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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

EMERGENCY! WHY isn't dd2 latching on any more? she must be ravenous but she just will not latch. Sucks away on a finger, oh yes...

85 replies

AitchTwoOh · 28/10/2008 22:51

i'm actually getting pretty upset about it.

it seemed to start last night (a HORRIBLE night when dh eventually gave her some formula to get her to calm down as i was exhausted).

anyway, today she's really not fed well at all, or for very long. (nor has she slept well or for very long, the poor starving thing).

seems like i've been at it all day and while i really wouldn't mind that if she was sucking away and growing fat, she just isn't.

any ideas as to why she's suddenly forgotten how to latch on? my tits don't feel full so my nips are a bit squashy going in, but it's never bothered her before.

OP posts:
Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 29/10/2008 09:35

i gave her a couple of ounces of defrosted ebm last night, then pumped the same out (grrrrr). she had a loooooooong sleep, about 6 hours, and by the time she got up my breasts were fuller so she had aood feed and is now asleep again. nappy rash isn't quite so livid either.

am pumping again, i woder if it might have beenthat i'd run out if fenugreek for a few days, that's why i think it might have been supply. have been back on it since yesterday, fingers crossed it was just a blip. will keep pumping anyhow.

ps. do i have to chuck the rest of the frozen ebm? bugger.

OP posts:
Beachcomber · 29/10/2008 09:37

This article is good on thrush.

It clearly states that the baby can have thrush without having any really obvious symptoms. The nappy rash and not feeding do seem to be quite indicative.

breastfeeding.hypermart.net/thrush.html

Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 29/10/2008 09:37

i'll see how it goes today, beachy, but will kep an eye out. amazing that it can still be tthrush with so few symtoms.

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CharCharBaGOOOOOOORE · 29/10/2008 09:40

Glad she had a good feed. How much bm did you defrost? Hopefully the fenugreek will help a bit. DD had no symptoms of thrush apart from the nappy rash, no white spots in her mouth or anything. I didn't have any symptoms either.

Beachcomber · 29/10/2008 09:42

That sounds really positive Aitch.

I think you can keep the defrosted milk for a few days, not sure about re-freezing though. Will check.

Apparently fennel tea and the veg are both good for supply.

Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 29/10/2008 09:42

gawd, beachy, it sounds like such a pain. i really hope we don't have it... the rash dd2 has is more like a teething nappy rash, iykwim? not spotty particularly.

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Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 29/10/2008 09:45

how did you get a doc to treat you with no symptoms, char?

and i defrosted 150mls and gave her 30mls, what a waste.

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Beachcomber · 29/10/2008 09:46

Just remembered after I posted that quinoa is also supposed to be great for supply in lactating mothers.

www.comfoods.org.au/website/products/quinoa.html

You can buy it in most health food shops and loads of supermarkets do it now too.

Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 29/10/2008 09:50

really? yum, i love quinoa. will put it on the menu v regularly from now on. cheers!

OP posts:
Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 29/10/2008 09:51

btw beachy, i was poppycock so thanks for your info on jags. bizarre to think that her app was for next week...

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CharCharBaGOOOOOOORE · 29/10/2008 09:51

Kellymom says you can keep it for 24 hours in the fridge. Bit gutting. Could you mix it in dd1's food? I didn't actually ask the doctor to treat me as I thought I'd wait until I got symptoms, but never did. So just got cream for DD's bum and that liquid for her mouth. It was strange.

Beachcomber · 29/10/2008 09:53

Thrush is crap, I hope that isn't what's going on cos it is a pain in the butt. Is treatable though and would give you a 'solution' if that is what it is.

My sister nearly ended up stopping feeding her DS because they had undiagnosed thrush. It has become one of my MN 'themes'.

Beachcomber · 29/10/2008 09:58

I thought that was you as someone addressed you as 'Aitch' on the thread.

Thought it would have been a bit of an assumption to follow suit though!

You're welcome. It is also one of my 'themes' although always something to be approached with caution of course.

We discover quinoa when DD1 and I had to be gluten free for the exclusion diet. It is seriously addictive.

AbricotsSecs · 29/10/2008 11:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 29/10/2008 11:27

she's woken up and is at it again. latching on, coupla sucks, comes off. yells.

she seems to have a sore throat, though, judgning by her voice. is it possible the thrush is further down?

have remembered am going to bfing unit tomoz anyway so will ask them for prescription if necessary.

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ib · 29/10/2008 11:33

Does she have reflux? Ds was just like that and (eventually) was diagnosed as reflux. In the meantime I had pumped so much and stuffed myself so full of fenugreek that I got mastitis twice....

Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 29/10/2008 11:40

oh god i hope not... how could i tell? she dse posset, but not excessively imo.

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ib · 29/10/2008 11:48

There's a screening quiz here which gives you some of the signs....ds did not have them all but when they did the ph probe the results were awful.

fledtoscotland · 29/10/2008 11:49

aitch - sounds like my DS2 was age about 2 weeks old (hes now 8wks and exclusively BF). his nappy rash was so bad his bum was bleeding and the gps were useless.

his feeds were "snatchy" and only about 5mins and he was clawing at my boob in anger.

1stly - i bathed with him every day and he would feed for ages in the bath with the warm water over us.

2ndly - i think he had wind (he now has colic and Dentinox drops have saved us) being so young he couldnt bring it up

3rdly - nappy rash. i used sudocrem having been though the boots counter and tried everything plus three docs prescriptions. layered it on (like you arent supposed to) so i wiped off sudocrem each time rather than touching his skin. plus cotton wool & water. it healed in about 4 days doing this.

NHS 24 also told me about "systemic thrush" where mum & baby have no signs outwardly but very young babies have it in their gut. i cut out all bread, sugar, caffine, windy food and drank gallons of fennel tea.

whatever i did it must have worked as we are still BFing now and enjoying it.

good luck

Beachcomber · 29/10/2008 13:08

A mixture of chamomile tea and honey worked a treat on my DD's thrush nappy rash (alongside getting the thrush treated of course).

You let the tea mash for ages then add two or three spoons of honey to it. Soak a piece of cut up muslin in the mixture and place it in the nappy against the rash. Tis very soothing and we found it really helped the rash to clear up.

On another tack- (don't want to worry you by throwing all our ideas of what it could be) but have you any reason to expect a food intolerance?

Dairy would be the most likely culprit. Symptoms vary but certainly nappy rash, struggling to feed and even thrush could be signs. What gets diagnosed as reflux very often improves dramatically on removing dairy from the breast feeding mother's diet.

My DD1 in particular would refuse to feed or grab frantically at the breast and then throw herself off whilst struggling and fighting. Cutting out dairy changed this a great deal.

Hallowean · 29/10/2008 16:42

oh bugger aitch. Sorry I missed this. I'd shut down before I got your email

It does sound like she's got discomfort of some kind when feeding. THrush would make perfect sense. I had it and was in agony but DS would bob on and off and scream in utter frustration.

In the meantime - feeds in the bath, LOTS of sudocream as per fledtoscotlands post, and also try laying down, but banked up with lots of pillows - at a 45 degree angle or maybe a bit higher. Feed her with her feet pointing towards your feet, up against your tummy and facing directly in at you. So that basically she is on top of you and your chest.

x

Habbibu · 29/10/2008 19:29

How are things now, Aitch?

welliemum · 29/10/2008 19:46

Oh no! Missed this, how stressful!

Another suggestion: could it just be a plain old viral sore throat? We all know how horrible it is to eat when your throat is sore. I think you gave her brufen or something when she had that bad cold - what about trying that again?

Original poster
AitchTwoOh · 29/10/2008 21:33

funny you should say that, wellie...

i was at a pal's house this afternoon, her dh is a consultant paed, he had a look at dd's bottom and said it didn't look like a thrush rash but couldn't rule out that it was the beginnings of one. his instinct was, though, that it was just normal nappy rash.

he said that a sore throat might be the reason, she has been crying a bit hoarsely and has had a drippy nose. i didn't ask him about pain meds as i thougth she wasn't yet old enough, don't they all say 'from 3 months'? and the matter is further complicated by her teeny-weeniness as well, so tbh i hadn't considered it. should do, just to know. i'll ask him. he said about the reflux that dd will probably have some cos of her gestation but it's something that is treated when it starts getting in the way of other things, iykwim?

anyway, she had some better feeds this morning... TERRIBLE this afternoon but it was okay when i took her outside for some reason (think i was getting a bit stressed so it may have been me who wanted to get outside ). and tonight she seems to have fed well most of the time. so whatever it is, it may be on the wane. god i hope so.

am back doing a bit of work this week, have other deadlines, my tooth has fallen apart, i've got the dentist with dd tomorrow and then hallowe'en parties etc... never rains but it shines.

thanks for the support and the heads-up about thrush etc, although am now feeling guilty about how much sugar i've been eating.

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Habbibu · 29/10/2008 21:36

Oh, good - glad that doc had a look at her, and that she fed better this morning. Should imagine she's just feeling rough, and will be on the mend soon. My God, but you're doing so well. I am very proud of you!