what's going on with us...

[dfunk98]

breastfeeding was never easy for me. dd used to hump her tongue back and rub my nipple up against the roof of her mouth. i had to wear a nipple shield for 4 months. with ds i thought it would be better. when he was about 2 days old, i was in excruciating pain, had a friction blister on my nipple and was at my wits end. verdict: tongue-tie. ugh!! well, we had it clipped at 6 days old and things were much better. then, my left nipple became increasingly sore during and in between feedings, and last week i developed a bleb (white milk blister) and plugged ducts. luckily, ds broke that blister on his own and i was able to drain the ducts. the soreness is still there, and is believed to be vasospasms of the nipple (Raynaud's phenomenon). today, we went to the pediatrician and he's gained almost 3 lbs. since birth. however, what i believed to be "baby acne", the dr. says is yeast. so now i have to take super doses of acidophilis in the hopes that that will help. also, ds gets really congested at night and the ped thinks it's a good idea for me to cut out dairy and see if that helps!!
wow!! this last month has been a roller coaster, but i wouldn't trade it for anything. linus is the sweetest baby and i know how truly blessed i am to have him in my life. i will do anything necessary to keep him healthy and preserve our breastfeeding relationship.
i haven't been on in awhile and i just wanted to share our ups and downs and hear how everyone else is doing. hope all is well!!

[HeatherB]

Congrats on keeping up despite the issues! I also have vasospasms so I know all about how painful that can be!! I've had it with all 3, it seems (didn't figure out what the pain was until the 2nd). Improving the latch seems to help sometimes, but it's not a cure-all, for me. I hope yours will get better, though!

It sounds like you're on the upswing now, with figuring out the issues that are going on. I hope it continues in that direction!

[HarperRose]

Well I'm glad you've stuck with it! Good for you!

What does the acne look like? Thomas is 1 mo old and still quite broken out. I don't remember if it's normal (it's been 6 yrs between babies!) so I'm wondering. What age does acne tend to go away? Thomas' is very tiny little pimples all over the sides of his face and some in his scalp.

We don't see a doc unless someone is sick -- he was a planned UC and we don't do shots, so no reason to see a doc. MW did his PKU test.

[Lookingup]

Good for you, Danielle. I'm sorry it's been hard, but I admire you sticking with it. Hope it gets easier and the yeast clears up soon.

Justthatgirl... that sounds like regular baby acne. Seems to start clearing up around 6 weeks -- at least it did with my boys!

[durafemina]

hear hear on the pain of vasospasms! I wanted to throw my nipples out the freaking window some times in the past 7 weeks. Worth it though to see my sweet babe peacefully cuddling at the breast. . . .

[HarperRose]

Originally Posted by bygones75

Justthatgirl... that sounds like regular baby acne. Seems to start clearing up around 6 weeks -- at least it did with my boys!

thanks! I asked ds1's dev ped this morning, also -- she said it's normal.

[dfunk98]

Originally Posted by Justthatgirl

Well I'm glad you've stuck with it! Good for you!

What does the acne look like? Thomas is 1 mo old and still quite broken out. I don't remember if it's normal (it's been 6 yrs between babies!) so I'm wondering. What age does acne tend to go away? Thomas' is very tiny little pimples all over the sides of his face and some in his scalp.

We don't see a doc unless someone is sick -- he was a planned UC and we don't do shots, so no reason to see a doc. MW did his PKU test.

My ds is 1 month. I think it looks like regular baby acne, little pimples, but the ped. said yeast. who knows!! but extra acidophilis won't hurt, so... if it doesn't clear up and she suggests meds. then we'll have to talk.

who knew vasospasms were so common, esp. in our ddc? what has everyone else tried? i agree with you, HeatherB that improving the latch is not a cure all. I've increased my cal/mag and b6 vitamins, so we'll see how that works. anyone else?

[Banana731]

good for you on sticking with it!

my baby has terrible yeast problems, but only on her skin. I'm not sure what to do about it. she gets these yeast rashes in her folds, her armpits, her neck, etc. we don't have thrush, she doesnt get it in her diaper area, i'm at a loss. I keep treating it, and it goes away and then comes back in a day or 2. I'm going to start giving her daily soaks in baking soda baths on the reccomendation of my immunlogist neighbor.(she's super cool, really into herbal meds, eastern medicine, etc.) Any suggestions for me?

[durafemina]

what I think helps my vasospasms is clapping a warm breast pad/warm wet towel/warm hand on it right after dd comes off. Must not let the nipples cool is my mantra!

[HeatherB]

Yes, warmth and compression are great for vasospasm! When I had it with my 2nd DS, I would walk around the house with my hand pressed over my breast - lovely, eh? But it helped more than anything else I could figure. An actual warm compress would be lovely, too, I think.

Does anyone else get the vasospasms not directly associated with nursing? For instance, in between feeds? There are times when I feel it and sure enough, there's nipple blanching.

[dfunk98]

Originally Posted by HeatherB

Yes, warmth and compression are great for vasospasm! When I had it with my 2nd DS, I would walk around the house with my hand pressed over my breast - lovely, eh? But it helped more than anything else I could figure. An actual warm compress would be lovely, too, I think.

Does anyone else get the vasospasms not directly associated with nursing? For instance, in between feeds? There are times when I feel it and sure enough, there's nipple blanching.

that's when i notice it most-between feeds. i started taking extra calcium and magnesium (2000mg and 1000mg, respectfully) and 200 mg of b6. it seems to be helping.

[HeatherB]

Originally Posted by dfunk98

that's when i notice it most-between feeds. i started taking extra calcium and magnesium (2000mg and 1000mg, respectfully) and 200 mg of b6. it seems to be helping.

Very good to know! I have a cal/mag/zinc supplement here I should probably be taking, anyway, that will easily give me a good amount. I don't have extra b6 or b-complex, though, but may look into that.

[blueridgewoman]

Jack Newman suggests a protocol of 200mg B6 for 4-5 days then 25mg thereafter, and that's REALLY helped my vasospasms.

[HeatherB]

Originally Posted by blueridgewoman

Jack Newman suggests a protocol of 200mg B6 for 4-5 days then 25mg thereafter, and that's REALLY helped my vasospasms.

I forgot to get any via Frontier, but thankfully there's a Whole Foods in my neighborhood now! Thanks for the info!!