McKenzie's Checkup- update

[Anonymous]

Emily I am so sorry to hear everything you are going through!! Maybe she did have a reaction to the sweetner added to the nexium? Is zegerid an option? I hope you are able to figure out what is causing her lack of weight gain and I hope you can get your system back under control too!

BIG HUGS!!!

[Anonymous]

Hey Amy,

Thanks for the hugs….we tried Zegerid and it was worse than Nexium…she does seem to be doing OK on the compounded prevacid. I am not really sure what to look for in a reaction with the formula…no rashes or anything…and she has gas, but that was the same with or without formula no matter what I ate. The crazy thing is that she has slept through the night the past two nights. I am still breastfeeding her first and then supplementing with formula, so I am feeling better about things because she is at least still getting some breastmilk. Just pray that she does gain weight.

Thanks everyone for the support and prayers…it means so much to me!

[Anonymous]

For the intolerance of the formula for us, both boys were just EXTREMELY fussy and not good sleepers. no rash, mild eczema, but the major symptom was the fussiness that went away after Neocate.

Glad she is sleeping for you!!!!

[Anonymous]

has McKenzie had any testing done? our family doc had us supplement sylvia with formula early on when she wasn’t gaining weight. she gained some weight with the formula, but my milk wasn’t the problem. almost any breastfed baby that has nursed will take a little more in a bottle if it is offered—-even if they ate enough at the breast. (unless they are a bottle refuser) the ped wanted us to try sylvia on nutramigen—but kevin just didn’t want me to do it for some reason. after seeing a ped gi—and once he realized sylvia was not gaining weight, that is when he suggested testing be done——and we discovered what the real problem was.

[Anonymous]

Christine,

What type of testing needs to be done? Was it because of the hernia that Sylvia wasn’t gaining weight? The weird thing is that she had been gaining (not as fast as average, but consistant) and this month it dropped off. I am going back to the GI this Monday and I will be able to ask him about testing then.

Ann Marie,

McKenzie has NEVER been a good napper for me, but so far night sleep is pretty good….and she gets fussy sometimes, but for the most part is super smiley.

Thanks for all the help ladies. 🙂

[Anonymous]

OK here is the newest thing that just started last night with McKenzie. When I put her in her bouncy chair she arches her back as if she doesn’t want to sit in it…I know this could be a baby thing, but of course I am being ultra sensitive to everything. She just scoots herself down until she is almost on her back and her tummy is all scrunched up.

Another thing I wanted to ask about. McKenzie is rarely ever able to take more than a 30 min nap alone, but during the nap she shares with her sister I always try to see if I can get her back down. Here is the weird thing. When I pick her up she goes through a series of pulling up her legs and then I feel this jerk in her stomach as if she just got punched, and then she lets out a burp…but most of the time I don’t feel like I hear a wet burp..in fact a lot of times the burps are quite forceful…I almost wonder how one little baby could have so much air inside her…do you think this is reflux related. Also, when I lay her back down often she will take several really quick short breaths and then do the scrunch the leg up and let out a burp…anyone else have this?

The nap stuff is nothing new, it has been this way with her the whole time so I wouldn’t blame that on the formula…

[Anonymous]

Awww…what a cute picture of the girls!

Both Myles and Eliana had lots of problems with burps and needing to burp. I’m quite sure it’s reflux related. Even when I have trouble with my GERD I feel the need to burp and often times when I do I feel much better for a while. I think the reason if often happens with babies 30 minutes into a nap is that when the baby doesn’t expel enough air before a nap, laying them down helps the air to rise above the liquid in the stomach and then when you pick them up they burp it up. I noticed this with both Eliana and Myles.

I’m not sure about the bouncy chair thing, but I can tell you that Eliana hated the bouncy chair, the carseat, and the swing!

[Anonymous]

So we just got back from the Dr… 12lbs 10 oz so she gained 1lb 4oz in 11 days. 🙂 My Dr. was very happy about that because if she didn’t show a pretty significant gain they were going to have to admit her to the hospital. I have pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I am going to have to supplement her…I tried EVERYTHING I could think of and nothing was making my supply bigger…and she was draining me at every feeding, plus three ounces of formula no problem. But I am going to start alternating breastfeeding with formula…just because doing both is super hard with a two year old running around. My goal was to make it to 6 months with McKenzie (BF her has been hard…I haven’t been able to eat nearly anything as she seems to react to so much) so I am going to try and keep at least some form of breastfeeding going on for the next month and a half…and then I have pumped a bunch of milk that should allow her to still have breastmilk a few times a day for at least another month. (can you tell I am having a hard time with the thought of giving up nursing, but I am just run down because of lack of nutrition on my part, and I need to give my body a break). Please pray for McKenzie becaues in the back of my mind I keep thinking that she might not be tolerating the formula…but today actually doing one whole formula feeding and one whole breastfeeding seems to be going much better. Thanks for the support everyone. 🙂

[Anonymous]

Hi Emily,

You are doing such a great job! I think what you are doing is fine! She gained a TON! That is really good so you are doing all the right things for her.

Hang in there! sounds like you have given her a GREAT start with the breastmilk and still have saved enough to get her to 6 months even if you stopped now, so you are doing fine. I NEVER made enough for either of the boys. I couldn’ t not directly feed, I could only pump, and my supply didn’t enjoy the pumping to say the least. I tried a lot of things to up my supply but the hospital supplimented the boys until my supply dwindled to nothing (I was making a max of 15ccs total both breasts from pumping, so 1/2 ounce total), and then they were strictly formula. Even if for some reason she doesn’t tolerate it, you can still try Neocate, so you have more options still.

Do the best you can but know you have done an Amazing job!

Ann Marie

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