You poor things , it is so tiring. Have you tried a baby hammock? They are wonderful for bubs with reflux as it keeps them more upright. It may also solve you having to keep him in a sling when you need your own sleep.
My DS1 would only sleep during the day in my arms or in his baby carrier (it turns out he had a dislocated shoulder from birth, the chiro is the one who discovered it and fixed it), we bought an Amby baby hammock out of desperation and it worked brilliantly. It literally changed our lives.
As for what your LC said about the thickener, interesting pov with probably some very valid points. However thickener CAN be given at the breast (in a gel, before, during and after a feed), and is used this way at PMH. She should know that. I would definitely agree that the effectiveness of it may vary widely among different babies, but with some babies it really does help.
As for saying that thickener doesn't fix the problem, well technically a fair few medications that we take for medical conditions don't EXACTLY FIX the problems they are used for. These medications/treatments are used to MANAGE the symptoms (eg. Losec won't stop bub from refluxing either, it's only as he matures that this will resolve. But it is used to make the tummy contents less acidic so it won't cause as much discomfort).....Sorry for rambling, I just get frustrated when parents aren't given the full picture.
I really hope your DH manages to let you have a rest hunny. And I've got my fingers crossed your homeopathic stuff does the trick.
MummaB, my heart goes out to you, i am crying as i type, I am wishing for a magic cure for you but there rarely is. I ditto all the advise. My bub no 2 is a refluxer, 3 weeks on losec and we are now starting to see little bits of improvement.( After all the above stuff has been tried as well.)
The only things i can suggest are
* the thickner worked well for us for a while.
*mylanta 2ml helps when in alot of pain but being a naturopath myself i HATE IT.
*Tried a bowen treatment which again helped for a bit
*Is bub still wrapped, it helps.
* hate to say it but many find tummy sleeping and a dummy helps ( we use a breathing monitor when we tummy sleep. (please everyone do not shoot me !)
*slippery elm helps to coat the stomach so the acid is not so painfull but to tastes really really bad.
* Adding things like peppermint and chamomile tea to your diet can help, they relax some bubs and there mums too.
* Ask someone to help before you get to the breaking point, dont be to proud- your need sleep.
BIG HUG TO YOU AND THAT BUB OF YOURS
REMEMBER THIS WILL PASS
I'll say something you probably don't want to hear but . . .
My DD#1 had huge problems and was diagnosed with reflux. We tried herbal remedies, mylanta, zantac, gaviscon and losec. We also tried massage and chiropractors, and I eliminated dairy and wheat from my diet. Eventually out of pure desperation I went to a naturopath come kineseologist ("witch doctor" I call him) who said that my daughter had gluten and dairy protein intolerances (these have since been confirmed medically) that were aggravating her reflux. Anyway, he said I either had to cut out basically my entire diet and start again - no red meats, no wheats, limited fruits and vegies, no dairy etc etc etc - or I put her on soy formula. I tried the formula and within 2 days my daughter was completely pain free and drug free.
I've just been through the same issues with DD#2, although fortunately not so severe. The paediatric allergies I saw with her fully supported the idea of soy formula feeding. She will still tolerate a breastfeed or two per day, provided they are not consecutive.
I know I'm going against the popular view here that breastfeeding is best, but in some cases it just simply isn't unless you are prepared to wholescale change your own diet. I weighed up the pros and cons and decided my child on formula was best for my family as a whole.
Trish we have actually tried the Amby hammock, my friend lent hers to me and i've been trying to put him in it since birth but as soon as he's put down he wakes up, he really only sleeps in the sling or hug-a-bub because that is where he is upright and he must feel better being held, because even with the bassinette propped up, he still only kips in there. But thanks for the idea, i do love the concept of the hammocks.
Lee yeah i figured you should be able to give it alternatively... its still something i'll consider if this is going on in a few days. My hubby is just stressed himself, his job is very demanding, i'm sure he'll take the boys on the weekend mornings so i can have a lie in.
