That’s right, Jamisen is 1 month old! Can you believe how fast time has gone by already? It’s funny – the nights are long, long, long and the days are mostly short – unless he’s crying and then they’re long. I’m sure all the other parents out there reading this understand that. =)
Thank you to everyone that posted and commented on Jaminsen’s immature digestive system. Something we did is working – but I’m not sure which thing because I threw the kitchen sink at it. I’m off dairy, all gassy veggies, all beans and soy (on the plus side, no dairy means that I’m losing weight like nobody’s business). Jamisen is on anti-gas drops at every feeding. I’m feeding him upright. We’ve switched Probiotics and lowered the dose. I’m strictly following Le Leche League ‘best practices’ for breastfeeding. I’m drinking enough Chamomile Tea to turn me yellow. Jamisen is going to baby chiropractic and baby craniosacral therapy. And something in that whole mix worked because he is no longer a gassy baby.
What is new and different is that now that the gas is gone, the reflux has appeared. It was always there (looking back at my notes) but was masked by the obvious clenching of little legs and fists when he was feeling bloated and unable to figure out how to fix it. Though he is gaining weight like a champ (15 ounces in a little over a week!), he is spitting up a minimum of 3 times per feeding and cries when he does, has the classic wet burps and bad vomit breath and gets hiccups a lot every day. Our Pediatrician had us elevate his bed, keep him upright for 30 minutes after every feeding (did I mention the long nights?!), stay off the dairy and soy, try soy formula at one feeding per day and burp him many times in a feeding but Lil Man still wasn’t getting relief so we are trying Baby Zantac for him this week. I have promised my (Doctor) Father (Jamisen’s very proud Grandpa) that I will not leave Jamisen on Baby Zantac indefinitely but for now, I’ll do anything to let this little guy get some rest and relief. And, as usual, it takes a village so if you have any suggestions, chime in! I want to hear them.
I love being a Mom so much. I’m already lobbying Chris for a second one – I know Jamisen will appreciate having a little baby brother or sister. PS – Can’t get enough of Jamisen? He has his own Twitter account where there are lots of updates and photos daily. Follow @bramblebump here.
I have two sons. Son #1: I could tell by the inability to hold anything down that I was pregnant from the moment of conception, was in the hospital 4x’s by my 5th month from kidney infections, when he was born he NEVER slept (I had pillows set up around the rocking chair so I could lower myself down when he did take 20 winks), COLIC, COLIC, COLIC then he did get over that which yes was great till the projectile vomiting hit (I swear he could hit a wall from 10ft away). He did finally grow out of it and also started sleeping all night. I had a good many sane years with him, then he became a teenager…He is now 24 and such a joy. I now go to his house, keep him up late when he has to go to work in the morning, make a mess, eat almost all HIS ice cream except for about a three inch bit which I make sure to leave and put back in the freezer~but I will put the rest of my plans into action when he becomes a father!
Son #2: The pregnancy was a cinch, he slept through the night from the day he was born, never a bit of colic, no projectile vomiting, even his teenage years were livable. Yes, I do still go to his house and do all the above….except keep him up all night. 😉
The harder times do end.
hi A-M! can you believe a month old?! he looks beautiful;D I too agree with the papaya enzyme idea!
If I am correct, most of the time w/ adults w/acid/reflux/GERD isn’t not an overproduction of acid that causes the problem but actually a LACK of enzymes in the stomach. My mom had terrible GERD and tried natural enzymes w/ meals to great improvement! i would imagine it could be the same lack of digestive enzymes (esp for protein) for your wee one. Ask your doc/dad what he thinks.
Its clear you guys are doing a great job, he is growing well. once his digestive system catches up it’ll get better + better sleep patterns, hang in there!…and don’t give up the breastfeeding – your milk has all kinds of enzymes, antibodies, nitrients, etc that CANNOT be duplicated in a formula. Breastmilk is a living probiotic food (as i’m sure you already know *grin*) best to you & wee one!
