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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Refluxy 24wk old, failure to thrive, supply issues - help am about to give in/up!

24 replies

womblingalong · 27/09/2007 08:13

Hello,

I hope someone can offer some advice/information to help me. This is a bit long and complicated, sorry & thanks for reading if you manage to make it to the end.

DS is now 24 wks old, he was born on the 98th centile, and has now dropped to the 0.4th last week. His rate of gain had slowed, but last week he lost 6oz in two weeks. He has been diagnosed with silent reflux, and is on metoclopramide and losec & gaviscon after BFing.

He was exclusively BF until last Thursday, when the consultant advised us to introduce solids, and he is wolfing down two 'meals' a day on top of BFing. I am topping up in afternoon with EBM 3-4 oz, but am running out of milk, and am now not able to express a good amount any more.

We started to have problems at about 8 weeks old with feedng, as he went on strike, with a cold, and refused to feed much in the day. I started to offer more feeds, but they have become hellish, short, screamy, he arches his back and kicks out his legs and arms in pain or distress. He needs me to walk around rocking him while I am feeding, and he will not stay attached, he comes off lots of time during a feed, and bemands that I switch feed him from breast to breast.

I was severely anemic (sp?) at the end of my pregnancy, have pcos & have had 3 periods whilst BFing. I saw a LLL counsellor, she told me DS attachment was good, but she thought I had a supply issue/too slow let down. She suggested getting oxytocin from the GP. I went and got domperidone & am taking fenugreek, and trying to express a few times a day, but with a toddler to am finding this next to impossible.

She also said that you need to get calories into that baby fast, so give high calorie solids, bF where you can & give formula if you have to. I just don't have enough milk now I think, yesterday he screamed for an hour, when I tried to drop the top up, and wouln't feed from me. I gave in and gace him 4 oz formula.

I feel awful, stressedand worried aout my supply, disappointed I wasn't able to exclusively BF, and worried about my return to work within a month, and how I can sort out his feeding/weight/my supply issues.

Please someone can you help?

(Sorry for this essay)

OP posts:

Theclosetpagan · 27/09/2007 08:18

Personally I think you have done a fantastic job to keep the BF going with all the problems you have had. Tiktok will be along at some point and she is really knowledgable about BF so am sure she will be able to give good advice.

RubySlippers · 27/09/2007 08:18

reflux is the pits
my DS had silent reflux - he got sorted when he went on meds - domepridone and ranitadine. The ranitadine helps neutralise the acid, whereas the domperidone moves everything through quicker
after 5/6 days on both meds he was like a different baby
you have done brilliantly to keep on BF'ing - i gave up much sooner because of the problems you describe

fishie · 27/09/2007 08:24

womblingalong what a nightmare this sounds, you poor thing. i think you need to speak to a qualified breastfeeding counsellor NOW.

i am not sure whether the advice re solids is good, everything i have ever read about this says that the calories in solids will be less than in milk. supplementing with formula is another matter, perhaps you don't have to do that. but you really need some proper qualified advice sharpish.

by the way, i had a lot of problems establishing supply, ds was really rather skinny for a while and was right off the bottom of the centiles. he is an entirely average sized 2yo now, so whatever happens i am sure your ds will be fine.

back in a sec with some numbers...

fishie · 27/09/2007 08:26

Breastfeeding Network 0870 900 8787
NCT supporter line 0870 444 8708
La Leche League 0845 120 2918
Association of BF Mothers 020 7813 1481 and 08444 122 949

Original poster

womblingalong · 27/09/2007 08:33

All,

Thanks for the help everyone, fishie, I have spoken to LLL, but will also try the others today thanks for the numbers.

Any other ideas, esp on inc supply fast & let down?

OP posts:

fishie · 27/09/2007 08:52

oh dear and you are going back to work soon too. i am no expert but surely the best way to increase supply is to feed more. can you send toddler out with someone and take to your bed for the day? sounsd like you need it anyway! i got forcibly stuck in bed with ds one weekend (kitchen being replaced nowhere else to go in house) and it did help a lot with increasing supply although awfully boring.

Original poster

womblingalong · 27/09/2007 11:26

hopeful bump?

(Thanks fishie, that is my plan for the w/end)

OP posts:

witchandchips · 27/09/2007 11:50

You BF exclusively for almost 6 months which is a lot more than most people do. Your LO will have got loads of good stuff from you. It looks to me (i am not expert so please feel free to flame if i'm wrong) that you have severe supply problems and your worry about same has got you both into a vicious circle where the tension and stress makes it worse. Rather than trying to breastfeed and then giving formula, can you just say that one or two feeds a day will be formula. Keep on breastfeeding for the other feeds. IMO this might reduce the stress and tension you are feeling.

Your LO is at the stage when he is moving onto solids and just think of the next 6 months or so as a timne when the solid foods replace the bottle and keep the breast feeds. This way he will be having breast milk right the way into his second year.

laundrylover · 27/09/2007 11:51

Wombling,

Well done for getting to 24 weeks with the bfing - it sounds like it's been quite a trial! I'm not sure either about the solids but to be honest seeing as he's 24 weeks already I personallly would carry on now you've started.

I don't often suggest this but how about committing to mixed feeding? This way you can carry on bfing (I would suggest morning and bedtime and at night if not sleeping through) and then give some formula during the day. This way when you go back to work you won;t have to worry about expressing etc. That said you may want to express at lunchtime say to keep your supply going. My feelings are that your supply will adjust to not feeding during the day.

