Took Ashton to the Pediatrician today. She discussed reflux with me and gave him some meds, but ordered an ultrasound to check to make sure he doesn't have pyloric stenosis which is when the stomach doesn't release all or any of the food ingested into the small intestine and causes projectile vomit in pulses, among other symptoms. She mostly wants to check because of his prematurity.
He has DOUBLED his birth weight (born at 4lbs, now 8.2lbs!), so I don't think that stenonis is the issue, but better safe than sorry. I asked about the lactose intolerance, and she said she doesn't think that is what is causing it because I don't eat much dairy and what little I do eat isn't enough to be very present in the milk. So there's that.
I'm going back to work next week and plan on trying to continue to pump. Question for ladies who have done it before - do/did you pump into bags or bottles? Trying to figure out logistics...
I'm going back to work next week and plan on trying to continue to pump. Question for ladies who have done it before - do/did you pump into bags or bottles? Trying to figure out logistics...
With DS I pumped straight into bottles and then took those home each day and transferred them into bags that were frozen or sent to daycare. I was fortunate that I had my own office and a mini-fridge in it - I will have the same setup this time although I'm with a different company so I plan to do the same thing. I have never pumped into bags...
@caffeinenut DS needed preemie nipples for the first 3 weeks bc level one resulted in choking and tons of milk dribbling out. When he started to seem frustrated we took a straight pin and stretched the opening of the preemie nipples open just a little. My pedi said this was fine (we didn't cut them, so no chance of pieces of the nipple coming off of it) and it helped him not be frustrated until he could handle the level ones. There is no exact science to it so one got stretched a little far and we just ended up not using that one but the others we stretched worked out well. Just an idea!
I'm going back to work next week and plan on trying to continue to pump. Question for ladies who have done it before - do/did you pump into bags or bottles? Trying to figure out logistics...
I tried pumping into bags but always end up spilling. I could just bring the bottles home and pool the milk so if I was freezing it I could freeze in more equal quantities. Oh and the fat will rise and stick to the side of the bottle- just rub your finger along the outside to warm it slightly and swirl it back in to ensure you don't leave it behind when you transfer it to bag.
I'm going back to work next week and plan on trying to continue to pump. Question for ladies who have done it before - do/did you pump into bags or bottles? Trying to figure out logistics...
I pump into the 5oz bottles, then dump both sides into a 9-10oz bottle. It all goes into a bag for transport. Then I never have to remember anything extra in the morning. I also have my own mini fridge in my classroom, so I freeze the bag before I go home, then pop it in the deep freeze at home. E gets the bags from the beginning so everything gets rotated.
Formerly known as Kate08young August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Me: 28 H: 24 Married: 7/22/14 Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017. Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
Ollie has reflux. Definitely common for babies and EXTREMELY common for preemies. We have a slew of techniques that we follow to avoid the spits. Happy to share!
@swhiddon33 I'd love to hear. The more I read the more I think we have reflux, just no spitting up here. But maybe something might make her more comfortable.
Alright. Here's my reflux manifesto. Hahaha. My boy is fed exclusively with my breast milk by bottle. These techniques work for us! He still has an occasional spit burp and behaves as if he is refluxing (arching his back, crying, "climbing" me when the bottle is done, smacking his lips when he is finished, gurgling and grunting) but for the most part he finishes approx 3 ounce bottles every 2.5-3.5 hours without major issue. Let me know if I need to clarify anything. Good luck!
Atmosphere
- Keep feed times calm & quiet & without distraction. Focus on your task and the baby's cues (If they are going too fast, gulping too much air, etc) and adjust when needed.
- Mom, stay calm. If you stress over the feed, they'll pick up on it. Stress=exacerbated reflux.
- Make sure your area is prepared with bottle, burp cloth, blanket, paci, any meds used, etc. to avoid interruptions during your feed.
Baby's Status
- Is baby well rested? Tired = lazy = exacerbated reflux.
- Like you, is baby focused? Avoid distractions for him or her too (siblings wanting to play, loud voices in the room, etc).
- Avoid feeding if baby is too fussy to start. Calm them if they are (use soothing techniques like paci) before diving in.
Equipment (bottle feeding)
- Using the proper bottle and nipple is key. May require major troubleshooting for slow flow nipples or low-colic bottle systems. (Doc Brown is a hit for most but didn't work for us. We like the Nuk nipple. I also hear good things about Tommee Tippee bottles, Phillips Avent, and the Kiinde system).
Positioning and Technique
- Try side lying the baby while they eat. Left-side positions aid in smooth digestion and keep them upright. This can be done by propping them on your bent knees. May be easier if baby is swaddled.
