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Amy-We are giving the zegerid in one dose (I specifically asked about splitting it up and the doctor says it works better this way
. I have been thinking of splitting it up. I can’t rmember what I have read about how other people did it in the past (at the time we weren’t using zegerid). Do you mix it all in the am and then give a third at a time? I’ll have to look tomorrow, I’m too exhausted now. Thanks for the support.Sarah-I have been thinking of trying to go to Boston for a second opinion. I spoke to a speech therapist that I used to work with in Early Intervention (she still works in EI) She said a lot of her families have better results in Boston…Maybe they are more aggressive? I am going to call the lactation consultant again tomorrow..she was wonderful. It just stinks because insurance doesn’t pay…but I can just do some per diem work to get the extra money. Thanks for the encouragement.
Hi Laurie,
I’m sorry to hear about all you’ve been going through. It must be so frustrating.
Hopefully you can get help from another lactation consultant. Do you know if you qualify for WIC? You can get free lactation consulting from them. Meanwhile, try pumping between 4:00 and 6:00 in the morning (if you aren’t already). I was told that this can help increase your milk supply (not sure of the reasoning). Also, how long has your supply been lower? I’ve been pumping for 13 months now, and for a few days every month without fail, my milk supply will go down (usually the exact same time each month), but then it will always go back to normal after those few days. Could you be going through something like this? Or has it been going on for longer than a few days? Just throwing out ideas.Hope you can figure something out.
Laurie,
I was a pumping mom since my babies refluxers gave up nursing early on, so I can give you some tips on how to increase supply.
Like Heather said *pump in the wee hours of the morning. This is when supply is naturally highest and tapping into it really helps. It works very well if you pump at say 4 and then again at 6ish. This tells your body that your baby is not getting enough and to make more milk. *Also, every time you pump continue for 2-5 minutes after the flow stops. This also tells your body that the baby is not getting enough and will increase production. *One last thing that helps is cluster pumping. Once or twice a day try to pumping one hour after your last pumping or feedng and then again in 2 hours. So, three times in 4 hours. This sound horrible and it is a lot of work but you only have to do it for a couple of weeks and then when your supply is back up to where you want it to be you can start decreasing your pumping. When I did this I increased my supply from 25 -30 ounces a day to 50-55 ounces a day. (I was freezing half of what I pumped…that’s why I wanted my supply to be so high).
Also, like some of the others said I wouldn’t give up on getting her on a higher dose of Zegerid. It took me 6 or more weeks to convince Myles’ doctor, and many moms here have had to see several doctors before they found one that would do it. Do you have a family doctor? Sometimes family doctors are more knowledgeable and open minded about PPI meds since they see adult patients with reflux all the time. I think they are more sensitive to how painful it is, too because their adult patients can tell them how much it hurts.
Some of the babies on this board have had the endoscopy and from reading here this last year I think most if not all of the moms say it was well worth doing, that answers are so important and that the procedure itself wasn’t so bad. Hopefully some of these moms will post about their experience for you.
Good luck and hang in there. Chloe will be in my prayers.
Laurie,
DON”T GIVE UP!!!! Your post sounds exactly like mine would have been when Brianna was that age. I can’t tell you how many times I was convinced that my supply was drying up and that I wasn’t going to make it. You have already gotten a lot of good ideas for pumping so that can give you some tricks to help get your supply going on that end. One other thing…I have you tried taking feenugreek (sp?) tablets? I took those at one point as well. Have you thought about doing the elimination diet? (TED) I am sure you have posted elsewhere about if you are or not so forgive me if this is redundant. Brianna was bothered by dairy and soy, but I came to find out later, soy was MUCH worse on her than dairy. In fact, I still haven’t given it to her. You know, Brianna was much the same way…she never wanted to wait for that second let down. She was so…actually I should say is so
impatient (she must get that from daddy…haha!). She was terrible at latching on from the start and at her 3 day old appointment, she had lost too much weight. My Dr. told me to supplement with formula. I bawled my eyes out right there in the waiting room. I was so fortunate that my mother became my best cheerleader and would not let me give up. I am not going to lie…it was super hard for Brianna and I for a while (Little did I even know about reflux) but loooking back, I am so glad that I stuck with it for the year.OK, now that being said. I will be your biggest cheerleader, but I will also say this. You are a wonderful mommy and you have to do what you think is best for your child. I am super pro breastfeeding, but I also believe that just breast feeding doesn’t make you a good mom. What I know to be true (especially from the wonderful people I have met on this board) is that loving your child is the MOST important thing! I know you do that, so I think you need to give yourself a break and take a deep breath and remember….you have all of us here behind you, supporting you, and cheering for you! Keep us updated. Things will get better!
