As I mentioned above, tomorrow is our 8 week checkup, and I hope our doctor is ready for a million questions! We haven't seen him in over six weeks, and I have a lot to ask about with Henry's reflux and sleep problems. Before I list all of the things I'm going to ask about (using my blog to think this through!), I want to thank all of the mothers who have left encouragement about reflux, thrush, and sleep problems....it really means a lot and all of your thoughts have been very helpful!
Okay my list...feel free to comment with suggestions!
Reflux:
--Saw improvement with Axid, but still not sure that it is much better. Henry is still waking frequently in between feedings, and he is sometimes wet from spitup when I go to comfort him.
Spit-up is thick like it has been in the stomach, goes through nose sometimes (poor little man), projectile several times (completely freaked me out--pretty sure he lost close to his entire meal)
Worst time of day is from 8:30 to 10:30 PM not sure if this is reflux related or just typical newborn fussiness.
Sleep:
Still waking frequently between feedings…again sometimes wet from spitting up…but calms down immediately if I pick him up. Also tried paci and patting without picking him up. He will calm down easily either way, but he is awake again crying usually within a few minutes.
Going down for sleep- seems to really fight going down at night. Doesn’t matter if we put him to bed still awake, dreaming or a deep sleep…usually wakes up within minutes of laying him down on back in crib. And he is not a happy camper!
Any suggestions??!!
Still feeding about every 2-3 hours at night, but doesn't seem to be eating much before he falls asleep. Comfort nursing? He can't be getting very much!
Stool:
Foamy Stool—do we need to be concerned about it? What causes it?
Stool on average three times a day—is this too much? (typically explosive)
Milk Protein Allergy:
Is there a way to test for this?
In the meantime...I've eliminated dairy (for the most part) from my diet
Thrush:
Currently being treated for thrush from our breastfeeding doctor. I'm on difflucan daily for two weeks, and Henry is getting his tounge scrubbed with a qtip after every feeding with nystatin (he likes this by the way--super cute)
Extra info for y'all-- We are on a baby wise routine with feedings every 2 hrs and 30-45 minutes. Feedings last about 30 to 40 minutes. First feeding of the day around 7 AM, and I try to put him in bed at 7 PM for night but he fights it the entire time. Shaun and I take turns going in to calm him down for that feeding and then I'm on my own for the rest of the night!
How about a pic of mr. henry?
7 comments:
Do you know if you have a really strong letdown when you nurse? Examples would be if he pulled off when you let down, or if he acts like he is drowning when you let down (the tingleing when he very first starts to nurse). The spitting up could be foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. A great place to go is http://www.kellymom.com for nursing information. Another great place is the nursing boards on webmd. There are a lot of ladies on there that have extended nursed their little one.
Any of the acid reducing meds are very dependent on the weight of the child so the dosage has to be adjusted with any rapid weight gain. If I remember correctly, he was put on these types of meds at 2 weeks right? If that is correct, he should be in need of an adjustment due to the weight gain.
In regards to sleeping, he should start sleeping better in the next month or so. You could try cluster feeding before bed, say if you nurse him around 4, try again at 5:30 and then again at 7. That way his belly is really full before he goes to sleep. Then again you might not want to do that if his reflux is REALLY bad.
If you ever need any other help with nursing, please feel free to leave me a comment on my blog with your email address. I nursed my oldest for 10 months and the younger one for 16 months.
Good luck and congratulations on making it 8 weeks. That is longer than a lot of women do!
Hi,
In response to Henry not sleeping in his crib...Have you tried letting him sleep in his car seat? My sister-in-law had trouble with her baby crying as soon as she put her in the crib. So they started leaving her in the car seat buckled and everything (the pressure of the straps made her tummy feel better and of course they have the soft things that go over the straps) They actually put the car seat in the crib and the crib next to their bed so she could rock it back and forth during the night!
I enjoy reading all your blogs. I stumbled on prayingforalittleone through Google search of pregnant belly pics...your story has touched me. I have not had infertility problems and very thankful for that...I loved your post about pregnant women who complain. Pregnancy is such a wonderful experience and truly a privilege.
You could also try letting Henry sleep in a baby swing. I've heard of a lot of people who do that when their baby doesn't sleep well due to reflux. I hope that your doctor has some good suggestions so you and Henry can both get some rest!
Giving up dairy is very hard, isn't it? I thought Delilah might be sensitive to it, but I've decided she is not. I do think she is sensitive to tomatoes and spicy foods, though.
How long do you keep Henry up after he eats? I have found that I need to keep Delilah upright for about 30 minutes or so after she eats (even if that means holding her while she is asleep). Even something as quick as laying her down to change her diaper will sometimes make her spit up if she just ate.
I'm sorry I don't have more suggestions. BUT I think it eould be good for you to get away for a few hours. My husband and I left Delilah with my best friend last week for about 5 hours and even though I missed her, it was nice to feel like a wife again for awhile and not just a mommy. I'm new at this mommy stuff too but if you ever need to talk let me know!
wow, does he look like his daddy! so cute! :)
i don't have much breastfeeding input, since we had to pump exclusively, but the reflux stuff you're describing sounds EXACTLY like what we went thru with our boys. i know its really unpleasant, but they DO grow out of it. as long as he's gaining well, while it may suck it won't hurt him long term. & one day, it will be like a switch went off & it will start to taper-- i promise!!
you could also look into different dosages or different meds for him. conrad was on prevacid & they had to tinker with the dose a bit, but once we figured it out, it made a world of difference.
also-- do you guys tilt his crib? we did that & also held our guys upright for at least 20 mins after every feeding. yeah, it prolongs the experience & is really rough when you're already getting up every 2 hrs, but it helped our boys keep their food in their tummy. maybe that could be daddy's job?
good luck!!!
Hey Courtney, Here is a link with pictures for everything you could ever want to know about baby poop! http://www.babycenter.com/baby-poop-photos?bclink=top&scid=momsbaby_20091006:3&pe=2TM7x3L#1254948058586_0
We had Mason sleep in his car seat for the first month or two because of reflux. It didn't fix things, but did improve the amount he slept.
I have heard of a swing called Amby baby which helps infants with colic/reflux issues. I don't own one but you can read up the reviews. Try gripe water for reflux/gas. It is herbal and have used it myself on all three of my kids (newest born 9/21/09) with excellent results. Again do ur reading/research. I read someones's comment to use car seat for naps. I have actually heard that car seat posiiton is painful for a baby with reflux. Do ur research as well since I don't have experience.Check chronicles of a babywise mom blog for support on babywise routines. Excellent resource.I am using babywise too.Hope my comments help you in someway.
We put our baby to sleep in his carseat for the first 12 weeks b/c of his reflux and I think it helped him sleep longer. Once we transitioned to the crib we used a sleep positioner so that he was still at a slight incline. If you're uncomfortable using the positioner you could try propping up his mattress. I also agree that you should check about increasing his meds dosage....I would increase my son's every 2 weeks just on my own and kept his doctor informed.
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