Search Results for 'breast feeding'

[hellbennt]

shrieking/howling nonstop

you could hear a GLERP sound in his belly-like an internal hiccup

he also had what is called Sandifer’s Symproms- he would arch his back (very severely) and turn so red it was almost purple- he did this at all times- nothing to do w/ eating. he would TRY to sleep and then I’d see him arching and turning red and it would wake him up and he’d howl…

he had torctilitus (cannot spell!) which can be a Sandifer’s symptom- twisting his head to one side- he would also stiffen up when doing this and stick out the opposite leg, very stiff & straight….

his diapers were normal ‘breastfed’ baby diapers…

he was breastfed and wanted to nurse constantly- called comfort-feeding. oftentimes when babies like him are gaining weight, drs tell you that they’re fine- we knew he WASN’T fine bcse he showed his reflux in the hospital after birth and wound up in the NICU…

[Anonymous]

I am new to this site, but have been dealing with reflux since my dd was about 2 months old (22 months old now). Thanks so much to everyone here. I already have learned so much.

I am taking my dd to her GI (who is a female NP in Dallas-has been open to listen and do what ever needed) for follow up vist Thursday. We have seen her since about Nov. I’m not sure that I don’t need to encourge some other course of treatment. Here is where we are now (I’ll try to just give the lastest info)

Currently on Bethanechol 2mg three time a day and Prevacid 15mg Solutab once a day. She is better since starting meds–she is gaining wt and eating, but still very uncomfortable at night–doesn’t sleep.

My dd has not slept well all her life. She maybe has slept all night (5+ hours) 10 times UNTIL I started giving her Prevacid first thing when she wakes up in the morning and then 30min later feed her (thanks to info here!) WOW she slept all night from 9pm-7:30 am for 2 weeks straight, and that was even with a cold! I even was able to drop a dose of Bethanechol (was 4/day) The only other change was about a week before, I made sure I feed her dinner about 30 min earlier. THEN BOOM!!! Her snacks/meals got off usual times and she had a large amount of dinner later than usual==bad night. After about a hour-two hours in bed asleep she began the usual symptoms—squirming, crying out suddenly but eyes still closed like she is not really awake, kicking legs, sitting up and going from end to end of bed. Nothing I or my husband try seems to comfort her. I try holding her up right, burping her, patting her bottom, rubbing her tummy. Other things I notice is often when she finally gets relief, it’s after she passes gas (toots). However I did happen to have her head near my ear last time and I noticed when her tummy tightened (like she was pushing to poop/toot) I heard what sounded like gulping. Next morning she seems fine (she is a very busy child so I think that’s why symptoms are not as aparent during the day). But, the big problem the next day, no POOP! She normally goes every day, if she doesn’t, usually = bad night. That night sure enough another bad night. Then last night I got her Bethanechol dose off schedule and she missed her bedtime dose—slept all night even though she did not poop. that was the first time she didn’t have the Bethanechol at bedtime.

SO……. Here are my questions/concerns:

1) Dd has never had any “testing”–scopes, or xrays or anything. Just guessing it’s reflux and here try this med, add this one, add this and see if she gets better. Do I need to ask for testing??? May sound like reflux, but what if it is not?? Is this the norm–just try meds. I don’t want to scope her or anything unless necessary. What if reflux is secondary to something else?

2)I read here that there are concerns about Bethanechol but not really sure what? Do I need to ASK for something else esp since she is still not sleeping?GI thinks dd needs something to help with constipation/slow motility issues so that’s why the Bethanechol. I read on the MERI site they use Perpulsid. she has taken MOM once day but doesn’t need it but every now and again lately.

3)The last time things were not going well the first thing the GI want to do is ADD Axid. Why add another PPI? Is it b/c she thinks she is maxed out on Prevacid? I tried adjusting this and that and she got better but not much and I did not start the AXID.

