Search Results for 'breast feeding'

[Anonymous]

Henry had his first appointment with the ped GI today. I feel SO DISCOURAGED. I’m sure you all know how it feels. . .we have dealt with multiple medication changes with the reg pediatrician over 4 months, wait six weeks to get into see the GI, while I keep telling myself, “just hold on until the GI. . .hold on until the GI.” Well, that anticipation was squashed like when Dorothy thought she would get home to Kansas if just she saw the wizard and then found out it was a little man behind the curtain!

Henry is 15.5 pounds and is on prevacid solutabs (7.5 mg twice a day). We already tried liquid prilosec and my insurance will not cover zegerid. So there I am at the office, armed with all my marci-kids stuff. I tell him how Henry is fine in the morning, fine during the night, but screams all afternoon and evening. Perhaps he needs a THIRD dose in the early afternoon (this of course seems freakin obvious to me). He said that he doesn’t do that. And that is just one researcher trying to get published and not what is accepted medical practice. Instead he says I must put Henry on Neocate or Elecare for 3 weeks.

Now to me this is ridiculous. I have already eliminated every tiny minute possible discomfort from my diet and this made NO DIFFERENCE in Henry’s irritability and reflux. I am living on air and water. And furthermore we have given Henry milk formula already and he shows no reaction. . .no difference even after days and days, weeks and weeks. He doesn’t have dry skin, he doesn’t have blood in his stool, he isn’t showing any signs except being a crazy crying baby, which is also true on my eliminate-everything-in-the-whole-wide-world breastmilk. And wouldn’t he cry ALL THE TIME and not just in the afternoon and evening if it were an allergy?

Do I pay $40. a can to put my child on this elecare for 3 weeks when my instincts tell me this is not the problem? I just don’t think if I click my heels and give him the elecare that we will finally be in Kansas.

Lost in Oz,

Ruby

Henry, 4-months old, reflux

Breastfeeding on the eat-nothing-that-you-like-diet

7.5 mg prevacid 2x a day

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure by looking on the charts, but as of Friday, my son was 15.5 pounds and is 4.5 months old. I wrote to Marci-Kids and asked how much prevacid my son SHOULD be on. This is what Dr. Phillips told me:

15mg Prevacid three times per day
Or
This is the best for a 4.5 month old because it is a true suspension with no granules.
10 mg Zegerid Three times per day (if using the Zegerid then use the 20mg packets, not the 40mg packets). Mix up a packet with 6.5mL water and it will make approximately 10mL. Give 5 mL for each dose.
It is stable in the refrigerator for 4 weeks once mixed up, Of course, each packet it will be all used up in 1 day (24hrs).
Use an oral dosing syringe.

So, seeing as your son weighs slightly more than mine, I would thing he should be on atleast as much.

HOpe this helps.

Ruby

Henry, 4-months old, reflux and MSPI

Breastfeeding on dairy-free soy-free diet

3ml of 2mg/ml liquid Prilosec 2x a day, now switching to 7.5 mg prevacid 2x a day

[Anonymous]

If prevacid is mixed with caracream to make a suspension, then is that an immediate release form? Does one still have to give it on an empty stomach and 30 minutes before a meal?

Ruby

Henry, 4-months old, reflux and MSPI

Breastfeeding on dairy-free soy-free diet

3ml of 2mg/ml liquid Prilosec 2x a day, now switching to 7.5 mg prevacid 2x a day

[Anonymous]

So I took Henry to Kindermusik for the first time this morning. We rocked, played instruments, trotted (the mommies trotted mostly), and sang songs. Henry was very interested in all the other babies and the instruments and did not cry AT ALL while we were there. It was good to get out of the house, even if all the other mommies looked well dressed and their children looked well dress and Henry and I looked like we just threw on something last minute. . .which of course we did since he had a big spit up affair onto both of us right before we left the house. Who knew spit up could even get into the ears? I was slightly jealous of all the happy babies, but heck my baby LOOKED happy while we were there. Thanks for all the advise; we are definitely going to stick with it.

Ruby

Henry, 4-months old, reflux and MSPI

Breastfeeding on dairy-free soy-free diet

3ml of 2mg/ml liquid Prilosec 2x a day, now switching to 7.5 mg prevacid 1x a day

[Anonymous]

You might want to check with your insurance company on whether they cover Zegerid. I checked with mine yesterday and they said they would not cover it even with a doctor’s note.

