Still no better

[Anonymous]

I know I havent posted in a while. Life has been crazy. Brielle will be 11 months in a few more days and it doesnt look like she will “outgrow” her reflux anytime soon. Its just so frustrating. She has to wear a bib litterally all day or either go through 5-6 outfits of clothing. Since its summer, she just runs around the house naked alot. I can not count the number of outfits I have had to throw away because the stains just wont come out of them. And her father fusses but Im not going to let her go out in public like that 🙁

We had to go buy a carpet cleaner just for her. We clean our carpets on a weekly if not more basis just trying to keep all her vomit stains down to a minimal.

She still isnt sleeping. She is awake every 1 – 2 hours all night long. She wakes up crying and sits up in the bed until I console her and lay her back down.

Me and her father havent slept in the same be since she was 5 months old because she sleeps with us and he cant take her crying and the up and down all night. Its really putting a beating on our relationship.

Her doctors, none of them, seem concerned in the slightest. Because even with all her throwing up, she is still growing and maintaining her weight. I honostly dont know how but maybe its becausre she throws up, and turns right around and eats again? She has the biggest appetite and Im so concerned with her having weight management issues as she gets older. I suffer with obesity and dont want her to ever have that battle.

I just dont know what to think or do anymore. None of the medications seemed to help, even at Marci-Kids dosing. Do kids ever ougrow it past her age? Or is this how things will be for the rest of her life?

lifeuntome2007-08-23 00:22:20

[Anonymous]

Big hugs your way.

I do know how fusrtrating thsi reflux rollercoatser is.

If you feel your ped is not listening to you concerns , i suggest you search for one who does. I had the same situation and my dd is a bit better (reflux wise) b/c i switch ped until i found one concerned enough to referred me to a ped GI . Do you think she is still in pain? the spit up may not go away for a while, but i would really try to get the pain under control.

does she sleep elevated? i am a big fan of elevated position for reflux babies, my dd did so much better when elevated.

have you tried maybe getting a night out with your husband, just to get a break? i know this may not be easy, but it really saved us to get out at least once a month if we could. Prayers for a good day soon for you all .

[Anonymous]

My Ped is very supportive and more so than the GI Ped. He has done way more for me than her Gatric Ped ever has in terms of trying new medications and cocktails to get Brielle better. He says we are at the end of the rope as far as things to reach for in terms of treating her. And he said since she is gaining weight, this may just be a neausance we deal with for the rest of her life 🙁 That any type of surgery is just too aggressive if she is gaining weight and may do more damage than good.

She slept elevated until she was 4 months but once she was able to roll over, nothing we did kept her elevated and things we attempted to do only posed a smothering habit. She actually sleeps better now than when she was elevated TBH.

My in-laws are not the type of grandparents to watch the baby while we go out. They say they have already raised their kids and we had her so our problem to deal with. My mom smokes to I do everything in my power to NOT have my parents watch her. Everytime she goes to their house, she comes back fussy and throwing up more than before she went. So it makes my help very limited.

Thanks for your suggestions and letting me vent though!

[Anonymous]

Hey! Ben is nearing the 1 yr. mark himself, and I too am wondering when this ride will ever end. It sure doesn’t seem to be any time soon. However, while his reflux remains, his vomitting ended around 8-9 months or so. Up until that time, our house was covered in puke, and we just didn’t even clean the carpets because we knew it was a futile effort!

Anyway, I had one thought.. I’m sure you’ve tried this already, but have you tried to cut out any foods from your diet? Milk and soy tend to be the biggest offenders? Maybe some type of intolerance is causing the vomitting to be so bad for so long???

[Anonymous]

I would also suggest cutting out all dairy and soy from the diet. Good luck to you.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I went on the TED for about 6 weeks and nothing ever got any better. It may be my breast milk but her Ped said the benifit of the BM far outweighs the Reflux because she is maintaining her weight and growth

[Anonymous]

it wouldnt be your breastmilk, it would be something your eating going through your breastmilk. There is nothing better for a babe then bm! i hope you find an answer soon. I have heard good things about pepcid complete before bedtime.

[Anonymous]

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I don’t mean to disagree with anyone, but it actually can be your breastmilk. Breastmilk has more lactose and protein in it that anything else. My daughter was actually allergic to mine. She would vomit and have severe diareaha while nursing and I was on an elimination diet. She lost a lot of weight and was lethargic from being so sick. Once we stopping breastfeeding, we saw improvement. I hope this helps.

