Clare Byam-Cook, author of What to Expect When You're Breastfeeding, and What If You Can't? (Vermillion, £7.99), is breastfeeding counsellor to the stars. Kate Winslet, Emma Freud and Kate Beckinsale have all endorsed her book, and she's helped Trinny and Susannah, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Gabby Logan make breastfeeding a success.
Here Clare looks at common feeding problems for baby.
Jaundice - it is very common for a baby to suffer a mild degree of jaundice between days 3 - 5 and it will usually clear up of its own accord by day 10. You can tell if your baby is becoming jaundiced because his skin and the whites of his eyes will begin to develop a yellowish tinge
The sleepy baby - If your baby is very sleepy but wakes regularly for feeds, feeds well and gains the right amount of weight, you are extremely lucky and you should enjoy it while it lasts. But if your baby is too sleepy to feed properly and is showing signs of dehydration or is not gaining weight, you will need to encourage him to feed a bit more. If your baby remains abnormally sleepy, you should consult a doctor - he may have an infection that requires treatment
The unsettled baby - An unsettled baby, who is constantly demanding attention, is one of the most tiring, demoralising and upsetting things to contend with in the early days of parenthood. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a mother to find it hard to settle her baby in the first few weeks - this is mainly due to inexperience and not really knowing what to do if the baby won't go to sleep after a feed. But as a new mother cannot expect to become an expert overnight, you should not feel inadequate if this happens to you
Poor weight gain - Most babies have an inbuilt sense of survival and will take as much milk as their body needs. However, some babies are not great eaters and, if left to their own devices, may well take less milk than they need and as a result will not gain the right amount of weight. If your baby's weight gain is fine he clearly is getting enough milk, but if his weight gain is not good you will need to encourage him to eat more
Milk allergy/food intolerance - When breastfeeding a mother should be able to eat pretty much whatever she wants as very few foods will affect her baby via the breast milk. However, if you think that your baby is being affected by something that you are eating you may well be right. If he regularly becomes unsettled after you have eaten a certain food, try avoiding that food for a day or two to see whether it makes any difference to his behaviour
Colic - a baby suffering from colic is not the same as a baby suffering from wind. A 'windy' baby may be very slow to wind but will stop suffering from wind pains as soon as the wind is brought up. A baby suffering from colic will continue to suffer, regardless of how long you spend winding him. The reason I say this is that, before attempting to treat colic, it is important to establish whether your baby actually has colic, or whether he has something else that is making him uncomfortable, e.g wind, reflux or milk allergy
Evening colic/fretting - it is very common for babies to be unsettled in the evening, usually from about 6pm to 11pm or midnight, and this is often caused by colic, which for some reason, only occurs during this time of the day. Although it is extremely grim to have a baby that needs attention all evening, every evening, you should try to think positively and consider yourself lucky if this is the only time of the day that he suffers from colic. Remember, he will normally grow out of it by the time he is about three or four months old
Reflux - this is a condition that affects many babies by frequently goes undiagnosed. Reflux happens when a baby has a weak sphincter muscle at the top of his stomach, allowing the contents of his stomach to back up into his oesophagus - which gives him the equivalent of acid heartburn. As a result, every time you feed your baby he will suffer pain, and the bigger they feed, the more pain he will suffer
- For more information on breastfeeding products, as recommended by Babyexpert and Prima Baby readers, then click here to visit our Product Reviews section
- Clare Byam-Cook's book What to Expect When You'r Breast-feeding...and What if You Can't? by Clare Byam-Cook is published by Vermillion, £7.99. Click here to buy a copy.
