To make a long story short, DS has had feeding issues since day one. He seems hungry but will not eat much at a time and he spits up/vomits most of what he eats. At first they told us he just had a lot of mucus to clear out of his stomach since it was a fast delivery, which made sense. But things haven't really gotten better.
This morning I called the pediatrician because he just wasn't having many wet or poopy diapers since he can't keep anything down. I talked to someone on the nurse line and she told me to take him to the ER. We did, and had a horrible experience with a very rude doctor who said he was going to consult the pediatrician and basically never did. He wanted to admit DS for IV fluids, but I wanted to talk to the pedi before doing that. The doctor told me that clearly I didn't trust his opinion since I wanted to talk to the pedi first and stormed out of the room. We ended up leaving without ever having consultation with the pedi.
He does have an appointment tomorrow morning already. He's had 2 wet and 1 poopy diaper since we took him in. Our current plan is to feed him more frequently and very slowly with lots of burping to try and avoid spitting up while still getting more fluids into him. If he has another long stretch of time with no wet diapers, I'll be taking him to another hospital. He is jaundiced as well, which adds another potential issue.
Anyway, I'd appreciate thoughts and prayers. These last few days have been pretty stressful.
PCOS with long, irregular cycles First round of Clomid in May 2012= BFP #1, DD born January 2013 BFP #2 in January 2014, DS born September 2014
I don't post very often anymore, but this post caught my eye because it sounds almost EXACTLY like my first few days with Charlotte, my Feb '13 baby. She was born totally healthy and then became more and more spitty until she was full on vomiting everything she drank. By day 6, she had lost a lot of weight and she was jaundiced, so she had to be admitted to the NICU for phototherapy. I was also told to feed more frequently when she initially started eating poorly, which did NOT help at all.
It turns out that Charlotte has a rare genetic disorder called Galactosemia. The lactose in my breast milk was making her very sick because her body doesn't make the enzyme that breaks it down. Once we had the diagnosis we switched from breast milk to soy formula and she got better. I don't want to stress you out more than you already are, but have you gotten the newborn blood screen results back yet? If he has Galactosemia or a different metabolic disorder, then the sooner you figure out what it is, the sooner he will get better. I would insist that they find your test and expedite it if you haven't gotten the results yet. Some hospitals are terrible and there are delays with the newborn screen for no good reason. Some state labs are only open Monday thru Friday as well, which can delay the results.
I'm so sorry you're going through this. I know exactly how you feel right now, and I hope you get it figured out soon xoxo
Just one more thought... maybe you can buy a can of hypoallergenic formula (Neocate, Alimentum, etc) and try a few bottles instead of nursing him the next few feeds. If he keeps it down, then it might give you some insight before his appointment tomorrow.
I'll be thinking about you guys. Please keep us posted.
Oh @kleigh926, I'm sorry! Hugs, mama, that's a lot to deal with right now. I hope they figure it out!
I hope it helps, but E had the same mucusy crap in his tummy after his birth and it cleared up in about two weeks. And he only ate 3 times in the first 48 hours of life, too. He lost over a pound in those first 48 hours (born 9lb2.5oz, left the hospital at 8lb1oz)By week 2 things started evening out, and by 1 month, he was 2 full pounds heavier than birth.
Thanks everyone. I'm actually not sure about the newborn metabolic screening. No one mentioned that in the hospital. I will have to ask about that and his bilirubin levels tomorrow at his appointment.
@tiffanyp, we are already formula feeding but not with a hypoallergenic one. I actually did consider doing that to see if it could be a sensitivity. Another thing to ask the doctor about. At this point I'm just kinda waiting until the morning to see what they think we should try.
The last couple of feedings have gone better. We are feeding more frequently and more slowly with lots of burp breaks. He hasn't vomited a large amount since he chugged the pedialyte earlier in the ER. I'll check his diaper soon and hopefully it'll be wet again.
PCOS with long, irregular cycles First round of Clomid in May 2012= BFP #1, DD born January 2013 BFP #2 in January 2014, DS born September 2014
I'm glad to hear the last couple feedings have gone better. Praying for your little guy that it's nothing serious. A milk-based formula would be just as toxic as breastmilk if he has something like galactosemia. It's extremely rare, so it's unlikely that it's what's causing his problems, but please ask about the newborn screen results just in case. The newborn screening test is the heal prick test, where they put a drop of blood on a bunch of different squares to test for a bunch of rare disorders. They always perform the test before they discharge you from the hospital, unless you specifically refuse to take it (there are some crazy conspiracy theorists out there who think that the government just wants to collect data about your children). Anyway, good luck tomorrow! I hope he's looking more pink by then.