- We prefer a side sitting position. I make a chair with my left leg that is bent at the knee and crossed over my straight right leg as I sit in a recliner. He props against that bent left leg and his bum sits down in the hole created around my crotch area. I hold his neck steady with my left hand behind his ears and feed with my right hand. His head is not tilted back (you can see his neck rolls distinctly) and I let my pacing and the bottle do the work instead of gravity down his throat. Keep baby's head above his belly at all times.
- Pace the baby. Allow for 3-6 sucks at a time and tilt the bottle down to rest a beat. Ensure thorough swallows and breathing. With the right bottle, baby won't be able to suck in air in between milk. Don't remove nipple from mouth during these times or it may disorganize the baby.
- Burp often. Aim for once every ounce or so instead of waiting until the end.
- Use paci to burp. While he sucks on it, air is forced up and out and he burps around the paci. Also helpful if baby is falling asleep before you can get the gas out!
- Jostle as little as possible during and after. Tilt the baby slightly forward to burp, supporting his head by fitting his chin into the space between your finger and thumb on right hand, instead of rising baby to burp over the shoulder, and pat or rub his back with your left hand. Slowly tilt baby back to feeding position when done burping.
- Hold baby upright for 20-30 minutes after, no exceptions. Can be done against your chest but just move baby gently.
- IF NURSING DIRECTLY: most of these ideas don't apply but you can still aim to keep baby in a more upright position (head above belly) for the feed using pillow placement.
The Food/Mama's Diet
- BM is thinner but digests faster and passes through belly faster (con and pro) and is generally more tolerated overall unless you're eating something baby is truly allergic to.
- Formula still in baby's system even if not in current bottle, so to truly test, must do an official elimination.
- Food allergies & intolerances can happen. Common: dairy, soy, egg. Show themselves in other ways (blood and/or excessive mucus in diaper, skin rash, for ex). Eliminations take a few weeks to work their way out. If a caffeine intolerance, the removal is faster (approx 5 days later). Be patient for results, if any. Discuss official tests with MD before going diet crazy because baby needs you to be well fed and not dieting!
Other
- Slight inclines are your friends. Sleep inclined, hold inclined, even change them on an incline (wedges under mattresses, rolled blankets or towels underneath change pad, elevate beds with blocks even). We personally would not be surviving without the rock n play.
- Change diaper using the side roll technique (check YouTube). Lifting baby's legs to change them puts pressure on tummy and lower spine that correlates with digestion. Doing so multiple times a day isn't doing you any favors!
- Don't be afraid of medicine (Zantac, gas drops, etc). Reflux is often only temporary and so are the meds.
Are you pumping into bottles or bags? I tried pumping into bags, but I feel like the measurements are weird. I go by how many ounces the Medela bottles read and if I pour into bags it shows it as more. I've tried getting the bottom of the bag down, but still don't get the same amounts in both bottles and bags.
@temmetime I pump into bottles, they go in the fridge, and get used the next day. Any extra I transfer into bags but use the measurements on the bottles, not the bags.
@temmetime the bag measurements are accurate, but I feel you have to mess with the bag a bunch in order to get to that point. I just go off the bottle before pouring into the bag.
Here's my current challenge - LO wants to nurse so much that I'm having a hard time pumping enough to get a stash going for DH to be able to use. Have others dealt with this? Whenever I pump more than an ounce or so I feel like LO gets frustrated with me then not having enough left to nurse him with.
Those that have done reflux meds - How soon did you see an improvement? Saw the doctor today and she felt like it could be reflux and will try meds (once I get done fighting with insurance )
@gowenc, when are you pumping? i try to pump after my first feeding of the day because LO naps hard in the morning, which means I should have enough time to make enough milk for the next feeding. So, if I were you, I would try to pump when you know LO is about to have a decent stretch of sleep.
@cgss11 With DS1 we saw improvement within the first 48 hours when we first started Zantac (ranitidine) and in that same time frame every time we increased the dose. Prilosec and Prevacid take longer to work, so maybe improvement in a week or so. Not sure what your LO is on.
@cgss11 we saw improvement in her pain (arching back, fussing while eating) within 3 days with both kids. With the new kid we started last week at the lowest dose for weight and while it helped, we just upped the dose to try to help more cuz it wasn't totally better (she'd still arch and fuss a lot during the day but was ok at night). That just happened today so we shall see. Both kids were on Zantac.
Also, it may not stop the spitting...but should make it less painful. My first kid still spit like crazy until 10 months even on meds.
Does anyone else struggle emotionally with cluster feeding? By the end of a long evening LO and I are both in tears. We normally work so hard to keep him awake during feedings and it's just not possible in the evenings. Then he's pissed because he's not filling his belly. Cycle again and again. And because if his weight gain issues, I feel super guilty like in starving him. Then FI ends up having to calm us both. It's a mess.
