Search Results for 'breast feeding'

[Anonymous]

Oh, and Sheri – I see you and I have the same MIL! Just kidding…but mine also blamed me for my babies’ colic, especially since all 3 of mine had it! AND, she especially blamed me because I breastfed them, and she is anti-breastfeeding.

That is SO hard when you’re a new mom and not really too sure of yourself anyway. That is the last thing you need…to feel like it’s your fault.

There were many days I just cried and thought I must be the worst mom in the world (with my first baby especially). After he outgrew his colic and reflux, I realized that it wasn’t my fault afterall. However, that didn’t stop her from asking with EACH child if I didn’t think it would be better to “change his diet” (in other words give formula).

And, she would always come up with some silly reason for his screaming, like he just needed a little breeze or that I was holding him too much and he just needed to be put down, etc. As if it was that simple!!! I WISH it were that simple!

[Anonymous]

Myles also had an aversion to the bottle. I think from being under medicated for too long. Even after he was pain free the bottle was just a necessary evil to him. He’d eat 4 ounces 4 times per day and maybe 5-6 at bedtime. But this was a huge improvement over the months he was unmedicated or under medicated. Then he would not eat more than 1-2 ounces and even that was a struggle.

Long story short….Myles gave up the bottle at 7 months of age except his nightime bottle right before bed. So, I was feeding him 6-8 ounces of breast milk or formula in his oatmeal in the morning (very runny but I felt it was necessary to get some fluid into him) and I’d add breast milk or formula to his baby food purees throught the day. He did not take a sippy cup until he was 13 months old so I had to get most of his fluid into him by spoon. I even spoon fed him 4 ounces of breast milk once per day.

As for the amounts he was getting, he went for months consuming 15-18 ounces a day, plus solids three times per day. That was enough for him and he never lost weight or failed to gain. I would just let her baby visits and weight checks be your guide to whether she is getting enough. You can ask to have her weighed more frequently if it would give you peace of mind. My clinic would do this free of charge.

I think what you are doing now by letting her have some control over the bottle is a good idea. Myles now LOVES his bedtime bottle. He starts to laugh with pure joy when he sees it at night and he runs to get his blankie so he can snuggle with mommy and drink his bottle.

[Anonymous]

Laura…I will pass this on to one of my favourite breastfeeding mums….she will love it!

Lifes short…enjoy it

[Anonymous]

I too know exactly what you are saying! There have been many, many times with both of my refluxers that I have wondered how I was going to get through the day. When my son Ben was about 10 days old, I sat with him and cried just about as hard as he did. And that certainly wasn’t the last time, either. I remember thinking, “what in the world have I gotten myself into?” as I sat resenting this screaming child of mine. I knew babies weren’t easy, but I had no idea just how hard it could get. I had my mother-in-law basically telling me everything was my fault – either his bottle wasn’t warm enough, I should dress him warmer, I was holding him too much and spoiling him, I didn’t know what I was doing, the list went on and on. Other people told me “Babies do cry, you know”. So here I thought maybe I was just overreacting, and my poor boy when untreated. He screamed nonstop for 7 long months. But, I got through it and now he is a wonderfully happy toddler!

I’m so glad this time around I sought help, and have my daughter on a good dose of Prevacid. I too used Zantac along with the Prevacid for about 2 weeks until she seemed to start responding to the Prevacid. But it wasn’t until about day 24 of Prevacid that I really started to see a happier baby – not a perfect baby, but certainly happier! The days are long, and the nights are longer, but we will get through this. Thank goodness we all have each other for support!

Just a question – what is your daughter eating? Is she breastfeeding or on formula, and if so, which one? The reason I ask is that so many of our little refluxers have Milk Soy Protein Intolerance (MSPI) and their little bodies can’t tolerate the proteins in milk and soy products. If you don’t see a major improvement on Prevacid within a few weeks, that may be something to look into as well. If breastfeeding, you may have to start eliminating certain foods from your diet, or if you’re using formula, you may want to switch to a hypoallergenic brand.

Take care, be strong, and maybe invite your husband to read these postings with you.

