nutritionist??

hmmmm, I've never met one worth their salt. I'm in the field as we own a gym and do alot of custom things for clients (my dh is a personal trainer and life coach, I am thinking about pursuing a masters in holistic nutrition.) I have been routinely disappointed by even the really well informed ones. The problem is ( and this is why I'm hesitating) that they don't look at the whole picture and that's pretty useless to me. Everything is related to nutrition-IMO, but things manifest in so many different ways. It's not enough to just change your diet in many instances-you really need more info and more guidance. I haven't met one yet that really does that. I have worked with a nutritionist/master herbalist and even she fell short. SHe knows a TON, but doesn't integrate it properly.

I guess it depends on why you are going. If you'd care to elaborate that might help you get a better answer.

Mostly to talk about my son's diet. He's 10 1/2 months old, and he's been mostly constipated since 7 or 8 months. We started solids at 6 months, but he wasn't eating 3 meals a day til 7 or 8 months. We've been to the ped gastro dr - who just said it was normal for breastfed babies - we were there because ds was spitting up blood for a time...ruled that as really bad reflux, and were on prilosec for 3 months... now he's "cured" of that i guess and is cleared for any and all foods but we're still dealing with the constant constipation -- ped gi's advice was to start barley and yogurt - and to feed him more. Umm, this kid eats every meal like its his last... 1/4 c oatmeal (before cooking) plus fruit for breakfast, 1/4 avacado, 1/2 pear plus 1/3 c barley risotto for lunch...)

I think I want someone to really look at what he's eating (I keep a daily log of what goes in and what comes out) ... and tell me where there are possible problems/issues. (oh, and we've tried prunes. Gave him 2.5 oz of prunes every morning for a week with no change... )

My DS has one come out every month for weight/length check to make sure he keeps on track. He is 15mths old and the size of a 9mth old according to graphs of "typical" boys his age. However he has multiple health issues, but is growing well. I would suggest calling your county's health department and asking them about a nutritionist or your child's pediatrician should be able to give you some feedback. Something is certainly causing constipation, thats for certain. Have they ruled out any abnormalities of his large and small intestines? Have they tried Reglan? Reglan works to empty the stomach and bowels faster and easier by making them work to contract. Maybe your child has a problem with "lazy bowels" so-to-speak. I am also assuming that ds gets enough water to keep him hydrated enough to prevent constipation. But I am really steering toward something else going on that they are completely missing. I have a cousin that had the same problem with her ds and the docs wouldn't listen other than telling her to feed such and such foods and give plenty of fluids but it persisted and finally he had a blockage from the constant constipation and he had to have surgery to remove it. I don't mean to scare you, I am sure you are concerned for him already, but I would press the issue with the Pediatrician about other causes, tests and possibly meds until he could outgrow it. I would certainly be getting a second opinion. Hugs to your and your ds, I know that is awful for him to go through that and for you as a parent to have to see him go through it as well.

I also wanted to add something else. You mentioned your son was spitting up blood at one point. Yeah, I agree abiout the diagnosis of reflux and most babies with severe reflux like my kids had wouldn't eat much because they associated eating with the pain that would follow so they wouldn't eat as much either, however I must say that he may still be having reflux. Did they do a swallow study to check to see if it indeed was gone? If not, then maybe get that done and go from there. It may be the reflux still and trying the reglan to move the gut and then adding zantac or something would nutrilize the acid. I don't think it's a nutritionist that he needs to see. I think a really great Peds. GI doc is what he needs to see. If there is no sign of reflux, then ask about problems with bowels and maybe just asking about reglan to see if that would help. BTW, there is no way that I would ever believe that it happens due to breastfeeding as the cause. If anything, breastfed babies are much less likely to have problems with constipation or diahrea for that matter. My 4yr old was the only one I bf and he had severe reflux, but never had bowel trouble, but my others on formula certainly did. Okay, I need to stop since I am rambling like crazy now.

Reflux is a symptom-not a diagnosis. The question should be WHY is he refluxing. Not many people in the health field understand this-it's just easier to throw drugs at it. It is generally structural, but can also be dietary. The bowel stuff is a sure sign of an imbalance. It could be bacterial, it could be an autoimmune condition, it COULD be many things. I personally don't think you need a nutritionist at all. I think that it actually would just delay your getting some real answers. BTW dairy and Barley (gluten found in barley) are two major triggers that should absolutely be removed when you are seeing these symptoms. Prunes will not even touch an imbalance like you are describing.