Thank you all so much for the encouragement and advice. It certainly is helping me keep my chin up (or somewhat up). Sorry I couldn’t get on the computer all day between keeping Chloe happy and pumping whenever I could it was impossible. Even with my Hotsling that I just got, that I love. I should have started babywearing sooner
. I’ll try to respond to everyone. If I miss anything remind me.
Amy- I spoke to gi…I can split zegerid in half. Questionhow do you store it in the fridge is saran wrap or tupperware okay. I know alot of people have these huge vet syringes but i only have a 5ml one.
Heather-No we don’t qualify for WIC but the lactation consultant said to call anytime so I have a call to her (she’s only part time) and I called the Hospitals consultation line and spoke to someone there. I know overall my supply has decreased lately to a degree but since Friday significantly so…maybe stress related?
Christine-Thanks for sharing your “secrets”. I have already tried a cluster pump. Question once the supply is increased can you get away with pumping every 4 hours during day with one 6 hour break at night?
Lori-I am near Boston and will call insurance to see if she is covered by our plan. Chloe also does not empty the breast which is part of the problem. I want to try fenugreek but I am a little leery because of the lowering blood sugar side effect because I already have low blood sugar. I might try it when DH is around. P.S. Don’t worry you were not a BF militant.
Emily-With the fenugreek can you stop taking it once the supply has increased or will the effect stop when you stop taking the pills? Chloe actually stared out gaining weight well about 1 to 1 1/2 ounces per day for a while because she comfort fed once upon a time. I remember having a discussion with ped about how at some point we might be concerned about how quickly she was gaining weight. Now she is a 13 pound 6 month old at this rate she’ll be 2 before we can turn her carseat around!!!
Well, thank you everyone for the support. I needed/need it…I just feel like the rug is being pulled out from under me. I will keep you posted. BTW today she just grazed and I had to be a bit creative to get her to Breastfeed even though it was obvious she was hungry.Have you tried asking your pharmacy if they carry 20-30ml syringes with tip caps? We were able to get one from our pharmacy, but it didn’t have a tip cap so it was difficult. Another mom graciously mailed me one of her large syringes with a tip cap (and Christine has said that the Medicinne Shop was able to order some for her) I then bought a 10ml syringe with a tip cap at Walmart (I actually bought about 12 of them!) I mix the full dose in the bigger syringe and then make individual doses with my smaller syringes w/ tip caps. The individual doses are then ready to go (for trips, daycare, etc…) It works out great. I recommend trying to find syringes so you’re not wasting medicine by mixing it in a cup, etc…
I found the 10ml syringes with a package with a few other medicine droppers for about $1.50. It was in the aisle with medicine organizers/containers and thermometers.
I am sooooooooo glad you’re going to split the doses. Three doses would be the best route to go but if you just want to start with two doses, that might be enough.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
AmyYes, I was able to order syringes of just about any size at the Medicine Shoppe. They wondered what I was going to do with them
, but they were able to get them in just a few days.As for pumping every four hours, I guess it depends on how much milk you need for her and how your own body responds. We’re all different. For me pumping every four hours dropped my supply significantly, so once I got my supply up I stuck with cluster pumping in the morning and then every three hours until 10 pm, then a six hour break until 4 am. But you’re nursing as well, so that makes a big difference. I’d definitely try to pump and empty your breasts after she eats since she’s not eating much now. Once she’s feeling better she’ll start nursing better and then you probably will not have to do all this pumping.
Good luck. I really know how hard your life is right now. Trying to pump, feed, and otherwise take care of a baby 24/7, is no easy task. Adding reflux to the mix really adds to the stress and work. Try to hang in there because it really does get better. I’ve been through it three times now. My first would not nurse so I had to pump for her, and my second and third babies were refluxers; they both quit nursing so I had to go to pumping and feeding them too. Now it all seems like a distant memory, and it will for you too! For now we’re all here to give you support and advice.
Laurie,
I stopped the Fenugreek once I felt my supply was where it should be. Also, I have low blood sugar too, and I did OK on the fenugreek. (although it might have been becuase BF made me starving so I was eating all the time. so my sugar wouldn’t have had a chance to go down if it wanted too.
) Good luck!Everyone,
Thanks for the ideas about the syringes and pumping. I guess I was hoping I could get away with just pumping every four hours, I’ve been feeling guilty about all the time it takes from Chloe. But the payoff is worth it. I am going to buy some fenugreek tomorrow. I was at wWhole Foods today and of course I couldn’t remmber how I needed the fenugreek. I’ll have to go back tomorrow.
As for Chloe she broke my heart last night refusiong to breastfeed, but this morning she did breastfeed some. At daycare she ate 3 4 ounce bottles
. Tonight she ate the usual 5 minutes but it wasn’t an ordeal. we also did the zegerid am and pm with zantac at lunch and she took it much better and did not throw it up 
. Hopefully we are headed in the right direction. I have my fingers crossed. Thanks again everyone is so wonderful
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