Anne- Marie,
Jamisen is truly a beautiful baby…there is NOTHING like a baby! You are very blessed. I never had this particular problem, but over the years, I have found that I as a mother need to go with my gut instinct and my convictions. When everything is so new, it is hard to know what your gut instinct is…and we all have so many voices calling out to us to come here, go there…that we can get all muddled…as for convictions, with my 5th child, we REALLY struggled with nursing and he lost a significant amount of weight. The midwife told me to put him on formula and I did, but I was not comfortable with that decision. Later I found something that I could supplement that would get him more nutrients and calories, but that I felt good about giving him…but, here is the KEY…I felt good about giving it to him (it was 1/3 goat’s milk, one third fresh carrot juice and 1/3 water)…others might not have. If I went into that not really comfortable with the decision…then I would have always been wondering…it was all because of that…anyway, I hope you are understanding what I am trying to share…it seems about as clear as mud to me…
Enjoy the journey…trust me, there come a time when you will wish for these days back again…or at least that you could slow time down.
C~
Wow congrats! He is so adorable. Mom & dad must be very proud. 🙂
Your story is almost identical to mine a couple of years ago. Long story short we finally ended with a Ped. GI specialist and 2 hospital stays (it got to the point that he wasn’t only not gaining weight, but losing weight). Here are a couple of things that saved us:
1. Axid (we tired Zantac, but he was still spitting up. Axid was smooth on his system, a lot cheaper, and seemed “healthier/natural” than Zantac to me).
2. Sleeping in the swing at night (elevated more than the bed, but didn’t have to hold him upright more than 15 min)
To encourage you, as one that has lived some of what you are going through….Eldin (our son) only stayed on the Axid until he was 16 months. After he started walking he went off a couple of weeks later. The GI told us to hold him 15-20 minutes after feedings at night. With the Axid, swing, and 15 minutes holding his spit up went almost completely away. Eventually he stopped breastfeeding, as the bottle was so easy for him and calories/amount was the most important to him. While it was sad to me at first I was just thankful he started gaining weight. The formula also let him sleep longer at night, which as you know with the nightly routine was very welcomed. Good luck. I hope this helps (I wish someone had told us sooner), it just seemed that everyone suggested gripe water, Mylecon, etc not understanding the crazy amount of spit up or pain he was in. Hearing/seeing your son in so much pain from reflux is horrible. Sorry you have to experience it, but know that it can be fixed and he will grow out of it. Eldin has no reflux problems now. Jamisen is so cute…congratulations.
He is so cute. It’s truly amazing how quick they grow…just wait it goes even faster. It’s hard to belive my son is almost 6 and my baby girl is 7 months already. I’m sorry to hear about your son’s tummy troubles, my son had those too and we switched to Goat’s milk for him and it worked like a dream. I know you are breastfeeding so maybe you could drink it and maybe it would help. I’m not a Dr. it’s just what worked for our little man when soy would not. Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy.
Anne-Marie I just want to say how beautiful your lil guy is!!! 🙂 You should be such a proud mumma, you’ve done and are doing an amazing job.
Justine
What a cutie pie! He looks so much like Chris!
He is absolutely gorgeous. You two are doing an amazing job. I’m glad that whole combination worked for the little one’s gassy problem. Unfortunately I have no knowledge to shae on reflux… I had one ridiculously easy baby!
I hope everyone here and at home can help you guys. Take care and keep up the good work.
Maveric
Aww! Didn’t really know all you have been through until you posted. Thank goodness the colic type symptons are eventually outgrown.
You must be tired….I wish I knew how to help, but sometimes you just need to ride these kinds of things out.
The enzyme idea sounds like a good way to go. After I got all into natural health and research after my daughter was born, the lady at the health food store told me that infants’ enzymes are manufactured in utero between 9 – 12 weeks gestation. And because I hadn’t taken a certain compound….biotin? (can’t remember) she told me my baby would always have an enzyme deficiency. HORRIFIED, I began giving her (a toddler at the time) enzymes in earnest, and she gobbled them up by the handful. Of course, they were just enzyme rich phyto nutrients like wheatgrass, barley, broccoli, and sea vegetables, but the fact that she ate them by the handful sort of validated the nutritionist’s word. So I think you can never give enough enzymes, especially if you are not using live foods, which I know you do (green drinks for breakfast, etc.) and we know that breast milk is perfect food…. oh well, I’m getting to ranting but papaya is wonderful stuff!
