- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Special Needs
So.... the SN's LC was a bust
Humpf. She's going on vacay next week & could only meet with me on Tuesday at an office for $160.
Then she said it was because sean had low tone that he was having problems nursing. I was felt put off that she was already diagnosing him with low tone when she hadn't even met him.
I did tell her that I had nursed rather recently and that the pedi said his tone was great.
So.... I'm calling the LC that helped me with M in those very early days. From what I can tell, Sean is not opening his mouth enough to allow the whole nip in. He also seems to be having a hard time with keeping his breath while nursing. SO he de-latches and catches his breath. Then we have to start the whole process over. And because he has such awesome tone, the little bugger pushes off of me and back. Fun times.
I also seem to have an awesomely fast & strong let down. I had the same thing when I nursed M. I had an oversupply with M too. If I tell you I could feed a small city right now.... I'm not kidding. When I pump, i get 3oz from each side in less time than the 2 minute stim on the pump.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: So.... the SN's LC was a bust
How frustrating? Gotta love a diagnosis over the phone!
My first thought as PP have said is that it could be cardiac related. Breathing is totally interrelated with the cardiac system and many heart kids have trouble with breathing and eating. I know the speech therapist in the hospital was really watching for this when we had our first go of trying to feed Carter orally after his surgery. He took many breaks to "catch his breath."
I could be totally wrong...but just a thought. Another piece to add to the puzzle I know...
Just to reiterate what a couple of others have said. Tone does not have to do with strength (which doesn't sound logical, but it is how it works). DD actually was slightly hypertonic in her legs when she was Sean's age and at the same time hypotonic in her mouth which caused her to struggle with sucking.
In addition to the LC, you might consider consulting with a SLA (speech/language therapist) or an OT who specializes in feeding. DD's feeding therapist is a specialized SLA and works with tiny babies (as well as the big kids) on feeding skills. She has a newborn that comes in right before DD and they are working on breastfeeding and bottlefeeding since the baby has low mouth tone.
I had oversupply issues as well (thought not as bad and for not as long with #2) and it is hard. I had better luck hand expressing a bit to extinguish the "hose-like" effect and then latching DS on. When I tried to pump first I really feel like it made my supply issues worse because the pump was more efficient. I always joke I was born a couple of centuries too late because I would have made a heck of a wet nurse
I have no advice on the tone issues, but I did also want to mention that I had wonderful results with lilypadz, both for leaking issues, but also to help with soreness from latching on and off. They really protected against friction better than anything else I tried to allow my poor nips to heal and actually stopped the leaking.
He may have some swallowing issues re: the latching off and trying to catch his breath. Yes, your milk could be letting down fast, but just saying a lot of babies with Down syndrome tend to have weak throat muscles/swallowing action and may need their milk/formula to be thickened.
Miles has aspirated his liquids since birth and has been on thickened formula and now milk to help him swallow it easier and keep it from going back up into his lungs.
Not trying to freak you out, but I think it's something worth mentioning to your pedi during your next wellness visit. They may want to do a swallow study just to make sure he's not aspirating. That can lead to pneumonia if untreated.
Nora Judith 7/2/06 Miles Chauncey 4/20/09 born with Trisomy 21 - Down syndrome