I got a response! Email via the ‘profile’ button on the bottom of this post- click on it & a window pops up and then look for the ’email’ button & click on it and email me so I can put you in touch- this mama lives near you and had a reflux baby!!

this is also what I’ve found:

South Carolina

All over the state
Breastfeeding Support
Breastfeeding support groups all over the state. Monthly meetings and periodic playgroups. Free and open to all pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers (and babies, of course). Most (maybe all?) group leaders are experienced with babywearing and eager to help you learn.
La Leche League
http://lalecheleague.org/Web/SouthCarolina.html

Goose Creek
Babywearing Help — Free
I have a variety of carriers and am willing to demonstrate how to use each to whoever asks. I am a member of FamilyPlayTimeSC and we get together for group demonstrations routiney but will also meet one on one.
Kelly Stromberg
gool0005@yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FamilyPlaytimeSC/

Irmo
Babywearing Help – Free
Babywearing Advocate
Brandi Durocher
Phone: 803-407-4157
poohg@aol.com

hellbennt2006-5-1 21:27:42

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