May 2014 Moms

So RE: The Babygaga Breast is Best thing...I have a story to share

I'm going to share a story with you guys and it is the only time I'm going to do it, because honestly it is traumatic and reliving it is painful. 

I thought I would love breast feeding.  I'm that kinda crunchy mom.  I totally set myself up for it.  Totally.  Asher was born and right away it was clear that there was something wrong with him.  He had difficulties sucking, swallowing, and breathing.  I spent three days in the hospital, crying while my new born screamed.  The lactation nazi's made me feel like shit saying things like "There is no way your milk could be bad for him, he can sense your anxiety, you need to relax"  Like it was all my fault.  I felt like the biggest mother fucking failure.  It was depressing and it took almost all the joy out of my few few days, weeks...and so on with Asher. 

We took Asher home and it was more of the same.  Only now he was projectile puking blood across the room and we were changing poopy diapers streaked with red.  So I was told to go on an extreme elimination diet.  And I did, because I didn't want to fail my son.  It was horrible.  He screamed ALL DAY LONG.  I remember him screaming for like 10 straight ours and just standing in the living room while he was in his bouncer and screaming "Just shut the fuck up!" 
Not my best moment.  But I couldn't handle it for one more second. 

So we took him to an allergist that said "Pump and give his gut a break"  We gave him Alimentum which is supposed to be hypoallergenic, while I pumped and froze.  And I felt terrible.  I would read articles like this and feel like the biggest piece of shit in the world. 

Then one day a couple weeks into Alimentum, I was recovering for surgery and it was the first day I was at home with him after the surgery by myself.  I had just given him a bottle and propped him up in his carseat so he wouldn't get reflux. I was washing dishes when I hear a really loud banging sound.  And I turned around my, tiny baby was blue in the face, covered in bloody puke and thrashing in his car seat. 

I thought he was choking.  I did everything I could to clear his airway, but it wasn't helping.  We didn't have a land line and I couldn't get a signal on my cell phone.  So I grabbed my blue baby whose eyes were rolling in his head, jumped in my car and did rescue breathing with him out of his carseat, propped against my steering wheel as I drove for the nearest hospital.  15 minutes away. 

Lucky for us, A volunteer firestation on the way actually had someone at it, I rushed it screaming about my dead baby and they took him from me, epi penned him, and transported us to a hospital, where Asher was promply transferred to an ICU clean room at TUFTS floating.  He went into repeat anaphylaxis over the course of that day.  I spent a week hanging over the side of his crib tent thing...

And you know what?  I did that to him.  The proteins of my milk built up and then the broken proteins in the Alimentum built on those and one day, BAM perfect storm.  Anyway. 

I got judged a lot for not nursing.  People side eyed me in public when I pulled out a bottle, assumed pedialyte was fucking soda, told me I was lazy. 

So my point is, all this crap is Mommy judging.  The whole breast is best thing, it leads to Mommy wars.  I think it is wonderful for those who can and want to breast feed, but some of that article sits very badly for me at least, for women who can't, and FFS for women who just don't want to. 

And before any of you go judging other moms, you need to think of my Asher, between the allergies and the autism, not only do we as parents get judged all the fucking time, but people pass judgement on my sweet boy. 

So really who the fuck cares what you feed your child, as long as you are providing good nutrition, which I assure you...formula is as well.  Don't believe me?  I'll post pictures of super baby "Asher" doing pull ups before the age of two.  That Neocate sure builds strong muscles. 
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Asher Benjamin and Lola Aisling

 Infertility
PCOS, Progesterone Deficiency Disorder, Multiple Miscarriage
Clomid, Metformin, Ovadril, PIO, P17 Iron/Platlet Tranfusion

My Spring Babies! 
<3 Angel Baby   Elisabeth Adelle  April 2008 <3
Asher Benjamin  April 2010
Lola Aisling  May 2014
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Re: So RE: The Babygaga Breast is Best thing...I have a story to share

  • Thank you for sharing this. I am a FTM and I can't possibly imagine how hard this was.

