Help. My 4 week old son and I have had an uphill battle since he was born 9/9/10. He was diagnosed with reflux at 2 weeks and put on prevacid. I have been working really hard to continue breastfeeding, I have been on the total elimination diet for 4 weeks now. Although my Pede has suggested that he could have an allergy to my breast milk (without any testing), I have been working with a lactation nurse on the theory of over abundant milk supply which can present allergy like symptoms becuase of the foremilk and hindmillk imbalance. He has been showing improvement for the last two weeks since I started blockfeeding. Spits up a lot, sometimes painful sometimes he doesn't even notice. He has been gaining weight but continues to get fussier. I am considering switching to a formula and need some suggestions...Please help!
My daughter was some what the same. I couldnt breast feed due to her not laching on, and i was always changing formula. untill the pede put her on the orange sentstive one from simlic.
She got better in less than a week, and was gaining weight!
an it was easy to keep extra of if we was out running around
He is in pain when he spits up the breastmilk? I'm sorry, to me this is a case where it seems logical to stop breastfeeding and start formula to see if there is improvement. What formula does your pediatrician recommend? That's what I'd go with.
All 3 of my kids had reflux. They were on zantac and I tried every kind of diet to help the situation. Try Ulitmate aloe juice. This is all natural and the kids love it. Completely safe for the little guy and it will get rid of the reflux. All my kids are on it.
First let me say that I know how hard this is for you and I commend you for continuing to BF, that said, if it doesn't work out, don't beat yourself up. Both of my kids were severe refluxers, refused to latch, would spit up constantly (with pain), etc. It was a constant battle to keep them fed. I pumped for 6 months with one and 5 months with the other. I supplemented with Good Start when necessary, then eventually switched over to Good Start completely when the cow dried up (Nutramigen didn't seem to make a difference and the Good Start was so much cheaper). We had nights when they would have to sleep in their crib sitting up in their carseat.
Both of my kids were on reflux meds from a very early age (within their first month). A couple of things to keep in mind with the meds...First, babies grow really fast, and I found if suddenly my son was more fussy, I needed to take him back to the ped and have him weighed and re-dosed for his new weight--sometimes this was as often as every couple of weeks. A very small increase in the dose usually made a big difference in his happiness and ability to tolerate feedings. Second, there are many different reflux meds available, and they will not all work the same for your baby. We had to change meds a couple of times (Tagamet was worthless) to find one that worked well. Zegerid comes in a powdered form that can be sprinkled on applesauce or yogurt later on. Prevacid also comes in a chewable tab that can come in handy should your child still need it as he gets older.
My son was able to drop the meds by age 2, we did have to re-start again for a short while the following year. My daughter is almost 6 and still gets a prevacid (half the dose she used to get) each night before bed, if she doesn't, she will wake up with a huge reflux/cough in the middle of the night, and a hoarse voice the next morning.
Hang in there, mama, it will get easier! Plow through and just do the best you can. If he is gaining weight, you're doing something right! : )
My friend Kristin was in the same boat with her infant many years ago and had success with more natural treatments. If you'd like to talk with her, let me know and I can probably arrange that. Wishing you the best!
Give it time. 6 weeks is much better than 4 weeks, but your baby won't outgrow the reflux until up to 9 months. The issue is probably a combination of reflux, too much milk vs too little control by baby and possible food intollerance. The elimination diets take up to 3 weeks to work, so you have to be very dilligent and patient. My son has reflux and corn allergy so it takes a lot of work to keep him comfortable. We use the baby bjorn all day long, lots of bouncing around, lots of upright holding positions, lots of burping during feedings. When he finally started sitting supported it was a miracle. He loves to sit up on the couch now because it's comfortable for his tummy.
I hate to say it but there is no one cure all except time. Keep up the good work and know you will get through it.
Babies do fine on formula. If you doctor is hinting at it, why not go for it?
Then you will know exactly what and how much your little one is getting. You may have to try different things if there are problems, but remember babies do fine on formula. You want a sturdy baby in case he gets sick down the
line. Work with your doctor.
Had the same problem. Eliminating dairy and wheat from my diet helped HUGELY. As did block feeding. Sounds like you're trying both together. If they're helping, I'm not sure I'd switch to formula yet. I was reluctant to switch to formula as she was gaining weight well, like your baby. Formula doesn't always fix things either. After all, it's made from either dairy or soy, both of which your son could be allergic to too. Reflux is usually from an immature esophageal sphincter, which is going to be immature regardless of what you're feeding. At 3 months it all just magically went away. I have the happiest most content baby now. Try chiropractic care too. Or see a homeopath. I had some luck with homeopathics too.
It's so rare that a baby is allergic to breastmilk -- more likely something in the breastmilk from your diet.