Cherie

[Anonymous]

I have to agree with Cherie. The vast majority of the time there is nothing better for your baby than breastmilk, but it is possible to be allergic to breastmilk.

[Anonymous]

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Can a baby be allergic to breastmilk?

It is not really possible for your baby to be allergic to your breastmilk. Sometime, however, babies can be sensitive to proteins in the mother’s milk from foods she has ingested. There have been some reports of bloody stools in infants who are sensitive to food in their mom’s diet. The most common offender is cow’s milk protein (Jakobsson I, et al 1985) (Odze et al 1996).

If your baby is sensitive to cow’s milk protein in your milk, the only way to confirm this is by eliminating all cow’s milk products from your diet for at least two weeks, or longer, to allow the bowel time to heal. Eliminating dairy products means you need to avoid milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and packaged products that list the ingredient casein or whey protein.

Occasionally babies are sensitive to other foods in mom’s diet, but again, the best way to confirm this is by a two week elimination of that food. If your baby has had formula or you have fed them a new food, this very likely could be the cause of your baby’s sensitivity.

It is actually pretty uncommon for babies to be sensitive to food in mom’s diet, so be cautious about eliminating too many foods. If you are severely restricting your diet and not seeing any result your baby is probably not sensitive to the foods in your diet.

There may be other concerns, such as breastmilk oversupply, which can sometimes cause bowel problems and occasionally even bloody stools (Andrusiak, F. Larose-Kuzenko, M 1987) (Woolridge & Fisher 1988).

Babies of mothers with oversupply frequently have bowel problems because the over production of milk causes the baby to get more foremilk ( the lower fat first milk) than hind milk. Hindmilk is the higher fat milk that comes later in the feeding. Because the fat in the milk helps to slow digestion, a baby who receives more foremilk than hind milk may experience very rapid digestion. This would allow some of the lactose, a milk sugar, into the bowel undigested. Once in the bowel, lactose creates irritation that often leads to gassiness and explosive, sometimes green bowel movements. Irritation also further inhibits the bowel’s ability to manage the lactose, creating a situation that often gets progressively worse. This bowel irritation sometimes becomes so severe it can cause bloody stools.

Whatever the cause of your baby’s bloody stools, breastmilk is usually the best choice for most babies experiencing a digestive disturbance. Breastmilk is better tolerated and easier to digest than artificial baby formula.

You did not say specifically what kind of breastfeeding problems your baby is having, but to be appropriately evaluated for intolerances to foods in mother’s milk, breastmilk oversupply, or any breastfeeding concerns you should see a board certified lactation consultant who can work in collaboration with your physician to provide a complete evaluation and offer solutions.

I’m sure you are very worried about your baby experiencing such a scary symptom. I want to reassure you that I have worked with babies who have had a resolution of bloody stools after appropriately treating oversupply or intolerances to foods in mom’s diet. Hopefully the cause of your baby’s problem will be identified and remedied soon.

References

Andrusiak, F. Larose-Kuzenko, M, The effects of an overactive let-down reflex , Lactation Consultant Series. Unit 13 Garden City Park, NY: Avery Publishing 1987.

Jokobsson L et al: Dietary bovine beta-lactoglobulin is transferred to human milk, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 34:8 342 1985

Mohrbacher, N; & Stock, J. The Breastfeeding Answer Book, La Leche League International. Schaumburg IL, 1997 pp 281 282

Odze RD, et al: Allergic colitis in infants, Journal of Pediatrics, 126: 163-70 1995

Woolridge, MW and Fisher, C. “Overfeeding” and symptoms of lactose malabsorption in the breast-fed baby: a possible artifact of feed management? Lancet 2:382-4 19

http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nbreastfeed/0,,70jn,00.html sweetcheeks2007-08-26 17:19:52

[Anonymous]

Thats very imformative. Thanks for posting. The problem is I have done the TED and she still suffered severely from the reflux. But she has NEVER had bloody stools to this date. I dont know what the culprit is but hopefully it will be one of those things that as soon as she weens, she will get better. I can only hope right?

[Anonymous]

I am so sorry to hear about Brielle having a rough time. It is heartbreaking. You guys are in my thoughts and prayers that things will turn around soon, or that the clues to the puzzle will be solved. All of this stuff can be so tricky.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the possative thoughts

[Author]

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