    I teach students with autism and many are in special diets even as teenagers to help with many of their symptoms. The bottom line is that you do what is best for your child, not what works for everybody else.
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  • omg. So sorry you went through that... I don't even know how to respond except that you sound like a wonderful, selfless and dedicated mom.
    Thank you for sharing that <3
  • That is terrifying. I'm so thankful that there are ways to feed all babies and that you found what worked for Asher.
    BFP#1 11-26-10 MMC 1-13-11
    BFP#2 6-8-11 Eleanor Beatrice born 2-15-12
    BFP#3 9-4-13 Benjamin Lee born 4-28-14

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  • That is terrifying. I'm so thankful that there are ways to feed all babies and that you found what worked for Asher.
    Yupp we talk a lot (Moms with FPIES kids, PID kids, and Tubies) how just a couple decades ago all our children would have died.  So grateful that there are multiple ways to feed babies. And grateful that they are all healthy too. 
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    Asher Benjamin and Lola Aisling

     Infertility
    PCOS, Progesterone Deficiency Disorder, Multiple Miscarriage
    Clomid, Metformin, Ovadril, PIO, P17 Iron/Platlet Tranfusion

    My Spring Babies! 
    <3 Angel Baby   Elisabeth Adelle  April 2008 <3
    Asher Benjamin  April 2010
    Lola Aisling  May 2014
  • How terrifying! I don't judge anyone who can't or doesn't want to breast feed. I really believe the saying happy mom, happy baby so do what works best for you and your LO! I promise no one will be able to look at your child and tell how they were fed as an infant!

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  • I can completely understand how that could traumatize you and completely would do the same in your shoes! I'm sorry you had to go through all of that and I really want to punch that nurse for you!!

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  • My heart breaks into a million pieces for you. Thank you so much for sharing this, I know it's got to just be gut wrenching typing that. Everything you said about mommy judging is so effing true and it makes me want to scream!

    I had the "I did this to him" feeling as well and there are few worse feelings. Andrew screamed and spit up and screamed some more his entire first month. Everyone kept telling me if I just kept letting him nurse it would build my supply and it was best for him and "you've got to at least do it for 6 weeks". At his 1 month appt he weighed only 3oz more than the weight he left the hospital. I felt like I starved my child for that month, and for what? Because everyone told me not to give him formula and made me feel bad for all of it.

    I wish everyone would just mind their own business and stop pushing shit on other people. 


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  • Thank you for sharing this. What a terrifying experience that must have been. I am so glad Asher is a strong and healthy boy now.
    Your story won't be forgotten.
  • sthomas1222sthomas1222 member
    edited December 2013
    So terrifying! DD has an egg allergy that thankfully presented with hives & vomiting. I'm that crazy mom inspecting all food & went batshit crazy on a restaurant the other day. You're so amazing. Do what you need to & what is best for you & LO & tell the rest to F off.

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  • Thank you for sharing.

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  • That is a terrifying tale. Thank you for sharing and reliving that pain for our benefit. Hugs!

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  • Thank you for sharing this! I really appreciate your openness and honesty!
  • So terrifying! DD has an egg allergy that thankfully presented with hives & vomiting. I'm that crazy mom inspecting all food & went batshit crazy on a restaurant the other day. You're so amazing. Do what you need to & what is best for you & LO & tell the rest to F off.
    In the end this is his list of allergies:  Milk, Soy, Beef, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Wheat.  Sulfates, Food Dyes, perservatives like BHT and basically he has to eat all organic.  Feeding him is an art form.  Truly. 
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    Asher Benjamin and Lola Aisling

     Infertility
    PCOS, Progesterone Deficiency Disorder, Multiple Miscarriage
    Clomid, Metformin, Ovadril, PIO, P17 Iron/Platlet Tranfusion

    My Spring Babies! 
    <3 Angel Baby   Elisabeth Adelle  April 2008 <3
    Asher Benjamin  April 2010
    Lola Aisling  May 2014
  • How terrifying! Thank you for sharing!

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  • How incredibly terrifying! I'm so sorry you want through that. Sounds like anyone's worst nightmare. Hugs! Glad your little Asher is thriving! I am in 100% agreement (even as a FTM) that you gotta do what's best for you and your kid...whether that's BF, FF, or whatever. And if anyone has another opinion on that, they can shove it.
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  • Will you have to feed your new LO special formula and then later Asher's same diet, just in case? How early can they do allergy testing?