MFPIx22007-4-19 18:49:35

[Anonymous]

Hi Laura,

*** I’m just editing this to apologize from the start with what a long rambled reply this is!***

After hearing the details of the situation, I’m glad to hear that Ari doesn’t have reflux or any other medical cause for his eating issues. Because that means that it’s likely a normal (though challenging) feeding situations, and from what I’ve read, those types of feeding issues typically resolve with time, exposure, and development.

Both my kids have been strange eaters- Sarah was a bottle binger, I swear that she could chug one back in a minute flat! Then she was a fussy eater, but would eat good volumes of what she liked. I was worried that she would never try new things, but she did come around eventually. And then there’s Hailey, and well, Hailey is Hailey- a whole other story.

I’m not sure if you’ve read this book already, but my favourite feeding bible for normal kids is called “Child of Mine- Feeding with Love and Good Sense”, by Ellyn Satter. She’s a world renowned guru in the feeding world and I really like her approach. It’s very balanced and child-centred. I used to get a bit worried about Sarah’s eating behaviour when she was small and someone recommended this book to me. What I liked best is that she has a philosophy about eating and feeding called the division of responsibility in feeding. Basically, it says that parents are responsible for the what, when, and where of feeding. Children are responsible for the how much and whether. Reading this book and hearing this made me feel a lot better about her eating- I realized that there was only so much that I could do in terms of getting her to accept and eat new foods, and that whether or not she ate them was not my job, only to give her the opportunity to eat properly.

The difference is though, that Sarah ate a lot of what she likes, even though it was only a few items, and she was not hurting in the least for calories… basically she was above the 90th percentile for weight (because she loved her bottles).

But because of our situation with Hailey, I do know how stressful it is to watch your child drop on the charts, and not eat well (regardless of the cause). I had a friend who was going through a very similar situation to what you describe at the same time as I was going through the feeding aversion with Hailey. Her child also was on the lower end of the curve, and was reluctant to be spoon fed, didn’t much care for bottles, and didn’t eat a lot or a large variety of anything. It might make you to feel better to know that what actually helped this child a lot was daycare. Our feeding therapist(s) have all felt that daycare has a few benefits as far as feeding goes- Firstly, the role modelling and “peer pressure” to eat is amazing. There are actually group feeding therapy programs for kids with feeding aversions that use this premise as a main part of their therapy because it’s so effective. The other thing is that kids act differently outside of their home environments then they do within the home with their parents or a typical caregiver. My favourite feeding therapist that we used said that in all the time she’s worked with kids with feeding problems, she’s NEVER seen the feeding get worse at daycare, and often recommends this as part of their therapy in some cases. With Hailey, I know there was an initial hump where things didn’t go very well, but that lasted for about a month, and once she got more comfortable there and the crying lessened, the feeding improved too. Not a lot- she still doesn’t eat a lot, but she is more willing to try new things. Last night to my utter and complete SHOCK, I almost fell out of my chair when she said “I want BROCCOLI too, mummy”!!! (Of course, in typical Hailey style, she then proceeded to smell it, and touch it to her mouth, then lick it, then pitch it on the floor, but she still asked and tried it, which is amazing!)

Is the doctor worried about his dropping percentiles or his position on the curve? As I said, I can understand your worry b/c it’s hard to see them in the lower end. But I would talk to your ped about it, and if the ped isn’t worried, then I would try not to worry either. But if you’re feeling worried anyhow, then maybe your doctor can suggest a pediatric dietician through your home care program to come to the house. They can recommend ways for you to add more calories to the solids that he does eat, though I suspect that you know this already. There are supplements that you can add to foods, and even to EBM, I believe. Beyond that, if you’re feeling really anxious, then you can ask for a referral for a feeding evaluation by an ST who will come to the house and watch what he eats and how. They will be able to tell you if it’s just normal behaviour, or if you need a bit of guidance.

My opinion is that it sounds like normal behaviour (I know that doesn’t make it easier to deal with), but that Ari is one of those babies who might be independent and strong willed. Sarah was like that, and so she wanted to spoon feed and finger feed herself way before she could ever really manage it, and she was strong willed, so she might taste something new, but if she wasn’t sure about the first bite, that was the end of it. I really do believe that those types of feeding issues tend to resolve slowly over time as their actual abilities start to match what they want to be able to do independently, and as they become more interesting in doing what others are doing, and experimenting.