@tinattt23 yes, when I was having a rough time I called a local La Leche League leader, she was so supportive and encouraging of me, it was just what I needed to hear at that time. Hearing a BTDT mom tell me that I'm doing the right thing and that it will get better with time really eased my mind. Cluster feeds are no fun, but hang in there!
I usually spend the evening cluster feeding LO, from about 6 to 9 or 10. It's rough, I feel stuck, even with my phone, or tv, I feel like I should be doing something like cleaning my disaster house. Feed, burp, diaper, feed, burp, diaper... until I have nothing left to feed him. Then binkie, and I have to hold him for a while for him to fall asleep. Tonight I gave him a bath in the middle of the cluster feeding, about 8:30, and fed him afterwards. He passed out hard, like when he was just born. I'm going to have to do the math more often at night! Usually I only give him 2 a week and during the day. This may mean less cluster feeding at night! Fingers crossed...
@tinna23 same here! I feed DD to go down at 8 but she always wakes back up and I have to feed her 9-11. I put her down asleep three times during that time and each time she would wake up as soon as I put her down on the bed even with me right next to her. Cue tears. And I don't have the extra weight issue...I'm sorry that sucks!!
the good thing was that she slept until 2 (just finished feeding her again! Wish me luck putting her down lol)
Me: 38, DH: 36 Married Jan 2008 DD Baby Bells born Dec 2016 5 lbs, 12 oz, 18" so in love Due with #2 Baby Arya EDD February 2020
Yup, same here with cluster feeding. It has gotten so much better lately. It was 10-2am the first 2-3 weeks and now it seems that it is 9-11pm, which keeps getting shorter and shorter. I was so frustrated at first and then I talked to some people. I think that the first step is acceptance. Once I accepted it, I knew that I would be awake 10-2am no matter what and got some things to entertain myself. It made it so much easier. Once she reached the 4 week mark it shifted to shorter and earlier in the day. Hang in there mammas, it will get better and then you will have those 3-4 hours back. My LO slept close to 5 hours last night-----so amazing.
Also, one thing that helped was pumping (earlier in the day) and letting DH/SO feed the bottle in one of those cluster feedings. DH would feed during the middle feeding so that I could get a short nap/go to the bathroom etc. This would be helpful in case you feel like your boobs are running out of milk!
******TW******Siggy warning BFP1 04/24/2015 EDD Dec 2015 MMC 10W5d; BFP 2 09/25/2015 EDD June 2016 MMC 9wks; BFP 3 03/22/2016 EDD Dec 6th 2016
@leksiL LOVES the bath. I ditched the baby bath tub and just get in the bath with him. He loves the skin to skin time. DH helps me get him in and out so I don't slip.
@sourlemon my boobs stop being sore at about 4/5 months when we introduce solids and I'm not needed as much. Running is always hard for me until we are done breastfeeding. But I am not much of a runner unless soccer is involved, then I'm all about it!
Mine still hurt at almost 2 months... I was thinking today that it's pretty incredible that there are so many BFing/pumping women out there, silently suffering with constant (or at least frequent) boob pain. I wish it was more openly discussed because I feel like a freak complaining about it to my husband all the time.
Is anyone out there on fenugreek? I started taking it about a week ago to get my supply up. It worked (or something else finally did- the pumping and constant nursing) but in the past few days we noticed Madeline is extra fussy and it seems to be related to gas pain. She is also spitting up a TON. Like every time we change her, even if we wait an hour after feeding and follow all the reflux recommendations above. I was taking a low-ish dose, one 4 capsules a day, but I smell like maple syrup so it certainly was reaching some sort of systemic level. After doing a bit of research, I found that babies can get gassy and colicky with fenugreek. This was definitely not something I knew before. Has anyone else experienced this as a side effect? I stopped taking it after yesterday morning's dose. Does anyone know how long it will stay in my system for? Also, now that my supply is up and I'm nursing and emptying my boobs ~10 times per day, does anyone know if my supply will stay up or if I should expect a decrease after discontinuing fenugreek. So far she is still quite gassy and fussy today and drowning in spitup. I'm not even sure if it is related to the fenugreek but the timing is suspicious when I started it.
@tinattt23 I am struggling with cluster feeding too. I ultimately feel "resigned" to it and know this is all temporary, normal, and natural but man. Between that, the lack of sleep, and the lack of core strength, these initial weeks are hard. Harder than I remember. But they do pass. I do remember that.
Hugs to everyone who is experiencing cluster feeding.
