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#1
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Bf help please
Hi,
I have been lurking around here for about a month.I'm coming out of lurkdom because I really need some help. I'm mom to 4 kiddo's my last is 4 months old as of the 25th. She is the 1st that I have bf only,I have been determined to hang in there this time but we have had some major struggles. Like all my kiddo's in the first yr have been lactose intolerant so I have to avoid milk etc also Mandy reacts badly if I eat anything with tomatoes. Ok here's the deal ,my big concern for wks has been Mandy weighs only 10 lbs she was 6lbs at birth so as you can see she's gaining very slowly. Family not concerned Doctor not concerned ,she's very pro bf and thinks Mandy is/will be petite. WIC slightly concerned Neighbors and friends screaming at me to start her on formula now. Me not sure what to do but worry. Doctor says to help in weight gain keep bf but start Mandy on cereal Now and in one wk start her on bananas and apple sauce. WIC says cereal only now Here elsewhere online read bf only first 6 months Who do I follow??? Next and the biggie is Mandy got a bad cold 2 wks ago but about 5 days ago she started having trouble nursing..She latches on ,pulls off and screams bloody murder goes back to breast and sucks afew then pulls off and screams and it goes like this forever. She is just starving but won't eat.The docs office said maybe a earache so we go in and no earache but she does have a sinus infection so starts antibiotics and seems to be getting better but still not nursing good so next step tried ebm in bottle no no no she didn't like that so I broke down tried formula because someone suggested it was maybe my milk had a different taste from something I ate but I tried formula and she will eat about 1 oz then refuses more after that she will start looking to nurse so then she latches on and sucks just fine but only about 5 to 10 mins and she then doses off. It does not seem like I am lettingdown at all during these short feedings and now I am getting very full and starting to hurt allot. Today I swear she's only eating about 4 ozs all day and by tonight we had the worst time she was just so hungry and I kept trying to get her to nurse and we tried for a hr and she was just in hysterics and then I was too then me and dh where fighting over it. He thinks I'm overreacting and looking for excuses to quit bf but he works nights sleeps days and fails to pay attention and not here seeing her scream all night till 5am because she wanted to eat and from the breast not bottle but couldn't for whatever reason. The boys are also upset because she's screaming and they are concerned and don't understand why I don't just get her to eat! Is this a nursing strike and what could be causing it ?? What do I do????? We have and appt to see Mandy's doc about her not eating to hopefully rule out any other medical reasons atleast I hope she will check for other things and not blow me off like she sometimes does.Her nurse asked me how many wet and dirty diapers Mandy's having and I said about 4 wet ones and 1 to 2 poopie ones a day she acted like ok no hurry to check on Mandy. -- Penny 12/16/70 Mom of Blake 5/30/94 Anthony 9/24/95 Cody 6/21/00 Amanda 11/25/03 Austin Tx |
#2
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Bf help please
Hi Penny, welcome!