The other thing is that he might be wired to be a long and lean kid who will never be on the high end of the growth chart. A lot of reading I’ve done really suggests that healthy kids will self-regulate, that they won’t starve themselves, and that they’ll eat enough to get their energy requirements from the foods that you provide. It doesn’t sound like he’s overfeeding on BM, but what would happen if you cut out one of his breast feeds to see if his behaviour changed if he was hungry. The therapists we’ve seen have all said that initially it might not, but overtime it might.

Have you tried to introduce a sippy or a straw cup yet? What if you tried a variety of different cups to see if there’s one that he’d drink EBM from. Then maybe you can pump a bit and try to add something to increase the calories. If you plan to start him on whole milk at a year (which sounds like you plan), our therapist used a technique called “food chaining” that worked well for Hailey. At first we tried a million sippy cups on the market until we found one that Hailey would accept water from (because she only liked water)- for her it was the first years disposable but there are lots of staged trainer cups out there now. The premise is that you take what they will accept from the cup and add a tiny amount of whatever you ultimately want them to drink. So for Hailey, we took the water and added literally one tiny drop of soy milk. It was just enough to cloud the water but not enough for her to balk at the taste. Then you keep with that amount for a few days or a week, and then double the amount (so we added two drops). If the child refuses the new concentration, then you go back down one level, but never return to the original. Then you wait a few more days, and maybe add a bit more (not necessarily double) and see if they accept that. You keep adding more and more over time until you eventually have them drinking whatever you wanted them to at full concentration. This worked really well for Hailey and after a few months, she was taking soy milk fully concentrated from a sippy cup independently, though for her, volumes were always an issue. She was about Ari’s age at the time we started. If you were able to get him drinking something from a cup (or a bottle, if you wanted) by the time he started daycare that would probably cut back the stress a lot.

Even though his eating sounds frustrating but not abnormal, there are things that you can do at home. Here are some strategies that we found really helpful:

1. Role modelling- Put him near Jonah in a booster seat like Christine suggested, and let him watch Jonah. At the same time, everyone at the table should verbalize how much they enjoy what they are eating by saying “mmmhh” or “yummy” or go on about how delicious whatever you want him to eat is. If you want him to try something new, make sure that you all eat it too and that he knows it’s yummy.

2. PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!- I can’t say enough about this one. Kids his age love praise and will do almost anything that gets positive attention. One thing that’s great is to praise Jonah (and even you and dh) when he eats something new, or eat well. We used to clap and cheer and get really excited and make a big ridiculous production. For example, if we wanted her to try carrots, as part of dinner we’d each have some on our plates. When Sarah took a bite of hers, I’d say “YAY Sarah! Hurray! Sarah ate her carrot. (clap clap clap)… etc”. We’d do the same thing “Hurray for Daddy! (or mummy). The funny thing is that this would usually get Sarah to eat really well, and she would keep shoveling in the food too.

We would also praise Hailey for smaller achievements that were at her level- so if she picke up the food and put it to her mouth and liked it, or bit it and spit it out, we’d make a big fuss and clap and cheer. Then we progressed upwards until she was eating it. It’s amazing how well this worked over time. Also with siblings, they love to get the same attention and copy the other one, so we found that getting Sarah involved really helped.

You can also use this for spoon feeding. You start where he’s at, and if he lets you touch his lips with the item, then you praise him. Then when he actually gets to taking a bite, you praise him a lot. If he refuses, you don’t pay attention to it, and stop there. It’s important to offer but respect their boundaries and let them decide (whether it’s for spoon feeding or self-feeding)

3. Keep the feeding environment fun- offer different foods, cut up different ways, in different bowls, on different plates that are visually appealing. We used to use the little IKEA plastic bowls that are nice bright colours and would put it down and rotate that way to keep her interest up. Christine already mentioned the use of different toys to keep them interested or distracted, which works well for a lot of people. We didn’t use that technique much b/c of our situation, but also because Sarah was also at the table and I didn’t want her playing with toys all the time. Also, make sure to keep the environment relaxed an fun. It’s important that he knows that it doesn’t matter if he eats or not, and that he won’t be pressured and that you don’t let him “see you sweat” so to speak.

4. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!- There are some kids who want to be independent far before they’re really able to do it proficiently. Also, some kids feel a better sense of control over the food if they feed it to themselves (just like we would if we’re apprehensive about eating something new- you’d rather put a spoonful of something into your mouth yourself, instead of having dh do it for you- it just feels safer). If Ari will finger feed, then let him do it as much as he can. That’s the way we had to go for Hailey. We just prepared things so that she could finger feed- we cut up foods into TINY bite size pieces (the size of a cheerio, at that age) and let her feed herself as much as she could. We found that most foods can actually be cut up that way with a bit of effort. It also helped with distraction, b/c while she was trying to feed herself, she was more tolerant of us spooning some of the pureed food. So she might be trying to pick up carrot pieces (which she then proceeded to throw on the floor b/c of her feeding aversion!) while we would offer a few spoons of blended carrot with flax seed oil or olive oil for calories and good fats.

Also, we would offer a variety of child friendly bowls and utensils, that even though she couldn’t use them well herself, she liked to try.

5. Keep on Trying: persistence pays off!- It takes most kids 10-20 times to try a new food. It can take an apprehensive child even more times to try something new. It can take a child with a feeding aversion more than 100-200 times to try something new. There’s a hierarchy of food acceptance that our feeding therapist gave us- kids can start anywhere on the hierarchy and then move upwards to eating. Any new stage shows progress (look at the new food-> touch the new food-> squish the new food-> smell the new food-> bring the new food to the mouth-> lick the new food-> bite it and then spit it out-> bite it, chw it, then spit it out-> bite, chew and swallow!).

6. Small bodies, small amounts- Don’t offer too many foods at once and start with small amounts. For kids who aren’t big eaters, they can get easily overwhelmed seeing large volumes of foods or lots of different foods on their plate/tray at the same time. Offer two or three pieces of manageable pieces at at time. You can put more than one kind of food out at a time, but don’t put too many. We used to use rotate 1-2 items at a time with Hailey, and we still do. If she would eat up all of one item, then we’d let her try the other, or add more of the one she liked.

7. Try to offer something that you know he likes at eat meal, a guarantee if you have one. That way at least you know that there’s something he likes. For most kids this is carbs- usually bread or rice.

8. Use modified forms of things he likes to encourage him to try new things. For example if he likes puffs, then try broken up pieces of whole wheat cracker. Then you can move on to whole crackers, and add a spread or use breadsticks and add a healthy dip of some kind.

9. Encourage food exploration/play and let them get down and dirty (this is something I could never stand because of the mess but got over it pretty quickly with Hailey). Food play lets them explore food in a nonthreatening way, so basically if they’ll touch the food, then the theory is that they might accidentally try it, or learn more about it’s properties so that they become comfortable trying it. For example, with the yogurt, if he doesn’t like the Yobaby, firstly you can try other yogurts. Hailey hated yogurt! I tried about 50 times to get her to eat a variety of different flavours and brands- actually she hated yobaby the most for some reason, but wouldn’t eat any of them. I started by putting a little bit in a bowl for her, and let her touch it, then we moved to putting a bowl with a little spoon and letting her fool around with it. At the same time, I would offer Sarah one and let her pack it away so Hailey say how good it was. She eventually started letting me feed her some, but she definitely had her favourites. She liked minigo, and danone la creme vanilla (I only offered the high fat ones, b/c we needed calories). I also introduced the drinkable yogurts, I would try to spoon feed her that, because the texture was thinner and she accepted it better until she got used to the thickness of the other ones.

Anyhow, good luck. Keep us posted.

s&h’s mum2007-4-19 12:20:14

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you are showing a fair bit of restraint….a few mum friends of mine drank whilst breastfeeding and did the old “pump and dump” (of course many of us here no how precious those ounces are). So just ignore dh…its what he deserves

[Anonymous]

Since I’ve stopped breastfeeding Ariella, I’ve been enjoying a glass of red wine with dinner for the past few days. I haven’t had wine in over a year and a half. Can’t a girl enjoy her wine?? DH looks at me today and says “umm, everything ok, you’ve been drinking every day for the past few days?” Drinking?? One glass? Is that really drinking? He made me feel like I’m having a drinking problem. Isn’t one glass a norm? It’s not like I guzzle down the whole bottle.

