Well done to you and Ava over the last week, Renee. Just shows how much reward you can get by putting in the effort - you should be so proud of yourself! :clap:
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Well done to you and Ava over the last week, Renee. Just shows how much reward you can get by putting in the effort - you should be so proud of yourself! :clap:
I'm so happy for you Ren. You have been so determined and that just goes to show what a great mummy you really are. Don't feel bad, you have done everything you can and sometimes you take two steps back, one step forward, until it's all feet forward. You should be so so so proud of your achievement. xx
This is great news, well done you are doing such a wonderful job. Please be kind to yourself you noticed and persisted and made the changes that needed to be made and she sounds like she is coming along in leaps and bounds now.
Just touching base. My LC came to weigh Ava today and she's put on some more weight!! She is now 3.79 :dance: LC now wants me to exclusively BF so no more expressing or top ups of EBM!!! Yeah!!! We have come along way in just a week.
I still feel nervous like it could all go pear-shaped again so quickly like it did however I just have to keep on doing what i've been doing and that's... correct attachment, let baby feed when giving the queues, don't let baby sleep longer than 4hrs (she's a sleepy baby), and make sure I alternate breasts! :D
My nipple is still soooo painful and sore on one side but it's healing..... just goes to show how damaged the poor thing was!!
I hope this thread can help others to overcome their BF problems by reading about mine and realising they too can persist through any BF problems to overcome them. It's very challenging but already I'm learning how rewarding it can be. Yesterday DD came off the breast and fell asleep and I looked at her mouth and she had some milk dribbling down her chin, it was so cute!!! It was in that moment, that I realised.... I am feeding my daughter with my body, my milk. How special that is.
Thank you girls for your support in this thread - it sure has helped !!!!! :clap:
You're doing great Ren :D I know that fear of it all going wrong again, but you've such great support, I think you're going to be fine.
Thanks for keeping us updated, I love to hear the endings to these stories!
Ren that is fantastic news! I am so glad that your breastfeeding journey is going well now. Hopefully the ouchie nipples will heal fast.
Awwww- what a gorgeous moment Ren!! You should be extreamly proud of you , your body and your beautiful Ava... :clap:Well done on your persistance and your success!!!
Keep up your good work!! You have confidence now- its all easier once you have that confidence!! You know you can get through anything! And those nipples will feel better one day soon!!!
xoxox
Ren, I'm sure your great work will help others. You have done a great job and should be really proud. And the thing is that now you know where to get help, so if something does go off track again, you will be able to get back on track pretty quickly. Well done hun.
Congratulations again, Ren. Yours is such an encouraging story - I am so pleased that you have shared this journey with us so far. Hoping everything keeps falling in place for you and Ava, and that your boobs heal really quickly.
Ren, when you feel up to it, don't forget to post in Breastfeeding Success Stories - because you are one now!
Thanks girls!
MR - yes i will have to do that thank you!! Great idea.
Girls just a question - is it normal for a newborn to want to feed for 1 1/2hrs at a time? She will feed at one side for say up to 1hr and then pull off so i offer other side and then she's still feeding well on that side for at least 30mins!!!! It really makes feed times so long and by the time we are finished then settling her it can take us up to 2hrs or more then its nearly her next feed time!!! :doh:
Any ideas?? It's really tiring as I'm not getting any rest. None during day. If we're not feeding she is wanting to be held so i have to walk her around everywhere in the sling. Is this normal for a newborn?
Very normal, Ren. She will start to get more efficient and feed more quickly soon. Then the bfs will get furthe apart, and the next thing you know she doesn't want you to hold her all of the time!
The good news is, since you are doing this now, she will likely be more settled and content as she gets a bit bigger. She is getting EVERYTHING she needs from you right now and you are doing a fabulous job!
Ren - that's sounds really really normal. DS used to feed for such a long time. I know everyone says it, but try not to worry about 'getting things done'. If you just try to get one thing done a day then that is plenty. I used to try to do laundry and dishes and groceries and walk the dog and cook dinner. When i couldn't do it all i'd get frustrated and feel useless. Newborns (especially when it's your first time) are a demanding full time job.
I found that my hugabub saved me.
One day she'll feed for 10 minutes each side and you'll not remember those hour long feeds. But she's just a tiny bub now, and she needs all that good food and cuddles.
Ren, what does your LC say about the 1.5 hour feeds? I would be inclined to ask her opinion. If she says all is good, the you can go with it, if she thinks it's too long for Ava, then you can come up with a strategy. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you calling her to ask what she thinks :D Yes, lots of babies feed for a long time, but given the hiccups you've had, and that you're now managing without comp feeds, I think checking with your LC would be a good step. It's difficult when you need to gt a certain amount of feeds into them, but they feed for such a long time, and then don't settle. You wonder when they're going to sleep!!!