Penny Burris wrote: Hi, I have been lurking around here for about a month.I'm coming out of lurkdom because I really need some help. I'm mom to 4 kiddo's my last is 4 months old as of the 25th. She is the 1st that I have bf only,I have been determined to hang in there this time but we have had some major struggles. Like all my kiddo's in the first yr have been lactose intolerant so I have to avoid milk etc also Mandy reacts badly if I eat anything with tomatoes. Your baby is not lactose intolerant. There is much more lactose in mother's milk than in cow's milk, and if she really were lactose intolerant, she would be having serious problems! However, she is sensitive to dairy proteins in your diet, so you are doing right in avoiding milk. (I hope you're avoiding all dairy, if that is the case.) Ok here's the deal ,my big concern for wks has been Mandy weighs only 10 lbs she was 6lbs at birth so as you can see she's gaining very slowly. This is not slow. The rule of thumb is doubling weight by 6 months, and triple by 12. If Mandy was 6 pounds at birth, she should be 12 pounds by 6 months. She's gaining a pound a month, so she's well on track. [...] Doctor says to help in weight gain keep bf but start Mandy on cereal Now and in one wk start her on bananas and apple sauce. WIC says cereal only now Here elsewhere online read bf only first 6 months Who do I follow??? The AAP recommends exclusive BF the first 6 months, then starting solids. I followed this guideline with Pillbug. Next and the biggie is Mandy got a bad cold 2 wks ago but about 5 days ago she started having trouble nursing..She latches on ,pulls off and screams bloody murder goes back to breast and sucks afew then pulls off and screams and it goes like this forever. She is just starving but won't eat.[...] Today I swear she's only eating about 4 ozs all day and by tonight we had the worst time she was just so hungry and I kept trying to get her to nurse and we tried for a hr and she was just in hysterics and then I was too then me and dh where fighting over it. Is she teething? Is she distracted by things going on? I have to nurse Pillbug in a dark room because he gets distracted by anything, real or imagined. I hope it gets better! -- Anita -- -- SUCCESS FOUR FLIGHTS THURSDAY MORNING ALL AGAINST TWENTY ONE MILE WIND STARTED FROM LEVEL WITH ENGINE POWER ALONE AVERAGE SPEED THROUGH AIR THIRTY ONE MILES LONGEST 57 SECONDS INFORM PRESS HOME CHRISTMAS. |
#3
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Bf help please
been Mandy weighs only 10 lbs
she was 6lbs at birth so as you can see she's gaining very slowly. This is not slow. The rule of thumb is doubling weight by 6 months, Actually, it is. The OTHER rule is that a bf baby should gain an average of 2 pounds a month for the first several months, with one pound being the minimum. So Mandy has been scraping by with the minimum, which is ok, as long as she's otherwise healthy, but it's good to keep an eye on her gain, and maybe encourage her to nurse more if she will do so. (I wouldn't push solids though. They don't contain more calories than breastmilk.) How often is Mandy nursing? (How often was she nursing before she got sick?) Teething COULD be an issue, or distractability. I'd definitely take her back to the doctor though. If she's really not eating, (how's her diaper count?) she's going to get dehydrated, and you need to figure out what's going on pronto. Naomi CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator (either remove spamblock or change address to to e-mail reply.) |
#4
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Bf help please
Penny Burris wrote:
Hi, I have been lurking around here for about a month.I'm coming out of lurkdom because I really need some help. I'm mom to 4 kiddo's my last is 4 months old as of the 25th. She is the 1st that I have bf only,I have been determined to hang in there this time but we have had some major struggles. Kudos for hanging in there with the breastfeeding!! I bet you are going to get a lot of replies. I don't really know anything or have experience with weight gain so I'll let others address that one. It seems like a good sign that the doc isn't worried. I offered solids at 6 months to my two babies. Next and the biggie is Mandy got a bad cold 2 wks ago but about 5 days ago she started having trouble nursing.. Some suggestions that helped mine when they had colds and couldn't nurse a 1) Bath with that Johnson and Johnson Baby Vapo Bath. Their nose ran like crazy and they nursed really well when they got out. 2) I'd give mine a decongestant once or twice a day during the worst of it so they could nurse better (can't nurse if you can't breath!). Ask your doc for dosages. 3) It could be teething in which case a dose of pain meds a couple times a day would help to get a good nursing session in. 4) Saline solution and a bulb syringe was like torture but it did clear out a nose before a nursing session. 5) I would sit in the bathroom with them and let the shower run with hot water to get it good and steamy. That helped loosen things up and really helped a cough if they had one. Sometimes Luke would fall asleep sitting upright in the car seat and it was the best sleep he'd get when he had upper respitory infections. 