Doc wants me to quit night feeds and bf while laying down :(

[jadebutterfly]

Hi im really concerned about this matter, so i would like some advise pls, heres the deal...

My dd is 11 mos and has only gained half a pound in the last 2 months.

So ofcourse my ped is concerned about it, and we always "argue" bout everything cause i like being very natural, no vax, no antibiotics, no formula (he wanted me to stop bf since she was 2 weeks because he said she was lactose intolerant and i didnt stop and she gained awesomely until lately (but shes also been much more active even walking) so now that she is not gaining, he asked me to stop night feeds. his reason is because laying down might be causing reflux 

I shure dont wont that and much less dd she just goes at it like crazy, till she gets her boob, one at 12-1 and one at 3-4 and only for like 5 min or less and i told him its mostly comfort, and if thats so , her energy is going to fixing that and not gaining weight. I told him I really doubt it, i dont even burp her since like 2 or 3 and she does never spit out or anything. So he told me to do that and comfort her anyother way but at that time in the night and at her age now its so hard to deny it, Is it really that bad ? He said its very hard to know if theres reflux, not just because she didnt spit up means there is no reflux :( but I doubt it...

what should i do some advise please would help, not just cause the doc said. Anybody still feeding your older child at midlle of night ?? 

[DaisyMae08]

My baby is almost 11 months old and nurses once somewhere between 4 and 5am, but other than that does not have night feedings anymore.  He did have reflux, but outgrew it around 8-9 months old at which point we stopped giving him his medication.  He didn't spit up much, and was more of a silent reflux baby.  So I do think your doctor is right in that your little one could still have reflux even if you're not seeing much in the way of spit up.  Has the doctor suggested medication or offered any other alternative treatments for the reflux other than giving up the night feedings?  If you want to continue the night feeds, consider having your daughter sleep on a slight incline.  Laying flat certainly does make the reflux worse.

[Bokonon]

My daughter nursed in the middle of the night until she was 16 months and I nightweaned.  It's completely normal.  It's also completely normal for a breastfed baby to slow weight gain drastically after about 6 months.  Did she gain length and head circumference?  Is she meeting milestones?  Healthy, happy, and thriving?  Weight gain is a tiny piece of the puzzle.  A mobile baby who has gained some weight is not a huge red flag.

Nothing you wrote screams reflux to me, so why is your ped. jumping to that assumption?  And how would nightweaning HELP weight gain?  Honestly, it sounds like your doc is just not very breastfeeding-knowledgeable, not to mention not very respectful of your parenting decisions.  I'd highly recommend finding a pediatrician who is.

Why was your baby's weight checked at 11 months, since well-baby visits are typically at 9 and 12 months?

[Bokonon]

And a pediatrician who urges a new mom to abruptly quit breastfeeding at 2 weeks because of lactose intolerance, which is extremely rare in infants and would result in a very sick baby, is not a breastfeeding-knowledgeable doctor.  Especially if he tried to get you to switch to milk-based formula.  I would leave this one in a New York minute.

[Megan73]

Originally Posted by Bokonon 

And a pediatrician who urges a new mom to abruptly quit breastfeeding at 2 weeks because of lactose intolerance, which is extremely rare in infants and would result in a very sick baby, is not a breastfeeding-knowledgeable doctor.  Especially if he tried to get you to switch to milk-based formula.  I would leave this one in a New York minute.

This. Babies are born to eat lactose- BM is packed with it!
My 10-month-old sleeps with me and nurses all night long and he's in the 80th percentile for weight. Night nursing does not keep babies from gaining weight. The average breastfed baby your little one's age gains two to four ounces a week so I can see why you might want to get her gaining a bit more. What I'd do is offer the breast more - older babes can be so busy and distracted! - and offer high-calorie solids like avocado, egg yolk, cheese, Greek yogurt, sweet potato etc.
It IS possible for a babe to have silent reflux but I can't imagine it would come on suddenly at 11 months and without symptoms like pain and feeding aversions.