Otherwise, yes it's tiring when they want to be with you all the time, but can be quite normal. It doesn't last forever ;)
Yes, this is completely 100% normal! The best thing is to go with it - in no time at all she will get quicker and you'll get the chance to do other things (like sleep...). And, as Lenny said, HABs are great for getting things done while carrying around your little baby. At this age slings/carriers can be the best way for settling babies too.
Hi everyone
I received an sms from Renstar around midnight last night. She & little Ava were admitted to hospital after 2 really bad days. Ava only slept 8 hours in the last 24 and even then it was only from exhaustion of crying so much. They suspect it is possibly silent reflux but they were going to hopefully get some help & answers from a pediatrician today.
Update again at 11.30am - Ava is feeding ok although very tired.
Lets all send them both a big hug and lots of positive vibes. Will let you know if I receive any more updates.
Oh no.. poor dears!!!!!!!!!
Loads of positive vibes coming their way- i hope they get some answers soon.
Thinking of you both xoxo
Oh you poor things :hug:. Hopefully you get some answers today. I hope you are able to get some more rest soon :hug:.
Ren :grouphug: hang in there! It is hard work at the moment but you are doing a brilliant job.
Oh no! Hope you can get home again soon
Oh hun :hug: Excellent that she IS feeding ok, That means you are not likely to be in for too long. Make sure you go for a walk when you need to, hospitals will send you nuts.
Oh Ren, I'm so sorry sweetie :hug: I wish I had your mobile number so I could text you a big, reassuring hug. I hope you get some answers soon hun, and that you're home all together before you know it :pray:
ren hun hang in there :hug:
Hi Ren i hope your alright, hang in there your doing a great job and this stage will pass and before long you will be enjoying Ava smiling at you!
Hi, Ren,
What your little one is doing is completely normal! Doesn't mean it's easy on mum. However, while she' loving being close to mum, where she's designed to be at this age, she's not really taking in milk for all that time. Many mums find they can shorten down feeds by feeding baby for 20 mins or so on one breast. By then you will probably find she is pretty much snoozing. Put your clean little finger in the corner of her mouth and break the suction to take her off. You will find that she will make a grab for it, and suck as though she's desperate. Take no notice. Change nappy, burp her and generally wake her up. Give her the other side for 20 mins or so, then take her off again. Cuddle her until she goes back to sleep. This should work most of the time!
Hi Renstar, please forgive my very late reply of support but I just wanted to let you know you are NOT alone! It seems your post could be written by myself! Seems we had our little bundles at around the same time, and we both have had the same major BF issues. My ds was born on jan 28, and from the getgo we went on the same rollercoaster as you and your dd. Just letting you know I'm still struggling too, I cried when I read your posts because I finally found someone who could understand and share (and not in the past tense iykwim)! so if you ever want to catch up to talk or vent or just cry (just cause that's what I'm finding I want to do with even the nearest stranger) please don't hesitate to contact me (I'll be floating on BB and FYI I'm in Berwick Victoria)! Probably because I need it just as much as you do! Again I'm sorry I haven't given my words of sympathy earlier, but just have not been able to do much other than think about the next feed as I'm sure you know! And thank you for taking the time to share your story, it's more appreciated than you might think.
Any more updates on Ren and Ava??? Are they home form hospital yet? I hope all is well with them- if anyone has anymore news please let us know its all ok.
Hi everyone
I got a message from Ren on Wed night: she & little Ava were home. Paed wanted them to stay in longer but Ren had enough of hossie & they went home. Cross fingers that things are getting better for them.
I got a text from Ren this morning. Ava got diagnosed with silent reflux and now has medicine so she isn't in pain. Ren said she is a much happier mum now! Hopefully I will see her for 20 mins or so tomorrow. So it sounds like things are improving for Ren & Ava!!!
well that is great news :)
Thats good to hear that things are getting better- poor little darlin- i hope she is feeling better now!!
Glad things are on the up! It's very hard with a reflux baby, hopefully things will be easier from now on for Ren and Ava :D
Looking forward to hearing from you Ren. Hope that Ava is in a lot less pain now and you are settling in back home again.
Take care :hug:
Oh poor little thing! At least you can move forward now.
AJC & Oscar - thank you for updating everyone!
Starbright - thank you for your txt msg of support whilst I was in hossy!
Hi girls!! I'm sooooo very sorry I haven't posted in here (or on BB) for days probably nearly a week!? I have been so very busy it's been unbelievable.... as most of you would know!
