Search Results for 'breast feeding'

[Anonymous]

Tracy,

We struggled greatly the first 7 months of Kendra’s life to get her to eat. pretty much she wouln’t suck at all on her bottle or breast. She choked, gaged, then puked. She had apnea episodes the first two months, couhped a lot and got bronquiolitis (sp?) due to her reflux.

It used to take me 1-1 1/2 hours to get her to drink 4-5 ounces of Breastmilk ( i pumped for her and also tried the elimination diet, but this wan’t enough). Then i would be finished with one feeding then it was almost time for the next!! Sometimes she would puke what have just taken me 1- 1/2 hour to get her to drink, then i would have to start all over a gain!this went one for 7 months. You can only imagine our nightmare.

I cannnot thank Christine ( and many others here) enough for lending me her ear and her great support on those days. At first our problems was indeed related to her reflux and pain.

At 5+ months she started to eat a bit better. We were excited!. She then had her 6 months shots and evrything went down hill since them. i did not know that inmunizations can increase gastric acids and she had 4 at one time!!. Also her body has to “work” hard to build up those antibodies to her shots. With all the stress she was in, i think that was just too much for her body to handle.

Our struggled got more difficlult (as if it was’nt already difficult!). Eventually she stopped eating, none of the tricks we tried before worked and she started to lose wt by 2 ounces a day. She was alreday in the 7th pecertentile so at this point i had a nerve break down at the ped’s office and a feeding tube (NG) was mentioned “temporary”. Scared to death and defeated by reflux, i agreed. It WAS THE BEST THING it happened to Kendra and my family. Yes, as “unnormal” as that sounds that gave Kendra her “life” back.

Bacause of her feeding tube, Kendra started growing and cacthing up on her milestone (she was a bit behind). At 7 months she was sitting w/o support, but wasn’t rolling over form back to front. She also had no interest in toys or playing until she got that tube. in two months time i have a different baby. We started feeding therapist and after two months she started , drinking and eating on her own!!! (not alot, but she was doing on her wown).

Our progresswas halted b/c of supected food allergies. She has gone thrugh all the reflux test and they are normal. She also had an emptying scan and it was very DELAYED. The allergist and Gi ped agreed that her main problem now is her BAD emptying. She can only tolerate 3-4 ounces every 4 hours and when she gets a viral infection or a simple illness she has to be put on coninuous feed until her illness goes away (7-10 days usually) b/c her stomach hardly works.

In conclusion, her reflux is better, but due to her emptying problem is like we have reflux stiil. She throws up a lot and can’t tolerate solids very well. the allergist told us that any solids could make her sick and umcomfortable b/c is not being able move it out from her stomach fast enough. The proteins in the food just lingers around in there. She has been tested for a lot of food and no reaction has been found except for a mild reaction to white potatoes. Iam sure she may had soem MSPi, but w/o eating solids we won’t be able to tell for sure. She also had an endoscopy and it was clear.

Now my suggestions:

1-A feeding tube is not what any mother wants for her baby, but it can be so worth it in some situation. I do not regret it at all.

the Gi Ped just told us he hopes she outgrows her DGE, if not they are a few options to consider, but will talk about when time comes.

2-GET your little one pain under contro ASP, even if higher med is needed. Kendra’s pain was not under control for a while. Maybe it would have helped a bit if she had a higher dose of med, although i can’t say for sure.

3-Definately feeding therapy is sooooo worth it.

i pray you find reflief for your little one soon. It is heart breaking to see them struggle and not be able to do much.

leo

kendramom2007-09-15 12:44:58

[Anonymous]

I have been dealing with reflux with my daughter and feel asthough I must be able to do something for her. My doctor has her on Zantac which is not really doing much. He suggested I talk to a lactation Consultant, I am so happy I did. She said that because I have soo much milk and that it comes out quilckly I need to slow it down for my baby. She compared it to a Keg Party, my daughter is chugging down the milk soo fast that it just sits there along with all the air that she swallows with it due to drinking milk that is coming out too much too fast. So by nursing in a position that works against gravity, such as having her over the breast rather than under it or just by having her straddle one leg facing you and nurse her sitting up, or lying down to nurse. Also by nurse only on one side for half the day and excrete just enough from the other breast to make it bareable and then switch. This way she gets the good hinde milk and the bady will eventually get the hint to produce less milk but still enough for your baby, just not enough for the 20 more it thinks you are feeding. I hope this helps somebody else. f you can talk to a lactation consulatnt do they really are great!

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. It’s been a really awful few days. Lauren’s eating is getting worse as far as gagging, etc. Now she started sometimes not swallowing. The bottle comes out, she leaves her mouth hanging open and it all just falls out and get’s everywhere. I don’t understand why her suck and swallow are getting worse as time goes on and not better? Is it some kind of self protection from pain?

