I posted on Health/healing also. 5 mth old struggling to latch, suck/possible food intolerances

[momto4plus4]

All my kids have had issues, ds1 was the worst with allergic colitis. However, none of my others ever had trouble physically nursing. Ds2 is really struggling. He grunts and groans, arches and pulls his legs off, pulls off, bites, smacks and slurps, chokes & gurgles and just seemingly had a horrible time bf'ing. This is the same baby who was such a good nurser from day 1 that the nurses in the hospital asked if they could take him around to teach all the other babies how to nurse. lol. He has just gotten worse and worse.

We know he's refluxing and possibly aspirating. I've eliminated soy, egg & seafood as I KNOW those are culprits. When I was off dairy he had diarrhea but on it he doesn't. I am drinking quite a bit of coffee (struggling to stay awake during the days). Could his trouble bf'ing be due to a food intolerance or do these symptoms show something wrong just with the process of latching and sucking?

I'm really at a loss as to what to do. I'm thinking of going back off dairy. I've also wondered about a shield for possible letdown issues but he struggles even before I let down. The nurse wondered if his struggles now could be that he associates latching on with pain. I thought bf'ing #4 would be so easy!

[PatioGardener]

nak

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html do you have oald?

[ewe+lamb]

totally with Patio Gardener on this sounds like oversupply/over active let down - if you need any more help keep posting.

[momto4plus4]

Okay, so that whole first paragraph on kellymom was my post! I find it interesting that ds's issues started between 3 & 6 weeks like she mentioned. I had looked into this when he was younger but wrongly assumed we should have "outgrown" it. I had been block nursing but stopped a few weeks ago. Maybe I need to resume that. He nurses better at night and I've noticed that the sheets are usually wet when he's been in bed with me at night-maybe he's doing what the article said and letting the excess milk dribble out when I let down. I had started pumping in the evenings-maybe this caused an oversupply issue again.Hmmm.

I stopped dairy & nuts today. I think I'll try going back to block nursing and change the positioning, etc. Maybe this is all we need and not the thickened feedings/formula like was suggested!

Thanks!

[mrs.t]

Block nursing totally solved all of my issues with DS. Also, my LC suggested sitting my DS upright for feedings. He would struggle to keep up with the flow and choke frequently during feedings. I had him straddle my leg, facing me, and I would have him latch that way. It's much easier to swallow in an upright position. That worked for a little while, and then it seemed that my supply balanced out and my let down wasn't so strong anymore.

Also, if he is having difficulty latching, maybe it's because you're a little engorged? I know when DS hasn't nursed from one side in a while (like his 4-6 hour stretches at night sometimes) it's harder for him to latch because the breast is so much firmer. I know some people will express a little milk before feedings, just to make the breast a little softer and easier for the baby to latch onto.

[PatioGardener]

glad to hear the kellymom page helped! I have over supply too. It can be fixed - that page has some great advice!

let us know how it goes

[momto4plus4]

Thanks Raina. I also checked out a site someone had posted about nursing while reclining, I forget what it's called. I watched the video last night. So, today I have been block nursing and nursing in a reclined position so he's upright-he's doing really well so far.

I also checked out the site about how often & dosage of prevacid so I'm doing that yesterday and today.

Now I'm not sure what to do about solids. I had started him on rice cereal and puffed rice because he had seemed so hungry. It firmed up his stools but now he's not pooping for like 3 days and then struggles to go although he struggled before because of the watery stools. I gave him some at lunch but he got all grunty about 10 bites into it so I stopped. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks so much for your help. I was pretty panicky on Tuesday after the testing as I did not want to ff but didn't think I could handle ted & bottling thickened milk-just didn't seem right.

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by momto4plus4

Now I'm not sure what to do about solids. I had started him on rice cereal and puffed rice because he had seemed so hungry. It firmed up his stools but now he's not pooping for like 3 days and then struggles to go although he struggled before because of the watery stools. I gave him some at lunch but he got all grunty about 10 bites into it so I stopped. Any thoughts on that?

nak

how old is baby? cereal has about 1/4 the calories of your milk, so I'd stop. if baby is over 6 months etc i would go with more nutrient dense solids (sweet potato, avocado etc.) http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids...#developmental

[momto4plus4]

He's just under 5 mths.

[ShwarmaQueen]

Is he gaining weight along a growth curve?

[momto4plus4]

Yes. He was just fine at his 4 mth check-up. I was thinking maybe I could take him back off solids and wait til he's more mature and just keep checking his weight to make sure he's gaining okay.

