Search Results for 'breast feeding'

[hellbennt]

umm yeah, there was the time that john walked into jonah’s room to find jonah dragging ari by the arms across the floor…ari didn’t really even complain much, I think he was puzzled as to what the heck was going on…

ANYWAY: the best advice I ever got was to never ‘blame’ the baby when I was busy with something- so for example, if I was changing Ari and Jonah was hollering for me to come to him, then I’d say “Mama’s hands are busy right now, I’ll be right there!” This sounds like such a ‘small’ thing, but I truly feel it helped! This way it was my hands that were to ‘blame,’ not Ari or ‘the baby’

as for breastfeeding: another piece of advice I got & used was this: first thing, even at the hospital, when I breastfed Ari, I snuggled up w/ Jonah and he had a snack (snack time for baby and for big brother) and some juice (a treat bcse at home he doesn’t get juice, lol) and I read him a book. Actually, the book was ‘from’ Ari- I said “look Jonah, here’s a book that Ari is giving you!” (you could even wrap it up- I didn’t but that’s because I don’t really wrap anything)…so I did this a lot at the beginning- used my brestfriend nursing pillow (LOVE THIS!!!) and got Ari all situated to breastfeed him and then I would give a small snack (string cheese or apple slices, whatever) to Jonah & read him a book or two…

does Marianna have a favorite doll or stuffed animal? you could give her a newborn diaper and she could pretend to change her baby, etc…I gave Jonah a doll sling, LOL!!! here’s Jonah wearing his moose:

http://shutter07.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/06/002/7F/6E/13/52/EQe7ZRsblUYobvmNubERY-4QBqVhm4zp0300.jpg

So I think helping her feel important, needed, etc will help. She can bring you things (diaper, wipes, or just make things up that you ‘need’ LOL!) and you & dh can make a BIG DEAL how she’s SUCH A GOOD HELPER!!!!

[Anonymous]

Yes, we use 1/3 goat’s milk and 2/3 Goodstart soy. When Bryce was on breastmilk we would fortify it with goat’s milk powder for extra calories. When we weaned him from breastmilk we tried to go to goat’s milk but he couldn’t tolerate 100% (I think goat’s milk has a lot of protein). We then tried the goodstart soy formula and he did fine with that. We use part goat’s milk formula mainly because it’s cheaper than the formula. He does well with the combo. (He has a feeding tube, by the way, so that’s why he has to be on formula still at age 2).

[Anonymous]

Ok…Ariella’s scaring me a little. Whenever DH shows any affection (hugging me, touching the belly to feel the baby move), Ariella runs up to him and screams “no” while trying to push him away. What’s going on?? I’m scared now! How is she going to react when she sees me holding the baby or breastfeeding it? I’m really worried now!

[Anonymous]

I agree with the other posters that you should not automatically give up breastfeeding. I hope that my previous post did not give off that kind of impression. For us, I really did have a supply issue. When I gave Jackson formula, his crying dramatically reduced and he started to gain a healthy amount of weight. His reflux was still there and I know that he probably spits up more now that he is on formula, but he NEEDED the formula. He was truly not getting enough from me. I think that true supply issues are rare, however, and you should continue breastfeeding if you can. No matter what- you are a great Mom and you should not let yourself feel guilt. I have told myself that same thing one hundred times!

[Anonymous]

Swaddling, sushing, white noise from a sound machine, breastfeeding, bouncing, babywearing in my mei tai, and I’m sure there’s more, but it’s been awhile so I’ve forgotten. I’m planning for baby 3 soon so I will be back soon and I’m sure asking myself. I know I’m crazy.