Thank you for keeping all us Aunties posted!
XO and I hope you get a nap everyday! With Jamisen by your side!
He is so adorable and I am quite sure that he knows he is the Prince of the house!
Papaya enzyme tablets, natural from the health food store, worked so well for my niece when she had colic and then reflux due to an underdeveloped digestive system that her pediatrician ended up writing some type of paper about it.
It was years ago and I don’t remember the deets but I recall she dissolved the tabs in distilled water and administered them with a dropper after each feeding.
Might be worth talking to your Dr. about.
Hopefully you’ll soon find resolution (and get more sleep).
Ooooh, Love that idea! Will totally research. I’m totally anti-meds in general – I never take ’em. I still have all my narcotics from the last 12 years from wisdom teeth, tonsillectomy etc… because I just hate taking them. I think as a Dr’s daughter that I just have a very healthy fear and respect of them so if we can do Papaya Tablets, that would be fantastic. I’ll go google that right now!
I’m pretty anti-med, too. Mostly because I can’t take them without some kind of strange reaction 🙂
It was the original Papaya enzyme tabs that my sister used, btw. They also make a plus version with Chlorophyll & Peppermint but I always thought the original worked the best.
Those I can take. 🙂
Hope they work for Jamisen. Wonderful pictures of him! Hard to believe he’s a month old already.
A month sure has gone by fast! I’m glad that Jamisen is no longer gassy, but am sorry that he has reflux so badly. That was one thing that my kids didn’t have so I don’t know of a good solution for you, unfortunately. Chamomile tea is supposed to help with esophageal irritation, so maybe you could continue feeding him a little of that? Also it might help if you drink either catnip, fennel or ginger tea since these are supposed to aid proper digestion and help stop heartburn…I’m hoping these will get through to him in the breastmilk since I don’t think he should be drinking any of those on his own yet. :}
I hope you’ll find something that helps!
I know! A month = poof! So fast. He is adorable and absolutely the light of our lives. I love spending time with him (though now that we’ve solved the reflux, I hope, he’s sleeping a lot more now! My poor husband is like “Huh? I want to play with him!” since he sleeps so much now) and am so happy.
It’s funny you mention those herbs – I just picked up an anti-colic tea and it has a lot of those herbs in it (though no chamomile – but I bought that on its own).
XXOO
Hi,
As a soap making lactation consultant and LLL Leader, I think you are on the right track with him. I would have you leave off any formula because it does change his digestive system. Soy particularly. Sometimes it takes tincture of time. Let me know if I can be of any help. He is beautiful and growing great.
Ann
I pulled him off the formula last night. The Doctor was concerned b/c he wasn’t sleeping more than 9-11 hours in a 24 hour period so he was exhausted and so overtired so she was hoping that the formula would help him digest slower and let him have a 3 or 4 hour sleeping stretch. That wasn’t happening (and I was getting up to pump anyways) so I stopped it last night (great minds think alike! LOL!). He still isn’t getting in a 3 hour sleep stretch at night BUT after the reflux meds, he’s sleeping a good 2 1/2 hours AND sleeping for a 12 hour stretch – meaning, sleep, eat, sleep, eat from 7 to 7 and before, it was a sleep, eat, fuss, sleep, eat, fuss (or all out cry) and then up at 4 a.m. and unable to get back to sleep (just fussing and crying) and the last few days have been a whole new little boy. Yes, he is growing great. If he hadn’t been growing well, I would be much more concerned but since he’s growing, I know something is working. And now that we’ve gotten rid of (fingers crossed) the reflux pain, I am soooooo hoping that it’s normal baby development from here on out. Thanks for chiming in. And PS, I think he’s beautiful too =)
Oh this post brings back memories of breastfeeding my two sons! And my first was definitely a struggle … but we got through it somehow. In hindsight I’m so glad I persisted through the CRAZINESS.