Ruby

Henry, 4-months old, reflux and MSPI

Breastfeeding on dairy-free soy-free diet

3ml of 2mg/ml liquid Prilosec 2x a day, now switching to 7.5 mg prevacid 1x a day

[Anonymous]

Kim,

First let me start by saying I have NO IDEA what the answer to your question is because I am experiencing the EXACT same problem.

To summarize our story (my son is 4 1/2 months): first, Zantac that didn’t work at all. Then we went to the compounded prilosec which did help things at first, but I am confident even without the flavoring it was only effective for at most 2 weeks. Plus, Henry hates taking the prilosec. He screams; we battle; we have to regive it because he is spitting it out. SOOOOO we switched to the prevacid solutabs on Friday. He doesn’t mind taking it all, BUT it is NOT working. Of course I believe the dose is too low just like it was on prilosec but who really wants to give even more medicine to a child who is screaming.

I emailed Dr. Phillips at Marci-Kids today and asked if there was THAT much of a difference between the prilosec and the prevacid if they were both a PPI. He said, “Zantac is not terribly effective as you have discovered. There really is no difference in PPIs except for two issues.

1. The appropriate dose must be used
2. The buffered (sodium bicarbonate usually) version is more effective than the non-buffered version (the non-buffered version is Prevacid, Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix, Aciphex). You should only use Zegerid as the buffered version as it is FDA approved – what your pharmacists made up is not FDA approved so who knows what you actually got. “

I FEEL your frustration!

Ruby

Henry, 4-months old, reflux and MSPI

Breastfeeding on dairy-free soy-free diet

3ml of 2mg/ml liquid Prilosec 2x a day, now switching to 7.5 mg prevacid 1x a day

[Anonymous]

monty123 wrote:

Unfortunately I have to dump my breastmilk for the next two weeks while on meds, so I am hoping Carter doesn’t pass me out, but things in that dept are not looking good. I have agreed not to beat myself up if it doesn’t work (breastfeeding) but I am going to give it my best shot!

No, don’t beat yourself up. It was so hard for me to stay ahead of my daughter in the NICU. I would pump for 20 minutes and get an ounce (total). For a long time, I had to rush to the NICU in the morning to drop off my milk so they would have enough for that next feeding. Sometimes they had to resort to donor breast milk temporarily until I could pump again. Once I started breastfeeding I would get 4-5 oz when I’d pump. Of course then when she came home and had colic/reflux, my milk supply dropped off soon thereafter. But I kept telling myself, I had planned to breastfeed, I can’t help it I have a preemie and milk supply issues, and it’s NOT my fault!! Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Hi All!

Thanks again. Well, I was sicker on Saturday, so they admitted me to the hospital for IV antibiotics and I am feeling much better. I was discharged this afternoon. Carter is doing well, and we think the PDA has been closed as they are not hearing the murmer. It can open again, but this is a good sign for now.

Unfortunately I have to dump my breastmilk for the next two weeks while on meds, so I am hoping Carter doesn’t pass me out, but things in that dept are not looking good. I have agreed not to beat myself up if it doesn’t work (breastfeeding) but I am going to give it my best shot!

Thanks again, you guys! I love this place!!!!!

Ann Marie

[Anonymous]

Laura,

The calculator was helpful. Thank you.

Ruby

Henry, 4-months old, reflux and MSPI

Breastfeeding on dairy-free soy-free diet

3ml of 2mg/ml liquid Prilosec 2x a day, now switching to 7.5 mg prevacid 1x a day

[hellbennt]

if you’re milk & soy protein free, I’d go for alumentum or nutrimigen & not chance it?

not sure if this helps with formula? a great breastfeeding resource site:http://www.kellymom.com/ there’s a ‘milk calculator’ where you can figure out how many ounces of expresed milk your baby should be getting http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html#calculator

[Anonymous]

I just started replacing one to two breastfeedings a day with formula for my 4 1/2 month old. He has no problem taking a bottle; he has been doing that a couple of times a week since he was just a few weeks old. When I would pump breastmilk for him he usually took about 4 ounces in a feeding (he STILL eats every 2-3 hours). However, now with the formula he will only take about 2 1/2 ounces at a feeding (and this will last him about 3 hours before he shows signs of being hungry). Does anyone know if it is typical for a child to fill up faster on formula than breastmilk? Should I be concerned that he doesn’t take more ounces?