[Anonymous]

I hope I haven’t found you too late. To agree with hellbent it may not at all be a problem with your supply. If your baby has reflux that may be the very reason she is not gaining as much weight. Many babies that are formula fed also have weight issues due to their reflux. As much as peditricians should know about breastfeeding they just don’t. They know about formula and formula fed babies. I would encourage you to check out the things hellbent has suggested. You can attend a La Leche League meeting for free. No matter what the case is you are not a bad mommy. A bad mommy is one who does not care and you obiviously care about your baby very much. I feel that I should share my story with my older child. I took him to the peds office very early on telling them of all the things that he was doing and I was told that I was not providing enough for my baby. So, I was told to supplement. My lo decided he didn’t want to breastfeed anymore and would only take the bottle with formula after that. The formula did not at all make things better and we eventually figured out it was reflux. I was determined with my second to breastfeed and again was told by another dr. that I needed to do formula because he had a milk allergy. Thankfully I knew enough this time to know that I could just stop doing dairy. My second refluxer did so much better than my first and I think the breastfeeding had a lot to do with it. All that to say the drs. don’t always know whats right.

[Anonymous]

My doctors have never mentioned the possibility of MSPI with Jackson. He was diagnosed with reflux at around 4-5 weeks old when I was breastfeeding. He used to be a silent refluxer, but really spits up ALOT now. He has recently started to have a lot of gas (both ends) and it seems to have gotten worse when we increased his dose of prevacid. I have also noticed that it has smelled quite a bit worse on the increased dose of prevacid (Sorry if TMI). He has never had any significant diaper rashes. He does seem to have itchy eyes quite often and will sometimes rub his nose on my shirt when I am rocking him. What am I supposed to be looking for with a MSPI? Why have the doctors not mentioned this possibility? Is there a symptom that Jackson is not displaying that would be a tell tale sign of MSPI? Should I try to switch his formula to see if his reflux reduces? He is on Enfamil Gentlease and we use Dr. Brown bottles exclusively. I will say that when I was breastfeeding, I eliminated all milk products from my diet for a few weeks and did not notice much change. However, that time was very difficult and it seems like one big blur at this point. Advice?

[Anonymous]

I agree, you are a wonderful mommy! Especially with the TED, I tried it and it didn’t work, now I realize I wasn’t careful enough about reading labels. I think you are amazing! We also had one that gained weight well for the longest time, simply because I was BF’ing him 20 minutes of every hour through the day!

I’m not sure about your BF’ing situation – would it help you to take a time out and stay in bed with her, nursing all day as much as possible, for at least a weekend or so, to increase your supply? Would it help to pump between feedings, or to try supplements like fenugreek and oatmeal? Are you drinking lots of water? Maybe you could try pumping and mixing it with formula to start? I had to do that with my guy because he flat out refused the formula. I started with say 5oz of pumped breastmilk + 1oz formula, and then slowly increased the formula, until he would take it ok.

[hellbennt]

congratulations on having a sweet new baby!!!!

if you’re worried about aspiration, then I’d call the GI and ask about how to arrange for a swallow study…I would do this first just so you know what you’re dealing with- if everything comes back fine then you’ll know- and if not, well, you’ll know then, too…

I would also get in touch with an international board certified lactation consultant http://gotwww.net/ilca/, since you say you want to continue to breastfeed, and I would get in touch with la leche league: The La Leche League Breastfeeding Helpline – US began on June 1, 2007. Everyone in the U.S.A. will have access to toll free breastfeeding help 24 hours a day. Just call 1-877-4-LALECHE (1-877-452-5324).

I would also hop on over at the yahoo board:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/breastfeedingreflux/ & one of the moms from that group has her own page: http://www.users.qwest.net/~fsdebra1/

– she’s the moderator of the group, so you might want to start there…

and here’s: great resources for moms breastfeeding allergy babies on the LLLI website:
http://forums.llli.org/forumdisplay.php?f=37

I hope this helps!!!

Hang in there! you’re ahead of the game, even if you don’t feel like you are!!!!