[hellbennt]

I have a poem I post on these occasions. I hope I don’t offend you, as you didn’t want to/choose to wean, but I like the sentiment of it and that’s what I’m intending to pass to you

What If I Want To Wean My Baby?
©2000 Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC 136 Ellis Hollow Creek Road Ithaca,
NY 14850

Breastfeeding your baby for even a day is the best baby gift you can
give. Breastfeeding is almost always the best choice for your baby.
If it doesn’t seem like the best choice for you right now, these
guidelines may help.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR JUST A FEW DAYS, he will have received
your colostrum, or early milk. By providing antibodies and the food
his brand-new body expects, nursing gives your baby his first – and
easiest – “immunization” and helps get his digestive system going
smoothly. Breastfeeding is how your baby expects to start, and helps
your own body recover from the birth. Given how very much your baby
stands to gain, and how little you stand to lose, it just makes good
sense to breastfeed for at least a day or two, even if you plan to
bottle-feed after that.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR FOUR TO SIX WEEKS, you will have eased him
through the most critical part of his infancy. Newborns who are not
breastfed are much more likely to get sick or be hospitalized, and
have many more digestive problems than breastfed babies. After 4 to 6
weeks, you’ll probably have worked through any early nursing
concerns, too. Make a serious goal of nursing for a month, call La
Leche League or a certified lactation consultant if you have any
questions, and you’ll be in a better position to decide whether
continued breastfeeding is for you.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 3 OR 4 MONTHS, her digestive system will
have matured a great deal, and she will be much better able to
tolerate the foreign substances in commercial formulas. If there is a
family history of allergies, though, you will greatly reduce her risk
by waiting a few more months before adding anything at all to her
diet of breastmilk. And giving nothing but your milk for the first
four months gives strong protection against ear infections for a
whole year.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 6 MONTHS without adding any other food or
drink, she will be much less likely to suffer an allergic reaction to
formula or other foods later on; the American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends waiting until about 6 months to offer solid foods. Nursing
for at least 6 months helps ensure better health throughout your
baby’s first year of life, reduces your little one’s risk of ear
infections and childhood cancers, and reduces your own risk of breast
cancer. And exclusive, frequent breastfeeding during the first 6
months, if your periods have not returned, provides 98% effective
contraception.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 9 MONTHS, you will have seen him through
the fastest and most important brain and body development of his life
on the food that was designed for him – your milk. Nursing for at
least this long will help ensure better performance all through his
school years. Weaning may be fairly easy at this age… but then, so
is nursing! If you want to avoid weaning this early, be sure you’ve
been available to nurse for comfort as well as just for food.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR A YEAR, you can avoid the expense and
bother of formula. Her one-year-old body can probably handle most of
the table foods your family enjoys. Many of the health benefits this
year of nursing has given your child will last her whole life. She
will have a stronger immune system, for instance, and will be much
less likely to need orthodontia or speech therapy. The American
Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing for at least a year, because
it helps ensure normal nutrition and health for your baby.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 18 MONTHS, you will have continued to
provide the nutrition, comfort, and illness protection your baby
expects, at a time when illness is common in formula-fed babies. Your
baby is probably well started on table foods, too. He has had time to
form a solid bond with you – a healthy starting point for his growing
independence. And he is old enough that you and he can work together
on the weaning process, at a pace that he can handle. A former U.S.
Surgeon General said, “it is the lucky baby… that nurses to age
two.”

IF YOUR CHILD WEANS WHEN SHE IS READY, you can feel confident that
you have met your baby’s physical and emotional needs in a very
normal, healthy way. In cultures where there is no pressure to wean,
children tend to nurse for at least two years. The World Health
Organization and UNICEF strongly encourage breastfeeding through
toddlerhood: “Breastmilk is an important source of energy and
protein, and helps to protect against disease during the child’s
second year of life.” It just makes sense to build our children’s
bones from the milk that was designed for them. Your milk provides
antibodies and other protective substances for as long as you
continue nursing, and families of nursing toddlers often find that
their medical bills are lower than their neighbors’ for years to
come. Research indicates that the longer a child nurses, the higher
his intelligence. Mothers who nurse longterm have a still lower risk
of developing breast cancer. Children who were nursed longterm tend
to be very secure, and are less likely to suck their thumbs or carry
a blanket. Nursing can help ease both of you through the tears,
tantrums, and tumbles that come with early childhood, and helps
ensure that any illnesses are milder and easier to deal with. It’s an
all-purpose mothering tool you won’t want to be without! Don’t worry
that your child will nurse forever. All children stop on their own,
no matter what you do, and there are more nursing toddlers around
than you might guess.

