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

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.

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.)

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)

"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

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.

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

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

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

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)