Basically.... Ava was screaming and crying in pain most days for the last 3 weeks since getting home from hospital and since my milk coming in and I just thought this is what babies do but it was really getting me down as I wasn't getting any sleep during the day Ava wouldn't sleep at all and I thought most babies sleep at least some parts of the day! So i had been living off 3-5hrs sleep per night as she would sleep at night OK. from pure exhaustion from crying during the day :(
It was getting too hard and by Tues when we had a really bad day I had had enough and Dh was so worried about both of us. I wasn't coping and needed answers. I'd read about 'silent reflux' and another BB member had a baby with this and I'd asked her about it and it sounded like what her DD had suffered from in the early weeks.
Dr admitted us into hossy and kept us overnight, Paed saw us next day and said it sounded like Silent Reflux however it's so hard to diagnose in small babies so we treated her like it was and that seemed to do the job! Next day, we left hospital (can't stand hospitals anymore!!) and came home and she was a different baby since! Of course she still cries but thats' only unsettled cries.... no longer reflux cries in pain!!!
We have her on "Losec tablets" and hope to have her off them in 2 weeks time. And we have her on "Mariners Infant mixture" homeopathic remedy for wind, colic and reflux pain. So far, so good :D
As for BF'ing, it sure has made things harder as she can pull off at times thru the feeds and get a bit upset but it's calmed down now. There is a book at the ABA for $5 I am getting tomorrow off a lady (going to a ABA morning tea to meet other new mums!!) and it's called "silent reflux and breastfeeding" so hope that will be useful info for me and Ava in terms of feeding and how it can affect feeds.
Hopefully this Silent Reflux will pass in few weeks......
Also, still seeing LC. We are still having issues with her weight gain she isn't gaining weight as fast as we'd like. LC coming tomorrow to weigh her. Weighed her at a chemist Friday and Ava hadn't moved weight :( altho different scales, before a feed etc all affect it...... I'm exclusively BFing HOWEVER Fri and Sat night just gone, DH and I topped her up with formula..... as BAD as I felt and I did cry while DH got the bottle ready, we know it was the right thing for her as she sometimes won't feed off me properly and cries like she's still hungry yet won't attach...... this only happens now and then. Possibly from her reflux? not sure. Don't feel guilty about the formula because I know that she needs to be gaining weight and happy and it was only given as top up and not a normal feed. Offered breast first.
Still working through issues with my LC and I will continue to see her until my right nipple heals.... it's still SO painful :( even with correct attachment. There is a cream I can get for it that is prescription so probably this week will get Dr to write a script for me. Should help it heal faster.
That's our news - Sorry it's taken so long. Things have been so full on. I've had so many tears with BFing and days where I've just wanted to give up but I'm still going...... persisting.....
oh!!! and Ava sleeps during the days now aswell as night times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :dance: I actually get some rest now!!!!!!! DH told me the other day "i don't know how you coped during the day on your own when i was at work with her screaming in pain" and I said "I wasn't coping!!" lol HUGE difference between an unsettled crying baby and a silent reflux baby in pain!
Hi hun :hug::
I'm sorry to read you are going thru the same thing as me!!! I can't PM you as you haven't got enough posts yet otherwise I would. Shame you don't live in QLD near me!
How are you coping?? Have you got help of an LC near you?? It truly is what is keeping me going, otherwise I am afraid I may have given up BFing already if I hadn't of gotten the help and support of a LC.
How are your nipples? My right one is SOOOOO incredibly sore and painful but I just put up with it.
Aw Ren, I am so happy that you and Ava are doing so much better. What a relief! I hope things continue to improve heaps, and these troubled first couple of weeks will be a distant memory!
Ren, I am so glad to hear how things are going, and that it's all improving! I hope you enjoy your ABA coffee morning :D It's great spending time with other BFing mums.
Just a thought, it may not apply to you guys at all. I would have a chat with your LC about allergies/intolerances in regards to Ava. Given the combo of silent reflux and low weight gain, it might be something to consider. If your LC isn't sure there are other people who can help you out. HTHs
Hey Ren - im soooo glad all is going much better with u and beautiful Ava now :hug:
Ren, silent reflux is so hard to deal with and just exhausting. Our dd3 had it and it was nightmarish - I gave up breastfeeding before I realised what it was, unfortunately.
I'm sure you've been given lots of great advice already, but these are things that really helped my dd get comfortable:
- Raising the head of her bed a few inches so that she wasn't ever lying flat.
- A dummy - sometimes babies will self medicating by just wanting to feed constantly because the milk is soothing, but then of course their tummies are over-full and the reflux gets worse! Sometimes a dummy would alleviate that sucking need without overfilling the little tummy.
- Thickeners - you can give a little of these prior to a breastfeed and it will help stop regurgitation.
Some people also believe that reflux is a symptom of allergies. There may be some high allergy things you could try eliminating from your diet, such as milk, eggs, chocolate or the like, and see if that makes a difference.