need some advice esp from BF moms

[Anonymous]

*warning* LONG POST

Here’s our scoop. Pre-pregnancy I was healthy, active. I have a pretty clean diet, dont eat out much. Lots of organic veggies, brown rice. chicken. Red meat maybe a couple times a year. I rarely took even tylenol. When I met Julian’s dad I started gettin UTIs. I was on a lot of antibiotics. Then we figured out what we needed to do to avoid the infections and I wasnt on antibiotics for nearly 3 years. When I got pregnant, I had planned a homebirth with a midwife. Julian’s dad, Darren, had a nurse for a mother so in an effort to compromise I agreed to see an OB for prenatal care.

Immediately the OB put me on Macrobid for a UTI and kept me on antibiotics my entire pregnancy. I kept testing positive and despite my concerns, even my midwife suggested I stay on the meds. I did take acidopholus the whole time as well.

Julian thrived after birth gaining 3 1/2 lbs the first 5 weeks. He continued gaining at over an ounce a day. He didnt spit up but did have a hard time with my letdown. I had ALOT of milk. I would nurse him on my back so the milk wouldnt hit the back of his throat. I nursed him walking. He would cry whenever my milk letdown. But he was still getting fat and was happy otherwise. The first few weeks, he had yellow nb poop, seedy like it is supposed to be, then after a couple weeks it turned orange and really mucousy. He had a ‘colic hour’ at around 8 pm everynight he was inconsolable from about 6 weeks till about 10 weeks. I cut out most dairy, but was still eating butter and having small amounts of cheese. Any milk, cottage cheese or yogurt made him cry and have a tummy ache but butter and cheese didnt seem to bother him. I also (stupidly in hindsight) started eating a lot of soy.

At about 2 1/2 mos he started spitting up a ton. But I didnt worry because he was very healthy and happy. At 3 mos he had his first pediatrician appt. He weighed 14 lbs. We took him back at 4 1/2 mos and he was still 14 lbs. The pediatrician tried to get me to add rice cereal etc, but I am very protective of my bf relationship. She ended up talking me into the prevacid. At the same time, I cut out dairy completely and soy. He quit spitting up almost overnight and started gaining, sometimes an oz a day and sometimes 1/2 (I think the scales are iffy though) A week into the prevacid he started getting really gassy. Whereas before the meds he slept thru the night, nursing as we sleep, and took two long naps a day – now he is waking up every couple of hours really gassy and screaming in pain until I help him fart. Then he nurses and goes back to sleep.

He’s been on the prevacid for 2 1/2 weeks now. I just talked his pediatrician into getting a prevacid compound because I found out that the tabs she gave us have lactose and aspartame and might be causing the problem. I also got a referral for a GI specialist,, and I am taking him for a blood draw for allergy testing tomorrow if I dont chicken out.

Here’re my questions:

1) is the bloodtest for allergies worth doing? Or is it just painful for baby and unreliable results?

2) When should I dose the pvacid given that he nurses every hr or so?

3) Should I stick w/ the prev tabs and deal w/ gas or switch to a compound that doesnt have lactose or aspartame?

4) Im feeling pressured about my milk supply since sometimes he is only gaining 1/2 oz.

[Anonymous]

I will answer your questions but keep in mind I was only able to bf for 3wks for multiple reasons. I would not do the blood test, he is way to young for it to be accurate. I think they really suggest waiting until they are at least a year old. I can’t say about the dosing but keep in mind that breastmilk digests much quicker than formula so he may have an “empty” stomach sooner than you would realize. I would not go the compunded. If you are concerned about the aspartame/lactose you can do the capsules which are just the med and you add either a bit of applesauce or you could just do water. As long as he is gaining I would keep nursing. My son didn’t gain which was part of why we stopped bf along with a ton of other reasons but that one made my decision easier. HTH.

[Anonymous]

I am probably a pretty good one to at least tell you about my experience since I am a second time reflux mom, with food issues with both. So here is my two cents:

1. I did the blood test for my daughter, but in hindsight I probably shouldn’t have. Often intolerances (which I would guess is what your LO does have because you haven’t mentioned any rash, etc…more of just gastro problems) usually don’t show up on those test. For instance, my DD tested negative for everything, but I know she has a problem with wheat, dairy and soy…she can handle them in small amounts if I rotate my diet, but if I eat them everyday…sleep becomes a problem.

2. I would just do your best to dose him as far as you can from each nursing…BM is metabolized so much faster than formula, and I never really found an issue if I hadn’t waited the full two hours since the last meal. Also, you could ask about Zegerid…this didn’t work for us, but has for so many.

3. We are now back on compounded prevacid and I LOVE it…however, if you don’t have a compounding pharmacy, I wouldn’t try it..and even some have bad luck with the compounded pharmacy. McKenzie just has a VERY sensitive digestive tract, and out off all the meds (yes we tried them all, Zegerid, Nexium, Prevacid, you name itl..lol) this is the best for her.

4. I am actuallly supplementing with formula now because McKenzie did not gain any weight for a whole month. I was so upset by it at first, but I just felt like I was already nursing her every two hours during the day. I am hoping I won’t have to continue this, but I am at peace with it because she is at least still getting mostly breastmilk.

You sound just like me….healthy eater, very acitve, and both of my children have had reflux and food issues. But my first DD grew out of hers by about 11 months. I would be happy to answer any other questions you have if you want me too…just PM me.

[Anonymous]

thanks. I might look into the capsule.

[Anonymous]

really appreciate the advice and I may PM you. thanks 🙂

[Anonymous]

i tried to pm you but it didnt go thru. wondering exactly how yours is compounded?

[hellbennt]

hi & welcome!

I would not necessarily ‘write off’ compounding either IF IF IF you can find a doctor (& pharmacist!) who will compound it EXACTLY how you tell them to: compounding from lori: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7855&TPN=1

I’m not sure if I can judge from your post about how much pain baby is in…the meds help with the pain from the reflux- they don’t necessarily stop the reflux…if it’s more intolerances/allergies then the meds will help, but the main ‘help’ would be changing your diet/milk…

I also would not necessarily go for allergy testing from what you write either. here’s this:

Sheri’s allergy/intolerance explanation: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10223&PID=87638#87638

if you find that symptoms are ‘mainly’ gastro upset, rather than change in poop (meaning if baby has ‘normal’ breast fed baby poop the majority of the time- green diaper here & there is normal-) & there’s no excema, rash, etc, then you might just want to maybe cut out all dairy & soy for a good 2 or 3 weeks, including ‘hidden’ dairy & soy (ingredients). if you don’t see any improvement whatsoever, then add them back in, by all means! then try cutting something else out (wheat or rice or whatever else that you eat a lot of)

OR, just do the TED to find out what, if anything, you’re eating might be affecting your baby…I have a lot more to say about this (& a lot of things, LOL!) here:

https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=853&PN=1&TPN=1

so weight gain is an issue? you write you’re worried about your supply? scroll down to the purple post, here: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11039

I hope this helps!

~laura

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I don’t know exactly how they compound it, but I know it works… 🙂 Sorry…but follow Laura’s instructions and you should be OK.

[Author]

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