I mixed fed with my first and it worked well. It wasn't ideal as I wanted to exc bfeed but second time i am still bfing at 18 months so each time is different eh? Your DS has benefitted hugely from your commitment to bfeed but now you need to go easy on your self and be flexible to other solutions. When you go back to work you want to feel that DS is getting enough milk without trying to express enough for him and then you can look forward to a nice bfeed at bedtime or when you get home.

Hope you can get through this and don't feel that you have to stop bfing all at once.

laundrylover · 27/09/2007 11:52

Crossed posts Witch but same advice.

tiktok · 27/09/2007 12:21

wombling....what a story. You have done fanastically well.

I agree with what the LLL lady said - : "get calories into that baby fast, so give high calorie solids, bF where you can & give formula if you have to." The exclusive bf to 6 mths you have done (no one is counting the days, for heaven's sake!) and while you might want to pick over why it was so flippin difficult to do it at some other time, at the moment you can be proud and thrilled at what you have achieved.

High-density solids which deliver a calorific punch include cereals, avocado, banana....and don't hold back with them. Put butter on his toast with a liberal hand. Stir cream into his cereal. Formula is not a health risk at this age, and if it grieves you to give it in a bottle, mix it with his banana, his cereal, encourage a cup, and feel more relaxed about giving him what he wants, so he can enjoy his meals and his drinks and his breastfeeds.

My guess would be you will still be able to continue breastfeeding - though you may need to continue offering round the clock - and with all the fun of solids, eating can be a good experience for him and you...which may make the bf easier as well.

tiktok · 27/09/2007 12:24

Oh, just to add: maybe think about not phoning all the helplines, just to save your poor head from spinning!!

Original poster

womblingalong · 27/09/2007 12:30

tiktok,

Thank you for that post, I am in tears as I write this, but they are tears of relief. You have made me feel loads more relaxed about this.

He has had 7 days of solids: 2 meals a day and will quite happily eat a whole banana and a bowl of porridge for breakfast, and half an avocado and half a potato for lunch. This is in addition to all his feeds and 10 days of topping up 3-4 oz. I have had him weighed this morning, and he had put on 1 pound in 7 days! Yippee!!

OP posts:

laundrylover · 27/09/2007 12:32

Tiktok, those are good ideas for high calore solids but you've made me very hungry now! Want a buttery banana sandwich...mmmm.

laundrylover · 27/09/2007 12:34

Wombling, sounds like he's loving his food then! You could rty him with some of your food too when you eat...pasta was a big hit from day one with DD2.

Well done on his weight gain and keep up the good work.

tiktok · 27/09/2007 13:10

wombling, a for you!

fishie · 27/09/2007 14:17

oh good i am pleased to see all this.

ds started solids at 24 weeks too because of being too thin despite feeding marathons. he put on half a kilo after (literally) 2 spoons of apple puree and hv said it was down to that not my milky efforts. is funny now but i was most put out at the time

cream cheese is good, just make sure not too salty.

Katsh · 27/09/2007 14:23

Wombling - well done. I found myself smiling in relief at the fact he's put on a 1lb. I had a reflux suffering dd, and it was pretty awful, so I know how proud you should be of weight gain. You are probably through the worst now. I bf until 6 months and then mixed bf and ff and solids for a few more months. Tbh I was delighted when she would finally accept a bottle because from then on she did put more weight on. It's great he's enjoying his food. Hang in there.

ib · 27/09/2007 14:45

Wombling - your story sounds exactly like mine. I really feel for you, it's hell. Sounds like you are doing all the right things.

When ds started solids (at about 5 months, same time as he went on metoclopramide and losec) I stopped being able to express much, and gave up expressing altogether thinking that I had gotten as far as I could and what would be would be. Ds is now 9 months and he is still bf, so clearly my body and he came to an arrangement that works (and does not include expressing, yay! ) He eats more solids than his 15mo cousin though

We do co-sleep, though, and he feeds at night so that might be part of it.

Don't know how long he's been on the meds but if he's only just started I wanted to share my encouraging experience. Ds was able to come off the losec within 7 weeks and off the metoclopramide within another month. He has continued to catch up weight-wise since, has now regained his birth percentile and most importantly, is happy, healthy and generally normal.

Well done for surviving so far, it gets much much better from here.

Original poster

womblingalong · 27/09/2007 19:28

Katch and ib,

Thanks for sharing your experiences, they've helped me feel loads better, esp that both of you were ale to contnue some BFing!

OP posts:

foxinsocks · 27/09/2007 19:31

well done wombling. You sound like you have done brilliantly! Please don't be disappointed.

How DID you stick at it for so long with a refluxy one? Respect!

(I ended up giving up when dd was around 10 weeks - I went back to work when she was around 4 months anyway but I just couldn't hack the constant screaming, arching back, puking, feeding routine we had got in to!)

Original poster

womblingalong · 29/09/2007 07:35

Foxy

I think I am just bloody minded, and also had a refluxy DD PFB,and gave up at 16 weeks which I always regretted, although she wasn't half as bad as him!

Can anyone offer any advice on improving supply apart from expressing?

OP posts:

ib · 29/09/2007 11:35

I did find the More Milk plus pills worked wonders for me.

DaisyABandyBoobToo · 29/09/2007 11:45

oats are supposed to good, as is guinness (if you can stomach the stuff)

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