Early AM Waking

I am working with a client now whose baby consistently struggles after the early AM feeding.  This baby will sleep well through out the evening and night, wake for the early AM feeding, around 3:00 or 4:00 then struggle until morning.  In researching this phenomena I discovered it is a very common issue.  My concern is for the family with whom I am working.  Later this week I will have an evening off and they will have to deal with their little ones’ discomfort.

Previously I have worked with babies who have a regular gassy time early in the morning.  It is so sad, because the baby cries out and bends over in pain from gas.  There is little that can be done to alleviate the problem.  There are, of course, many products claiming to relieve gas in newborns.  However, my personal experience is they do not perform.  Often, it simply takes three months or so for newborn digestive systems to acclimate to life outside the womb.

Nearly all babies grow out of the newborn struggle with gas around the three month marker.  If your baby is struggling with this issue I encourage you to seek council.  This will sound crazy, but if you are breastfeeding, I encourage you to seek it from others than you pediatrician!  Ha!  Your pediatrician is an advocate for baby.  This is great until your diet is put under an impossible microscope.  I have worked with mommies who are told not to eat dairy, broccoli, chocolate, fresh vegetables, grains……………and on and on.  As a doula, I am an advocate for both mother and baby.  New mommies are dealing with sleep deprivation, recovering from labor and pregnancy, other postpartum issues, and general lack of confidence.  Their food intake has to include a healthy diet and lots of water.  When pediatricians micromanage mammas’ diet in order to alleviate gas in baby, new mommies are left with uninteresting impossible diets to endure.  There has to be a happy medium!!

If you believe your diet is causing problems be sure to write down what you eat.  This will give you an idea of what foods could be causing the problem.  Once you think you know the culprit, remove that one thing from your diet for three days.  If gas is eliminated for your baby you were right!!!  Stay off that food or food group for a couple weeks and reenter it later, with the hope that babies’ digestive tract has matured enough to handle it.  If the gas is not eliminated allow yourself the luxury of that food item and remove another for a few days to see if that one is the problem.  Keep a list of what works for you.

Unless there are major food allergies most foods will agree with you and baby.  Simply pay attention when problems arise.  I wish you healthy happy babies with no gas!!!

JUDY

How to Select the Perfect Watermelon!

This sounds kind of crazy, but I have thrown out so many yucky watermelons I wanted to pass on these hints!

My daughter ended up at the watermelon pile at our local Costco.  Incase you haven’t been there there are literally hundreds of watermelon in huge boxes.  Luckily for us she met a watermelon farmer there.  He was a kind man who shared these suggestions:

1. Look for a watermelon with many of those yellow spots.  This means the watermelon had lots of direct sun while growing.  This adds much sweetness.
2. Choose a watermelon with a sliced stem rather than one that was twisted off.  This indicates it was ripe at the time it was harvested.
3. It should sound hollow when you tap on it.
4. When you go home put the watermelon in the refrigerator and allow it to become cold all the way through before cutting into it.  This allows the juice to set and it will stay in the watermelon (for the most part) when cut.

These are simple instructions, but every watermelon I have selected this summer has be delicious!!!  That is a huge improvement for me!!!  Hope it works for you too.

JUDY