We saw the GI and upped the prevacid (18mg divided in two doses). Dr. seemed to think we should switch to Elecare if she doesn’t improve (we’ve even now added a bottle of it a day to get her used to the taste). But I swear, even with the med increase, it’s gotten worse. Lots of arching, stiffening, and really loud screaming. Only 1/2 oz to 1 oz every hour. I know it takes 2 weeks to kick in, but shouldn’t it get a little better not worse? I’m getting so nervous about a feeding aversion or maybe she’s already done damage to her esphogus? While her temperment overall is handling this better than Ian did, her feeds, I feel are worse. We’re trying to find a SLP that specializes in infant motor and it’s like a needle in a haystack right now (Thais if you have any ideas where to look..I called Mt. Sinai and couldn’t find anyone who knew). Oh, and we’re on day 12 of prevacid as well.

GI also said uptake my water drinking to 12 glasses a day and see if that helps with pooping. If not, she said she would recommend barium enema because breastfed babies at this age should not have a hard time for over a week. Also, if sucking/swallowing doesn’t get better, we’ll have to look into tests for aspirating and dysphasia. If her oral motor is getting worse over these days, wouldn’t dysphasia show up earlier? She coughs like crazy too.

Sorry, lots of info! I’m venting to you all so I don’t make a panic call to the GI. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe she’ll feel better after Elecare completely for a full week? Maybe this is her 6 week peak? Should I stop worrying until the 14 day kick in period?? HELP!!

Thanks ladies.

[Anonymous]

If she’s still getting breastmilk it’s totally possible and common for them to go up to 7 days without having a bowel movement. Because breastmilk is the perfect food, they can use up all the nutrients leaving no waste behind…or leaving such minimal waste behind that it takes several days before they work up a BM.

“Even if a baby is strictly breast-fed, the frequency of stooling varies
among infants. While a frequent stool is most common, babies may stool
only one time every other day and still be completely normal.
Constipation in fact refers not only to the frequency of stools, but
also to the consistency. Therefore, if an infant poops every third day
but it comes out soft, this would not be considered constipation, and
no therapy is indicated. In fact, at 3-6 weeks of age, breast-fed
babies may only have one stool a week. This is because breast milk
leaves very little waste in the intestines to be passed. Again, if the
stool, when passed, is not hard, this is completely normal. In general,
it is almost impossible for strictly breast-fed babies to become
constipated.” (http://www.umc-cares.org/health_info/article.asp?Category=Childrens&ArticleID=166)

Also the type of breastpump you are using will GREATLY effect your output. It is VERY possible to exclusively pump for close to the entire time your nursling would need breastmilk. I pumped for 11 months for my DD, 6 months (by choice, I definitely had the supply to continue) for DS#2, and am currently EP’ing for my DS#3 who is 5 months old. If you have a junky pump, your supply will take an extreme hit. I know you are doing an elimination diet so you would probably need to consult a naturalist nutritionist, but there are several herbs that you can take to increase your milk supply as well…including Fenugreek & Mother’s Milk Tea. Also, you need to pump every time baby eats at first…at least 4-5x’s a day and probably at least once during the night. Once you have that schedule down for a month or so and your supply is established, THEN you can try playing with it and seeing if you can decrease your frequency and still meed the child’s supply demands.

http://www.kellymom.com is a great resource for breastfeeding & pumping questions.

strollerfreak2007-09-11 11:35:38

[hellbennt]

breastfeeding mama here too.

I waited until well into babies’ 6th month (one refluxer & one not) for solids.

no need to start with cereal…

check out starting solids on http://www.kellymom.com

and there are links from groupie intro…

[Anonymous]

Hey, I’m a breastfeeding momma, and we skipped the rice cereal too. It caused severe constipation with my daughter, so when I started cereal with Ben (around 6 mo.) we went with oatmeal.

Maybe try not giving it to him for a few days and see if the grunting stops. If so, I would hold off on the cereal for a while and try again in a couple of months.

[Anonymous]

Well, normally kids can do Elecare with no problem, so i would see if someone helps you figure out if she needs thicker liquids for now. I know that you are on the elimination diet — i just have no clue as to what really happens to breastfeeding with it and whether proteins still make it in there. A lot of the moms on the other forum have been given the same advice as i was… just start with Alimentum or Neocate, even if they breastfed previous babies… so i just do not know if anyone has asked if there is a difference… maybe you can ask Moon when you see her.