Additionally, I am breastfeeding on a milk and soy-free diet. The pediatrician told me that milk proteins come through rather whole in breastmilk but that in all formulas that the milk protein is broken down. Therefore he might be able to tolerate a milk-based formula, even though he can’t tolerate any milk in my diet. Does that sound right?

Ruby

Henry, 4-months old, reflux and MSPI

Breastfeeding on dairy-free soy-free diet

3ml of 2mg/ml liquid Prilosec 2x a day, now switching to 7.5 mg prevacid 1x a day

[Anonymous]

Kara,

I really sympathize with the waiting periods for trialing new foods, etc. I understand worrying about your health, too. When Lucas was 9 mos old, he had two decent nights in a row and I decided that I would only eat the things I had eaten on those two days for the next three weeks. I think my family members thought I had gone over the edge. Are you taking a multivitamin or at least some calcium supplements?

With Neocate, Lucas was nearly 9 mos old, he was newly on Zegerid, we had switched to a ped gi we liked better than our first, I had discovered he was MSPI, so those things were helping the situation. BUT, he was still waking up an average of six times a night. Many nights more than six–waking screaming and crying and arching. At least every two hours, often more. Most nights he woke 45 mins after going down and this was only the beginning…. He was still spitting up a lot, but less than before I removed the dairy, beef and soy. His days were starting to get better, but nights were such a horrible time. Dh started really questioning if it was something with my breastmilk. We had only had an upper gi at the time. Dh was really encouraging me to try Neocate, and I posted on these forums about it nad got some amazing responses from folks who had experienced the entire spectrum from formula fed all the way, to bfed on elim diets, and everything in between. I had experienced severe breast issues myself prior to this time and these things had left me VERY unwilling to pump for two weeks. To this day, I avoid pumping at all costs. So, the previous breast problems that I had experienced played their part in me wanting to continue bfeeding and not do the trial as maybe another mom would have jumped at a 2-week Neocate trial. I mean, it’s only pumping, it’s really not that bad. Anyways, like I said, the endo confirmed that there were not enough eos cells to indicate a problem with my milk, so we went forward with nursing.

Looking back, I am very positive that Neocate would have helped us. I mean, just because it’s obvious to me now that Lucas has real sensitivities, if not allergies with a lot of foods. So, I am sure he would have done much better, much quicker with Neocate. And we probably would have chalked it up to being my milk as the problem. I can’t say that it would have been better….although I could have been eating for all these months (!!) nad he might have been sleeping better for all these months! Hind sight is always 20-20. Before the endo we also thought he would outgrow this when he started walking. But I wanted to keep nursing and I was willing to do the elim diet and keep strictly to the foods that seemed okay. I never dreamed he would be 18 mos old and we’d still have four or more night wakings every night, and that I would be cutting even more food out.

When you say spitting up a lot, what do you mean? Have you ever counted? Looking back, an average day was at LEAST 100 spit ups, many days much more (I once counted on what I considered one of our best days and it was 27 times by 6 pm). But I never thought to count and just didn’t know what was normal. It’s just something else to think about and to report to your docs. I wonder if the blood in teh stools would stop after the ppi really kicks in? Is that supposed to happen? Do the docs have a reading on that? How old is your son? Would you consider having a ph probe and endo done on him? Testing is an obvious next step if the Neocate doesn’t work, or if you want to determine more before starting the Neocate trial.

Hang in there, you are obviously doing the absolute best job you can. Definitely let us know what happens.

[Anonymous]

Anne…bless you for taking the time to write this all out!

I hear ya on the food allergies/intolerances not being reliably detected on tests. My little guy has been skin tested and RAST tested 2 times(once around 1st birthday and once at second birthday). Only an egg allergy showed up by skin test at first year. We have been gluten free, casein free, egg free, milk free since about week 3 of his life(when we failed at breastfeeding). He was on compounded prilosec and then later erythromycin add when he went downhill(started vomiting out of the blue) at 9 months old.

He seemed to be doing really well by 14 months old. So well that he had already outgrown the max prilosec dose allowed and i didn’t hear the glurping and saw the arching completely disappear. We had a lovely 6 months(well except all the night waking for food that i did not discourage because i wanted to maintain his weight at 50%).

