Ok i should say – i HAVE been lurking on the board so I have read just about every thread pertaining to my situation, have read the welcome post, and have put MUCH of these tips and info to use already.
where I am lost is how to go about getting my doctor on board with fixing my baby!!!
Here’s a little more background info:
Kaylen is my third baby. My first two definitely had issues of their own adjusting to life outside the womb but NOTHING compared to poor Kaylen. I first started suspecting something was up in the hospital and I asked her ped about it then – i told him “you know, it sounds like after every time she eats she is throwing up, but its not coming all the way up”. He pooh-poohed that and said “oh, they always have mucus stuck in their lungs that takes a few days to come out.” that made sense to me (since she was born 20 min. after we got to the hospital it was a very fast labor so i can see where the lungs weren’t real compressed like “normally” they would be._)
anyways – fast forward to her 3 week check up where by this time i am pretty convinced she is a silent refluxer and just about broke down crying in the office when the ped confirmed that’s what it sounded like. It seemed to validate my mothering instinct and plus, well, you’re just hormonal still 3 weeks later! So we started her on Axid at .05 mg/2x daily. It took a few days but it DID seem to make a huge difference in her comfort level. The Ped told me to double the dose if it didn’t seem to be making a difference after two weeks. So we did that right about at 5 1/2 weeks old. It does seem to help – but it only comforts her for about 2-3 hours.
Here are some of the other things I have done that all do help – but nothing is really “fixing” the problem:
Her co=sleeper is elevated at the head and she sleeps on her tummy. (All my kids have been tummy sleepers from day one).
She is breastfeeding but is seeming to more comfort feed – it is literally every two hours around the clock. when i just can’t keep up with her, she gets about 2 oz of Nutramigen.
She gets a 1 oz bottle of gripe water with a teeny bit of Karo syrup in it in the evening since she seems SO danged constipated – this combo seems to help a lot, but again, wears off after a few hours. I space this at least half hour from any feeding, and at least an hour apart from her Axid dose.
I can’t think of anything else right now…OH – she is worn in a sling when i can’t carry her anymore all day and pretty much anytime we’re out and about. She will only nap/calm down in her swing. And she has been under chiropractic care since she was born, 3 times a week. She definitely loses alignment right in the digestive area so we know there is a definite issue there.
she also has a pretty large umbilical hernia, which i have read is pretty harmless, but i am starting to wonder if this has anything to do with her issues. The “hole” around her belly button area is roughly the size of a quarter, slightly bigger than that.
this is turning into a novel…
anyways – my main issue is this.
She is now starting to choke/gag/stop breathing for more than a few seconds anytime she has the bottle and about 70% of the time she is breastfeeding. She is pretty much in discomfort all day long, nothing really brings her relief. She is definitely getting more and more congested as time is going by, more hoarse sounding definitely. She wheezes almost all the time, makes LOUD horrible screechy noises anytime she eats and in general just seems to be going downhill fast. there is no brightness in her eyes and she is just NOT a normal happy baby. i am getting worried for her but really have NO idea what to tell the ped’s office when i call. She is scheduled for her 2 month appt on Sept 12th, but i don’t think i can last that long, nor can she!
Do i just call and request an earlier appt due to her reflux issues? Do i request an additional med? do i demand to be referred to a ped GI right away and not even mess with our ped practice(cause inevitably you see a different dr or nurse practitioner every visit)?
Please help me know where to start getting help for my baby! There is so much more i could say about her issues but i know you all have BTDT so you know what I am going through – i value any input on how to get real help for her!
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I would get to a ped GI as SOON as POSSIBLE!if you nee a referral (FAX the ped requesting the referal- skip the phone call- make the fax SHORT & SWEET
) & your ped won’t give you one, then call your local Children’s Hospital, find out when the ped GI is on call & then march on in during that time, stating that your baby is having APNEA (stopping breathing) episodes & you need HELP NOW.in the meantime, find out the maximum dose for axid that your baby can take and give that to her. ask your pharmacist to consult her/his ‘ipharmacist’ (electronic device they use to find out up to date dosing info) and to tell you what the pediatric oral dosing of axid is for treatment of GERD in infants (and children)also in the meantime, FAX your dr and request a PPI. Don’t ‘ask’ TELL. short & sweet. list symptoms. if you have Sandifer symptoms, use these.and…yay! for babywearing!!oops. forgot to tell you:I wouldn’t give the gripe water. there is a brand with no charcoal and no sodium bicarbonate, but most have them…also: about the constipation- what are her stools like> she may also have mspi on top of everything else- constipation can be a symptom-if you go to the mspi stickied post in the mspi forum & go to page 2 & scroll down to where you see ‘google cache,’ just under that you’ll see the best explanation about the difference b/t allergies & intolerances…
