special needs nursing.... Ideas needed!!

[mrforbes]

Hi,
I'm posting for a friend who is needing ideas and support. She has a 6 week old who had some birth trauma like Shoulder dystocia and who might be special needs, the doctor suspects some brain damage I think. I"m not sure on the details of the birth or 'trauma' but she is having some serious problems with the baby nursing.

First the baby is really sleepy. REALLY sleepy, not alert at all. They thought things were better for about 4 days, but now he's more unalert than ever. The doctor said to dip him in cold water to wake him up I think this is sounds really startling to the baby. She's looking for more ideas and tips for nursing and helping her son.

I suggested a good LC and talking to La Leche.

Any tips for a potential special needs baby?

[bandgeek]

They need to LOOK for brain damage if they suspect it. Brain damage can cause all sorts of feeding problems, not just with breastfeeding, but with bottle-feeding, solids, chewing, ect. It can cause kids to aspirate, which is very dangerous. It can cause lots of other problems too, like learning disabilities and cerebral palsy. If the baby does have brain damage, they need to know about it so they can start therapies and services and just generally get an idea of what to expect. Some kids with brain damage go on to have minimal problems, but some are globally affected and need lots of help.

They don't need to sedate the baby for an MRI, they can just do a CT scan to get a peek. Then if they find anything, they can investigate further. The baby really should be seen by a neurologist.

Did he lack oxygen at birth? Did they make sure he wasn't having seizures? Seizures from oxygen deprivation in a newborn can be very subtle. Things like lipsmacking and a certain way they move their legs. I didn't even know my DD was having seizures until they pointed things out specifically.

My DD suffered severe brain damage and was very sleepy for a long time. She was 6 months old before she could even stay awake for more than 45 minutes at a time. It could be a symptom. Or it could just be that the baby is recovering from a traumatic birth.

Either way, he should be seen by specialists, not just a pedi.

[pbjmama]

I would be pushing for testing and seeing specialist for this baby. ASAP. Ask the ped for a referral if they need one for insurance.

[PatioGardener]

If Mama can pump it will help her to keep her supply up while things are settling.

[bandgeek]

And IF the baby is having swallowing difficulties, breastmilk is THE best thing for him. It very, very rarely causes aspiration pneumonia. Formula is like any other food...once it hits the lungs, it can do some serious damage. So I agree with the pp who said to pump because if they end up needing to use the bottle, it would be very wise to stick with breastmilk only.