Search Results for 'breast feeding'

[hellbennt]

first of all: hang in there!

1) what I would do is look at your diet. The constipation is a BIG RED FLAG!

I would either start with milk and soy or just go full force and do the Total Elimination Diet (TED). It sounds like you’re ‘desperate’ enough to try it. I did it. It’s not too hard and it was SO WORTH IT for me to do it. It was worth it in MY case to learn that it was NOT my diet (except for a few foods) that was affecting my baby’s reflux. It can be helpful to find out WHAT foods, IF ANY, are affecting baby. You said you cut out milk for a week. Sorry to say, you’ll have to cut out ALL milk and soy (or just do the TED) for a good 2 or 3 weeks and that means HIDDEN ingredients like casin, whey, rhennet, etc. You MUST check lables very carefully! So in your case, ESPECIALLY with the constipation, I would do the TED.

2) once you’re addressing diet, I would also address medications. You say you gave Prevacid 30mgs 2x a day? 60 mgs a day? I would go to http://www.marci-kids.com and figure out the proper dose for her weight. OR, give 15mgs 2x a day. What KIND of prevacid? solutabs? if so, were you giving on an empty stomach, followed by a meal 30 minutes later? anyway, what I would do is: use whatever form of prevacid you have on hand to get started and, in the meantime, get some Buffer Babies (also referred to as Caracream): https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11191&PID=94236#94236

3) NEXT: I would figure out the proper dose of zantac. I would give this ALSO. just make sure to give 4 hrs seperate from the prevacid.

how much does baby weigh? highest dose is 10mgs per kilo & I can help w/ the math, LOL! don’t just take my word on the dosing- it’s here:

Zantac dosing- my/other’s question: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9539&PID=82914#82914

4) I would not quit breastfeeding. That’s just me. Because once you go down the road of trying every single formula you might be headed towards even more frustration and aggrevation. You can make your milk like neocate! that’s what’s great about the TED. there is A LOT of info on this board about doing the TED and what you CAN eat as opposed to what you CAN’T eat. Focus on the positive! It’s just 3 weeks! And then you’ll have some great answers!

5) I would skip the reglan for now.

6) I would also ask dr. for CARAFATE. you’ll have to ask one of us for the timing of this med. We can ask Sheri, our resident pharmacist or Beth, who’s dh is a pharmacist, LOL. Carafate is like a super duper teflon coating (it’s NOT TEFLON!) for the esophogus and stomach to help it heal. It’s like a band-aid in that it’s not for long-term use- it’s just to get things better for a bit as you figure it all out.

so there! LOTS of ideas!

[Anonymous]

Hi! My baby is 3 1/2 months old. She has been spitting up 90% of her feedings since she was about 2 weeks old. Everything I can think of has been done pretty much. I’ve tried zantac, reglan, and prevacid (30 mg 2x a day, weighed about 10 lbs when on it), 2 weeks each. None of them even took the edge off of her pain or throwing up. I actually think the reglan and prevacid made her act like she was in even more pain. I do give her the cherry mylanta a few times a day and that seems to at least help her sleep more peacefully. I tried no dairy, but just for a little over a week (I’m fully breastfeeding), didn’t seem to effect anything. I haven’t had wheat in 3 weeks now, and the first week I saw such a difference. But this last week she is almost worse than she was before I saw the improvement. She is throwing up at every single feeding litterally puddles, not just spit up. And after that she acts like her pain is over until she eats again. (which is pretty soon after since she doesn’t hold much down to fill her up). Last week I tried giving her Goodstart formula a few times to see if it was something to do w/ breastmilk, and used the Dr. Brown’s bottles because I read some good stuff about them on here, but she was even more uncomfortable and had about the same amount of spit up. And I don’t want to quit breastfeeding if it’s not neccessary. So I guess I’m hoping someone will give me more suggestions, I’ll try anything to help her! Oh, she’s also been constipated since she was born. The GI dr. told me to give her a suppository after 4 days and I have to every 4 days… very foul smelling gas.. Thanks again for listening and for any advice!

