My ds, almost 6 months has severe reflux. He has been on several meds and through a lot. Everyday he hurts, he crys so much and barely sleep. It is so difficult seeing him like this and knowing that all that I can do may not be enough. What he needs prayers for most now if well, my milk supply. He never learned to latch and I have been pumping since day one. We have tried formulas, but even when he gets 1/2 oz to supp, he gets very sick, he becomes even more fussy and throws up all day, then refuses to eat for most of the day. I had a freezer stash of donor milk from a milk bank, but we are out and cannot afford to get anymore. I have been pumping like crazy and am not getting much. I am so worried when he wakes tonight (he eats very small meals and gets up at least 5 times a night, so he eats an ounce when he gets up each time) that I will have to give him formula. Please pray I get a supply boost, I know it's something so simple, but it is so important for him to stay away from the formula. Please pray he will feel better and grow out of this and for me to have strength to keep pumping and keep going with no sleep. Thanks mamas so much!:hugs:
*****So far-
Thanks mamas for the prayers, thoughts and ideas! I tried a dark ale-and it was an odouls (sp?) and that's not even a "Real" beer and it made me so sick-but maybe it will up my supply. DS has been having about 8 oz of formula each day but seems to be doing better on it than when I had to supp before. So that's good. It just stinks that I am trying my best and doing all this work to keep him off the formula since he still doesn't do 100% on it and I just can;t keep up with the little piggy!:) Maybe this is a temporary thing because I am just so stressed with all we have going on in our life. Hopefully things will keep looking up:)
Keropisunshine23
09-10-2009, 06:52 PM
thinking of you mama...
Two things
1. Have you tried dark beer for increasing your supply? Most people think they can not have alcohol while nursing so don't try it and supposedly it works wonders.
2. have you tried chiropractic care for the reflux? We took Sofiya to the chiropractor and it severely cut the amount of spit-up and reflux she was experiencing.
Please pm me if you need someone to talk to or have questions about either of my suggestions
dragondance
09-10-2009, 10:55 PM
Have you tried cutting out things from your diet/his formula? Dd1 was a bit like that (but entirely on formula--yikes) and she is allergic to dairy. :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:
Erin318
09-11-2009, 07:00 AM
Praying for relief for your little one and for an increase in supply. Have you checked out www.milkshare.com ? You may be able to find somebody to donate for free, if you're comfortable with that.
blessedmama2
09-11-2009, 09:24 AM
thinking of you mama...
Two things
1. Have you tried dark beer for increasing your supply? Most people think they can not have alcohol while nursing so don't try it and supposedly it works wonders.
2. have you tried chiropractic care for the reflux? We took Sofiya to the chiropractor and it severely cut the amount of spit-up and reflux she was experiencing.
Please pm me if you need someone to talk to or have questions about either of my suggestions
Thanks you so much-our LC suggested a chiropractor-I was a little leary because at that time my mom just went to one and her back was so messed up after her appt. I may still try though. I haven't heard of the beer-I haven't had a drink in who knows how long, so which type would be a dark beer?
blessedmama2
09-11-2009, 09:27 AM
Praying for relief for your little one and for an increase in supply. Have you checked out www.milkshare.com ? You may be able to find somebody to donate for free, if you're comfortable with that.
I was going to check that out today or tomorrow-we used the certified bank-I would be ok if I was able to establish a relationship with the mama, I like the fact that with the banks, each sample is tested for several things but we sure can't keep up with the costs. I was hoping to avoid milkshare, but it's def worth me looking into to see what is there, and now we'd have to get something set up quick because we just got word that we have to move to TX in 6 weeks! (DH is military)
blessedmama2
09-11-2009, 10:05 AM
Have you tried cutting out things from your diet/his formula? Dd1 was a bit like that (but entirely on formula--yikes) and she is allergic to dairy. :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:
i'm an elimination diet, not a super strict one, but I know hat foods seem to irritate him the most. I've been doing that since he was 3 weeks old. We have treid several formulas when we had to supp and it was just awful! He just gets so sick and becomes even more fussy and miserable-the one that we have been using now is a prescription and he doing better on it then what he was before. So that's a good start. I worry with the formula because with my other ds he had a really hard time on it-and almost years later he is still suffering from it gastro wise. So with this baby I was determined to stay away from it (I had medical issues with ds#1 that my milk dried up) and then everything with the reflux happend. The one thing the ped and gastro dr agree is keep going with breast if I can-now if that was easier said than done! We are moving soon and where we are moving too, I found a LC that is only $35 an hour, where here it's $85! So I am hoping I can meet up with her and maybe by some miracle this little stinker will latch!:) It's just somethings so simple that should come more natually but it is wearing me out! I guess I get so bummed cause with both my babies we have had so many issues-ds#1 had such a rough first year health wise and dh was deployed through it all. I just want them to feel well and be happy little babies! Well now that I guess I just vented about a few other things! Thanks so much!
Keropisunshine23
09-11-2009, 10:06 AM
Thanks you so much-our LC suggested a chiropractor-I was a little leary because at that time my mom just went to one and her back was so messed up after her appt. I may still try though. I haven't heard of the beer-I haven't had a drink in who knows how long, so which type would be a dark beer?
