Warning: DESPERATE mom here....
I have an 11 week old. This is baby #3. #1 nursed 4yr, #2 nursed 2yr and quit while I was pregnant. I experienced a lot with the first two...#2 had horrible reflux, etc, and we made it through pretty seamlessly.
#3 started out a lazy nurser, but had a great latch and such. Then she was just finicky...I had overactive letdown and huge supply. About 4 weeks she started getting excessively fussy. During this time I started block feeding to help regulate supply/letdown and hope that the fussy was maybe a foremilk/hndmilk imbalance. This helped the supply/letdown problem, but not the fussy. She still only nursed about 3-5 min every couple-3 hours, but was gaining fine. The fussy escalated to full on all day crying about 6-7 weeks. She would wake up fussy, cry nearly all day. I walk holding her/slinging her/tummy holding her, trying to nurse her, binky her, you name it...for hours and hours a day. My back is shot and my other two kids are totally neglected. For the last 4-5 weeks she literally has MAYBE 30-40 minutes of content time, from 6am-11pm. She screaming in the car, the stroller, etc.
Went to Dr for 8 wk checkup...she had moved from the 98th % to 60% in weight from the 4 week checkup and was 2lb lighter than my other two at that age. Dr said she was fine size and would pick up eating when whatever this was worked itself out. I tend to agree.
She is obviously uncomfortable...crying in pain, like she is trying to expell gas and such, but also very gaggy and spits up into her throat, chokes, gags, cries. We started her on Prevacid, and it's doing nothing (and she has been on it awhile now, so it should be). I elimated all dairy, including hidden, from weeks 6-9 with no luck. I have since added back in half and half in coffee and some whey protein, since cutting it all didnt seem to do anything.
When she is crying/agitated she refused to nurse, which means sometimes she goes hours w/o food.
I have talks to the LLL leaders and tried everything they recomended, as well as independent LC's. The only thing I have NOT done is a full elimination diet. I am struggling to get enough calories down as it is and honestly, I have no idea how I would do it with such limited food options.
The odd part....She does not do it at night. When she finally crashes (10pmish), she almost never cries until morning (6am ish). She will get agitated and squirmy, but rarely wakes and cries. Maybe 1 night a week she is uncomfortable enough that she squirms and grunts and keeps me up. But doesnt cry. I spent a couple daytimes making the house quiet and dark but that didnt do it either.
Also, if she has not eaten for hours and is crying and I pump, she will take the bottle with gusto, but refuse to nurse. However, during the spurts where she is happy, she loves to nurse.
I am so beaten. My older two are a mess and my household is flat falling a apart because of the screaming. My 2yo wants to give her away, lol. My 11yo is stuck taking care of my 2yo who then cries because she wants me. (this is daytime when DH is working). I am seriously at wits end. I am holding tight to This Too Shall Pass, but watching my other kids suffer is killing me.
So I had a very frank talk with Dr this evening. She is more mainstream than I am, but very respectful of my choices, and also a dear friend, so I can be frank with her and vice versa. I asked her if I should do a full elimination diet. She of course worries about my keeping my weight where it should be. She said I could. Or I could pump for 48 hrs and give DD3 a soy formula to see if she improves in which case I would know if was my milk and could then start an elimination diet Knowing that it would yield the desired result. Of course, knowing my stance, she knows I probably wont. She and I also talked about, if that was it, what if she then refused the breast after. I dunno, gut says that while it would be easiest, my heart isnt in it.
I just keep wondering if I am missing something???? She clicks a tiny bit when she nurses...is it horrible gas and the latch is wonky? Gas drops dont help worth a crap. LC said latch looked okay a month ago.
I really am hitting a threshold I never have with other kids. I need a break. I need to figure out what is causing my baby such discomfort for so much of the day, and I need to mend my other kids'.
Help? Anyone??
I have an 11 week old. This is baby #3. #1 nursed 4yr, #2 nursed 2yr and quit while I was pregnant. I experienced a lot with the first two...#2 had horrible reflux, etc, and we made it through pretty seamlessly.
#3 started out a lazy nurser, but had a great latch and such. Then she was just finicky...I had overactive letdown and huge supply. About 4 weeks she started getting excessively fussy. During this time I started block feeding to help regulate supply/letdown and hope that the fussy was maybe a foremilk/hndmilk imbalance. This helped the supply/letdown problem, but not the fussy. She still only nursed about 3-5 min every couple-3 hours, but was gaining fine. The fussy escalated to full on all day crying about 6-7 weeks. She would wake up fussy, cry nearly all day. I walk holding her/slinging her/tummy holding her, trying to nurse her, binky her, you name it...for hours and hours a day. My back is shot and my other two kids are totally neglected. For the last 4-5 weeks she literally has MAYBE 30-40 minutes of content time, from 6am-11pm. She screaming in the car, the stroller, etc.
Went to Dr for 8 wk checkup...she had moved from the 98th % to 60% in weight from the 4 week checkup and was 2lb lighter than my other two at that age. Dr said she was fine size and would pick up eating when whatever this was worked itself out. I tend to agree.
She is obviously uncomfortable...crying in pain, like she is trying to expell gas and such, but also very gaggy and spits up into her throat, chokes, gags, cries. We started her on Prevacid, and it's doing nothing (and she has been on it awhile now, so it should be). I elimated all dairy, including hidden, from weeks 6-9 with no luck. I have since added back in half and half in coffee and some whey protein, since cutting it all didnt seem to do anything.
When she is crying/agitated she refused to nurse, which means sometimes she goes hours w/o food.
I have talks to the LLL leaders and tried everything they recomended, as well as independent LC's. The only thing I have NOT done is a full elimination diet. I am struggling to get enough calories down as it is and honestly, I have no idea how I would do it with such limited food options.
The odd part....She does not do it at night. When she finally crashes (10pmish), she almost never cries until morning (6am ish). She will get agitated and squirmy, but rarely wakes and cries. Maybe 1 night a week she is uncomfortable enough that she squirms and grunts and keeps me up. But doesnt cry. I spent a couple daytimes making the house quiet and dark but that didnt do it either.
Also, if she has not eaten for hours and is crying and I pump, she will take the bottle with gusto, but refuse to nurse. However, during the spurts where she is happy, she loves to nurse.
I am so beaten. My older two are a mess and my household is flat falling a apart because of the screaming. My 2yo wants to give her away, lol. My 11yo is stuck taking care of my 2yo who then cries because she wants me. (this is daytime when DH is working). I am seriously at wits end. I am holding tight to This Too Shall Pass, but watching my other kids suffer is killing me.
So I had a very frank talk with Dr this evening. She is more mainstream than I am, but very respectful of my choices, and also a dear friend, so I can be frank with her and vice versa. I asked her if I should do a full elimination diet. She of course worries about my keeping my weight where it should be. She said I could. Or I could pump for 48 hrs and give DD3 a soy formula to see if she improves in which case I would know if was my milk and could then start an elimination diet Knowing that it would yield the desired result. Of course, knowing my stance, she knows I probably wont. She and I also talked about, if that was it, what if she then refused the breast after. I dunno, gut says that while it would be easiest, my heart isnt in it.
I just keep wondering if I am missing something???? She clicks a tiny bit when she nurses...is it horrible gas and the latch is wonky? Gas drops dont help worth a crap. LC said latch looked okay a month ago.
I really am hitting a threshold I never have with other kids. I need a break. I need to figure out what is causing my baby such discomfort for so much of the day, and I need to mend my other kids'.
Help? Anyone??
I really feel for you.