[Anonymous]

Yep Jill you’re right they will normally do an NG tube for about 2-4 months to see if it will help. Only with older children will they jump right to a G tube becuse well, it’s REALLY hard to place an NG down a big kids nose, they tend to scream kick fight, you get the picture…LOL ;-(

Lemoliana wrote: Thanks guys. The doctor was talking about a feeding tube due to swallowing issues and wanted to test them. He has SO much fluid in his throat he’s worried about asparating. I have him sleeping on his tummy because of the fluid. He wakes up smelling like puke, I have to change his sheets everytime I lay him down.

He gave him a sleep test but it didn’t go well. Cayden refused to go to sleep that night. I’m thinking of asking for another one because his sleeping pattern is getting bad. He has dark circles and puffy eyes from being SO tired.

He has also isn’t eating. He has had very little and I don’t know if it is my milk supply. My breast do not feel full like they usually do, and they have been painful with sharp pains after he feeds.

I agree it sounds like you need a swallow study done. I would also do an UGI so you can see why he is “pooling” liquid. Alot of kids with this issue have Clefts. Is this the case???? I imagine you would have said that already.

I would still get the UGI done to rule out structural isssues within the esophagus that coudl cause the pooling.

Sleeping on the belly is good in some cases with a GERD baby. I would jsut make sure the DR knows that you are doing this OK.

ALL that said to say this…..

IF the child has been evaled with a swallow study and is found to be aspirating while swallowing YES they will place and NG tube even if the child is healthy and is at a GREAT weight. If the swallowing is bad enough.

In that case the child will be put NPO (nothing by mouth) and a tube will be ordered to be palced. At that time as well you should be lined up with a serious SLP who can work through these issue.

I would NOT let them place the tube and put MY child NPO without getting am SLP lined up before hand. Because first of all the NG is going to make swallowing uncomfortable. And you could loose all oral skills very quickly.

Also the SLP will be able to make sure th child is swallowing safely when the child is allowed to swallow. they will also be able to tell you whcih consistancy to thinken the feeds to allow the child NOT to penetrate and aspirate. The swallow study shuld be done on liquids from thin all the way to solids. This will le tthe SLP know where the liquids need to be thickend to in order to avoid aspirations.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Sorry it took so long for me to pop back over, I had what I like to call an Alexandar day….a no good very bad horrible day….it’s a children’s book….LOL

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys. The doctor was talking about a feeding tube due to swallowing issues and wanted to test them. He has SO much fluid in his throat he’s worried about asparating. I have him sleeping on his tummy because of the fluid. He wakes up smelling like puke, I have to change his sheets everytime I lay him down.

He gave him a sleep test but it didn’t go well. Cayden refused to go to sleep that night. I’m thinking of asking for another one because his sleeping pattern is getting bad. He has dark circles and puffy eyes from being SO tired.

He has also isn’t eating. He has had very little and I don’t know if it is my milk supply. My breast do not feel full like they usually do, and they have been painful with sharp pains after he feeds.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, sleep is such a guessing game…it could be the different location or new bed.

But I just wanted to let you know that we saw ZERO improvement in Nathan on 15 mg Prevacid, even on 22.5 mg. The first time he didn’t cry ALL DAY long was a couple of days after starting 30 mg, and it helped greatly from then on. I think a lot of babies don’t get any relief til they get up to the marci-kids recommended dose (Nathan even needed a little higher for round-the-clock relief). I would def try to push for 30 mg/day if you can.

I see you mention food sensitivities and breastfeeding in your signature….do you feel you’ve got his protein intolerances (MSPI/MFPI?) under control yet? Just asking because that was also a huge piece of the puzzle for Nathan to have a happy tummy….he needed TED breastmilk for a long time, plus a high Prevacid dose.