Then at 20 months he starts screaming at night, pummeling me etc. We agree that it is night time break through reflux and start prevacid capsules this time around. BUT the one thing that keeps nagging me is the way he vomits up undigested food 2 hrs after eating. Like almost 2-2.5 hrs on the dot after eating. And it isn’t even every meal or every day. Maybe just like a few times a week then one week nothing and then the following week just one time. I truly cannot pinpoint it to one food. He is still milk free and egg free so by default that would be casein free i believe but he tolerates gluten really well. Loves his rice and never vomits anywhere near the days he has rice.

Our docs here don’t do any other allergy tests other than IgE mediated ones and i have read that delayed allergic reactions are mediated by other Ig mechanisms. Andy did see a chiropractor for about 10 months and it was a lovely temporary fix. I may call up the chiro and just ask but i am honestly not so inclined to take him. I think i may start asking about homeopaths this time.

The probiotics are sitting in the fridge and i have used em for the 2 ear infections he has had but not any other time..maybe i need to do that and just see how it goes.

I wonder if the biopsy will show esinophils this time around. It didn’t when he had his first endoscopy.

Thank you for sharing the link. I will go read and maybe ask questions.

Right now we are looking at dosing my boy with claritin and nasonex since we recently found out he is allergic to grass and what do you know grass pollen just started flying around these parts around the same time his night time congestion started. Then the prevacid. And erythromycin to be added soon.

I think i better find a homeopath soon to see if there is any way we can at least get rid of the environmental allergy meds and whack at that congestion. Okay i am rambling now but i will go to that site!

Oh whoops forgot to answer a few of your questions i think…the biggest problem right now is the vomiting his food 2 hrs after eating..and that it doesn’t occur all the time but often enough and the fact that the food is not digested, just mashed from his molars make me take serious pause. I think the prevacid dose 25 mg of capsule is fine. He still glurps and isn’t too thrilled when he glurps but definitely doesn’t scream in pain like he used to when he was little. At night it is a lot of tossing and turning, calling out for mommy etc. I am not sure if that just the attachment or if that is more the trouble with breathing well due to congestion OR if it may be food intolerances that we haven’t been able to identify. He doesn’t have juices, no citrus, no chocolate(since he is milk free). No eggs yet since we have not done the in hospital egg challenge. That will be scheduled soon.

Andy recently surprised us with a wonderful jump in weight. From 50% percentile to 70%. Between 18-24 months he did this and well that is why at 20 months when the night time screaming started i was in denial about the reflux. I thought..hey he “outgrew” this at 14 months and he is doing well even with all the food restrictions..it can’t be reflux. I was wrong.

Oh and he started walking at 10 months. I didn’t notice a huge difference in his night waking or discomfort from reflux. When he started the erythromycin it seemed to help but again i couldn’t emphatically say YES that was it because i kept thinking that well he must be outgrowing the reflux especially the way he was doing so well at 13-14 months when he had outgrown the max dose of the compounded prilosec. And the 6 months that followed didn’t even make me think that the erythromycin was the key because he didn’t vomit. It wasn’t until month 20 that problems started up again.

Patty M2006-4-1 4:57:0

[hellbennt]

hmmm…meds help with the acid and the acid might be aggrevating everything and wreaking havoc on digestive system on the whole…

as for diet: maybe it’s the rice? although it’s on the elimination diet, it’s not unheard of for babies to react…what if you cut out rice and then try adding other things back in? again, the yahoo site is a bit better for this- I saw your post- I think maybe just ask ‘direct’ questions, like: baby has mucous/blood in stools, did/am doing total elimination diet, do i HAVE to quit breastfeeding? Please help! then go into longer explanation (you can copy & paste above post)

hmm…so you’re eating nothing in your diet right now but turkey sweet potatoes & brown rice? wowsa mama, you’re dedicated!! I just posted a plea of help for you over at the yahoo board…

hellbennt2006-3-31 23:43:29

[Anonymous]

I have done a lot of research that shows that cows milk causes allergies in many of us with symptoms mild enough that we do not show it. I breastfeed my son and if I have any form of dairy, Isaac is constipated and cranky. My other son cannot tolerate pediasure because he vomits. He is on a feeding tube. My 5 year old used to have asthma when drinking milk and my 7 year old had constant ear infections on milk. Out of 4 doctors none of them told me this. All of my children have rice milk and get their fats from avocados, almonds, sunflower seeds. They are very healthy and now visit the doctor once a year. I stick to a natural foods diet.