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Does your baby fuss at the breast during breastfeeding? Do they pull back or 'pull off' when feeding? Consider if they need to use the potty or 'toilet' before continuing...It is very common for babies to fuss during a breastfeed if they need to go to the toilet on a baby potty - they don't want to 'eat' and 'go' in a nappy at the same time!
Many Mums find EC and Breastfeeding are symbiotically related ways of caring for a baby - both parts of a holistic 'baby care' package.
Your first step is to not worry that your baby's milk intake is low.* Instead, consider that they don't like to eat and poop at the same time. Hardly surprising, right? Roll your baby away for a few moments, have them nice and horizontal, let them pee and change their diaper. (TIP: Being flat allows them to release their wee more easily.) Cooing relaxing sounds, breathing on their face gently
can also help them to relax. Does Your Baby Need to Burp?Second, consider a burp or a bubble. Give your baby a 'tick tock' - hold them under their armpits and gently tick-tock them back to front and side to side (and SMILE at them) This is a great trick for getting up a bubble that is uncomfortable and stopping them from feeding. I often find this is a reason for fluffing around at the nipple! More information on the Distractible baby... More Information on a baby 'Fussy' while breastfeeding... Babies on Potties? What About this 'Baby Pottying' Idea?Elimination Communication is about Elimination COMFORT for your Baby!Next, keep learning about EC - your baby has strong instincts and you can begin your EC journey in this way - offering a 'pee break' during these pauses in nursing. You'll probably find (as I did) that your baby will breastfeed in a more relaxed way after their uncomfortably full bladder (or bowels or both) have been relieved. This page shares my personal insights and observations about the link between breastfeeding and EC - see if considering any of them help your own situation... This page shares my personal insights and observations about the link between breastfeeding and EC - see if considering any of them help your own situation... Breastfeeding is inextricably linked with our practice of EC.Our 'elimination communication' began with breastfeeding. The first sign I learnt was him pulling off and on the breast during a feed (a pretty common feeding behaviour) which may at times signal a need to tinkle. I find it was 'pretty often' and it was a great boon to have this insight as we learnt how to breastfeed together - or rather he helped me to meet his needs. It makes sense that babies have a desire not to 'eat' and 'go' at the same time. Some babies (like mine) simply refused to breastfeed if a full bladder was distracting him. EC grew from there to become an integral part of our lifestyle, day and night, just as breastfeeding is. He breastfeeds, he pees, every time. It is an awareness that has carried on as long as he continues to breastfeed. Similarities of Practicing EC with learning to breastfeed with your baby:Like breastfeeding, the early days of EC takes practise, commitment; time spent learning signs and cues, doubting my confidence, asking questions and gaining the courage to persevere. Like breastfeeding, the benefits are many there are daily rewards, it gets easier, yet there are always ongoing challenges and fun times as my baby (and my confidence) grows. We're both constantly learning, changing, adapting as we work in concert together.Breastfeeding and eliminating - intertwined activities:I found the strong link between breastfeeding behaviours and elimination very inter-related. One helped the other. Having a wee helped him to relax to feed, and the way he fed told me if he need to go to the toilet. I often thought that it is INSANE this awareness isn't taught to new mums, just as something to consider - even if they don't practice EC, knowing a fussing might be due to a full bladder or need to poo can reassure Mums. Letting them know that laying baby down flat can help them to relieve their bladder more easily, too. Be aware of the gastrocolic reflex:When something goes in, something comes out! Feeding sets their digestion in motion, and often something comes out at a regular timing - sometimes during, sometimes at intervals after a feed. Maven often went during a feed, and as older, goes after a feed. I've found relaxed feeding, like nap-nursing, is particularly helpful when my baby sometimes gets really sad before a poo. I offer a 'toilet break' as the squat position helps them to get out gas that can be quite painful, then hold him upright for a burp in case of a painful 'bubble', then feed him to sleep - quite often this (or repeating this) does the trick. The relaxing hormones in the booju aid in relaxing their digestion. Gentle rubbing of their lower