Good luck and I hope things improve soon.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know if he has MSPI, we just put him on the soy when I stopped breastfeeding because we think he may be lactose intolerant, as I am. My previous ped. which I no longer go to, had me put him on Alimentum for a trial and he did horrible on that. It made him have severe gas and spit up all over the place. So far he is taking the Similac Sensitive RS very well, it is a milk based formula thickened with rice starch, but lactose free. Had I known about this formula then I would have tried it way sooner. My new ped. gave me a sample of it at his 2 month and I just got to try it today. He doesn’t seem to be as gassy, we’ll see if it affects his bm’s any differently. He has only been drinking it since this morning. I was able to totally eliminate thickening with the oatmeal cereal if I use the smallest nipple Avent makes, the slow flow. He can drink it without choking, gagging, etc…I am so excited about that. He hasn’t really spit up all day and has slept like an angel. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the solution, we shall see!

[Anonymous]

It is TOTALLY possible. I ate far less than that for a LONG time and did just fine. If you are really wanting to continue breastfeeding, you CAN DO IT!

[Anonymous]

Hmmmm I don’t know since I wasn’t successful with breastfeeding I am not much help. But I have heard many bad things about the shot from many people. Maybe a diaphragm would be your best bet for right now. But again I don’t think they are 100% either…. hmmmm. Makes you think.

[hellbennt]

I dunno…did the mini pill w/ both boys due to breastfeeding…maybe there’s a brand that doesn’t have lactose?

[Anonymous]

For my ds, he was very very congested until he was taken off of a milk based formula and put on Elecare (amino acid based formula). Poor kid could barely breathe. He also grunted terribly b/c his poor little GI system couldn’t handle the milk proteins he was getting from his formula.

IMO, the best things to do for the congestion are:

1. get the intolerances taken care of. Have her stool tested for microscopic blood (fecal hemoccult test) which is a sign of intolerances. Your pedi should be able to do this for you. Even if the hemoccult comes back negative, try the TED (total elimination diet) if you are breastfeeding and an elemental formula (Neocate or Elecare) for formula feeding.

2. run a humidifier(s) in your home

3. use regular saline and squirt it up her nose and let everything run down the back of her throat. Use a bulb syringe to suction her out minimally (2 or so times per day). Something that is very easy to do is to oversuction which will only make the congestion worse.

Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Hi. My husband and I are new to this site… but we’re so happy to have found it. I “introduced” us in the intro forum, but here I am, as we’re having a hard night. Today/night was the WORST of any of our days so far. Overall, our baby girl (3 weeks) doesn’t have really bad reflux… I mean, it’s bad for her and bad for us to watch her have, but in comparison with others, it’s not horrible. However, today she’s been getting marjorly sick after every feeding… I couldn’t even use the normal 2 birp rags I normally use… I used a blanket and by the end it was saturated. To make it worse, my husband is out of town for the weekend. Called the dr… they are having me give her small amounts of pedialite for a little while, then small amounts of breast milk… she’s also screaming because of course, after throwing up virtually everything I’ve fed her, she’s hungry, but the dr doesn’t want her to have breastmilk until she holds down some pedialite…

Anyway – I’m sorry I’m rambling… just sad, discouraged and worried about her. Thanks for “listenting” to me vent…

[Anonymous]

I’m so glad to hear that it’s not Hirschsprung’s! Good news.

Just my 2 cents…

Your son’s pooping story sounds very similar to Hailey’s. Hailey pooped well on her own when I was breastfeeding. As soon as I added formula into the mix, things started going badly. She couldn’t poop, and we in fact ended up in the ER when she hadn’t gone for 5 days despite suppositories and needed to be disimpacted with an enema!… not fun at all! At the time, she was on soy formula. Three doctors told me that we had to get her off it, as soy was notorious in causing bad constipation in babies without any other tendencies toward constipation, and for causing very severe constipation in babies with a tendency toward it already. We did stop the soy. DGE is sometimes a factor, but typically is not the whole cause, from what I’ve been told. It tends more to be diet related at this age, with DGE making it worse. Our daughter has DGE, but meds to help this did nothing to improve her constipation. She had been constipated on all formulas we tried. Unfortunately, her severe oral aversion made it hard for us to get laxatives into her easily. We didn’t have access to miralax as we are in Canada and had to make due with what we had, but it has been a chronic problem. Sadly, she is 3.5 and this is still a problem for us. She needs to take miralax daily, and even then she is now so anal retentive that getting her to poop is a chore that’s sometimes impossible.