[alegna]

Time for a new Dr.  Both of mine nursed at least once at night until past 2yrs old.

[boogiebearlove]

Your doctor sounds like a quack. I would absolutely switch doctors, and get a second or third opinion before ending night weaning. Good luck!

[bandgeek]

Lactose intolerance in a newborn is a very rare and potentially fatal condition.  Babies with this condition can ONLY drink soy formula, or risk brain damage, death, etc.  So your doc is obviously confused about basic nutrition to begin with.  It's not uncommon for babies to have a milk protein intolerance (which it not the same thing as lactose intolerance), but it is NOT a reason to quit nursing!  My son did have a milk protein intolerance and severe reflux and I nursed him for 3 1/2 years.

Trust your gut.  This doc doesn't know the first thing about infant feeding, it seems.

It's pretty normal for weight gain to slow when baby becomes more active and walking.  How is she doing otherwise?  Meeting milestones?  Happy?  Enjoys feedings?  Is she following her own growth curve?  Have you plotted her on the WHO growth charts, which are more breastfeeding friendly (ff babies and bf babies do tend to grow differently and there's no point comparing a bf baby to 100 of her peers if they are ff)?

[Asiago]

Perhaps if you have a local Le Leche League they could direct you to a more knowledgable doctor in your area.

[Nazsmum]

 You need to look at the growth chart and see if it is a problem. . BUT it is not the b/fing at all!!!! B/F is the best thing for your baby.

Looking into getting a new Dr.

[jadebutterfly]

Originally Posted by Bokonon 

My daughter nursed in the middle of the night until she was 16 months and I nightweaned.  It's completely normal.  It's also completely normal for a breastfed baby to slow weight gain drastically after about 6 months.  Did she gain length and head circumference?  Is she meeting milestones?  Healthy, happy, and thriving?  Weight gain is a tiny piece of the puzzle.  A mobile baby who has gained some weight is not a huge red flag.

Nothing you wrote screams reflux to me, so why is your ped. jumping to that assumption?  And how would nightweaning HELP weight gain?  Honestly, it sounds like your doc is just not very breastfeeding-knowledgeable, not to mention not very respectful of your parenting decisions.  I'd highly recommend finding a pediatrician who is.

Why was your baby's weight checked at 11 months, since well-baby visits are typically at 9 and 12 months?

Oh thax so much this stuff is what i needed to hear, I felt so frustrated, and ofcours i didnt night wean her,  yes im thinking im finally going to have to change peds, i live in Mexico and they r so squared and just go with what they learned i guess, i go every month to see him, and we always discuss, CRAZY !!! but yea shes been growing in lenght and head and milestones all good, happy, loving...   xcept the other bad thing is she is so bad with solids thats why i think she wont gain, and she has gained maybe 3 or 400 gms in 3 months :s. and shes been walking since 10 mos so for me that seems like the reason, very active and not much into solids. Do you have a tip on that? hehe ...

well thanks again bokonon :)

[jadebutterfly]

thanx for your helpful tips ladies !!! this is all so true. and i dont know why im whith him, i guess i thought all peds are like that and i would just do my own thing and just go in for routine check ups, but with this issue, i did worry some, hopping i didnt make a wrong decision, but yes ill go with my gut :) .

Shes going to be 1 and is at 18 lbs :s but ill keep on trying, and as dr. gordon jay says haha look at the baby not the scale !!!

And i know how could he have told me that at only 2 weeks of being a new mom, i feel so sorry for all the mothers that just obey anything these dudes say, but ofcourse i ignored him and she did perfecly fine, OH and now hes bringing that subject up again, he says that could be the reason why shes not gaining now, how bad it is for growth to stop.

but me and dp are both petit and from new born to 6 or 7 months she shot up there so good, never lost weight, so, i dont think that could be it but oh well i will totally go to another one, even though here in Mexico, and probably with any ped... most of the time, theres always something that leaves me unhappy about a consult whith these docs, but anyway ... somewhere between their points of view and my motherly instincts and these helpfull tips it should all be fine :) Gratzie, peace ladies