[ewe+lamb]

Unless your babe is really really really interested in solids, I'd lay off until 6 months - at least, the WHO and LLL say that introducing solids sometime in the second 6 months of a baby's life is fine so EBF for the first 6 months - some people even want that to be changed to after the first 9 months.

I think you've hit the nail of the head when you mention going back to block nursing, add in a few breast compressions and I think all should work out well - have a look at this website for 'laid-back nursing' www.biologicalnurturing.com, great site.

Introducing solids is sort of my thing that I feel quite strongly about - lol, I'm sure some of the others who have posted here will agree that I often mention this sort of thing - so just to be sure i'll just give you some thoughts on solids - discard if you need to - lol. I like to see the introduction of solids as something different than 3 full meals a day, our society is so concentrated on foods and how much etc that I think we actually take the pleasure of eating away from ourselves. There is so much more to food than just the calorific intake, and I see our job as parents is to let our kids enjoy eating healthily and that our children learn to trust their bodies knowing when they are hungry and when they are not, the difference in just my two kids is amazing, just like some kids get hotter than others and they must know when to take off their coats rather than run around boiling hot and sweaty - KWIM? the introduction of solids is just that, an introduction, a journey of discovering tastes, textures, messes etc. so much more fun than someone spooning food into your mouth - no? Look for the signals from your baby index finger and thumb pincer movement, no tongue thrust - so not sticking his tongue out like he's going to pull the breast back into the mouth and also that your baby can sit unassisted for a reasonable period of time, this makes sure that the muscles in his neck and torso are able to support the during the meal time and helps prevent choking. OK that's me finished - sorry if it wasn't what you wanted and as I said discard if not applicable - lol

Good luck I really hope all works out for you and you both can get back to enjoying nursing - such a wonderful gift you can give!

[momto4plus4]

I love hearing others' thoughts! The website you mentioned was the one I went to and have been doing that the last 2 days-it's helping. Between that & the block nursing, he's hardly choking at all. He's still pulling off but I know he's also teething. But, the way he's pulling off now mimics the teething more than pain or latch issues.

I should know better about the solids. My first was 6 1/2 mths before we started, my 2nd had lots of food issues so he was 10 mths before having consistent solids, my 3rd was 5 1/2 mths and seemed interested. DS seems interested, does well being fed, opens for more which is why I had been feeding him. He eats better than my oldest did at 6 1/2 mths and he's not quite 5 mths. That all said, I worry about his digestive system; all my kids are sensitive and my boys especially have sensitive systems.

I really appreciate the ideas, support, encouragement and info on what's worked for you all! Thank You!

[momto4plus4]

So, I think baby has a lip tie. I've been looking into it after researching tongue tie and saw that. His frenulum (I hope I'm getting the verbage right) is connected all the way to the bottom of his top gum. I wish I could find pictures of what a baby without one looks. I tried taking a picture of his but he gets mad when looking in his mouth.

He doesn't have the heart-shaped tongue but wonder if he also has some kind of tongue-tie. He has had trouble latching from like 1 week old. He slides off all the time. He chews and bites and smacks and slops. I know I have the overactive letdown but I'm wondering how much of some of these issues is from his oral make-up.

Any thoughts?

[ShwarmaQueen]

Posterior TT is what DS had. His tongue wasn't heart shaped and could extend out, but the middle/back (hence posterior) wasn't able to raise up or curl around the nipple. The tongue supports/undulates under the nipple when correctly latched and when it's restricted, it is stuck on the floor of the mouth.

One of the easiest ways to get an idea is to notice the next time he's crying, does his tongue curl and raise up in his mouth? If it stays low and flat he might be restricted. The lip tie and also palate issues sometimes accompany tongue tie so when you're getting it checked, I'd ask about the others too. A pediatric ENT or a pediatric dentist can do the procedures. If you need help finding ones who recognize TT as a legitimate procedure for BFing (as opposed to for speech problems only ) you can call around to LCs in your area.

GL!

[momto4plus4]

Thanks for your help and explanation. I called today and got an appt for next week with the ENT. She is excellent. I almost hope he has a tie issue so we can fix it. It's starting to hurt so much and it's not thrush.

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by momto4plus4

Thanks for your help and explanation. I called today and got an appt for next week with the ENT. She is excellent. I almost hope he has a tie issue so we can fix it. It's starting to hurt so much and it's not thrush.

I hope you find a solution or things get easier soon.

Let us know how the appt goes!