[Anonymous]

Sophia’a mama- you are NOT the worst mama- you are my hero, and so are all the other breastfeeding mamas of all babies, reflux or not! When Fernando was born, I tried breastfeeding in the hospital and day 1 went well. Fernando latched on well and had a few sucks and then slept. On day 2, he would latch on, suck 2 or 3 times, and then scream like a maniac! He did this all day. I was calling everyone for help, but the nurses said he would learn. But in the meanwhile, he didn’t sleep, I didn’t either (which I needed after a difficult labor which resulted in C-section), I resented all of my visitors for coming and disturbing us, and I cried like a baby all night. All the while, I was spying a bottle of formula in my drawer. The next day, the pediatrician came to see us and I told him of the problems we were having. He asked me to show him what I was doing. He said my baby was hungry and was too frustrated to concentrate on breastfeeding. ( He was a big baby and he was taken from me after the C-section delivery and was fed 2 bottles before I got to hold him for the first time which was 4 hours after the surgery. ) The doctor picked him up and started feeding him the bottle. I continued to put Fernando on my breast and when he would get frustrated, I would give him a bottle. When I got home I started pumping and in a couple of days my milk came in. I would pump and add formula to my breastmilk if it wasn’t enough. I was so happy that I could give my baby something so healthy and irreplaceable, even if it was a little. After 2 weeks, I got really sick with a breast infection and I stopped pumping because I was put on antibiotics. The doctor told me I could pump and dump but I was exhausted because Fernando was already very fussy and needed to be held all the time ( he had reflux – I didn’t even know what reflux was). I felt like I was either pumping or feeding him, like I was feeding 2 babies. I made the decision to quit, but not without much guilt. I will forever dream about being able to breastfeed my next baby. So, Sophia is a really, really, really, lucky baby to have such a strong mama that was able to breastfeed her all this time!!! Whatever you decide to do, you should be really proud of yourself.

[Anonymous]

You are NOT a horrible Mommy. I, too, have done every single thing that you listed! You lasted a lot longer with exclusive breastfeeding than I did! Jackson had been gaining weight and doing well until around week 7 at which time he LOST 2 ounces in 2 weeks! He had been in severe distress prior to the doctor’s visit and I just assumed it was the reflux. One day, he got a terrible rash and I took him to the doctor who said- FEED HIM! So, we started him on formula that day and he was happier. His rash immediately disappeared. Jackson hated the first formula that we gave him but he likes Enfamil Gentlease. I do not think that he has a MSPI (though I have wondered). Be proud of yourself for the breastfeeding that you have already accomplished. A lot of people do not even try to breastfeed. I felt like a failure and I cried for days about supplementing. In the end, I was just grateful that we live in a day and age where a semi-healthy alternative to breast milk is available. It may not be the ideal food of choice, but it will help her to grow and eventually, be happy. Do not worry about your baby suffering from the addition of formula- I was a formula fed baby and my husband was breastfed and I am MUCH more intelligent! Just kidding! Stay positive. You are doing a fabulous job.

[Anonymous]

Hi All – I haven’t posted here in a L O N G time but I was a regular during our reflux nightmare with my first child Sophia. After almost four years of pulling the pieces of the reflux puzzle apart I think we have finally found the last key to our succes. I’m not saying this applies to all but it may help someone out there.

Our daughter had severe reflux, gastrointestinal upset, colic type behavior and poor growth from the start. She was in the 10th percentile for weight at a year and on 30 mg of prevacid starting at 6 months. Our biggest challenge despite medication was CONSTANT night wakings. She would wake up every hour on the dot until 18 months – sleeping in a swing on high speed up until she was around 7 months old.

Around 8/9 months I started questioning multiple protein issues due to disasterous food intros. – mood swings, tummy upset, rashes, etc. By a year old she had already had numerous ear infections and now at three and a half she has had 25 to date. At 12 months I determined dairy was definitely a cuplrit and at 18 months I switched from breastfeeding to carnation good start soy formula successfully. By 2 years we were on all milk products and happy – off of meds finally.

At the three year mark I brought her to an allergist wondering if maybe allergies were contributing to the ear infections. She tested positive for 6 environmental allergies and was put on Zyrtec, steriod sinus spray, and a perscription steriod oinment for the awful rashes she gets. Eliminating the environmental allergies seemed to help buuut, the reflux roallercoaster began again. She started back on 15 mg of Prevacid approximately 6 months ago only to need a double dose within a month or so. Puzzled I brought her back to the allergist to explore food allergies which was my initial intent with our previous visit – he said he doubted food allergies because she was eating mostly everything and he wanted to start with environmental prior to food testing. This time though after none of her symptoms had totally gone away, we are slated for ear tubes, and worse yet she was back on Prevacid he decided to go forward with food testing.

