i cant do it anymore

[Anonymous]

I am sooooo tired of being covered in spit up, having a baby that is constantly fussy and a baby that is not the “normal” content breastfed baby. He is never content after nursing, during nursing or before as far as that is concerned. The meds are not working, he spits them up 5 minutes after he takes them and then is screaming.

I am at my wits end!

[Anonymous]

I am so right there with you. Nursing sessions feel like a wrestling match with all the pulling, unlatching and re-latching. So much for the peaceful bonding breastfeeding experience I was dreaming of. He projectile spited or more like vomited 3 times since yesterday. I am so tired and depressed and just want to give up. I have been on TED for a month now and no improvment. I raised his prevacid dose from 15mg to 22mg and saw a little improvment but it didn’t last long. And now he refuses to eat. Even when I pump milk for him and try to give it to him so that my milk flow doesn’t overwhelm him, he doesn’t take more than 2oz every 3 hours and he is 7 weeks old. He used to drink 4oz at a sitting. i am so worried he will loose weight . I need to see a GI and I have been crying non stop since yesterday. I feel so famished all the time on this diet that hasn’t helped any. I feel so weak and depressed

We tried to put him on Alimentum to see if it helps and he won’t take it and if we get him to take one oz of it, he throws it up right away.

I have another little girl that needs my attention and I have neglected her so bad because I am always taking care of him. We do 3 loads of laundry each day. I can’t take this anymore. it is like living in hell on earth

[Anonymous]

I was just in your position less than 2 years ago. And I hated hearing that “it will get better”, because I felt like it never would. So I will not say that to you both. All I can say is that research all you can…there has to be a reason that they are acting that way. I realized that I was the ONLY advocate for my baby. We went to more than 8 doctors (Pediatricians, allergists, and Pedi GI’s) until I figured out the right meds, dosage and food for Addy. Everyone’s situation is different and these doctors sometimes will brush you off….I wouldn’t let them and showed them that I had done my research and knew my stuff. One doctor had the balls to laugh at me when I brought in my pile of research and daily log of Addy’s spit ups, meals, actions, bm’s, rashes, etc. I went to one of the BEST Pedi GI’s in Atlanta and he brushed me off with a laugh. Luckily, I talked to the nurse and she got him to right out the Rx for Neocate so that I could order it online to try it and see if it helped Addy. I was on TED and unfortunately for us, it did not help…I know it has helped plenty of others though….like I said, everyone’s situation is different. I was tired, depressed and completely worn out but figured out quickly that I had to stand up for Addy and find a doctor who would listen to me and address her problems.

Good luck! I didn’t mean to sound harsh, and I hope you didn’t take it that way. I have just been there and I know how it feels. But once you get your little ones on the right meds, dosage, etc….it does gets easier!

[Anonymous]

tamaraq—-zantac is worthless, (in my opinion). your baby probably needs a PPI.

buttercup—i would give up the TED—it doesn’t sound like it is the problem.

i think that both of you should make appts. with a ped gi—yesterday—(ok, today or tomorrow would probably work, too) it can take a while to get into a ped gi, so the sooner you make the appt., the better.

sylvia was my 9th baby, and since i had had other fussy babies, it took us a little while to realize that she had more going on than just being a “fussy” baby. she was 6 lb. 4 oz. at birth and only 6 lb. 10 oz. at 6 weeks.

[Anonymous]

have you tried to have others come over and help? all my docs have recommended this and i have done it twice and even though he still cried and screamed it gave me a chance to go sit somewhere in the house for 30 min. it breaks my heart to leave him but for your sake you need a break.

[hellbennt]

I have to agree w/ christine…

that the zantac isnt cutting it &

the diet isn’t either.

HANG in there!

I won’t tell you it will get better.

I will appologize if I/we (me & christine) sound harsh.

it’s hard to read tone and yes, we are being blunt. But you don’t want to hear mushie gushie holding your hand type of posts (maybe you do)…

I’m editing this because it IS harsh (what I’ve typed below) & this IS

the ‘boo-hoo’ forum after all! So. please take the following as if I were your sister (well. mine often tell me things I don’t want to hear and then later I’m glad they did…) or, as if I were someone you know & whose opinion you respected…SO as you read on, please know I am a very caring person & I truly DO know (some of what) you’re going through…Please don’t let me scare you off or p*ss you off…I am here hugging you & holding your hand & taking your baby for you so you can get some relief for a moment.

so: tamaraq: get some doctor, maybe a family doctor, maybe you do something drastic your mamaself to get a PPI into your poor baby…

buttercup: go binge on something! ok maybe not something with milk or soy, but go eat a bag of lay’s potato chips, eat a pint of rice dream, eat a lot of dark chocolate (there are some dark chocolates without milk), eat a bowl of pasta with olive oil and garlic. have a bean burrito. eat a roll or some bread. have an almond butter sandwich.