Huge hugs to you! I know that must be so stressful. Glad things are going a little better so far.
We are so thankful that our second daughter, Lillian Elizabeth "Lily", was born healthy and happy on February 11, 2013. We love her to pieces.
We lost our first daughter, Hannah Grace on May 4, 2011. She was buried on May 14 during a beautiful service at my home church. We are grateful that if she could not be here with us, that she is healed and whole with the Lord. We look forward to the day when we will get to meet her. We love her so much.
As others have suggested, I wonder if trying a different formula might help. DS had issues with spitting up huge volumes and had hardly gained anything by his 2 month appointment. He was constantly miserable, puking, and pooping really loose stools. We changed him to soy formula and it made a huge difference. Didn't solve the problem entirely, but things got a lot better and he started gaining weight. It turns out he had a milk protein intolerance, which isn't uncommon, and is something that many babies grow out of. DS drinks whole milk like a champ now.
It might be worthwhile to try either soy or hypoallergenic formula. I hope the pedi is helpful tomorrow. Keep us posted.
TTC since June 2009 BFP #1 2/22/10 M/C 6w2d BFP #2 October 2010 CP BFP #3 1/11/11 M/C 8w5d IUI #1 Aug 2011= BFN IUI #2= BFP #4 9/18/11 missed M/C, D&C 10/18/11 IUIs #3&4 = BFN IVF #1 May 2012 = BFP! Twins!!
Re: T&P for DS
Oh @kleigh926, I'm sorry! Hugs, mama, that's a lot to deal with right now. I hope they figure it out!
I hope it helps, but E had the same mucusy crap in his tummy after his birth and it cleared up in about two weeks. And he only ate 3 times in the first 48 hours of life, too. He lost over a pound in those first 48 hours (born 9lb2.5oz, left the hospital at 8lb1oz)By week 2 things started evening out, and by 1 month, he was 2 full pounds heavier than birth.
@tiffanyp, we are already formula feeding but not with a hypoallergenic one. I actually did consider doing that to see if it could be a sensitivity. Another thing to ask the doctor about. At this point I'm just kinda waiting until the morning to see what they think we should try.
The last couple of feedings have gone better. We are feeding more frequently and more slowly with lots of burp breaks. He hasn't vomited a large amount since he chugged the pedialyte earlier in the ER. I'll check his diaper soon and hopefully it'll be wet again.
First round of Clomid in May 2012= BFP #1, DD born January 2013
BFP #2 in January 2014, DS born September 2014
DS1: Quinn - 10.22.10 and DS2: Cole - 01.18.13
We are so thankful that our second daughter, Lillian Elizabeth "Lily", was born healthy and happy on February 11, 2013. We love her to pieces.
We lost our first daughter, Hannah Grace on May 4, 2011. She was buried on May 14 during a beautiful service at my home church. We are grateful that if she could not be here with us, that she is healed and whole with the Lord. We look forward to the day when we will get to meet her. We love her so much.
So sorry this is happening. Poor little guy.
As others have suggested, I wonder if trying a different formula might help. DS had issues with spitting up huge volumes and had hardly gained anything by his 2 month appointment. He was constantly miserable, puking, and pooping really loose stools. We changed him to soy formula and it made a huge difference. Didn't solve the problem entirely, but things got a lot better and he started gaining weight. It turns out he had a milk protein intolerance, which isn't uncommon, and is something that many babies grow out of. DS drinks whole milk like a champ now.
It might be worthwhile to try either soy or hypoallergenic formula. I hope the pedi is helpful tomorrow. Keep us posted.
TTC since June 2009
BFP #1 2/22/10 M/C 6w2d
BFP #2 October 2010 CP
BFP #3 1/11/11 M/C 8w5d
IUI #1 Aug 2011= BFN
IUI #2= BFP #4 9/18/11 missed M/C, D&C 10/18/11
IUIs #3&4 = BFN
IVF #1 May 2012 = BFP! Twins!!
Fraternal twins born Feb. 2013
First round of Clomid in May 2012= BFP #1, DD born January 2013
BFP #2 in January 2014, DS born September 2014
BFP1: DD1 born April 2011 at 34w1d via unplanned c/s due to HELLP, DVT 1 week PP
BFP3: DD2 born Feb 2013 at 38w4d via unplanned RCS due to uterine dehiscence