I appreciated the comment about Jamisen possibly getting overstimulated. Mine definitely experienced that and it contributes to their fussiness. Going from that nice, cozy womb to the outside world is tough! Though they naturally DO like noise … that’s what they’re used to!
Re his spitting up so much during feeding: I have to wonder if your milk flow is too fast/strong for Jamisen? If so, you might want to try just giving him little breaks during a feed. (Plus if you’re pumping that will stimulate more and more milk which itself can become an issue!)
My second son was a little piggy (and I had LOTS of milk), so he’d just GUZZLE down as much as he could at his first late night feed (about 10:30-11 pm).
When he was done pigging out, we’d get him all settled in to his bassinet. He’d fall asleep. Hubbie and I would tuck ourselves in. And then 10 minutes later … Erik would BARF all over EVERYTHING!
And we were starting “the evening” all over again 🙂
Anyway, thought I’d share in case it helps! (Or just gives you a smile through the fatigue!)
Beautiful baby you have there. And kudos to you for sticking with the nursing! In a couple months you’ll feel like a pro!
xo
Karri
It’s interesting that you bring that up – since starting to follow the La Leche League principles to the ‘T’, when lil man is doing his not-sucking, sort of just hanging out thing, I don’t tickle his feet or try to get him to eat (that’s what they suggest) and since I quit trying to force him to stay awake through the feeding (I didn’t realize he wasn’t usually falling asleep – just sort of taking a 5 or 6 minute rest). I think that he’s probably just taking the break to allow himself to process through some of the milk. That’s helped a lot with the spit-up, especially at night. That and keeping him upright for half an hour after each feeding (which makes those night feedings seem really really really long). Thanks for chiming in – =)
Oh yes … I had actually forgotten about the keeping Baby upright after eating! (Yikes, my memory of that time is fading a little.)
But your reply reminds me now how HARD it was to stay awake MYSELF while/after feeding. The hormone release would make me feel like I had been drugged.
I did a LOT of co-sleeping in those days…
PS: LOVE LOVE LOVE your soaping resources btw.
PPS: I hope you’re going easy on yourself as a working Mom during this newborn phase. It’s tough for us Type A’ers, ain’t it? I remember typing at my computer with a baby on the boob … often 😉
Karri
Oh my goodness the photo of Jamisen, B&W in a towel with all fingers and toes is darling! Thank you for sharing him with us.
When my baby went in for her 6 week check up, I cried! I explained to the doctor her crying and how I was sure I was starving her. He first weighed her and laughed, he said “this baby is getting fat”!
Those 6 weeks for me were such an adjustment. I wasn’s use to being home alone, let alone with this tiny fragile infant who cried and cried. My world was school, school, then corporate, so use to being actively engaged and physical.
The doctors old world common sense remedy was to say the mother has needs also and for me to have a beer every evening. The beer would help produce more milk and make for a more relaxed mum. Can’t stand beer, so went with wine. I can’t say for sure if it was time or the wine but the baby improved day by day OHM.
We can pass anxiety on to our babies especially when one is so use to striving for organized perfection.
Best of luck it will all work out in the end and hopefully before the magical 3 month marker date!
Love the idea of the wine every night … LOL! I tend to be ruled by guilt though so keeping it to the 1 glass since it gets into breastmilk is probably all I can do.
Our little guy is definitely not being starved either – 15 ounces weight gain in a little over a week – how insane is that?! I really should try to take a bath tonight after we put him down at 7 to relax before I go to bed. Because you’re right, Mom has needs to – but when your child is screaming, somehow, they just don’t seem important. =)
Ele é lindoooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!
bjssssssssssssss
Dear Anne-Marie,
Congratulations, your Jamisen is such a beautiful and lovely little boy!
I also had such a lovely baby, my daughter Sarah. She is now a beautiful little young girl, aged 13.
