Quote:
Originally Posted by DocsNemesis  This is mostly just a vent as I'm getting really frustrated. We went through so much work to get my preemie on the breast, I am so happy he got it, but it seems like everything is working against me.
We had thrush for weeks. It sucked. My nipples cracked on the undersides-it was like someone tried to rip them off. Finally after working at it, we got rid of the thrush and they slowly healed up. No more thrush, yet my left nipple decided to crack open again (and I had been using lansinoh once the thrush was gone and doing everything I was supposed to be doing). Its been open for over a month now and refuses to heal. Nursing on that side hurts so much!
On top of that, my son is really really gassy and I'm not sure why. Nothing I do to my diet seems to help. He also got a major ear infection-and he wont take his meds. So I tried putting them in a bottle with formula-refused to take it. Breastmilk? Nope. I'm not sure how the heck to get his meds in him!
I'm getting so frustrated....the pain is horrible. I know in reality that switching him to formula would probably just cause more gassiness but some part of me thinks otherwise. And now the whole meds thing. Tell me that bottlefeeding wouldnt be easier and that this will get better! I'm going nuts!!!!
|
You could use an SNS to get the meds into him. A supplemental nurser, if you can get one. Do you have a local lactation consultant available at the hospital or private? You can make a SNS easily, too, just get a 14 french feeding tube and cut off the end with the attachment, use a bandaid to tape one end to your breast and put the other end in a cup with breastmilk and the meds mixed together. Suck slightly on the tube to draw the mixture up into the tube and then begin nursing. You can usually tuck the end taped to your breast into the baby's mouth as you begin to nurse and "most" babies won't notice the tube and will nurse happily and suck up the meds at the same time.
You can usually get a feeding tube from the hospital you birthed at, or at a local medical supply company. If you have a hospital near you, you will likely have at least one medical supply place. When you explain what you need it for, you shouldn't have any trouble getting one. They're very inexpensive, less than $2 usually, and you can ask for a syringe too, to clean it out with warm soapy water.
The continued cracked nipple... it would be wise to pump gently on that side and nurse less on that side till you can see a lactation consultant and see if you can get the problem diagnosed.
You could still have thrush or you might just need to lessen the strain on that nipple for a few days to give it a chance to heal. I know it sucks to think that you might still have thrush, but SOMEtimes it can be a real bear to get rid of completely. Or it can reappear.
Try to keep your nipples dry, by letting them air dry after each feed and not wrapping back up immediately after feeding. Make sure you're wearing a clean, new bra each day, and changing the breastpads each feed. This might seem excessive, but breastpads, whether disposable or cloth, can be major harbors for candida albicans (thrush).
If you're using cloth breastpads, and for your bras and nightgowns and whatever else might be touching your breasts directly, you probably would benefit from washing everything in VERY hot water, and using a very hot setting on your dryer and making sure they are all very very dry when you take them out of the dryer. Sometimes all thrush needs to survive is the littlest bit of damp warmness.
Gassyness...sometimes babies are just gassy! To relieve his gas you can massage his tummy gently, with some baby powder or lotion, in a clockwise direction, as you're looking down at him, and also gently work his knees to his chest and back, sometimes this will help him work the gas out, if he's upset and uncomfortable.
In your diet, you've probably already tried this, but sometimes babies are sensitive to foods that produce gas in big people too, brassica veggies, such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, other green leafy veggies, iceburg lettuce, and sometimes acidy foods like orange or other citrus fruit drinks, citrus fruits themselves, and some legumes that normally produce more gas in you, may affect your baby too.
Another thing with thrush, that you may already know, is to reduce sugar to almost none. If you can do this for about 5-10 days, you can really reduce the amount of overgrowth of yeast you have in your system. This means the hidden sugars that are in so much of our food, too. Like in ketsup, spaghetti sauce, cereals, breads, processed foods... read labels. HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and corn-related sugars are in SO much of our food and this is like superfood for yeast.
It can be SO hard to avoid sugars!
All that being said, I totally sympathise and I really applaud you for being so strong and so determined! You're really giving your baby an advantage, especially with the challenges of being a preemie, in continuing to breastfeed. it WILL get easier, I promise! You can do this!!!
Keep your chin up, locate a local GOOD lactation consultant, even if you have to pay out of pocket it will be worth it for additional help. If you have one available through insurance, even better for your budget, at least!
Check out your local la leche league if there is one near you, and ASK for help!! We all need help at times!!!
Hang in there!!!
I've had 4 and I've dealt with thrush and tongue tie and biting and illness and all sorts of fun stuff. It CAN be done!!! You sound strong and determined! I wish you the best! Happy Nursing!!!
- Jen