Sorry for the ramble, After the test, I would ask the doc for a practical plan for how to treat this. No one took it seriously for us. They didn’t understand that getting a baby to take 20ml of laxative a day, in addition to reflux meds 3 times a day, and DGE meds 4 times a day was impossible, so they ignored it. If it doesn’t get controlled before they start having lots of bad hard poop experiences it can be difficult. Thankfully for you, you have a lot a time before you reach this stage as your son is still young.

Ask your doc about gentle laxatives you can try. Also ask if you can try adding benefibre to his bottle.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Hey there, Erin is giving you some great advice here. And I just wanted to concur. And to say that we are here to support a breastfeeding mama! Don’t let naysers get you down. I think all of us breasfeeding moms have heard the “why don’t you just try formula” speech from all angles. Hang in there. If it is important to you, try to keep focused on that and know that you are doing the absolute best for your baby.

It does get better. I promise. I thought I was going to lose my mind those first several months, but once I got my diet figured out, Ben on the right medicine, it became much easier. I nursed him for 20 months when I thought I would be lucky to make it to 6! It really is doable.

[Anonymous]

oh yeah, abou the stools…her stool used to be green and very ripe smelling. This seems to be better, especially the odor, since I recently went off of beef and pork. Her gas improved even more since we added probiotics (although sometimes I am wondering if there is somethign in her probiotics that bother her mildly–solaray babylife). The green and sometimes mucousy stool appears to be related to what I eat. As I am getting back tothe basic TED, her stools are more regularly yellow/green seedy and normal breastfeeding smelly. However, when we have bad nights her stools are usually green and mucousy again.

[hellbennt]

I see that somone said if you are on this forum you need to see a GI specialist?

that MIGHT have been ME (sounds like me, LOL!), but I don’t quite think I said you MUST or NEED?

if I did, then let me explain myself:

if you’ve found this forum, chances are that things are bad enough, and you are desperate enough, that it certainly would not hurt to get to a ped GI…it usually takes a while to even get an appointment, so I would suggest to make the appointment, as you can always cancel it if things get miraculously better down the road & I certainly hope they do!!!

I would go for the stool tests- why not? This should mean they are looking for ‘hidden’ blood- then you would know for sure if you are dealing with an intolerance or allergy. now, even if there is no blood, it still could be that baby is intolerant to particular proteins being ingested via your diet/your milk so, you might just want to start there, with a stool test and see what happens.

what are baby’s stools like? regular, mustardy/seedy breastfed baby stools? occasional green stools are ok! You just don’t want *every* diaper to be green. same goes for mucous. are baby’s diapers frequently mucousy (looks like snot- can be ‘stringy’ )? again, SOME is ok, just not the majority…are they green & foamy, like shaving cream? watery & green? these can be signs of OAL:

about OAL (overactive letdown):

http://www.users.qwest.net/~fsdebra1/refluxoal.html

http://www.lalecheleague.org.nz/articles/gaining_gulping_grimacing.htm

you say she’s getting 15mgs 2x a day. that’s great! is it solutabs? if so, are you giving on an empty stomach, followed by a meal 30 minutes later? this is hard when breastfeeding…how long has she been taking the solutabs (correctly)?

if it’s under 2 weeks, you’ve got to give it a good two weeks…

Also: please check out http://www.marci-kids.com

you ask if there’s a maximum dose- there is- kind of- it goes by age & weight of the baby- look for the dosing calculator- if it confuses you then please post in the Medicines forum so we can help you decipher it, as it can be confusing…

but you do say she’s on 30mgs total so that should ‘do’ it…

I know you don’t have time to check out too many links- I’ve only given you what I think will help you & answer your questions

in summary:

I think that if you’re giving the solutabs on an empty stomach, followed by a meal 30 minutes later AND if stools are ‘normal’ then, if it were ME (and this is ME here, not you of course), then I would do the TED out of desperation. I actually DID do the TED out of desperation…

hang in there!!!