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  • Miles2Go said:
    Will you have to feed your new LO special formula and then later Asher's same diet, just in case? How early can they do allergy testing?
    So allergy testing is incredibly inaccurate under age 3.  So we're going right to medical formula, in this case Neocate and then we'll start food trials at 9 months old.  Which is a little late for starting solids, but it is better not to trigger allergens early on.  Asher has PID which is a problem with his immune system, it is genetic.  My husband has it but didn't know, just grew up thinking he got sick a lot and had bad allergies.  The nice thing is that girls are far less likely to get this form of PID, so fingers crossed for us.  In the end, this new LO will end up on our diet...which we all follow inside our house, because we need to keep Asher's safety in mind at all times.  So food trials will be tricky.  Asher's worst allergy is actually his beef/dairy allergy...he reacts worse than most nut allergic kids do to nuts.  So we will never do a dairy trial at home with the new baby, that will happen after the age of 3 in a hospital setting. 
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    Asher Benjamin and Lola Aisling

     Infertility
    PCOS, Progesterone Deficiency Disorder, Multiple Miscarriage
    Clomid, Metformin, Ovadril, PIO, P17 Iron/Platlet Tranfusion

    My Spring Babies! 
    <3 Angel Baby   Elisabeth Adelle  April 2008 <3
    Asher Benjamin  April 2010
    Lola Aisling  May 2014
  • I'm so sorry you had to go through that.  Thank you for sharing your story.
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  • So crazy & scary! I almost had a heart attack when the dogs grabbed an egg off my plate & it landed near DD. Idk how you do it! We go back to the allergist on the 3rd, I'm assuming to retest. She clearly popped on egg, I'm still arguing on peanuts with him. I will ask that be retested & wheat. I rather catch celiac with a skin reaction than go through a trial. One of the things we risk by giving her donor milk is her not outgrowing the egg allergy as soon as she would without that small unknown exposure. But she went nearly 20 hours without drinking/eating when we tried formula. Everyone has struggles, you never know their story.

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  • Wow! That must be so difficult to do.

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  • Wow. I'm sorry you and your family have to go through all that, but at least you've got all the knowledge you need to be prepared. I was worried about food allergies with dd. I suffered from many developed food sensitivities and a few true allergies as a kid, and some now as well. They have morphed and changed over the years. I started solids a tad late for her as well because I was terrified of a reaction. So far, she hasn't shown much except a slight sensitivity to tomatoes and soy. The soy we discovered while breastfeeding so I had to eliminate it, which, as a vegetarian was difficult. I haven't tried tree nuts with her yet, though. Not sure I'll ever be ready to test that in the home setting, knowing how I (and my mother) react. She had her first peanut butter yesterday, and I was nervous, but she was fine. Didn't like it though!

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  • ABColeslawABColeslaw member
    edited December 2013
    So crazy & scary! I almost had a heart attack when the dogs grabbed an egg off my plate & it landed near DD. Idk how you do it! We go back to the allergist on the 3rd, I'm assuming to retest. She clearly popped on egg, I'm still arguing on peanuts with him. I will ask that be retested & wheat. I rather catch celiac with a skin reaction than go through a trial. One of the things we risk by giving her donor milk is her not outgrowing the egg allergy as soon as she would without that small unknown exposure. But she went nearly 20 hours without drinking/eating when we tried formula. Everyone has struggles, you never know their story.
    Absolutely.  I have a really great friend whose daughter is actually on a tube and early on she refused formula of all kinds and my friend couldn't get all the protiens out of her breastmilk.  This poor little one had FTT really bad and we were all really scared she would die.  It was pretty close for a while, even after she had the tube placed. 

    I think each and every one of us just has to do our thing.  When people judge, seriously, give them the mental middle finger and move on. 
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    Asher Benjamin and Lola Aisling

     Infertility
    PCOS, Progesterone Deficiency Disorder, Multiple Miscarriage
    Clomid, Metformin, Ovadril, PIO, P17 Iron/Platlet Tranfusion

    My Spring Babies! 
    <3 Angel Baby   Elisabeth Adelle  April 2008 <3
    Asher Benjamin  April 2010
    Lola Aisling  May 2014
  • So crazy & scary! I almost had a heart attack when the dogs grabbed an egg off my plate & it landed near DD. Idk how you do it! We go back to the allergist on the 3rd, I'm assuming to retest. She clearly popped on egg, I'm still arguing on peanuts with him. I will ask that be retested & wheat. I rather catch celiac with a skin reaction than go through a trial. One of the things we risk by giving her donor milk is her not outgrowing the egg allergy as soon as she would without that small unknown exposure. But she went nearly 20 hours without drinking/eating when we tried formula. Everyone has struggles, you never know their story.
    Absolutely.  I have a really great friend whose daughter is actually on a tube and early on she refused formula of all kinds and my friend couldn't get all the protiens out of her breastmilk.  This poor little one had FTT really bad and we were all really scared she would die.  It was pretty close for a while, even after she had the tube placed. 