6) Anything to make a completely relaxed nursing atmosphere to entice her back to the breast. A warm bath (if she likes them), a dark room, side lying nursing, no other movement or distractions. If it is nice you might try outside. You'd think that would be overly stimulating but if I took mine for a long walk and then sat and nursed outside it worked well. Do you co-sleep? If not perhaps you could try it a couple of nights or have her sleep in your room so you hear her right away. If you catch her when she is stirring before she is fully awake she'll likely nurse better. sucks just fine but only about 5 to 10 mins and she then doses off. It does not seem like I am lettingdown at all during these short feedings and now I am getting very full and starting to hurt allot. Keep in mind that she very well might be getting a full meal in 5-10 minutes. Babies can get very efficient. The fact that you are full means you have plenty of milk for her. I've only ever felt a few letdowns so I don't think you should use that as a gauge. If she hasn't been feeding well she may need some time to ramp back up to a longer nursing session too. You might try offering every 2 hours if she is nursing less then that. When Hunter would get hysterical at night for whatever reason I'd use those Hyland Teething Tablets. I don't even think it was always due to teething, he'd just be over tired and over stimulated. They worked a charm (btw 4mo-6mo) to get him to relax. He'd nurse to sleep then. If he nursed only a short time before sleep (which was common because sleep is what he needed) he'd wake and nurse very well *if I got to him right away*. He was my first so I just held him and nursed him when he roused but that might be harder for you to do with older kids. Hope she is feeling better soon!! Keep us updated if you have time. Welcome to the group and you gave your kids great names :-) -- Nikki Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2) |
#5
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Bf help please
"Penny Burris" wrote in message ... Hi, I have been lurking around here for about a month.I'm coming out of lurkdom because I really need some help. I'm mom to 4 kiddo's my last is 4 months old as of the 25th. She is the 1st that I have bf only,I have been determined to hang in there this time but we have had some major struggles. Like all my kiddo's in the first yr have been lactose intolerant so I have to avoid milk etc also Mandy reacts badly if I eat anything with tomatoes. Welcome! This place is a wonderful resource, isn't it? As others have said, you likely need to avoid all dairy in order for her to be comfortable. Cow's milk protein is hidden everywhere . . I don't know the specifics, but Beth Kevles (I think) does. Ok here's the deal ,my big concern for wks has been Mandy weighs only 10 lbs she was 6lbs at birth so as you can see she's gaining very slowly. Family not concerned Doctor not concerned ,she's very pro bf and thinks Mandy is/will be petite. WIC slightly concerned Neighbors and friends screaming at me to start her on formula now. Me not sure what to do but worry. How wonderful to have a pro-bf doctor! If your doctor isn't worried, then I'd do my best not to worry. I know that can be hard with other people pushing formula. Formula doesn't have any more calories than breastmilk, while it lacks all the good stuff and is full of chemicals. It sounds like you are enjoying your breastfeeding relationship with your daughter - don't jeapordize it! Doctor says to help in weight gain keep bf but start Mandy on cereal Now and in one wk start her on bananas and apple sauce. WIC says cereal only now Here elsewhere online read bf only first 6 months Who do I follow??? AAP says 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding. I know that overlapping solids and breastmilk for 3-4 months makes a huge difference in allergies and - someone correct me - autoimmune diseases? Like formula, solids don't have any more calories than breastmilk. I would offer the breast twice as often to increase weight gain. Next and the biggie is Mandy got a bad cold 2 wks ago but about 5 days ago she started having trouble nursing..She latches on ,pulls off and screams bloody murder goes back to breast and sucks afew then pulls off and screams and it goes like this forever. She is just starving but won't eat.The docs office said maybe a earache so we go in and no earache but she does have a sinus infection so starts antibiotics and seems to be getting better but still not nursing good so next step tried ebm in bottle no no no she didn't like that so I broke down tried formula because someone suggested it was maybe my milk had a different taste from something I ate but I tried formula and she will eat about 1 oz then refuses more after that she will start looking to nurse so then she latches on and sucks just fine but only about 5 to 10 mins and she then doses off. Her nurse asked me how many wet and dirty diapers Mandy's having and I said about 4 wet ones and 1 to 2 poopie ones a day she acted like ok no hurry to check on Mandy. Sounds very stressful!! Her diaper count does sound fine, though. After ruling out any medical problem (ear infection, teething . . ) I'd do my best to make nursing sessions relaxing for you and Mandy. My baby picks up on when I'm stressed out and his nursing reflects that. I find that if I'm relaxed, he feeds much better. Try nursing in a warm bath, lots of skin-to-skin time in bed, a quiet dark room, a long walk in a sling . . whatever works for you. You will letdown more quickly if relaxed. Massage with warm, moist washcloths may help. Expressing a little milk so she gets a taste at the start of a nursing session may help. I second the suggestion of Hyland's teething pills - they're great! Best of luck to you - let us know how you're doing! Hannah |
#6
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Bf help please
Hi - If you want to go completely milk-free, which it sounds as though you should based on what you've said, my web site has some milk-free menus and other information. Be as ruthless as you can to start out (staying completely free of milk protein) to see if it helps. If it's teething, I found a dose of infant pain reliever about 30 minutes before nursing was very helpful. You said she has about 4 wet diapers a day. Are they soakers, or just damp? If they're soakers you're probably fine. I hope this helps, --Beth Kevles http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner. NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would like me to reply. |
#7
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Bf help please
Hi Penny, welcome!
