Hey Mamas.
My my son was born on 6/16 and we have been "successfully" breastfeeding since day one. I put that in quotes because he has neverrrrrr stopped spitting up after every feeding, and when I say spitting up, I mean probably half of what he had taken in.
At at his one month appt I asked about this and the NP prescribed him Zantac for possible reflux. After a week of zero improvement, she instructed me to discontinue it and said he must be just a "happy spitter." Great.
As an experiment a little while ago, I gave my son a 4 ounce bottle of Similac. Not only did he chug it, but not a drop of it came back up.
Im feeling very frustrated and defeated. I've nursed him for almost two months and managed to pump well over 300 ounces to be frozen for whenever we need it.
So now I feel like there's definitely something wrong with my breastmilk, or there's something about it that doesn't mix well with my sons stomach at all.
Has anyone dealt with anything similar??
Re: Feeling defeated, kinda long..
My LO had about 2 weeks where he 'spit up' after meals - it seemed like a gallon! They told me he might just be overeating and when his belly got full, it pushed everything out... not just the excess. For a while, I only fed him on one side or I took him off before he had stopped eating. It sounds like you have a VERY healthy supply, so you might try cutting his feedings a little short and seeing if that helps.
Good luck! I know it's frustrating.
Dairy is the most common culprit for tummy problems in little ones, but if he tolerated the formula well, I wouldn't suspect dairy is an issue in your case. Of course, as a trial, you could reduce or eliminate the dairy in your diet for a few weeks to see if that helps too.
DD1: allergic to eggs & dairy
c/p 4/1/11
DD2: milk and soy protein intolerant, allergic to eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, bananas
MSPI Moms Check-In Blog
have you met with a lactation consultant? She may be helpful in answering some of your questions.
how was lo's weight gain when he was spitting up? Are you getting 6-8 wet diapers a day?
If he was on his curve then he truly may be just a happy spitter.
Also, it can look like much more spit up than what's actually coming out.
You could have an issue with a fast let down or having multiple let downs. Does he pull off the breast or gasp and choke at any point?
my advice would be continue nursing as he wants too.. You'll drive yourself crazy trying to guess when he should come off and he knows when he's going through a growth spurt and needs to nurse more often. If he spits up then it's natures way of fixing the problem. I wouldn't switch to formula and I'd continue to BF per his cue and don't worry about preventing the spit up. Just make sure you've got extra towels.
I will suggest that your pedi rule out pyloric stenosis if it's forceful projectile vomit after every feeding--- I doubt it's that bc he'd not have any or very few wet and dirty diapers.
Anyway, I still have no idea why he is still spitting up. His 2 month doctors appt is this upcoming Saturday so I'll ask about it then. Until then, I'll keep the burp cloths and towels very close by! Ugh!
I just get tired of feeling like a puke-covered cow sometimes. I get tired of being someone's food source.