Sometimes postpartum visits don't go like you expect them to. Jake's parents had agreed to let me come for a postpartum visit to teach them the HUG techniques. Jake was asleep when I arrived and his mother commented that he doesn't sleep long.
We sat down and began to watch the HUG DVD. Jake woke up within the first 10 minutes. Mom decided to feed Jake as we watched DVD. He breastfed well. I made a couple of positioning suggestions for mom that would help her be more comfortable while nursing. He seemed contented after feeding,---for a short while.
Then he would cry! Nothing would sooth him. We tried all of the HUG techniques. Mom tried putting him back on the breast. He just cried. My 1 hour visit turned into 2 1/2 hour visit. Mom thought maybe he had "emptied" her breast, and wasn't satisfied. So dad made a 2 oz. bottle of formula (I don't usually do this). Jake wouldn't suck on the bottle at all. Jake's dad was getting a little frustrated. In an effort to calm the situation, I told them about my colicky first born and that he was 38 years old doing fine. But, I knew that what I was seeing was not "normal" newborn behavior. I recommended a visit to the pediatrician.
Later that evening I remembered a baby I had worked with who was so sensitive to cows milk his mom could not eat any dairy products. Even a little cow's mild protein in her milk affected him.
I called Jake's mom the next day and talked to her about this situation. She did say his stools didn't look like what they were suppose to at this stage. Although reluctant, mom did talk to the baby's pediatrician and he agreed that she should try eliminating dairy from her diet. Within a day or 2 Jake's crying was less and less. Mom and dad can read little Jake's zones and he is much happier. The HUG tools allowed me to discern Jake's behavior as not fitting into what would be considered normal newborn behavior. There was something physical going on with Jake not behavioral. Thanks HUG!