4) M_PI–I went dairy free(when she was still breastfeeding some) and dd has been dairy free since Aug of last year. Seems ok with soy I guess. Dd never had blood in her stool, but very early on she seemed extra gassy after I had milk. I don’t know if she really has this, maybe its the soy too. I try to make sure she gets enough calcium with soy milk, and cereal, but she is not a veggie esp broccli kind of girl. Should I asked to have her calcium checked? Any thing else I should be concerned about if she isn’t having milk?

O my…. I can’t believe my post is sooooo long, sorry :< Hope it makes sense, trying to hurry and type this while dd is alseep

I just would like someone else’s opinion.

Thanks for your time and attention.

[hellbennt]

yup. YOU are the mama!

any reason to stop breastfeeding?

we support you all the way!

just want to know if you need more support to continue breastfeeding

or if you want us to shut up about it

[Anonymous]

I really feel for you! I don’t have a lot of time right now, in-laws visiting in town, but the quick answer is that you can try eliminating the top allergens. Not necessarily all at hte same time. Wheat AND gluten are major culprits for things like this, my son was intolerant to wheat, gluten, soy, beef and dairy. OTher top allergens that can also cause intolerances would be: fish &/or shellfish, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, — I’m drawing a blank. Check here for top allergens for babies: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041800.asp

Breastfeeding is totally best if you can stand to play with your diet. I’ll be the first to say it is VERY difficult and hard to figure out, but if you are really dedicated to the nursing it is possible. I’m struggling with finding out what my youngest is having problems with and just haven’t gone whole hog wtih the elimination diet yet. I’m scared of how much work it will be and how little I’ll be eating! But I’ve survived on a very limited diet with my oldest one and actually felt very healthy once I figured it out. it is completely possible, and the best for your baby. It’s hard to think about formulas with food intolerances and allergies because they have such a corn syrup base and you just don’t know exactly how they are processed. For example, I could be wrong but I don’t know that they say on formulas that they guarantee to be gluten free. Just something to htink about. HANG IN THERE!! You can do it if you really want to and we are here to help. Ask away if you have more thoughts. Good luck.

[hellbennt]

sleeping is often a big key to what is going on, as is poops and of course crying & fussiness, etc…it might be time to try neocate or elecare (chicagotom) to see if after 2 weeks sleep improves any. if sleep does improve, you can try and get insurance to cover the neocate…

as for the breastfeeding mama: there are many posts and lots of support on here if you’d like to continue breastfeeding and you need help with your diet-there have been many successful breastfeeding mamas here…

[Anonymous]

This situation we are both in is very tough on the child and on my wife and I. I feel your pain. As for Nutramigen, it has helped immensely. Before starting him on that and my wife changing her diet, Keemy was crying all the time. Morning, afternoon, evening he was always crying and we had no idea what it was from as our now former pedicatrician told us he was just collicky and that things would get better. However, after going to a Pediatric GI specialist at the University of Chicago, she told us there was an issue with the protein in milk and soy and started him on Nutramigen AA and it began to work almost immediately.

My wife still breastfeeds but is going to be stopping soon as Keemy is not liking her milk as much and it has gotten harder with my wife going back to work and such. The changing of her diet helped, but I am still of the belief that it is nearly impossible to eliminate all milk and soy products. We read labels and try really hard but sometimes I get the feeling that there is still an issue with the breastmilk. I am not advising you stop the breastfeeding but at some point you have to ask yourself if the breastfeeding is doing your child more harm than good. My wife and I are not in agreement with this topic right now as she wants to continue and I do not.

The only negative about the Nutramigen is that it is expensive. It costs about $170.00 for four 14.1oz cans of it with shipping. However, if it helps your child and such it is money well spent in my mind.

Your son and my son sound the same with the sleeping. Does he sleep at all during the night? Does he ever take naps? My son rarely takes naps and does so for only 20 minutes or so in our arms. He is always moving his arms and legs and just seems to be restless in general. Did your doctor give you any suggestions to help the sleep or did he/she just say that with time it will get better?

