Help! Why is My Newborn so Fussy?

Here are some lessons learned, which I am hopeful can help other struggling mamas and babies.

After much trial and error, and many visits to the pediatrician, GI doctor, lactation consultant, and an OT evaluation, I learned that my baby was sensitive or allergic to both milk and corn (and possibly other foods as well), and had silent reflux. (Note that most of my kids had some form of colic, but my youngest had the worst case of it – Bh I had better resources available this time.)

• Colic / Fussiness / Food Sensitivities

1. Most, if not all the time, there is an underlying cause for the colic. It’s not normal for a baby to have bad gas pains and/or need to use the Windi (see below) all day
2. If your baby is fussy, ask the pediatrician to check for blood in his stool. They can do it quickly in office. BH, my pediatrician knew to check and was able to see minuscule amounts of blood which I couldn’t see. This showed a milk allergy/sensitivity.
3. An incredible resource which can help you figure out what might be bothering your baby and help with the elimination diet is FREE to FEED online, available as an app and on instagram.
4. It is more common than we think for a baby to be sensitive to certain foods that his mother is eating – they’ll often outgrow these sensitivities by 9 months.
5. It seems like almost every processed food in this country contains corn.  I thought I was eating nothing but turkey and sweet potatoes for two weeks, but looking back I realize that my pre-natals and other vitamins probably all had corn in them. I should have known since they weren’t KFP!  (Later on, once my baby started solids, we discovered that he was also sensitive to sweet potatoes, go figure 😊.  That’s why Pesach didn’t bring us much relief)
6. Gas drops have a corn derivative. I also found a list online of 50 ingredients found in common foods with corn derivatives. Scary!
7. Ask your pediatrician about probiotics. My lactation consultant and a friend of mine both swore by them (since the one I bought probably contained corn, it didn’t seem to help my baby) Gripe water and probiotics need a hechsher (I bought mine from koshervitamins.com).
8. Breastfed babies’ stools should not be green or mucousy.  This shows that something is hurting their stomachs. There are plenty of pictures online you can google for reference.
9. Breastfed newborns do not typically get a diaper rash – if they do it might be due to an allergy/sensitivity.
10. Make sure the baby has a good suction on the bottle. Otherwise (i.e. if milk is dripping from his mouth during a feeding) he is getting a lot of air, which can cause uncomfortable gas.

• Formula

1. Similac Alimentum Ready to Feed (liquid version) is the only formula on the market without corn. Even the Enfamil version, Nutramigen Ready to Use, contains corn.
2. I spoke to the OU formula expert – even though Alimentum and Nutramigen are derived from a pig’s pancreas, it is batel b’shishim and therefore 100% kosher. I did the math in an Excel spreadsheet as the Rav was giving me the numbers – it was fascinating!
3. Hypoallergenic amino acid formulas are expensive, a tiny 14 oz can for $45-50.  Many insurances will cover it after a deductible is met. WIC also covers it if you qualify. They also taste horrible (and contain corn!). Don’t be surprised if your baby hates it and refuses to drink it (we tried three different brands! Since he had a more mild milk allergy, the GI doctor was okay with him staying on Alimentum – which worked out well since we later discovered the corn sensitivity).
4. The brands that I tried (Neocate, Elecare, Alfamino) either had a hechsher on the can or were kosher per the OU / London Beis Din.  Call or email them to confirm that this is still the case though.

• Reflux

1. Silent reflux is a real thing! I used to think that reflux meant constant spitting up (like my 14 year old son had at two months old).  But I learned the hard way that GERD exists. My pediatric OT provided me with a list which her department put together – symptoms include frequent hiccups, arching of the back during or after a feeding, irritability. My pediatrician at first told me that based on my baby’s symptoms, she didn’t think he had reflux – but trust your mama instinct sometimes, we were only able to confirm the reflux after I showed the doctor the list of symptoms from the OT.  My baby was a different person after the reflux medicine BH.
2. Reflux will often be a result of a milk allergy.  Reflux will often cause constant congestion.

• Thrush

1. Sore nipples after the first week or so are not normal.  If your baby also has a white tongue, then good chance you both have thrush.

• Tongue Tie / Upper Lip Tie

1. If your baby isn’t latching on properly, ask a lactation consultant or pediatrician to check for tongue tie or upper lip tie. The pediatrician and lactation consultant in the hospital both didn’t see his tongue tie. Bh for the lactation consultant I saw after leaving the hospital who did see it. The lasering process (pediatric dentist) is not fun, and the exercises for the following three weeks are even worse :(.
2. The OT strongly recommended standard (not wide-neck) bottles/nipples for tongue-tied babies (even post-lasering). She preferred Dr. Brown’s bottles.

• Pumping

1. If you exclusively pump, you need to get yourself an Elvie or a Willow.  GAME CHANGER if you don’t want to be attached to an outlet all day long. Some insurances may cover a portion of it (instead of your primary pump)and you can use your Health Savings Account for it.
2. Power pumping (20 min pumping session, 10 min break, 10 min pumping session, 10 min break, 10 minute pumping session) can really boost your supply. Legendairy supplements are supposed to also boost your supply.  I bought it but then decided to stop nursing before I got a chance to try it.  Target reviewers swear by it (and my lactation consultant highly recommended it too)
3. Pumping shouldn’t hurt – if it does you may need a different size shield

• Sleep

1. Forget the expensive stroller – If you are going to invest in one baby item, it should be the SNOO.  Especially if you have a colicky baby.  You’re welcome.  (They have a 30 day money back guarantee, so if your baby hates it you can return it.) They typically have sales a few times a year; I got mine 25% off on Black Friday. Or buy it used / resell it when you are done.  There is supposedly a good secondary market for them. They also have a rental program if you want to try it out / not have to store it between kids.

There is a setting to lock the Snoo so that it doesn’t sense the baby crying. To use the Snoo on Shabbos – lock it on the base setting & make sure you don’t remove the swaddle from the bassinet (this stops the movement and white noise) 

• Nursing / Breastmilk

1. 1. Breastmilk has lots of healing properties. My lactation consultant recommended using it to heal my cracked nipples and his bris. It also worked to clear up my baby’s infant acne and a friend of a friend uses it for her kids’ pink eye.
   2. Nursing should not take more than 15 minutes on each side. If it is taking longer than that consistently, speak to a lactation consultant. In our case, she thought it was due to weak muscle tone, which made sucking very tiring for him.
   3. If you need to bottle feed in the early months – my lactation consultant recommended paced bottle feeding. Hold the bottle at an angle so he has to work hard to suck.

• Mama’s Sanity

1. Find a friend/relative who either just had a baby, or has had a colicky baby to vent to during middle of the night feedings or pumping. This makes all the difference in the world!
2. Don’t feel guilty if nursing gets to be too much and you need to stop! A sane mama is a happy baby 😊

Sending hugs to any of you going through the very difficult first few months and hope this can help!!

• These are products I don’t know what I would have done without: