Breastfeeding and Weight Loss

My son Nathan was born on the 29th and I want to breastfeed him but here are my issues so far.

1) My milk does not agree with him. He seems to be fussy, gassy, pooping every 20 minutes, and crying a lot when only on breast milk. I have been avoiding EVERY food that can cause any of this.

2) I have issues with gas myself and no matter what i eat i always have gas... could it be transferring to him through my milk?

3) Since he has been formula fed the past 48 hours he has been a completely different baby. He eats, and goes to sleep for 4-5 hour straight. He is not fussy most of the time, and just seems happier. His poops have also been a little more solid, and farther apart.

I feel guilty for not breastfeeding him but it is so hard on me... I just don't think I can do it. I really wanted to do and I feel so horrible that it is not working. I have been pumping to keep the supply going just in case i change my mind, but I just don't know what to do. I had a traumatic birth with him, and my recovery has been slow and painful, and I just don't want to be in pain anymore. My nipples hurt so bad.

Any and all advice is welcome.

Brocha

oh also he doesn't seem to stay awake long enough for him to finish a feeding on the boob. When i was giving him only breast milk i had to try really hard to keep him awake and it took me an hour just to get him to suck for 15 minutes on each side. He was also waking up every 1/2 hour to hour and would be rooting around like crazy. I don't think my milk is enough for him. Could my Anemia have anything to do with this?

Hi, I'm sorry to hear you are having such a rough time!  The most important thing is that the baby eats so don't feel guilty about anything.  I would suggest that you rotate breast milk with formula, but please discuss this with your pediatrician.  Loose stools are not unusual with breast milk, but you might find your baby getting constipated on just formula.  Take the best of both worlds so you can relax and enjoy the magic of motherhood.  It doesn't have to be all or nothing, and supplementing with formula will give you a better chance of breastfeeding successfully in the long run which I know you want to do.

I don't see any reason your anemia would cause problems for the baby other than making you too tired to cope as energetically as you normally would.  Keep taking your prenatal vitamin and any iron supplementation you have been prescribed and hang in there.  If you sleep when he does, you will feel better in no time!

The gas doesn't sound like a cause for concern, but here is a link to help answer some of your questions.  Overall I think you are doing a great job so try not to worry, and I hope this helps!

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gassybaby.html