She came back positive for MILK allergy. Now, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was and so was the allergist. I guess I just assumed that the MSPI and reflux were in the past and that this new flare up was simply because she had reflux and would forever more. Its been three weeks off of milk products and a would be ear infection went away on its own, shes off of the daily doses of prevacid (within two weeks) and all of her rashes have cleared up. If she has cheese or any other milk product she gets itchy instantly and the reflux flares so I give her her Prevacid now on an as needed basis (ie when she has cheese – old habits die hard and its hard convincing a three something year old that cheese is evil )

Anyway, if any of this sounds familiar – try the milk route, it could save you A LOT of grief. I always doubted my instincts with Sophia and I’m not saying that milk caused her reflux, I think she had relfux and milk made it ten times worse – I just wish I had stuck to my guns and not been so wishy washy with my food concerns. Our second child is a dream baby – no reflux UNLESS I have milk (I’m breastfeeding). The second time around I didn’t doubt myself and cut milk out immediately without even knowing about my first childs allergry – Thank God for her sake and mine that we had already been there done that. Right after the 2nd was born I tested out milk and she was up for hours, spitting up, colicy, and had tummy upset. No milk, shes a happy spitter that sleeps like a log. It took three times before I said – no more milk for me, I’ve been dairy free for five months and the thought of pizza is enough to make me insane, but sleeping through the night starting at two months is worth never eating pizza!!!!!! So call it what you will – but I think if anyone has a reflux child, staying away from milk can’t hurt. Its worth a shot and its not something my GI specialist, two pediatricians, or a highly regarded allergist recommended upfront to us in the past four years! Luckily I followed my instincts with that one but I didn’t do it whole heartedly since I didn’t feel it was supported by all of my doctors, wish I hadn’t been so niave.

Hope that helps someone.

Take care ~ Lizlovemysophia2007-12-04 13:48:42

[Anonymous]

hi everyone! i’m pregnant with our second, and found out pretty early on in this pregnancy that this baby does NOT like dairy ! when i eat dairy, i feel absolutely horrible. maybe this will change once the baby’s born, but since i had to be dairy free while breastfeeding riley, i thought i’d just settle in for the long haul and get some ideas….

since this is big-time baking season for me, i’m having a lot of trouble finding dairy-free margarine that is trans-fat free as well. i used fleischman’s with riley, but didn’t pay much attn to the fact that it had trans fat in it. i would love some ‘stick’ margarine or other substitute that i could use in my baking recipes that bakes up well and tastes good to boot! i will be bringing my own cookies and such to parties so i can partake and hope you guys have suggestions! we have a wild oats near us, as well as a trader joes and mustard seed. they aren’t terribly far, but certainly require some planning on my part to go there. if i knew of some products they may have, i’d gladly take the trip.

thanks in advance! hope everyone is doing fantastically!

[hellbennt]

beechnut brand is free of milk & soy proteins

I wish you could get some breastfeeding support…I *think* I posted resources for you? if not, let me kow & I’ll post again

[Anonymous]

Andrea,

Breastfeeding a reflux baby is so hard. I give you so much credit for keeping at it. I was only able to breastfeed Gabby until ten weeks because when her reflux hit, I could not handle her pulling off roughly and she screamed bloody murder every time I tried to get her to eat. I really wish I could have continued. I hope it all works out for you.

As for the rice cereal, she may not be ready for it or she may not be able to handle it at all. If I remember correctly some brands of baby cereal have milk and soy as ingredients. Gabby was never diagnosed MSPI so I am not sure which ones are milk or soy free, but I’m sure someone will jump in.

She’s also almost four months which means her reflux is peaking. I totally understand about the anxiety thing. Even though Gabby is doing so much better these days at 16 months, I still question if she’s drinking/eating enough or if when she wakes at night it’s because of pain. I hope things start getting better. I’m sure some of the other wonderful moms on here will chime in with suggestions. Good luck.