Kellmay, thanks he is still wrapped and he takes a dummy, the sucking does help. The slippery elm arrived today actually but unfortunately the bottle was smashed and i don't know if its okay to still use the capsules... since you break them open but i'm unsure if that is safe.
Luluhb.... thanks for being honest.... soy formula is an idea that comes to me every day as i go through this, so far i keep getting persuaded not to try it and have ended up trying other things... but when i run out of things to try and as a last resort if he still like this i will go down that route. I am finding it so hard just having cut out dairy with no time to make meals for myself from scratch i'm not eating much at all, in fact probably not enough for breastfeeding 2 of them. So i know cutting out other food groups will comprimise my own health. I see you are in perth... i wonder if you can recommend a paediatrician or a specialist who helped you with your girls? I am at a loss of who to take him to now.
Are you in Perth? The "witch doctor" I went to was down in Australind. He was truly amazing and I would have no hesitation in driving almost five hours there and back to take either of my girls to him. I'm sure there are others in the metro area who are just as good - I just don't know who they are and this guy was the only one who literally saved my daughter. Otherwise, the paediatric allergist I've been seeing with DD#2 is Rama Naidoo - his rooms are at Joondalup Hospital but he also consults at Glengarry Private Hospital. If you want to PM me an email address I can send you a couple of information sheets he sent to me re lactose intolerances etc that you might find interesting. Also, Lindsay Adams at SJOG in Subiaco. He seemed to have a really good attitude towards it all and is open minded about other things to try - 2 of his 3 children have allergies so he's also got real knowledge of what its like to live with - unlike the idiot paed who told me with DD#1 that we should just accept it because she would eventually grow out of it!
I got huge opposition to trying formula with DD#1, let alone soy so I put it off for a long time too. It was pure desperation that drove me to try it and my only regret in relation to DD#1 is that I waited so long. With DD#2 we found that even one bottle of soy formula a day with the rest breastfeeds helped (although she is much better on more than 70% of her feeds being soy). DD#1 was unfortunately only ok if she had 100% soy. I found it really hard initially with DD#1 to make the decision to switch to soy. I had had so much negativity, knew the benefits of breastfeeding and wanted to breastfeed for as long as possible. In the end I figured that formula was the lesser of two evils given the pain she was in, and the medication she was taking that didn't seem to really work anyway.
Good luck with whatever decision you make. I hope you find a solution that helps your son quickly
Last edited by LuluHB; September 11th, 2008 at 10:21 PM.
Yep i'm in perth Lulu, i will pm you my email as the info would be appreciated.
Well I am actually happy to report that we have in the past couple of days seen some improvement!!!! For most of his feeds he is spending much longer on the breast (at least 5 minutes rather than a minute or so), and not as much pulling off (only when the let down comes but i am still letting it spray off before putting him back on, this really does help). He is also settling after a feed without the hours of rocking and i notice he is beginning to sleep deeply which allows me to actually try putting him in the bassinette - whereas before he was only catnapping and the sleep was very restless (ie, he would fidget a lot, wake up very frequently). The past 2 nights i've gotten blocks of 4 hours sleep which is amazing! He also seems much happier, we have periods after a feed where he will actually allow me to put him on his back and he will lay there for a while looking around or at us and even smiling.
I really suspect that dairy was the culprit as the improvement coincides with the diet change, unless amazingly the losec has just kicked in? i am dubious about that. Touch wood that the improvement continues and i will keep up the dairy free as hard as it is.
Oh Tan, I am soooooooooooooooooooooo pleased to hear that there has been some improvement, I have all my fingers and toes crossed that this is the up and up for you guys. I am so glad you are finally getting some sleep, and that Archie is a happier baby.
, it is so tiring. Have you tried a baby hammock? They are wonderful for bubs with reflux as it keeps them more upright. It may also solve you having to keep him in a sling when you need your own sleep.
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MummaB, my heart goes out to you, i am crying as i type, I am wishing for a magic cure for you but there rarely is. I ditto all the advise. My bub no 2 is a refluxer, 3 weeks on losec and we are now starting to see little bits of improvement.( After all the above stuff has been tried as well.)
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