When she was a baby, she cried 4-5 months long. And that is what I have learned from that: she was always a very intelligent child, she needed very much attention, she had got and has got a lot of temperament. When she growed up, we played a lot with her, told her fairy stories and so on. I think it is the same with your Jamison: what works is the attention, your concentration on him. He needs that, because he is a very intelligent child with a lot of temperament. That is what I believe and what I have learned from my daughter. Have fun and enjoy, times will become better!
With kind regards, Nicole from Germany
I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case here too. I’ve been reading to him, a lot, and since he can’t understand what I’m saying, he’s getting a lot of Fortune and Time magazine (ha ha) and he definitely seems to enjoy the reading time. He loves being held too (but that might be a trait of all babies) =)
What a precocious child!! He must be wise beyond his young years. For his reflux try using a tucker sling as much as possible. He will grow out of this in time unless he has some allergies. Babies aren’t born with all the healthy bacteria in intestines and his little body is creating his own little internal eco system while adjusting to nutrition from the external world. Gas is normal. Reflux happens in many infants. Is he overeating?? Sometimes babies experiencing an upset tummy get comfort from breastfeeding as the milk soothes the acid. Each sip of milk washes down the acid from the reflux. They like the soothing so much they keep nursing beyond the time when they are full. The careful use of a pacifier can sometimes help a baby not to overfill if that is the case. (I never wanted to use one myself but eventually around 4 or 5 weeks finally gave in to an occasional use.) Then I would just try relaxing. I don’t know you but my impression is you are very task oriented, goal driven, and all these things that make you a successful business owner. These are great qualities. With Little Man I’d try just being in the moment. Try keeping your thoughts and your mind just in the present moment. You’ve been very busy …off to Washington, keeping up with work, etc. Balance your “Being” with your “Doing” when possible. He might feel “overstimulated” by the world. My daughter would get that way about 6 PM daily. Just over all the environmental stimulation. She would have a good cry to calm and sooth herself. Chiropractor adjustments are always great for infants!! Do check out these tucker slings if you don’t have one.
I had never heard of a Tucker Sling – good one! We elevated his bed with a board and books (don’t worry – it’s well anchored) just for that.
I think he sometimes does overeat – he’ll start screaming while eating but still going back for more – and I suspect he’s overeating, it’s coming up, he’s trying to soothe, so he eats more …. bad cycle. When that happens, if Dad is home, I have Daddy grab him so he forgets that milk was around as an option. If it’s just me, he just keeps trying to come back for more.
We are using a pacifier – he was sucking his own hand in 3 different ultrasounds so this kid is a suck-er for sure – they gave him a pacifier IN THE HOSPITAL (no worries about nipple confusion with this one, I guess) and he’s been using one ever since.
You are so right about me being insanely driven and goal oriented. I really am trying to be calm and relaxed but it’s an ongoing battle. We have noticed that when too many people are around, he is quite fussy so yes, he probably gets overstimulated easily.
Jamisen is such a cutie!the only thing that gave our oldest relief (tried everything from elevated bed to two different reflux meds by different mechanisms) was sleeping in a Nap Nanny. The problem we ran into is we had to stop using it when he started rolling over bc it only straps the infant in at the waist/croch area. When he tried to roll in his sleep he would end up all caddy wonkers and we didn’t think it safe anymore. Until then it was a life saver! After that though it was another 5 or so months before he actually grew out of the baby reflux. Our 2nd (2mo) doesn’t like the nap nanny like our first did but he also doesn’t seemed too bothered by his reflux. It still gets used though as our oldest (23 mo) likes to use it as a lounger when he gets a little TV time. Looks pretty silly since he’s so big.
Whatever you end up doing best of luck. There’s nothing worse than knowing your little man is in pain.
I have heard of the Nap Nanny. I almost got one but then saw that they had been recalled so didn’t but I’ll check them out again. Little man is too important to not check out all the options. Congrats on your two =)
I’m not sure if someone has suggested this yet but, with both of my bebes, I have relied heavily on Gripe Water to get us through tummy troubles, teething and general upset. I can’t say enough good things about this stuff. It’s a homeopathic concoction of ginger and fennel and has really come in handy when trying to soothe the littles. I still occasionally give it to both kiddos who are are now one and two and cutting teeth and molars. Hope this helps. Baby boy is a cute little rascal – congrats to all!
