AnonymousInactive
I’d seriously ask to see a differnt Dr in the practic eto get hat referall. If they will not do that I owuld switch and get seen. A GI can hlep you wil all the TED stuff.
Beleives me, as soneone who in on the formula end with a GERDling….you will have a much easier time if you can do the TED…really.
Not to make formulas sound daunting….but….I know Mothers who search for months and months and months and naver find the right formula that will work for their child.
Witht he sturggles we ahd I wish there had been some way we could have nursed. Jedd’s compounded medical issues just would not allow it though.
That is the single most decision I would have liked to change.
I even own a Medela pump. but the stress of Jedd’s issues pretty much dried me up real fast.
The ladies here are the best with the TED so please ask them about it!!!!
You *can* do this….
AnonymousInactive
OK, this is off topic, but Laura, I am so proud of myself for being able to find that post…lol.
AnonymousInactive
Here is the milk/soy free list just in case you decide to go down that path. 🙂
AnonymousInactive
Blythe,
I just thought I would add my two cents. I am currently BF my LO, but am having to supplement due to weight issues (however, from what you said, you LO is still gaining weight…my daughter went one month and had weight loss, but before that she was only averaging 1lb/month).
OK first, and I know you aren’t going to want to hear it, but I think food eliminating is going to do a world of good for you. Especially when you say formula makes reflux worse and avoiding peanuts made things better. What you describe was McKenzie before I eliminated foods out of my diet. McKenzie was so sensitive in the beginning that even though I had taken out a TON of food in my diet, the small amount of lactose (that can contain milk proteins) was bothering her. We got her on compounded prevacid and she was a new baby. I know it is hard to eliminate food from your diet…this is my second time with it. For Brianna I only had to do dairy and soy. With McKenzie is has been much more. But it is doable and things will be better. I actually agree with eliminating things one at time. IF I am brave enough to have a third (I am done, DH wants to try for a son one more time) I will do it that way. This way you will really be able to tell what is working and not second guess things which is what I seem to feel happens to me when I take a lot out and then add things back in. Also, 90% of the time (OK I made that up, but really it is most of the time) the culprit is dairy and soy. If you go extreme it is very taxing so I say, go the path of least resistance at first…it is hard enough having a LO. 😉 You said taking out peanuts helped. Next I would try dairy, and from what you said, I would do ALL dairy (hidden included). There is still tons of food you can eat that way. If you still have problems then I would do soy and then gluten. That will get you on a good start. Also, you do need to get a new formula if you do this. I would try Alimentum/Nutramagin first. McKenzie had to go all the way to Neocate, but we tried Alimentum frist. Feel free to PM me if you want to talk more about the food stuff…I can give you a LOT of good ideas. Also, I will do a search in a sec for the dairy/soy free list
The other thing I would ask about is getting on a different form of prevacid. Some super sensitive babies are that way. And I would demand a referral. I can’t believe they won’t give you one, I was given one no questions asked…it is a baby for goodness sakes, they can’t tell you what is wrong.
As for the scale, I think that will be helpful to know exactly how much Averi is getting. I rented one with Brianna in the very beginning. My milk always takes 1-2 days past average so I have to really work those first few days to make sure the baby doesn’t lose too much weight. It was nice to see how much she got in her, like the PP said so I would know how much, if any, formula to give.
I honestly am still not sure what happened to me. McKenzie had plenty of wet diapers and poops and still no weight gain. My Ped said that sometimes milk isn’t fatty enough, but I ate tons of fat in chips and oil and stuff so really I just don’t know. But I do know that once I started supplementing, it was like my body relaxed and EVERYTHING got so much better. I still can’t eat dairy or soy or gluten, and am limited on sunflower seeds and citrus (long story on the last two). But McKenzie is much better than she was. Good luck and keep us updated (oh and sorry for the long post)
AnonymousInactive
Yes, Evan most definitely prefers it in breastmilk but actually (b/c I haven’t had any in the fridge for over a week) he’s been taking it in water very easily lately.
Let me know if it goes better w/ the brstmilk… are you giving it to him laying flat on his back? When I give it to Evan any other way he spits it back out.
erinntx2008-09-15 22:01:53
AnonymousInactive
I can’t believe they won’t give you referral… that sucks & I feel for you. I would definitely fax for that plus for increase of med.
To answer your earlier question: we used to split the solutabs w/ a pill cutter (around $3 @ a drugstore).
AnonymousInactive
i had similar problems with bfing in the beginning! What I did ended up working– don’t give up. You are so dedicated and doing a great job!
Did you rent a hospital grade pump? This saved me. I pumped after every feeding for about 2 weeks. Yes, it was a ton of work, but do-able. Do you have help with your other kid-lets? the hospital pump sucks it all out. I was actually able to supplement with breastmilk even though i didn’t have a great milk supply.
