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Preemies
McGuinneybaby
member
Pedi forcing Formula threatening DyFS!!! HELP!
McGuinneybaby
member
in Preemies
Hello everyone,
I am absolutely beside myself at this point. I had a 33 weeker in January due to my Gestationally induced Hypertension. He was 3lbs. 11 ounces. We have been home since February 8th. He has not lost any weight but is only gaining about two to three ounces every two weeks. Last Monday at one doctor he weighed 5 pounds 1 ounce. I went to a lactation pedi that Tuesday and they weighed him with a wet diaper, I told the nurse to do it naked and she didn't, don't know why and he was charted as 5.5. I said impossible, that woud be a gain of 4 ounces in a day. I went home and weighed him on my scale and he was only 5. 2 ounces and 4 grams. Then he was weighed with the lactation pedi after a huge poop, no diaper and on a different scale and he weighed 5.4. I went again today and he was 5.7. On my scale he was 5.9 today. The doctor said he did not gain more than two ounces in the week and therefore he MUST be put on formula. I said I was not comfortable with this as, according to my charting, he gained 7 ounces. I explained the difference in the way he was weighed and she did not care. He seemed to be doing well after we increased his reflux meds to two times per day. I asked if we could continue on this track until the next weight check and she said if I did not put him on formula she was calling dyfs. Now, I have been on preemie forums all over the place and a significant number of mothers who breastfeed exclusively have said their preemies are slow gainers but as long as the baby is alert, having the appropriate number of diapers then not to worry. Also, they tested his protein, electrolytes and blood acidity and he was perfect. How can she just threaten dyfs! Anyone in New Jersey with a pediatrician who understands preemies and breastfeeding? I am desperate. I had to agree to the formula, but I still think she will call dyfs. He has reflux and with only an ounce of formula he has been spitting up and crying out in pain since his 5:30 feeding and I have tried to feed him at 8:30 and he won't take anything, he is in so much pain. What do I do now? After 25 days in the NICU and all the stress, you would think they wouldn't use strong arm tactics. I have not gone back to work to ensure I am there to feed him at every feeding. I do Kangaroo care with him for hours, I have added flax oil, walnuts, and other dha rich foods in my diet and now I am gaining weight! How can she report me as if to say I am not caring for my child? I take him to a doctor almost every day, fight for his care on the phone with the insurance company, research everything online and contact hospitals specializing with preemies to get more information, yet crack head mothers whose babies weight is normal are not treated so horribly. Please help!
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Re: Pedi forcing Formula threatening DyFS!!! HELP!
Oh my gosh, you poor thing. I haven't been in your situation but here are my suggestions...
* Get a new pediatrician NOW. That is an insane thing to say to you, and she is clearly a quack. The faster you get away from her, the better.
* Call the NICU. If there was a doctor or nurse practitioner there that you really liked, speak with them and tell them the whole situation. They will be much more familiar with the issues of preemies than that idiot pedi. and can hopefully give you the resources you need (and recommend a new pedi).
* Check out the Early Intervention program in your state (the NICU can help you with that, too). Ours (in Missouri) gives us access to a nutritionist if we need one. Annabelle has always been small and a slow gainer, so we thought we might need one. They come to your house, evaluate your baby and work very closely with you to figure out the problem and solve out. The therapists that DO see Annabelle right now come once a week and I'm sure it would be the same with a nutritionist.
* Have you tried fortifying his milk? That way, he still gets the breast milk but also the boost in calories.
I'm so sorry you're going through this-- it sounds like a true nightmare. Hang in there and please keep us updated...
I'm so sorry you're going through this!!! NOT what you need right now. DD has only ever had breastmilk, however they fortified with HMF in the NICU and now that I'm home I add formula to it to boost calories. In order to do that I don't BF and EP, although when we left the NICU the nurses wanted us to work towards switching to Bfing when her weight gain stabilized. Perhaps a call to the NICU would be reassuring not only to you but to your pedi about BFing a preemie?
I second the advice about checking out your local Early Intervention services. DD qualified for an evaluation based on the fact that she is a preemie. They have all sorts of resources: RN's, nutritionists, developmental specialists, PT/OT and the list goes on. I've only had one meeting with my care coordinator, but I felt so supported and am eager to continue working with them
The way you wrote this makes me wonder if you are feeding him on a strict schedule. ...Refused the 8:30 and 11:30 feedings and took the 2:30 feeding. If that's the case, I wonder if his slow weight gain is more due to overscheduling. While they feed the babies on schedule for the most part in the NICU, most babies do not prefer to eat on schedule and most breasts do not make milk on a particular schedule, especially in the first few months. Trying to keep them on a fairly strict schedule can lead to failure to thrive (Babywise is one type of scheduling method which can lead to weight issues).
I would suggest offering the breast or bottle far more often - at least every time he wakes up and at least every two hour (start to start) when he is awake. If he is rooting at all or fussy and not sleeping, try offering milk. His weight gain is really quite slow and very very low for his age so it's worth trying offering food more often.