WHETHER YOU NURSE FOR A DAY OR FOR SEVERAL YEARS, the decision to
nurse your child is one you need never regret. And whenever weaning
takes place, remember that it is a big step for both of you. If you
choose to wean before your child is ready, be sure to do it
gradually, and with love.

[Anonymous]

Any chance that you have OALD??? The fact that you say it happens right after the letdown, makes me wonder if it isn’t coming out so fast for him that he is gulping it down, swallowing air, and then his reflux acts up. This is what would happen to Ben ALL the time. The only way I could continue feeding him would be to switch sides, as you describe. It was almost as if he needed it to come out faster to wash it all back down.

I started taking him off the breast at the first letdown and letting my milk literally spray out until it stopped and then putting him back on. It helped alot.

[Anonymous]

i think an hour and a half would be o.k. i have heard it should be 2 hours though. but at least she will still get some benefit from it. actually, since she eats small amounts..it might empty faster anyhow.

with how much they need to eat.. i have it is supposed to be a full meal which is about 6 ounces. BUT i think less is fine… i know it worked fine on shane when he only had like 3 ounces. i am not sure what minuted in breastfeeding mean in terms of ounces though!, sorry.

[hellbennt]

personally I wouldn’t give up breastfeeding if you don’t want to- bcse what if you do & then things are even worse? of course, they could get better, too, but I’m just trying to say that from what you’ve written I don’t see a reason for you to stop breastfeeding

if you think it’s something you ate, which it certainly could be (but doesn’t have to be), then keep a little log of what you eat & if you notice this behavior 3-5 hours after you’ve eaten something, then you’ve got your culprit

in my ‘intro’ I tell of what foods I found to affect Jonah & I avoided them for about a year

HTH (hope this helps)

~laura

here’s a great site: http://www.wiessinger.baka.com/bfing/index.html

[Anonymous]

Oh my, please don’t blame yourself. You did great to nurse her for as long as you did, and breastfeeding your little one is in no way a measure of your love for her. You did and are doing what you think is best for her, and that shows your real love.

You are a great mother, then and now!

[hellbennt]

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=853&am p;PN=1&TPN=1

there’s a section there about breastfeeding you reflux baby

there are links to help you figure out the maximim zantac for her weight (my guess is she needs more)

there is a Prevacid 101 link (talks about more than just prevacid)

there’s a mspi link

and more

(oh & don’t forget http://www.marci-kids.com)

[Anonymous]

okay so yesterday I had some ice cream– Yup I had some ICE CREAM!!!! WOO HOO— OMG it was better then sex!!! Well maybe not that good—- LOL

So Ryder was fine with it. Does this mean I can eat dairy again? or does it mean I can only have a little bit of dairy? I am thinking that I will start to have some cheese tomorrow and see what happens.

How have you reintroduced dairy back into YOUR diet while breastfeeding? I am still worried that soy will set him off but I would KILL for some Thai food!

[Anonymous]

Well, I’m so sorry that you are going through this. And I’m really sorry that your doctor talked you out of breastfeeding. Sometimes it can take up to two weeks or more for offending proteins to clear the system, and it could have been more than the dairy that was bothering her.. maybe soy?? Since she reacted to the rice, it could be that she is intolerant to several different proteins, and if this is the case, maybe Neocate would be a better option?

As for the tabs. I never used them, so I can’t help you there, but if the reflux is causing pain, and it sounds like it is, then you need to get it under control ASAP – especially if she is spitting up blood.. that means her esophagus is damaged. Why do you think they will hurt her more??

As for the fever.. that’s probably not reflux related.. I’ve never heard of it being related to reflux, but maybe someone else has.