The last thing I will tell you and I say this to my wife all the time….stay strong and stay positive. Things will get better. We have gone to many doctors and all of them tell us this is not a problem that will inhibit his development. Rather this is a nuisance for the baby and for us as parents. I can’t tell you when it will end as I am wondering the same thing but know there are people out there and on this board that are here to give advice and lend an ear. We are all trying to help each other and we will all make it through this tough stage.

[Anonymous]

I still am not getting anywhere with my son. Here is a little background incase others are not familiar with me. My son is 5.5 months old and has reflux (prilosec 2xdaily) and possibly an intolerance to something? I have been dairy free for over a month. I have been soy free for about 2 weeks. I also started to eliminate wheat. Since I have done all of this I have seen no change. Still mucus in his stool, tested + for blood once. I did have it test about a week ago and it was -. He has eczema all over his torso and his head is majorly itching although there is no visible eczema on his head. He has fluid in his ears no infections yet. He has the lines under his eyes that indicate allergy.

He has been tested and tested – both by skin and blood.

I am just at a loss of what to do. I am eating nothing but lettuce and craberries and he isnt getting better? I just wanted to know if there was anyone out there who was breastfeeding couldnt figure it out then turned to formula? If so did it work? I dont want to close the door on breastfeeding if formula wont work. What formula do I try? Alimentum? I dont want to use neocate b/c the first ingredient is corn syrup??

Here are some other concerns:

I know others have said this in some other posts and it is controversial but here it goes. I am so worried about autism. I really think the gut has something to do with it so this really makes me nervous. And of course yesterday while searching about corn syrup the first thing I find is someone posting about there 3 year old son who was on neocate from 2 months on was suspected autistic. So that didnt settle well. I am not saying neocate caused it but that father was questioning it b/c the first ingredient was corn syrup?

Also if I dont figure out what is bothering him am I harming him? I just am at a loss as to what to do for him. He isnt fussy, he is happy just doesnt sleep well. He is so itchy from his eczema. If anyone can help me I would appreciate it. Most ppl look at me like this isnt common and have no clue what I should do.

[Anonymous]

We just went through the same testing and it was negative too. I am curious are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding? I am breastfeeding and have pulled so much from my diet and am not seeing any differences. I have thought about formula but at this point I am worried that wont work then I have closed the door on breastfeeding??

[Anonymous]

Good morning! It has been a month or so since my last post. My son Keemy is now 4.5 months old and suffers from protein intolerance from milk and soy as well as having severe reflux based on an Upper GI that was done.

Currently, he is taking 11.25 mg of Prevacid. (7.5mg in the morning and 3.75 in the evening) He is using Nutramigen AA formula right now with a little breast milk, which we are weening him off of as he does not seem to like it as much.

Anyways, over the course of the last few months Keemy is always twisting and turning and waking up every two hours to be fed. With the severe reflux I can understand having to feed him frequently as he does not get the kinds of big feedings a child with reflux does not have. However, the twisting, turning and crying in the night is continuing and even last night my wife or myself were up with him all night long. When he was sleeping, he was turning, fidgeting, and just going on about in a nervous fashion.

That all being said, is what I am describing normal for a severe reflux baby? Is there anything we can do to help Keemy out at night? He is sleeping in our bed on an Acid Reflux Pillow but he is always moving and it is hard on my wife and I. Also, for those who have experience with a child who has or had severe reflux, can you give me a timeline on when things got better for him/her? Did it take 8 months? 1 year? 2 years?