We tried Gripe Water early on – I think we have three or four different kinds (LOL! Nothing like overkill) and it just wasn’t enough for his gas or his reflux. I guess our kid likes to ‘Go Big or Go Home!’ He is a cute little rascal. I am enjoying our infant time with him but am so curious what kind of child he will grow up to be.
What a gorgeous baby. Sounds like you are naturally a fabulous mother. I remember back to those days (my daughter is 13 now) and even though they were the most sleep deprived days in my life, they were wonderfully unforgettable. Cherish each moment. It goes so fast. I just wanted to comment on your photography! Um… WOW! Looks like you have a photographer in the family or is that just one more incredible skill you have fine-tuned?? Gorgeous gorgeous photos!! xo Jen
They are horribly sleep deprived but I’m really getting used to the nighttime feedings where it’s just me and Jamisen and he’s all soft, sleepy and pliable in my arms. It’s quite delicious. =) My Dad is a great photographer and then we have a friend that took some really great photos of him – you can’t tell, but in the ones with the black background, I’m behind the black sheet, holding it up. LOL!
It’s been a month already! WOW does time fly.
Glad to hear that he seems to be over his tummy troubles. Couldn’t have been any fun for him or mommy and daddy.
Jamisen is such a little cutie.
♥ Love from Lori in Canada ♥
He is quite a happy baby now that we seem to have his reflux and gas mostly under control. In fact, I don’t think I heard him do much more than a few warning whimpers (hey lady, I’m getting hungry!) yesterday. =)
Jamisen is beautiful <3
Anne Marie, my third baby had quite severe reflux which only ceased once I weaned him from breast milk and transferred him to a formula based diet *cry*….
I was extremely stressed during the first 6 months of his life (financial woes BIG time) and it seems possible, looking back, that I was transferring that to my baby via my breast milk…? It changed instantly once I weaned him, yet we still had the stress.
You will work it out I am sure ~ being a Mom means flying by the seat of your pants a lot of the time. Sometimes going with your 'gut' feeling can work, so why not sit down quietly (when ever that is possible!) and meditate on your next step *hugs*
Oh that would be a ‘cry cry cry’ if I had to put him on formula, but of course, I would do anything for him so that would be just fine if that happens.
I meditated on Friday (since I still can’t work out – grrrrr – and need some stress relief someplace) and I had a huge feeling of thankfulness wash over me. I’m so lucky to have this little man, a supportive family, a delightful business and my health. It was a lovely 20 minutes.
The baby zantac worked for our grandson who had very bad reflux. He’ll be 3 years old in a couple of weeks and still gets reflux once in a while.
I took care of him when his mom went back to work 6 weeks after he was born. She pumped I fed…he cried all the time and he just about lived in bibs.
Thankfully she was able to continue pumping & nursing for his first 12+ months. I’m not sure I could have dealt with the smell of formula spit up.
Baby # 2 is on the way (girl) and this time I’m just going to enjoy being grandma!
Congrats on the 2nd grandchild. For what it’s worth, our pediatrician swears that you never get 2 that are so high maintenance. =)
That’s what I was going to share. My second had reflux something awful. Hubs called him Prince of Puke (in a loving way, of course.) An Indian physician, the last person we thought would prescribe a western dose of anything, prescribed Zantac and while it did not eliminate the problem entirely, it curbed it significantly. In about 12 months, it was gone and we’ve had no real problem since.
And if you have to be surrounded by spit up, at least it’s from someone so cute and sweet.