I think all beer works, i just read dark beers work better. i have not tried this myself, but have read about it and have heard LC's recommend it to increase supplies. the alcohol in your milk is the same as in your system, so i recommend sipping on one during a nursing session and by the time you have to pump or nurse again, you blood level should be returned to normal. (there are test strips you can buy if you feel uncomfortable judging your bal)
as for the chiropractor, i was always skeptical, however when my ds had a constant cold and chronic ear infections, he had two rounds of antibiotics, he would be better for a week and then it would start all over again. i did not want to give him anymore antibiotics, so i took him the the chiropractor, after the first session, the one ear was clean, after the second session, both were clear. He was also the one to suggest a milk allergy not our doctor. we took him off milk, no more cold, no more ear infection. my son honestly had a "cold for three months". It was cold and flu season, so we went with it, however, his cold started when we stopped bf (due to lack of milk while pregnant) and started cows milk.....
We took dd when she was about three months old because she had terrible reflux and only pooped once a week. she was scream for 24-36 hours before pooping. After two visits, she started pooping everyday, no more screaming and the reflux now only occurs when she overeats. amazing difference......
I agree with pp, it could also be a milk allergy, although if he is taking the bm just fine, it make be a reaction to something else in the formula. neither of my boys could handle all the iron in formulas and would spit up half the bottle:yuck:
good luck and i do hope for his sake and yours, you get this figured out.
blessedmama2
09-11-2009, 10:07 AM
Thanks mamas for all the thoughts, ideas and prayers. I know it's something so simple, but it means so much. We have a million things going on with our familiy now that may be bigger concern than this, but really to me this means so much because I just want my little guy to feel better!
mismaggie
09-11-2009, 02:21 PM
Aww mama, I am so sorry your little guy is going thorugh this. I;ll be praying that you can either increase yuor supply or find someone that can help you out. There's no worse feeling in the world than not being able to make your LO feel better when they're sick or in pain:( All the best to you and him:hugs:
mandikaake
09-11-2009, 02:25 PM
Aw hugs. He might latch well with a nipple shield since he's been used to a bottle. Also, have you sought out an herbalist? My sil's daughter had that same problem and the dr. said there was no hernia. When we took her to my herbalist there was indeed a hernia and my herbalist did some light touch therapy along with herbs. From that day on, my niece did not need her reflux meds.
blessedmama2
09-11-2009, 02:50 PM
Aw hugs. He might latch well with a nipple shield since he's been used to a bottle. Also, have you sought out an herbalist? My sil's daughter had that same problem and the dr. said there was no hernia. When we took her to my herbalist there was indeed a hernia and my herbalist did some light touch therapy along with herbs. From that day on, my niece did not need her reflux meds.
The stinker refuses a shield-I tried a smaller size was and a larger one, so it would be more like a bottle-we of course still only use a slow flow nipple and I don't tilt the bottle way up so the flow isn't super fast. Now that he is older, I sit him on my lap facing me and try to get him to latch, he really tries, and he seems to know what to do, but it just doesn't happen. An herbalist, that could help, we use a lot more natural methods in generally because I just feel awful loading up a babies "virgin gut" with all sorts of chemicals, i was even hestant with the reflux meds, but nothing was helping and i was worried about permanant damage. Maybe that would help him with his sleep, too. I think he is so restless because he hurts.
blessedmama2
09-11-2009, 03:01 PM
Well ds is content for a minute so I am going to look up a local herbist and call the chiropractor that the LC reccomends. The downside with all this is now that we got word we're moving in 6 weeks, so now I have to find stuff here and then in Texas.:banghead: I think I will have dh pick up some dark beer-and hey maybe that will relax me cause these past few days I've been a nut case with all that is going on and haven't slept! Joey these past 2 nights only got up 4 times in an eight hour period and slept almost 3 hours, which is great for him, but of course I was up worring and didn't sleep! I did get to pump more!:) The bad thing with the natural ways, is of course no insurance coverage and it can get costll. Like our donor milk, and all the other supplements he gets (probiotics-etc) along with my pump rental funds disappear quick around here! I'm excited that things seem cheaper, like the pump rental LC visits, in TX than here so that will be nice. DH pays does go down (military pay) there since part of his pay is by where we are and the cost of living there. Well I am off to look up a bunch of things and make some calls-all while holding ds-he didn't stay happy for long!
Sweet_Fantasy_Fox
09-11-2009, 03:10 PM
sending prayers:hugs:
sillyutalktome
09-11-2009, 03:22 PM
What part of texas mama? I know a chiropractor in Austin, an herbalist in the hill country that does phone consults, and a few midwives out there that can help with nursing issues.
We just moved to Houston so I'm looking around here for all these people.
blessedmama2
09-11-2009, 04:10 PM
What part of texas mama? I know a chiropractor in Austin, an herbalist in the hill country that does phone consults, and a few midwives out there that can help with nursing issues.
We just moved to Houston so I'm looking around here for all these people.
We're moving to Witchita Falls. We'll be there for a year.:)
THBVsMama
09-13-2009, 02:41 PM
I wasn't successful in my breastfeeding relationship with DS so I'm unable to give experienced advice here :( It seems like the PPs have some wonderful advice and words of wisdom, so I'm just here to offer a :bighug: and support.