I think Matthew has both reflux and a really weak/low tone upper body. So both factors have probably contributed to his feeding issues. Reflux runs in my family and even now, he still has tons of reflux, even on the prevacid (we know because he still throws up regularly, although not that frequently). But it has become really clear that he has muscle weakness and i understand how that is affecting his eating, so that was probably always there… who knows… He is doing great, thanks for asking. Sweetest little boy around and happiest toddler too — i think we have had 1 tantrum ever and he will never cry! Now we are dealing with speech delays and feeding issues, that are slowly getting better. His speech is not clear, mostly due to his weakness… but the guy is putting 6-7 word phrases together all of the sudden and he is copying everything that everyone says. This is a kid who said nothing 1 month ago, so we are amazed!

I am so so excited for #2… Dave and I just spend hours thinking about what his personality will be like, will he look like Matthew, how his little voice will sound… uggh cannot wait!!! Not looking forward to the sleepless nights and possible problems!!?? but we will make it through all of it i hope!!

let us know what Moon says… and also, just look into the thickened liquids (dysphasia) possibility…

[Anonymous]

My son has silent reflux and this sounds a lot like him. I breastfeed and in the beginning, when he was newborn, he would pull off and scream even though he was so hungry! He’s also a big boy – from what I understand, the breastmilk works as an antacid, so he wanted to eat all the time, though he only ate a little at a time, so there was a lot of feedings. I also had an overactive letdown, so I had to pump a little before I fed him each time. I also think he has MSPI and an allergy to eggs…it’s all SO much fun…note sarcasm 🙂

I feel for you, I really do. A thought – they say reflux peaks at 4 months, so maybe that’s why you had a little break and then it revved up again? At exactly 16 weeks my son started showing symptoms again, so we had to increase his dosage by quite a bit. Now he’s happy again.

Give your medicine some time to work. It takes a few weeks, at least, to see the full effects. My son is a TOTALLY changed man.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Thanks Thais. Alot of what you say makes sense and I’m definitely going to look into an SLP on Monday. They said her suck was a tad underdeveloped by our Lactation consultant and I have seen her drink a bottle really well but it’s not consistent at all. Some good, some bad, some mixed.

Ian actually went on Simply Thick only after he was put on Elecare. He had no problem on regular formula with swallowing but the Elecare was so thin, it kept going down the wrong way and it enhanced his reflux. Also, I”m on the elimination diet for breastfeeding and have been since day one–no milk, dairy, soy, anything. Really bland. I’m actually terrified to go off BF because she does seem at least more comfortable than Ian did. Believe me, I’d LOVE to stop pumping!

So they really think Matthew’s feeding aversions came alot from the suck? Reflux too, right? So interesting how all this fits together. How’s he doing these days?? Are you getting excited for number 2?

[Anonymous]

Thanks Laura for your PM… funny you mentioned about the suck because i just answered a post this morning regarding this on teh feeding aversions forum!!

Tracy — sorry you are going through this. I must have missed some posts because i did not get the impression that she was gagging and choking last week.

Like Laura said — i would get the suck checked up. I wish i had known as much as i do re feeding when MAtthew was younger. He was assessed by someone who is very well respected and they assured me there was no way he could have sucked from the breast, which he did not, given that he still does NOT have the skills or strength to do it!

The SLP we saw also believes that seeing Matthew now, part of the problem could have been just underdeveloped muscles and low tone in his trunk and head/jaw/tongue etc. She does oral motor with all types of kids, disabilities and not, and i really trust her.

So, first, where did you give birth? The hospitals usually have SLPs there to help preemies learn to suck etc and they may be able to check her out. Otherwise, your ped should give you a referral or recommendation for an SLP that could help out. I would suggest you get someone who specialises in oral motor. There is a great/very well respected SLP in Norwalk but i have no idea if she does babies… maybe she does? Her name is Lori Overland. Maybe give her office a call… otherwise, the SLP that evaluated Matthew is Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson. She has a website called Talktools.net… she will answer emails/her office will and they set up evals or she may be able to direct you to someone in NY who can help?

If i were you, and this is just me… i would give Neocate a try. Especially knowing that Ian recovered really quickly after being on Neocate for a few months. He prob could just not handle the proteins, and yet by the time he was 15months he had outgrown all of his issues… which prob means milk had something to do with it?? but i know that is a personal decision. I guess having had a baby with a feeding tube and a feeding aversion, i really do not consider breastfeeding a priority at all, so for me, it is a no-brainer…. maybe you could keep pumping, since it is what you are doing anyway, and freezing and try Neocate for a couple of months?

Also, now that i am thinking about it… did Ian not have an uncoordinated swallow? Which is why you were giving simply thick??? who diagnosed him with that? he did pretty well on that for a while? i woudl talk to the same person who suggested it in the first place… see if Lauren has a similar pattern.