Or, better yet, just go crazy and drink a glass of milk and see what happens! THIS IS NOT THE BEST ADVICE, BUT I DID IT. THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD. best case scenario: nothing changes. worse case scenario: baby freaks out (baby is a mess anyway) and then you take 2 weeks to clear the milk out of your system…

as far as nursing. please go see a International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. AND go to la leche league. if the IBCLC doesn’t help, find another one…

We are all here for you to help support & encourage you & cheer you on as you persevere to get the help that your babies need!

This reflux thing totally stinks & isn’t fair!!!!! So yes

I am boo hooing right along with you…

hellbennt2008-02-07 07:28:20

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to say BIG BIG BIG Hugs to you! I feel your pain. REALLY. I still remember how hard those days were, and how terrible it felt for me to watch my baby suffer, not want to eat, be miserable (and hence, me to be miserable) while doc after doc brushed it off saying that she’d outgrow it. Regardless of whether or not that is true, it doesn’t do anything to help moms and babies through the h*ll of each day until that happens. If that’s what your doc is telling you, then tell us where you live and maybe someone can recommend a good doc. The next thing I’d suggest is to check out the http://www.marci-kids.com website, and research PPIs. Decide which type and brand you want, as they each have their advantages and disadvantages, and decide what kind of dose you would like to try. Marci-kids is agressive, but they do work for most babies in terms of their dosing. Go in armed with knowing what you want in advance, and also what you don’t want, so that you’re educated that way. Unfortunately, many docs are still in the dark ages as far as treating infant reflux, because until more recently, they didn’t use to treat it, and then they used an approach that’s different to best practices now. My personal opinion is that if the zantac hasn’t doing anything for more than a few days, then it’s likely not enough. So go for the PPI and see if that helps.

I remember about 2.5 years ago coming on this site and typing BOO HOO after BOO HOO, and using up way more than my allowance of posts in the HELP section. I felt so desperate and like I had no one else to turn to. I also remember frustrating some people with what likely seeming like my incessant whining, and feeling somewhat hurt by the tone and bluntness of some of the replies. Now that I’ve been on this site for quite a while, I know understand and appreciate all the replies I get, even the blunt ones. I realize know that when you’ve been around for a while, eventually you only have time for the blunt facts.

That being said, I know how hard it is. We all do. So hang in there. We’re here until you can find something that works and makes things better. HUGS.

[Anonymous]

I am right there with you, I keep telling myself that it will get better sometime. I jut hope I don’t lose my mind before that. My daughter is also on Zantaz 1 ml bid and I swear it has done nothing. Now she has diarrhea on top of it all because of the mylanta that was added.

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry you are going through this.

Just a few bits that I don’t think anyone has mentioned – I found my Dr finally paid attention because I kept a diary of symptoms. When I had 3 pages of symptoms he could hardly continue brushing me off. Maybe you can keep a diary to show him specifics of how the current meds are NOT ENOUGH.

As far as switching to formula, I had to mix it with breastmilk and go slow. I started with 3 parts BM to 1 formula, and slowly increased. I also had to use a specific bottle and nipple – baby would NOT take any other then the “made to feel like momma’s breast” type wide nipples. Maybe it would help to try a different bottle too?

Also, I went and saw my Dr about post-partum depression because I felt so overwhelmed by the reflux. It was no big deal at all, they said PPD is more common then we realize, and there are meds they feel are safe for nursing. I know that’s not the option for everyone, and there are other options like therapy and support groups, I just wanted to say if you feel overwhelmed please ask for help, even if it’s from friends and family to take a break. I knew I couldn’t be a good mama when I was so overwhelmed; even just a couple hours to myself made me feel so much more able to cope.

I hope you are able to find the right solution soon.

[hellbennt]

ok tamaraq, the baby IS on prevacid…oops!

well, I *think* I remember another post where Ann Marie was asking you to clarify the ‘happy’ spitter part of your sig?

I’ll just creep off now in embarrassment (about the zantac part, not about telling you to please seek out breastfeeding help…)

[Author]

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