Thanks in advance!
Tom

[hellbennt]

adding cereal to breastmilk doesn’t really work…I’m sorry to say..there are enzymes in the breastmilk that break down the cereal

http://www.kellymom.com is an excellent breastfeeding resource…

it may or may not be something in your diet- if poops are ‘normal’ yellow/mustardy seedy breastfed baby poops (occasional green is normal! just not frequent green) then it might not be your diet…if poops are mucousy (looks like snot or the strings from a banana) all the time and are green all the time then it might be something in your diet- als oif baby has foul-smelling gas and seems to grunt and strain to pass gas or to pass a stool- then it might be your diet…

anyway I would get to a ped Gi- sounds like your ped is very old-fashioned (telling you to thicken feeds- this can also interfere with your supply) and gripe water- there’s a link somewhere that explains why/how gripe water isn’t always the best for these babies- use the search button on the upper right-hand corner of the screen and choose ‘all forums’ and ‘6 months and OLDER’ to learn from past posters…I usually am the QUEEN of links, lol, but my computer is fried and i don’t have access (or the time to search) to my usual links…i appologize…hang in there! have you gone and read ‘groupie intro’? it will help a LOT! go to the Introduce Yourself Forum and it’s the top post there…

[Anonymous]

For those of you with children with celiac or gluten intolerances. If you breastfed did you notice the issue while breastfeeding or was it when you started solids.

I am thinking my son has an issue with wheat. He is breastfed. Does that mean he has an issue with gluten or is that different?

[Anonymous]

Dainne had some really good info. I couldn’t use soy lecithin with Reidun. Within 24 hrs of earing something bad I could tell with her–and then it took two weeks of eating clean for her to return to normal.

We also held off on many vaccines with her. She doesn’t have her MMR yet–we plan to give to her this summer. I’m nervous about that.

Perhaps you should try Neocate? and then pump while using it so you can go back to breastfeeding? Like you said–your son might not even have intolerances! The MSPI diet can be so hard!!

The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook by Cybele Pascal was a lifesaver for me–I felt like I was starving before I got her book.

Good luck!

Heidi 🙂

[Anonymous]

Another question…what I am finding is that the green mucousy stools occur during the first couple of poos of the day (in the morning) and they progressively become more yellow and normal like. I am wondering whether this is because the OAL is more noticeable during the early hour feeds???? And therefore the stools may be more due to OAL and/or a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance? I am going to try dairy and soy on MOnday (its my birthday so it is as good a day as any to test the theory!)

By the by, does anyone know of a good breastfeeding forum?

xo

[Anonymous]

Hi MorrisonKM,

I also suggest the probiotics. We used Nature’s Way Primadophilus for children (a powder you can mix with water, b-milk or formula) with my oldest (now four) and are currently useing Florastor with my six month old baby. Both children do not do well if I have/had dairy or soy while breastfeeding. Removing all dairy and soy, including “hidden” meaning an ingrediant in a food from the store or in your own baking, is essential to getting the diet going properly. My little one even seems to react to soy lecithin…(VERY sad for me as my favorite cookies from Trader Joes have soy lecithin –as do most store bought cookies) haha. Anyway, often controlling your diet and doing the probiotic can make a HUGE difference with these little ones. My son tested negative for all food allergies– formal allergies– and he is just now at age four and half able to eat wheat. We are still off dairy, he was eating soy by about age two, and we added beef right after his fourth birthday. Normally, children grow out of intolerances even sooner than my son, so there’s hope for you.

Oh, the Nature’s Way probiotic I get at Whole Foods or even your locally owned health food store should be able to get it, and the Florastor you can get from the Target pharmacy or Walgreens. It was cheaper for us to get the 20 pack at Target than at Walgreens. The Florastor has lactase or lactose (I can’t remember which) in it, but even though the baby can’t deal with any dairy (milk, butter, yogurt) she takes the Florastor fine and it seems to help her quite a bit. So, sometimes you just have to experiment. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

correct me if I am wrong, but you don’t need to feel breast engorgement to have overactive letdown? IIt seem to have it, but never really feel engorgement and don’t leak at all..just have the tell tale green frothy poos. do know feeding on just one breast for the night feeds and and early morning ones has stopped the behaviour you descrive.

I agree with all the other mums, get the meds right and then look at diet if need be.