One of the biggest problems I've seen in my clients is feeding their baby using a Boppy or similar breastfeeding pillow that keeps the baby flat -- their immature digestive system isn't designed for that! The baby should be in a much more upright position. Kittie Franz says the baby should be at a 45 degree angle and I've seen a huge improvement with baby's who had reflux when my clients stopped feeding the baby with a nursing pillow and just propped up one elbow and let the baby's bum rest on their lap :)
Go to Milkalicious in Aliso Viejo or visit the website www.milkalicious.com they have a probiotic developed for infants and babies that has proof of improvement. It's called Tummy Delight and you give 1ml once a day. It also has a digestive enzyme that helps breakdown protein that is passed through your milk. Previcid is a STRONG ADULT medicine. They put my son on it for reflux at 6 weeks after Zantac didn't work. Neither did the previcid and I opted for a ped allergist who diagnoised him with a number of allergies including tomato which I later discovered I was also allergic to.
Your baby is NOT allergic to your milk, that is redicilous. The baby could be reacting to something you're eating though so you could try an elimination diet. Usually it's cow dairy, peanuts, egg, soy and/or wheat. Babies are born with very immature guts and this can cause tons of issues.
I also had an overactive letdown and I nursed on one side at a time removing the baby during letdown so he wouldn't choke. Read up on it at kellymom, they have tons of info on what to do to help.
Don't give up breastfeeding. Work with your LC, be sure she is CERTIFIED by the board of lactation to be a consultant.
-A.-
Formula would be the last resort. I so want to give you an award for sticking in there and continuing to work on this. Doctors. Just amazing that he thinks it is your breastmilk and wants you to switch to formula - just shaking my head here.
The first thing you have to do is no vaccines as your baby is not well and compromising the immune system at this time could have terrible consequences. The breastmilk is the best form of nutrition for him so keep at it. Elimination of certain foods is good. With my daughter it was soy and eggs that were the major culprits and then dairy, gluten. Did you know that those ingredients are found in vaccines?
Have you incorporated probiotics and omega 3s into your diet so that your son can benefit from them? My son had sphincter stenosis which caused him to have some spit up and be in pain from not being to have bowel movements properly and they were trying to tell me he was just colicky. Changed doctors and the one that we changed to knew exactly what was wrong with him with just my telling of the symptoms.
Please make sure YOU have done the research on vaccinations for YOUR child. The AAP recommended schedule of shots for children is too many, too soon. Here are sites and books that I always recommend for people to start their research:
Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders, by Dr. Kenneth Bock
The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Robert Sears
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Childhood Vaccinations, by Dr. Stephanie Cave
Evidence of Harm, by David Kirby
Go immediately to Yahoo group FOODLAB and join it and post your question on there. The knowledge of that group is amazing and deal with elimination diets and breastfeeding all the time!
sorry to hear this..must be stressful..i used to drink a lot of chamomile tea...i thought since it was soothing on the tummy it may help my son..he was very fussy..then i also tried formula and that made things worse..but then i tried Good Start Supreme Comfort Proteins..that was the only formula my son could tolerate..keep bfing..eat super bland..no gassy veggies..i only ate bland sandwiches ...maybe be gluten free..no cow's milk for you..can you drink some aloe vera juice? no coffee..try plain yogart..not non fat..regular..
try not over feeding..remember the tummy is as big as a fist..so let him be a snacker..perhaps pump and save the foremilk..then nurse..don't move him around too much while feeding or right after..save the pumped milk in the freezer for when he gets older..
i had to give my son oatmeal at 4.5 months..that's when his reflux really started..when u do start with solids..start with oatmeal not rice..rice constipates..the relux meds didn't work on my son..so that's why i opted for the oatmeal..
good luck
xo
D.
If you want to continue breastfeeding, pump your milk into bottles. This will allow you to keep him in a more upright position for feeding. A baby with reflux should not lay down flat, especially when feeding.
If your Ped is pretty sure that your baby is allergic to the breastmilk, why are you still trying? Each brand of formula has a A/R version. My niece had A/R and her mom kept trying to breastfeed. She would cry constantly. When she had a formula bottle, she was alert would calm down for a bit. She would spit up, but would have moments of calm. Each time the mom tried to breastfeed, the baby would get drowsy and cry. Turns out that mom was taking a medicine that she had been told was safe while breastfeeding. A main side effect was drowsiness. When I found that out I told her that she needed to switch to formula only. I basically had to show up at her house with a can of formula to convince her. Her baby improved within the week.
My daughter went through the same thing and when she finally began taking formula she had to be put on Nutramigen. After she was on that for a while she began really improving. I did continue to breastfeed her part of the time for several months as well. I know some babies will not do that so you have to make all of these decisions carefully. Now, as a ten year old, my daughter was diagnosed wit a lactose intolerance on top of the reflux. I don't know what point yo are in your elimination diet, but have you gone dairy free yet? Dairy is in sooo any things!
No matter what you decide to do, do it because it is what you decide is right for your baby and for yourself. Remember that even though things are very difficult right now, babyhood will be gone too soon and you don't want to spend the next few months all strung out and filled with anxiety. Be sure to lean on all your support, too.
How awful that docs nowadays are saying that babies are allergic to Mama's breast milk - nature's perfect food!
THAT said, you may want to try an elimination diet for yourself to see if perhaps your baby might be reacting to something you are consuming.
Please, though, do not give up on breastfeeding yet.