    I think each and every one of us just has to do our thing.  When people judge, seriously, give them the mental middle finger and move on. 

    Interesting enough, our biggest donation came from a mom who pumped for months with a FTT baby who wouldn't take feeds & ended up with a tube. Think they ended up on neocate as well. There was a months worth of bags with his hospital tag on it. So sad, I cried most days when I was the one pouring those bags.

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  • @miles2go  what is really scary is sending your child to school...without you...where there is food everywhere!  AHHHH. 

    I don't think I'll ever be ready to retry nuts.  For now I let them do blood testing, but when he is older they'll want to sort out what is an oral sensitivity vs. a true allergy. 

    For now Asher is in a nut free school, dairy free classroom and sits at a wheat free table.  He has a 1:1 aide during all food times.  And I still fear getting a call from the school. 
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    Asher Benjamin and Lola Aisling

     Infertility
    PCOS, Progesterone Deficiency Disorder, Multiple Miscarriage
    Clomid, Metformin, Ovadril, PIO, P17 Iron/Platlet Tranfusion

    My Spring Babies! 
    <3 Angel Baby   Elisabeth Adelle  April 2008 <3
    Asher Benjamin  April 2010
    Lola Aisling  May 2014
  • So crazy & scary! I almost had a heart attack when the dogs grabbed an egg off my plate & it landed near DD. Idk how you do it! We go back to the allergist on the 3rd, I'm assuming to retest. She clearly popped on egg, I'm still arguing on peanuts with him. I will ask that be retested & wheat. I rather catch celiac with a skin reaction than go through a trial. One of the things we risk by giving her donor milk is her not outgrowing the egg allergy as soon as she would without that small unknown exposure. But she went nearly 20 hours without drinking/eating when we tried formula. Everyone has struggles, you never know their story.
    Absolutely.  I have a really great friend whose daughter is actually on a tube and early on she refused formula of all kinds and my friend couldn't get all the protiens out of her breastmilk.  This poor little one had FTT really bad and we were all really scared she would die.  It was pretty close for a while, even after she had the tube placed. 

    I think each and every one of us just has to do our thing.  When people judge, seriously, give them the mental middle finger and move on. 

    Interesting enough, our biggest donation came from a mom who pumped for months with a FTT baby who wouldn't take feeds & ended up with a tube. Think they ended up on neocate as well. There was a months worth of bags with his hospital tag on it. So sad, I cried most days when I was the one pouring those bags.
    It is so wonderful that they donated.  I really wish I had donated Asher's stash but in a rage I poured it all down the toilet.  lol...not my best moment. 
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    Asher Benjamin and Lola Aisling

     Infertility
    PCOS, Progesterone Deficiency Disorder, Multiple Miscarriage
    Clomid, Metformin, Ovadril, PIO, P17 Iron/Platlet Tranfusion

    My Spring Babies! 
    <3 Angel Baby   Elisabeth Adelle  April 2008 <3
    Asher Benjamin  April 2010
    Lola Aisling  May 2014
  • I cried when I donated my measly 70oz to a friend after our MPI diagnosis. Wtf was I going to do? Be super crunchy & make soap or something lol?! I can't imagine sending him to school! I cried going by a Pizza Hut the other day thinking how if DD ends up with Celiac how she won't be able to enjoy an after game party (should she play sports or w/e) like a normal kid. I also struggle with her weaning b/c the one thing I can do to I reduce her chances of celiac is BF. That's why even if she doesn't relatch she will get pumped milk so we can do wheat/gluten without that weighing in the back of my mind... We put so much pressure on ourselves. We shouldn't put that same pressure on others.

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  • I cried when I donated my measly 70oz to a friend after our MPI diagnosis. Wtf was I going to do? Be super crunchy & make soap or something lol?! I can't imagine sending him to school! I cried going by a Pizza Hut the other day thinking how if DD ends up with Celiac how she won't be able to enjoy an after game party (should she play sports or w/e) like a normal kid. I also struggle with her weaning b/c the one thing I can do to I reduce her chances of celiac is BF. That's why even if she doesn't relatch she will get pumped milk so we can do wheat/gluten without that weighing in the back of my mind... We put so much pressure on ourselves. We shouldn't put that same pressure on others.
    Well if you do end up with a celiac or pure wheat diagnosis, come find me.  I have an awesome allergen free pizza recipe.  We have had to get crafty, but we've found ways to bring it into pizza places so Asher can enjoy pizza with his cousins, friends, birthday parties and what nots. 