I encourage you to check out the Healing the Gut Tribe in health and healing. There are many ladies there dealing with things just like this. You will find good people who have gotten great answers and are fixing their problems IN SPITE of docs and nutritionists.

We can chat more if you'd like.

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I won't attempt to give advice, but just a suggestion.
My ds was constipated for quite a while (till 1 and a half) and I couldn't find a satisfactory solution. Then I discovered the raw diet and everything changed in our family. Suddenly I took down cereal grains from their pedestal of first staples and that was enough IMO to solve ds's constipation. Basically, I stopped feeding him the normal classical meals and replaced them with raw stuff - giving him the choice between fruits, veggies. I replaced the cereal breakfasts with fruit/nut mashes. Of course he kept asking for the stuff he was used to (he is a heavy eater, too) and I wouldn't really refuse it to him, but just managed to minimize the intake by giving him first raw stuff and not waiting till he got ravenous. I remember lots of tram rides with him happily munching on a carrot or apple piece - to the people's amazement.
The year that followed I was obsessed he wasn't getting enough food and I was starving him, but he grew like a bamboo (and still is at 3 and a half).
I think yogurt was constipating him too - I cut it down significantly.

So maybe you could try to eliminate certain foods and see the effect.
Good luck!

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I agree to some extent, but like another poster stated about dairy. Some things agravate reflux and should be avoided. But if it is structural the same way my son was, then he DID need meds to control it or end up with more damage than not giving him meds and he was a dairy free kid. I say that because stomach acid is extremely damaging to the lining of the esphogus and can errode it. It also can damage vocal cords. So I guess she would need to find out if the reflux is structural or not and move on from there. But taking it step by step, does he have reflux and is it structural or not. If no reflux is noted then yes, I agree, then visit Healing the Gut is a wonderful area. But I haven't met any doctor that prescribed meds without knowing it's pros vs cons. But maybe thats just the doctors I chose.

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Could Craniosacral Therapy have helped my son with the immature flap (too small) that was supposed to cover the opening to the stomach..which was the cause of his GERD? I have never heard of it before. Will read up on it, I have my 15mth old that also suffers from it as well.

You would not believe what craniosacral therapy can do! It's really amazing. By activating nerves and altering the internal structure things can REALLY change. My dd had several different diagnoses that were confirmed (well, some) with swallows, ultrasounds and such. We were told that surgery was our only option. Craniosacral therapy changed all of it. Our therapist actually caught things the docs didn't.
I don't know about your ds. You will have to check it out. It there's a torque internally that is preventing closure that would happen if he were structually in line, then yes. If things aren't activating proerly due to his nervous system not functioning properly, then yes. It really doesn't have limits that I have seen. Many mamas on this board have used it for extreme issues. Maybe post and ask for accounts or just do some research. It can really change your life.
I hope you find a way to help your kiddos. It's no fun suffering.

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Thanks and I will look it up. Jonathon has multiple health issues and wonder if Cranisacral Therapy could help with any of it. If it did, it would be worth millions to us! He has a trach due to a floppy airway, gtube for feeds due to improper swallowing (he aspirates). He has been hospitalized over a dozen times (poor immune) since he was discharged from the hospital FINALLY at 3 mths old. (He had open heart surgery at 7 days old). Otherwise, he tends to act like any other baby, at least he does know sign language and is happy go lucky all the time. Nothing mental going on, just all physical problems.

Good luck, mama. Dd was tube fed, and had neurological damage. She wasn't able to swallow and when she did it took her an hour to get 1/2 an ounce. Then it came straight back up. It was awful. I was forever putting cold washcloths on her to wake her-only to have her not feed and then reflux. She didn't gain weight and suffered many other things as well. CST made a difference in ONE session. Not a lasting difference, mind you, but a major one. During her session the therapist held her, explained what was going on and how it could be fixed. He assured me he COULD fix it. He then asked me to get the feeder. I swear to god she took three ounces in ten minutes (or less) and kept it down. I sobbed. I had a REALLY hard time leaving the office. But after about five sessions she was on a bottle. After four months she was breastfeeding. She's going to be two in another week. SHe's amazing and my whole family (even my super conventional mother) now uses CST. Clearly if it could fix my dd, it could help them.

We did three sessions a week. I can't tell you what it was worth.

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I will PM you. I feel awful about highjacking this post. But grateful we have met this way. TYVM!