Thanks! Your baby is not lactose intolerant. There is much more lactose in mother's milk than in cow's milk, and if she really were lactose intolerant, she would be having serious problems! However, she is sensitive to dairy proteins in your diet, so you are doing right in avoiding milk. (I hope you're avoiding all dairy, if that is the case. Ok that's 1 thing I was not sure about ,if it was just dairy or a lactose thing.With the boys we thought it was a lactose thing because the 1st reg formula gave them big problems then tried soy same trouble so the only formula they could eat was nutramigen (very expensive!)I figured Mandy was following in their footsteps when I noticed she got very gassy and cried allot when I had dairy. I am avoiding all dairy though I have goofed a few times.I took the boys to McDonald's 1 day and got them some ice cream just totally not thinking I ordered a hot fudge sundae ,took 8 bites before it hit me and it was enough that we paid for it that night Mandy had soo much gas and screamed for hrs. Is she teething? Is she distracted by things going on? I have to nurse Pillbug in a dark room because he gets distracted by anything, real or imagined. She might be teething,not sure though but several days before this problem started she started drooling a whole bunch and tugging on her ear I said to dh I thought she might be. With the boys they didn't really go through teething they where late late getting teeth in and we never really had a fussy time over it. Mandy has been different in everyway so I almost feel like a 1st time mom on something's with her. She does get distracted easily with the boys around she will twist her neck all the way around while still latched on to see them.She also tries to watch tv. Its almost impossible to feed her where its quiet.The only time I can do this is when the boys are all in school but my 3 yr old comes in at 1:30 then the older 2 come in at 3 .So from 3 to 9 its like a zoo! Feedings after 9 are quiet but now she's been sleeping through the night for the most part (except for the last 3nights) so she's not eating as much as she used too at night . .. I hope it gets better! Thanks! -- Penny 12/16/70 Mom of Blake 5/30/94 Anthony 9/24/95 Cody 6/21/00 Amanda 11/25/03 Austin Tx |
#8
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Bf help please
Actually, it is. The OTHER rule is that a bf baby should gain an average
of 2 pounds a month for the first several months, with one pound being the minimum. So Mandy has been scraping by with the minimum, which is ok, as long as she's otherwise healthy, She seems to be healthy other then getting 2 nasty colds and pinkeye in both eyes since birth.Her doctor thinks that's because her 3 yr old brother keeps bringing all these nasty colds home to us since he started school. but it's good to keep an eye on her gain, and maybe encourage her to nurse more if she will do so. How often is Mandy nursing? (How often was she nursing before she got sick?) I will be. We where trying this,I thought my milk supply was low right before this problem set in with her refusing to nurse,She used to suck on me non stop not just for food but for comfort,she refused pacifiers then she suddenly started sucking her thumb and started slacking off of nursing then seem to just skip her usual feeding times so it seemed like my supply was getting low and she was hardly eating ( 5 times a day but we co sleep and she does snack off and on for hrs in the morning) I did start her back to every 2 hrs and then she got sick and this strike came on. . What I was wondering before and now is how often should she be nursing in a 24 hr period? If she's really not eating, (how's her diaper count?) she's going to get dehydrated, and you need to figure out what's going on pronto. She has about 4 to 5 fairly wet diapers and 1 to 2 poops a day right now. -- Penny 12/16/70 Mom of Blake 5/30/94 Anthony 9/24/95 Cody 6/21/00 Amanda 11/25/03 Austin Tx |
#9
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Bf help please
Kudos for hanging in there with the breastfeeding!!