@swhiddon33, I hadn't actually heard of the side roll diaper change technique, so thanks for that! I really need to try it with Cooper because he frequently spits up during diaper changes.
So questions for you BFing ladies as I've only EP in the past. If your child is dribbling milk while feeding, is it more commonly because of a faster letdown or a poor latch? Or both? Also, Cooper is 6 weeks now. Is it common at this stage to feel as if my breasts are not full/filling enough at night? I worry a bit that my supply is decreasing and that he isn't getting enough milk. He is nursing more frequently during the day (from both sides) and starts to get fussier about feeds as the day progresses (as if still hungry). I haven't introduced a bottle yet, but I have thought about supplementing with a bit of my expressed milk (I typically pump at the first feed of the morning) the past few days because I'm a bit concerned that he's still hungry at night.
@H4aPartyof5 I felt the same concern with my LO especially in the evening. Our pediatrician told me at his 1 month that he could just be cluster feeding in the evening because of comfort for gas pain we think he is having and if he continues to have wet diapers and gain weight to not worry.
Anyone favor a boob for nursing? I'm mostly pumping but have been letting her comfort nurse/cluster feed in between bottles. My left boob is my dud production-wise, but we seem to have the best latching flow with that one so I tend to always just let her nurse on that side.
Is it possible to successfully switch to nursing from EPing at 3 weeks old? So over pumping and am having over supply issues on top of that. I have over 300 oz frozen because my bbs hurt so bad if I don't empty them lol the way every 3-4 hours.
I started EPing in the hospital bc of latch frustration, I have larger nipples and he was having trouble latching and the pain was awful. He would do it perfectly for the LC but when we were alone it was not going well. I wish I had tried harder, nursing seems way more convenient then this pump/feed grind.
Re: All Things Feeding
He has DOUBLED his birth weight (born at 4lbs, now 8.2lbs!), so I don't think that stenonis is the issue, but better safe than sorry. I asked about the lactose intolerance, and she said she doesn't think that is what is causing it because I don't eat much dairy and what little I do eat isn't enough to be very present in the milk. So there's that.
We'll see how the meds do.
My Wedding Bio!
Formerly known as Kate08young
August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Married: 7/22/14
Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms
Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms
TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017.
Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
DS: 12/20/16
EDD: 11/29/18
Also, it may not stop the spitting...but should make it less painful. My first kid still spit like crazy until 10 months even on meds.
Cluster feeds are no fun, but hang in there!
the good thing was that she slept until 2 (just finished feeding her again! Wish me luck putting her down lol)
Married Jan 2008
DD Baby Bells born Dec 2016 5 lbs, 12 oz, 18"
Due with #2 Baby Arya EDD February 2020
Like @yellingbanana bath time gave us a much needed break
Married Jan 2008
DD Baby Bells born Dec 2016 5 lbs, 12 oz, 18"
Due with #2 Baby Arya EDD February 2020
Also, one thing that helped was pumping (earlier in the day) and letting DH/SO feed the bottle in one of those cluster feedings. DH would feed during the middle feeding so that I could get a short nap/go to the bathroom etc. This would be helpful in case you feel like your boobs are running out of milk!
BFP1 04/24/2015 EDD Dec 2015 MMC 10W5d;
BFP 2 09/25/2015 EDD June 2016 MMC 9wks;
BFP 3 03/22/2016 EDD Dec 6th 2016
Formerly known as Kate08young
August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Married: 7/22/14
Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms
Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms
TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017.
Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
Now that you are emptying multiple times a day, your supply should stay where it is.
Formerly known as Kate08young
August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Married: 7/22/14
Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms
Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms
TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017.
Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
@swhiddon33, I hadn't actually heard of the side roll diaper change technique, so thanks for that! I really need to try it with Cooper because he frequently spits up during diaper changes.
So questions for you BFing ladies as I've only EP in the past. If your child is dribbling milk while feeding, is it more commonly because of a faster letdown or a poor latch? Or both? Also, Cooper is 6 weeks now. Is it common at this stage to feel as if my breasts are not full/filling enough at night? I worry a bit that my supply is decreasing and that he isn't getting enough milk. He is nursing more frequently during the day (from both sides) and starts to get fussier about feeds as the day progresses (as if still hungry). I haven't introduced a bottle yet, but I have thought about supplementing with a bit of my expressed milk (I typically pump at the first feed of the morning) the past few days because I'm a bit concerned that he's still hungry at night.
DH: 36⎹ Me: 36
I started EPing in the hospital bc of latch frustration, I have larger nipples and he was having trouble latching and the pain was awful. He would do it perfectly for the LC but when we were alone it was not going well. I wish I had tried harder, nursing seems way more convenient then this pump/feed grind.