Week Five
An uncomplicated start to breastfeeding will be paying off at this stage, with your milk supply well-established and your baby efficiently feeding directly from the breast. Some mothers might even find they have too much of a good thing. With an abundant milk production and a strong let-down reflex, they have babies who struggle with the flow and experience discomfort from overfull tummies. These babies tend to have above average weight gain, frequent, gassy bowel motions and sometimes bring up excess milk from distended stomachs.
Managing an oversupply is mostly about slowing down the flow of milk by feeding in different positions - Laid-back breastfeeding is a good option, allowing the baby to finish one breast before offering the second and gently soothing them when they have a tummy ache. The way these babies vomit is different to those with reflux as the milk they bring up gives comfort, not pain. Sometimes we call them “happy chuckers” for this reason. Often they will vomit excess milk and come back to the breast for a more comfortable go at feeding while other times they will fall asleep after removing the problem.
Maturity helps resolve the issue, as the growing baby gets better at controlling the flow and digesting the milk. Improvement is common around 4-6 months.
Tummy time is an approach which supports typical infant development in the first year and also reduces what is sometimes called flat head syndrome.
Lying on their tummy to sleep is not recommended as the position can compromise the sleeping baby's airway. When awake, even a just-born baby has the ability to lift and turn their head, a key factor in Baby-led Attachment and observed during the breast crawl during The Magical Hour.
However, while some babies enjoy tummy time right from the start, others become distressed in the position in the early weeks or months of life. These babies find the position of lying face down on a flat surface alarming and are not in the relaxed state needed to develop new skills.
It is important to understand that neck muscles will strengthen through other opportunities such as lying skin to skin on a parent or other caregiver’s chest and during babywearing. Babies are most motivated by looking at faces, not floors so looking up at you is much more reassuring!
Don't stress about your baby not doing tummy time. It will come about naturally as the central nervous system proceeds development down the spine in the second three months. Particular concerns about flat heads comes from babies left lying on their backs for long periods but babies who are mostly held by parents, are carried in arms or baby carriers and sleep alongside their mother instead of tightly wrapped in cots are much less likely to remain in one position for hours every day. Baby seats, bouncers, car seats and swings are more likely to have problems and advice to practice tummy time is mostly intended to reduce their risk.