It must be so hard not knowing what is going on… hope you get some answers soon. HUGS

[Anonymous]

Lactation consultant is pretty well respected in NYC-she always maintained her tongue was “undeveloped” so we were using the tube for awhile which did nothing but make Lauren want it to come in easier. Also, she gets frustrated with my letdown sometimes which makes her stop sucking. This is why we’re always using bottles. Even if we get a good feed on the breast-we weigh her and it’s only a fraction of an oz. Also, did I mention I just got a mastitis??!! I really wish breastfeeding was more joyous but honestly, right now, I’m doing it for her health and am driven to maintain it at least for 3 months.

I really wonder if another bottle would help. The playtex one seems fast to me but then again, I’ve seen her have no problem on it too. Always perplexing!

Thanks Laura for all your support on this-it means alot.

[Anonymous]

My daughter Lauren (now 5weeks) was finally given some meds before we can get in with the GI next week who treated my son. First, we got Pepcid, but also called and got some Prevacid to hold her over (7.5mg 2 x a day). Doctors felt comfortable with giving it to me due to my son’s severity. We weren’t 100% sure if she had reflux but the meds so far seem to making a difference-she’s sleeping again (thankfully!!), and overall demeanor is so much better-no screaming episodes except for main needs, etc. We’re also still breastfeeding on elimination diet but mostly by bottle due to she had a month where she lost almost 2 pounds and she really just wont suck for any length of time on the actual breast. We use playtex inserts as lactation specialist said they were most like the real thing.

So here’s the question/worry-she’s still gagging, coughing, etc on the bottle during feeds. It is better-usually is starts after a burp break at 2 oz but sometimes it’s the whole feed. When she has a good feed, it sounds as if the milk is coming out fine and slowly, but bad ones, it sounds like I have her on a fast nipple-very loud and fast and uncontrollable. Is she the one controlling the speed of which milk comes out? Wouldn’t that happen in the beginning if she was sucking fast because of hunger? After she eats a little makes no sense to me. And sure enough, after she gags-she stops eating. It’s really confusing to me. But, also, could this be a normal baby thing? Underdeveloped tongue or sensitive gag reflex? Switch bottles?

It’s so hard because I don’t want to blame reflux for everything and miss something important.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I suspect she still is in a lot of pain and needs her meds reviewed.

I am wondering what maxed out on losec is. I’m an Aussie and 10 mg is about all I was ever prescribed by my paed. It didn’t do squat. Eventually I went to my GP who prescribed Zoton (which is prevacid in the US….paeds in Aus will not prescribe it generally). He upped her to 22.5mg (which I upped to 30mg!). She did amazingly on this.

I presume you were on Zantac first. We did both zantac and zoton for months. Just need to space them 4 hours apart. You could try doing both (just a personal experince, I’m no Dr)

Also are you giving the losec at least 30 minutes before feeding ( they don’t seem to tell you to do this but it seems to really help…there is a technical reason which you will find at marci-kids.com…which of course no Dr in Aus knows anything about!)

Until Alana was a bit older I never had much luck with Gaviscon and found that Mylanta helped more, but I would probably try adding the zantac back in first. Oh, and most Drs underdose this so if you post your bubs weight someone will help you calculate dosages (again with the caveat we aren’t Drs but we sure do our research!)

PM me if you have any specific Aussie questions…it took me awhile to work out the Aussie names versus the US/Canadian names for things.

The other thing I’m wondering is if there has every been a suggestion she is milk/soy intolerant? Lots of babies with reflux are and they are often helped by either a special formula or a special diet for mums lucky enough to be breastfeeding.

Hope we can help.

Therese

[Anonymous]

I started taking my older ds to play and music classes at Gymboree when he was about 6 months old. I had not left the house much before then due to his crying, spitting up alot, etc. Turns out 2 of the other moms had reflux babies and 2 others had had alot of problems with breastfeeding like I had. It was great to talk to other moms who had struggled. And one of the moms who had a really easy baby who drove me nuts now has a totally unruly preschooler who drives her and everyone else crazy so everyone deals with it sooner or later. We had a hard time getting pregnant with our second and ended up doing fert treatments and it was hard for me to be around other moms who got pregnant so easily and who sometimes unknowingly said things that really hurt me. So there were certain people that I avoided during that time but I found enough people who I felt comfortable with.

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys-I will email him. Does anyone have his address? I’m also going to call pediatric gi and see if they’ll get me a prescription at least for pepsid until she can see me next week. I don’t know if she’ll do that seeing she hasn’t met Lauren yet but I’ll try.

Laura, thanks for the forums. I’ll respond on my other post later (my mother just got here from Mass) but I have to say I really think Lauren’s problems with breastfeeding are more with sucking. She wasn’t doing that before any of this reflux stuff showed it’s head. Reflux kind of coordinated with the pooping stopping last week. Not to say, that my diet isn’t involved I’m sure. But really I can’t eliminate anything else and keep this up-it’s way too draining on energy.