So grateful we are still breastfeeding at 15 months

[BabiesEverywhere]

What a week.

Wednesday night DD woke up at 11pm and started throwing up every 15 minutes.

My DH rang NHS direct and I comforted DD who clung to me even whilst throwing up, we both were coated in sick. She was so unhappy and we were so concerned about her. Our daughter has never been ill before, except a sniffly nose for a couple of days when she was a year old.

We were advised to take her to the CHildren's A&E department just to be on the safe side. As she had fallen earlier and bite her tongue but she had not hit her head.

She ended up throwing up every 15 minutes between 11pm and 2am poor baby

We spent 3 hours in A&E on Wednesday night between 11pm and 2:30am, they wanted to keep her in but I refused (she wouldn't of settled on her own, she would of just screamed and been upset all night, I could not leave her) and they were only going to watch her, hence I did that at home ourselves

Interesting their suggestion was water with those nasty tasting salt mixes in them but as we are breastfeeding, breastmilk is much better for her and she doesn't need the salts as look as she can hold on to the breastmilk...I am so pleased we are still nursing

Thursday morning she was cranky, unwell but holding down breastmilk. We have been told to limit solids and stick to clear fluids/breastmilk

She is still ill today (Saturday) but much better. We are slowly trying to introduce solids (as she has been on breast milk and water for a couple of days)

She doesn't ask for food anymore and ignores most of the offered food.

She constantly wants to be attached to a breast, I know it is for comfort but it is a bit like having a newborn again. I can't do anything without holding and nursing her. If I stand her up for a moment whilst I stand up or something she wails.

I am so pleased that we have various baby slings to carry her in.

I am so pleased that we are still breastfeeding, I think it would have been even worst if I couldn't get any nutrients into her and the comfort she gets is invaluable.

I am also pleased we EC as her diarrhea has gone straight into the toilet and for that I am eternally grateful. She had enough control to ask for the toilet and we spent a lot of time waiting whilst the poo flowed out of her.

She pointed to her bits and said `Oh Dear' in such a quiet way?.poor love.

Horrible as this illness has been, it shows me that attached parenting definately works for us.

So we have been house bound for a while and will be home for a few days yet.
I just need more sleep and my healthy baby back.

Same here. DS2 has had croup and was pretty poorly for a few days. All he wanted to do was BF, but even that was pretty exhausting for hium.

GP, bless him, was delighted I was BFing when he enquired about fluids. 'Excellent. Fluid, food and immunity. He'll perk up in no time.'

that's good Highlander, you don't often hear about such positive comments from a GP.

I don't really think about it that I'm feeding a 2yo BabiesEverywhere. We are just doing what we have been doing since the day he was born. Same child, same comfort, same milk, same reasons to carry on.

Highlander,
Nice to hear positive comments from your GP. The A&E doctor/nurses were very accepting about us breastfeeding (but she is only a little 15 month old baby)

Belgo,
Hearing about how ill your DD was, makes me very gratefully that our little one's illness was not more serious.

Tigerfeet, I remember when your little one was ill Don't ring whilst you still feel ill, we'll catch up another time

This is BabiesEverywhere

My DD seems a little brighter today, still ill, poo seems less in quantity. She is still nursing a lot and is refusing most offered food.

Sadly my father has caught this bug of my DD and passed a message via my mum that he feels terrible sorry for her. Now he is suffering the same thing.

So she is slowly improving, enough to play for a few minutes before returning to my knee for cuddles and nursing.

Babieseverywhere, you are now BabyZoot? What is the significance of the word Zoot? [nosey emoticon]

Glad your dd is getting better

Muppet Names

Mumsnet Thread Here

Half way down page -Zoot Here

thanks!

mawbroon, your little one is a very lucky child

my dd2's illness was serious but fortunately because we live in a country with a good medical system, she recovered fine. Children in other less developed countries are a lot less fortunate, and many children die from d&v for the lack of something as simple as a drip.

My dd2 recovered with no lasting effects; I think dd1 found it more traumatic because I had to leave her with neighbours while I rushed DD2 to hospital. I didn't see dd1 for a few days as dd2 and I were on an isolation ward. Dh typically happened to be away the whole week and dd1 stayed with her grandparents - the upheaval of that week really effected her and her behaviour was awful for a while. It makes me very sad to think about it. I did everything I could for DD2 who was so sick,; but I feel as though I neglected DD1 in that time.

Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. I can not even think how difficult and upsetting that situation must of been for your family.

Which is why it is so important for mothers in countries with less than ideal medical care breastfeed, if at all possible.

absolutely - in parts of the world where there is little access to what we consider to be the very basic necessities of life - bfing is a life saver in comparison to the alternatives.

I've remembered something else from dd2's hospital stay. She's always had very slow weight gain, and her weight was way underneath the bottom percentile on the standard graphs they used. One nurse told me that they wouldn't discharge her until she had put on weight, and that concerned me. I wanted to be home asap where I knew dd2 would feed better and recover better.
The doctor actually downloaded the new WHO growth charts based on bf babies and plotted my dd2's growth onto it (something I had previously done myself). She was just about on the chart, and showed a weight gain pattern that is typical for bf babies. That was a relief.

Double points for your breastfeeding friendly doctor

Do you know about the PCT's compliments scheme ? If you wrote/telephoned the local PCT complaints department and told them that you want to say nice things about that doctor (even if it was a while back) He would get a nice letter and maybe a mention in the newsletter ? Just a thought.

I'm in Belgium. It never even occurred to me to write and say what a good doctor she was. I have no idea of her name.

maybe I should write a general letter to the hospital.

If you had the time, it would be a lovely thought.

The hospital will properly be pass the letter to the right doctor via your medical notes.

BE, (BZ!) I'm glad DD feels a bit better today.

I like "winging it" - yep, that about sums it up. I never cease to be amazed why other people are so interested in whether you're still bf or not - and some take it so personally!

Have you read Fresh milk? I think you'd find it very interesting.

Had to change my name back, I couldn't remember my sign in {Being Thick Due To Lack of Sleep Icon}

Thanks for the book recommendation - I have some birthday money for my last vice - reading. So that will go on my list.

I know as a nursing mother I have changed my attitude towards breastfeeding so much.

I use to think 6 month of breastfeeding fine, why would you feed later and definately not to a walking, talking child !!! Yet 15 months later, here we are, with no plans in stopping.

I agree with mawbroon
QUOTE We are just doing what we have been doing since the day [s]he was born. Same child, same comfort, same milk, same reasons to carry on. UNQUOTE

I like that quote

Yep, it's true - you start off feeding a newborn, then suddenly they're bigger - and newborns you see look TITCHY by comparison!

If you were expected to start bfing a 15 or 22mo or a 3yo from the start...not many would ever bfeed, I suspect!

BE, hiya, im asking for Fresh Milk for crimbo too now! THanks Hunker x

BE - oh poor poor you and much sympathy
when dd2 (about 16 months old then) had a nasty g/e bug at Easter (nothing like this, but kept throwing up every hour or so ) I went to see the doctor and he said "I bet you're glad you're still bf her aren't you?"it was such a sweet and lovely think to say and the first time anyone had ever said anything positive about EBF.
but he was right

Harpsi, Sounds like you have a rare supportive doctor

I know, I have never seen him before or since I think he was a locum but it made me cry