back also helps to ease the nerves to their bottom half, helping relieve the tense cycle of spasmming they can get into due to the pain, you know? Once that poop is out, I have my happy relaxed baby back, and I am very relieved as well...and say "Thank goodness I learnt about EC!" to myself as I smile and sigh at that relaxed baby face... Breastfeeding as a way of helping relax your baby to wee:Breastfeeding is a key aid to helping the baby relax - a quick dose of hormones from their milk gets into their system fast - and means they can then relax to go more easily - hence I often did a 'boob test' - offer a feed, and notice the type of sucking to tell me his needs. - soothing - breastfeeding was always my 'first solution' to an upset baby - a pee break as the first consideration to a fussing baby - just in case. VERY often it was a need to wee causing the fussing. Over time you learn to interpret these signs more clearly. Breastfeeding, Elimination Communication and Regularity:- relates to baby's comfort generally when older. For EVER Maven would be flippety in the early morning towards dawn - due to the fact that he usually did a poop first thing, he fed frequently to initiate the gastrocolic reflex and thus get his business done first thing in the day, when Mum was there most easily able to manage it. A simple evolutionary solution, I feel. Mid feed nipping!An insight I'd like to share on the mid-feed biting. Just the awareness of it might shed light on why it happens. A very, very common sign that the baby needs to go is that they pull off and on the boob during a feed, as the full bladder is really uncomfortable and distracting. Once teeth came, this means that if I wasn't paying attention to his pull on and off sign, Maven would nip me to get my attention! At around 14 months, a lovely stage of biting occurred, ONE of the reasons was he picked it up again as a signal! Argh! But it passed. I got to be really good at timing awareness and other signals it was a pee -related nip rather than the molars-come-this makes mummy jump fun! Nipple discussions - interpreting feeding behavioursOver the months I have slowly learnt "boob language" - the signs baby gives via his feeding style at the boob. It is a funny language, a difficult one to learn and then to remember to listen to! Plus, I get it wrong quite often. It is still something fun to practise though. What does that particular flutter mean? Ah- a burp. It is a non-verbal language to be sure, I know some are certainly instinctual. It is interesting to learn, I find it an ongoing challenge to interpret what he is attempting to communicate to me; after all, we practise these 'nipple discussions' every day and night! (Night is often a good time to focus in and learn, as baby's behaviour is so instinctive at night.) Here are some of the 'phrases' that I understand bubs is speaking by the way he feeds from me: Easy suck feeding means "I'm having a quick drink" (while I'm looking around at the same time). Strong suck feeding means, "I'm hungry foody, may then go to sleep, ahhhh" Flutter-pause, flutter-pause feeding usually follows 'strong' feeding, and means 'I'm winding down now, but still want more!" Fluttery Butterfly feeding means "I'm making my next meal" (stimulating supply) Gentle but continuous Fluttery Butterfly feeding means "I'm fighting a bug" (exchanging antibodies- clear as he'll not allow this to end before he is ready, on occasions he'll do it for a couple of HOURS, then I know he's been exposed to something. I encourage this after he has the jabs, or if one of us is feeling low.)
(P.S I've found with my second baby, Jett, that these signs are there from the start - so certainly instinctual, and have been really helpful. Mind you, I still often mix up 'burp' and 'poop thanks!' as they are very similar to me. I think eye contact might be the thing to focus on there in distinguishing the two - or perhaps just patience.) Join Tribal Baby today to receive my 7 Secrets to Developing Nappy Free Confidence, to learn more about how EC complements other aspects of your relationship with your baby. You'll gain many more insights into this ancient way mothers - whole families - assisted their babies to be clean and dry until they gradually took over their own toileting needs.
Breastfeeding Information:The Australian Breastfeeding Association Information Articles La Leche League Great Britain Breastfeeding Information Articles La Leche League New Zealand Breastfeeding Information Articles La Leche League International Breastfeeding Information Kellymom Breastfeeding Information Parenting Your online guide to Parenting More About Elimination Communication:Read about how knowing about EC will give you the skills and confidence to kiss goodbye the spectre of nappy rash... Nappy Rash and How EC will Help
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