Thank you! 2) I'd give mine a decongestant once or twice a day during the worst of it so they could nurse better (can't nurse if you can't breath!). Ask your doc for dosages. 3) It could be teething in which case a dose of pain meds a couple times a day would help to get a good nursing session in. 4) Saline solution and a bulb syringe was like torture but it did clear out a nose before a nursing session. Thanks for the suggestions I will try some hopefully they will help. I did try the Tylenol when I thought she had a earache but stopped when that was ruled out but I tried again 2 days ago and sometimes it seems to help some. She has had a terrible time with a stuffy,congested nose and I have used the bulb but like you said its torture you would think I was killing her! What kind of decongestant are you using?Is it a prescription? Her doctor is partly against giving babies her sage any medicines and most in her practice are dead set against it.When Mandy 1st got sick we went in and saw a different doctor who did nothing for Mandy's pinkeye's and wouldn't give her anything didn't even seem to be to happy that I had giving Mandy Tylenol.It was wasted trip and sure enough we had to go back a wk later and then her reg doctor gave her antibiotics for the sinus infection and some cough medicine but nothing to help her nose stuffiness. Anything to make a completely relaxed nursing atmosphere to entice her back to the breast. A warm bath (if she likes them), a dark room, side lying nursing, no other movement or distractions. If it is nice you might try outside. You'd think that would be overly stimulating but if I took mine for a long walk and then sat and nursed outside it worked well. Do you co-sleep? Its almost impossible around here to have a completely relaxed atmosphere 1 thing that makes it very hard is the boys tend to get in fights allot some of them knock down drag out fights and they usual seem to happen when I'm nursing Mandy and sometimes in the middle of a feeding I have to put her down and stop them from killing each other.. baths unfortuanly she hates them! I will try the outside thing tomorrow its very nice around here now soon it will be too darn hot We do co sleep just me and her in bed together since dh works nights. Keep in mind that she very well might be getting a full meal in 5-10 minutes. Babies can get very efficient. The fact that you are full means you have plenty of milk for her. I've only ever felt a few letdowns so I don't think you should use that as a gauge. Ok but one thing I have noticed during some of these struggles is she seems to be frustrated and when we have battled it out and she finally stays latched on for more then a few minutes it takes abit but I will then hear her gulping and can tell by the sounds she's making she's getting a good flow of milk when this happens she stays on awhile and is happy and then burps but allot lately we never get to this point and it just seems like she's sucking and getting nothing? When Hunter would get hysterical at night for whatever reason I'd use those Hyland Teething Tablets. I will try those.I have also heard allot about gripe water anyone here try it or know much about it? Hope she is feeling better soon!! Keep us updated if you have time. Welcome to the group and you gave your kids great names :-) Thanks -- Penny 12/16/70 Mom of Blake 5/30/94 Anthony 9/24/95 Cody 6/21/00 Amanda 11/25/03 Austin Tx |
#10
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Bf help please
Penny wrote:
What kind of decongestant are you using?Is it a prescription? It was over the counter stuff. Either pediacare or Dimetapp. Her doctor is partly against giving babies her sage any medicines and most in her practice are dead set against it. I didn't use it very often and then one time with Luke the doc indicated I was being ridiculous because he was so miserable. I was told he's never going to get better if he doesn't get dried up a little bit and he was right. I gave him the decongestant and he improved markedly in a few days. I think he was about 9mos old though. Its almost impossible around here to have a completely relaxed atmosphere I can imagine. Things get pretty wild around here and I only have two! I will try those.I have also heard allot about gripe water anyone here try it or know much about it? I've never tried it but we didn't have to many gassy problems. -- Nikki Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2) |
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