Distracted and Rolling Over
When I enter the room Oscar and Catalina’s robust four-month-old, Ana, is wiggling on Catalina’s lap. As I walk closer to the couple, Ana turns toward her mother’s breast. Mom looks tired as she leans over, picks up and undresses her daughter for her routine check-up.
Breastfeeding has gone well so far. As a full-term baby, Ana crawled right up to Catalina's nipple within thirty minutes of birth. Lots of time spent skin to skin, and frequent breastfeeding, contributed to an abundant milk supply. Until recently, Ana seemed predictable. For a month she would wake up only twice at night. But over the past two weeks Ana’s behavior is confusing her parents. Ana seems to wiggle more at night. So, Catalina picks her and puts her to the breast – sometimes 4-5 times each night now. The baby nurses for about 10 minutes before falling back to sleep. Both Catalina and Oscar feel exhausted.
Oscar noticed that during the day the number of Ana's feeds has dropped off. When she's on the breast she is easily distracted by their barking dog or by Oscar’s cooking in the kitchen.
In addition, Ana seems to want to spend every hour practicing rolling over. She fusses and complains as she struggles to get from her stomach to her back. After a few minutes of contentment, Ana wants to try rolling over again – and again!. Everyone in this household is tired and grumpy! Catalina and Oscar assume that Ana is just not satisfied with mother's milk. They ask if it is time to add formula.
The Science behind Baby’s Behavior
This family’s story is a good example of how a "Touchpoint," "Leap," or "Bump in the Road" is often misunderstood as a breastfeeding problem!
As discussed in a previous newsletter, developmental surges can cause changes in a baby's behavior and in her breastfeeding pattern. Such times of change are predictable. It is important for breastfeeding families to know what is happening in order to avoid adding formula or giving up breastfeeding altogether.
How this Information Helped this Family
"Wonderful!" the lactation consultant (LC) says. "It sounds like Ana is having two important four-month-old surges in her development: she is more curious about, and interested in, the world around her, and she is rolling over. I would expect her to wake up more at night now, and to seem more fussy as she goes through these changes."
The LC goes on to explain that Ana’s increase in nighttime feeding has shifted more of her 24-hour calorie needs from daytime to nighttime -- a phenomena called “Reverse Night Feeding.” Because this shift results from a surge in Ana’s development, not from hunger, the baby does not actually need more calories at night. To cut back on nighttime feedings, the LC encourages Catalina to cut in half the amount of time she nurses her baby at each feeding during the night.
Catalina calls in several days to report her surprise that "It WORKED!" Slowly, over a week, Ana gave up those extra night-time feedings. Now she is sleeping 6-8 hours before feeding again. She has also learned to roll over, and no longer needs to practice that skill. “Everyone in this household is feeling better!” Catalina reports.