    Celiac is a hard point for me because I have celiac and I know that BFing will lower this next baby's chances of also having it, but I feel like I'm damned if I do damned if I don't you know?  Like I don't know what the trade off will be.  In the end I just decided that this was the devil I know best. 

    And I cry at least once every summer when we pass by and ice cream place and I think "Fuck I'll never get to take my kids for ice cream as a treat" 
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    Asher Benjamin and Lola Aisling

     Infertility
    PCOS, Progesterone Deficiency Disorder, Multiple Miscarriage
    Clomid, Metformin, Ovadril, PIO, P17 Iron/Platlet Tranfusion

    My Spring Babies! 
    <3 Angel Baby   Elisabeth Adelle  April 2008 <3
    Asher Benjamin  April 2010
    Lola Aisling  May 2014
  • kristine526kristine526 member
    edited December 2013
    Thanks for sharing momma! While I really hope everything goes well with BF LO, knowing that there is at least one person out there who won't be a Judgy McJudgerpants if I can't makes me feel a little less anxious about life.
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  • Celiac sucks ass. My mom has it, I have it (munching on my GF dominos pizza right now). I know no matter what I will wonder if this 8 months of her having other people's milk with gluten in it will have made a difference if she's diagnosed. I try not to read into her 5+ poops/day we've been having lately, that aren't the norm. And the allergy ring on her butt... It's got to be the trace eggs right? Right?! I will probably always carry the guilt of getting pregnant again & weaning her subsequently. Hopefully it lessens. Mommy guilt sucks.

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  • I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Thank you for sharing.
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  • Celiac sucks ass. My mom has it, I have it (munching on my GF dominos pizza right now). I know no matter what I will wonder if this 8 months of her having other people's milk with gluten in it will have made a difference if she's diagnosed. I try not to read into her 5+ poops/day we've been having lately, that aren't the norm. And the allergy ring on her butt... It's got to be the trace eggs right? Right?! I will probably always carry the guilt of getting pregnant again & weaning her subsequently. Hopefully it lessens. Mommy guilt sucks.

    I worry about this, too. Awhile back there was a conversation about eliminating dairy during pregnancy, and I mentioned how the GI we saw over the summer said celiac was probably not DD's problem due to her age. You were surprised by that and it made me question how quickly we dismissed it. My DD still poops 5 times a day at almost 2. She has a known dairy allergy but we haven't tested her for anything else. Celiac only came up after she was hospitalized twice for dehydration due to diarrhea and vomiting over the summer.
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  • I am so sorry for all you have been through! And your son is awesome and strong and will continue to be awesome. :)
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  • Thank you for sharing this.

    And if you need me to slap a bitch who side eyes you, I will. My Jersey can come out reeaalll fast.
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  • What a terrifying experience! I am glad you shared. I love seeing someone stick up for the FF moms.
    For me BF was a huge trigger for my PPD. I'm so terrified of having PPD again that I'm not sure I even want to try to BF this time. People may judge me for it, but I know that either way I'll be making the right choice for our family.
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  • Nothing near as bad as this but I also couldn't breast feed due to a lot of factors when my son was born. I was on tons of meds, had 2 surgeries, all right after he was born so the nurses had no choice but to give him bottles. By the time I got the chance I apparently had a problem with my left nip inverting, when he would try to latch that side it would suck in instead of poke out, so they had me trying these weird nipple cover nipples that he did not care for. Also my milk never came in, when I tried to pump I would get like1 ounce if I was lucky. It was horrible.

    Thanks for sharing this. I also felt like a failure and that's not fair. No new mom should feel like that!
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  • BF didn't work out with me with my first two kids. It is a goal of mine with this baby.....I'm hoping for different results due to being older and knowing more about feeding and children in general. That said, I read the babygaga post and am already having anxiety about the issue. 

    But, your post is right. The pressure we feel, the pressure we put on each other, is completely stupid. I personally don't understand 99% of the soapboxes people stand on right now. I don't care how other people feed their children, as long as those babies get fed. 

    My BF issues were not nearly as scary as yours and Asher's, but I remember being a too young mom and failing at this thing that everyone told me I just had to do for my baby.  This time, I think fuck the pressure and the guilt.  I don't know how I will end up feeding just yet, but I do know that my baby will be well fed.

    Thanks for your post......I can't imagine how hard it was to type it out for everyone to see! You are a brave mama.....
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