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Overfeeding and colic


mother and baby sleeping

Feeding intervals and comfort feeding can lead to overfeeding and colic in babies

Some babies are just greedy! Their brains satiation centres haven't yet learned to communicate the message that they are full! This can result in bloating and extra winds. Reflux is common and normal in these cases.

But a common problem with fussy or colicky babies, is comfort feeding, which can lead to overfeeding and colic. The parent thinks the baby is hungry, they appear to want more and seem to get some temporary relief. The interval between feeds becomes so short that moms start to feel like they're constantly feeding and that their boob has become a pacifier!

If gas and wind are taking up space, the stomach cannot fill up as it should. This results in a baby that is unsatisfied and wants more. So although you are feeding frequently, they're not getting enough in one good feed.

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What you can do:

  1. Do the active burping routine after every feed. Good techniques are your best way to help with comfort feeding.

  2. Also do the intestinal colic techniques, especially if baby is already moaning, groaning, straining, etc. The main gas pocket may be lower down under the diaphragm.

  3. Try to keep a decent interval between feeds. Distract your baby in any way you can allowing time for milk and gas to move along. A pacifier (dummy) can be great in this regard. Hopefully, they will then get a bigger, better feed and last longer, giving time for gas and milk to move down the digestive tract.

  4. If baby is over two months old, you can try giving them a herbal tea as an interim measure during the daytime. Being water, there is very little gas given off in the digestive process and this might allow time for digestive system to catch up.

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