I, too, rented the scale. I loved that thing! It will really help you because you’ll know how much to supplement.
For me, what would happen is that Finn would breastfeed forever… and then I would still be able to pump out 3+ ounces after he had bfd for 45 minutes – an hour. we set up appoinments with an OT (the ‘suck consultant’) b/c i was about to lose it. I would bf, pump and then feed finn what I pumped. the whole process took an hour + , and he’d be ready to eat again 45 minutes later!!
We never ended up seing the OT, b/c one day I just decided to take off the nipple shield and he went to town (he was about 10 pounds at that point). I weighed him, and he got a good amount more. I think he just eventually got his suck organized and was able to figure it out. My LC always told me this would happen at some point and i think it happened just in time to save my sanity.
so….hang in there. i really recommend that pump… you’ll love the scale–i wish i owned one! I did (and still do) take a ton of fenugreek capsules, drank mother’s milk tea, took brewers yeast and also a tincture called maxi-milk… but i think the hospital pump did the trick.
good luck!
I’m angry for you! If you want a referral they should GIVE you a referall. Jeesh!
it’s up to you if you want to get a pill cutter and give an extra 1/2 a pill to see if it helps any?
I would FAX the doctor REQUESTING a referall. this way, it’s in WRITING and G-d forbid anything would happen it’s in WRITING that was what you wanted…
And/or you can fax about the meds:
AnonymousInactive
thanks– I just tried giving the probiotic (dairy/soy free) in water and he puked it right back up! maybe i’ll try it in breastmilk next time….
AnonymousInactive
Thanks for walking through this with me. I asked my ped for a referral to a Ped GI and they said no until I have done all the elimination diet stuff. Honestly, the elimination diet thing is so overwhelming I can’t bring myself to do it. I’m such a creature of habit, I’m afraid I wouldn’t know what to eat and would end up eating nothing. It’s like one more thing to worry about ya know?
I’m going to make a another appt with my ped this week. The problem is that it’s a group practice. The doctor who has started down this road with me is now on maternity leave, so I have to start over with another doc.
lilsprstr2008-09-15 12:59:00
AnonymousInactive
I would work with a ped GI to get meds upped. I know with us the GI was way more wilign to up the doeses than the pedi. The GI just knows so much more about reflux and it’s meds so they are more willing to do it.
Other than that, you can’t “make” them do it…*sigh* even when the child needs it.
I think you can split the solutabs with a pill splitter for different doses. It now th emost exact way but it may work.
Hoepfully someone who has the DS or DD on it will chime in.
AnonymousInactive
Thank you for all the suggestions. The LC did check her mouth and is not tongue tied, her mouth looked perfect, except that she has a slightly high palette.
Jessica,
How awful what you had to go through with poor Jedd. I don’t think that is the case with Averi, but you’re right, it’s worth looking into.
How do I go about getting her medication increased? I asked about it at her 2 mo well check and they said she is on the right dosage for her weight. Since she’s on a solutab I don’t know how I would split it up. 
lilsprstr2008-09-15 11:57:54
AnonymousInactive
I just wanted to chime in that your situation sounds VERY similar to how my daughter would feed and act while/after nursing. I also had plenty of milk, but she just wasn’t getting it.
For us, it was a REFLUX pain issue. She would try to nurse, find it painful and quit trying. She didn’t have a great latch either and the reflux only added to the problems. She would also down bottles, but in her case, I think she was trying to kill the afterburn of the reflux.
I notice that she is only getting 15 mgs once a day and my gut tells me that isn’t enough for her. I could always tell when it was time to up Claire’s Prevacid dose because she would start having nursing problems again.
Marci kids suggests that they get the doses spread out during the day – at least 2 x’s a day and really probably need 3. I would check out their dose calculator and see if it’s time to raise her dose and try spacing it out during the day. Then, maybe she will be more comfortable and start to nurse better for you.
AnonymousInactive
jilly78 wrote:
Just another idea- a friend of mine is going through a similar issue and her baby is tongue-tied. She is taking her to get her frenulum(sp) snipped so she can latch on. (she was able to latch on to a bottle, but could nto get a good latch on to the breast) just another idea. I hope it’s not a heart issue. HUGS & prayers.
That is SOO TRUE!!!! I have known a MOther who had this issue and as soon as the child got clipped they breastfed WONDERFULLY!!!! I’d def. ask the LC about that as well.
AnonymousInactive
Just another idea- a friend of mine is going through a similar issue and her baby is tongue-tied. She is taking her to get her frenulum(sp) snipped so she can latch on. (she was able to latch on to a bottle, but could nto get a good latch on to the breast) just another idea. I hope it’s not a heart issue. HUGS & prayers.