My Granddaughter Heidi, who is now 16 months old, was also on Baby Zantac when she was Jamisen’s age. Prior to that, my daughter had tried her on Mylicon, but she continued to spit up larger amounts than normal and it just wasn’t helping. She was also gaining weight just fine. Heidi’s Pediatrician also suggested propping her up when she slept but that’s easier said than done. My daughter was up with her when she was crying or she was up checking on her when she was sleeping because having her propped up made her nervous! Anyway, Heidi was on Similac Soy Isomil and the Baby Zantac and it really helped! Several months later she would just give it to her every other day and then she went off it completely and did just fine. When she turned 1 she started on Vitamin D milk (of course she can eat regular table food and sometimes she will eat Gerber Graduates). That was also a slow transition but she did fine. Just thought I would let you know because in the beginning of all this we had never heard of Baby Zantac. Now my daughter and her husband know of several babies that have been on it.
The Mylicon is a lifesaver for gas – it’s really helped Jamisen a lot (either that or my going off milk – since I did them both at once, it’s hard to say). He is propped up at night – my husband built a cool elevated board for under his bassinet to keep him at about a 30 degree angle – and that’s cut down on the spitting up at night while he sleeps. Plus, I hold him upright for 30 minutes after every feeding and let me tell you, at 4 a.m. that extra 30 minutes feels like a lifetime ….
You are right about the time is going by so fast,I just have a baby girl my self. She is also turning 1 month today. We are getting day by day with the fussy baby as well. I did try “gripe water” for the first time today,it seem working so well. It kind of funny I try to start my soap project for the last 3 months and had been watching your youtube instruction. Anyway, since the baby arrive there is not anything that I enjoy more than being a mother. I’ll get back for the project soon 😀 Wish you luck with everything.
You have a one month old too? So much fun! I adore having Jamisen and being his Mama. The gripe waters supposedly are great for normal digestive issues and fussiness and we had good luck with them taking the edge off but they didn’t totally fix his digestive issues. I guess we just needed to bring in the big guns because he is such a happy little camper now – barely any crying and just a normal, happy little guy. I am so thankful for our research-oriented Doc. We are lucky that she took us seriously because four days later, lil man is sooooo happy. =) Congrats on your little one. We can keep track together on our kids’ milestones.
Oh wow…it’s been a while. He is just adorable!!! What a cute little guy! My DIL makes her own formula since she had a lot of problems with allergies and such. She makes a recipe her naturopath recommended, and which her doctor okay’d. It’s all natural and her kids have done really well on it. Don’t know if it would help at all, but if you want the recipe – I’d be happy to get it for you.
I would love to know what it is when you get a chance. We’ll be checking in with our Doc in about 10 days and then we’ll figure out what we’re going to do. I’m really hoping we can keep him on breastmilk but I’ll do whatever it takes (like any mother) and would gladly switch him to formula (made by me or store bought) if that would make him feel better. =) Congrats on a grandbaby, BTW. My parents are SO happy about their little grandbaby – just over the moon.
You both look fabulous! What a lucky baby Jamisen is!! I mentioned in my response to your gassy baby post, that my youngest Ben had reflux. It was so frustrating! I was so glad when we discovered the refux and began the Zantac. He hated the zantac, but I certainly loved it!! It gave me my smiling, content baby back 🙂 He was on the zantac until he was 12 months old, luckily he never had that issue again. He is a healthy soon to be eleven year old!! I hope you see the same amazing results!!
He actually has almost started being okay with the Zantac after just a few days. The first day, he literally looked at me, pursed his lips and spat it out at me. Then, I tried it and man, I don’t blame him. That is some FOUL tasting stuff. The ‘bitter’ taste receptors are located at the back of the mouth and so I take the small syringe and try to make it PAST those receptors, squirt just a little in and THEN shove a pacifier in his mouth so he has to swallow. Since I started doing that, he’s much happier. I know your son is 11 years old so it won’t help you but it might help someone else reading this. Congrats on your healthy happy son. =)
I could eat him up! And don’t feel bad- EVERYONE thought we were crazy (my husband and I) for wanting another right away! haha! My little guy is 16 months old and we’re probably going to start trying again soon. 🙂
Other than the physical recovery time (hello c-section – ouch!), this is tons of fun! I’d like to not have two in diapers so we’ll probably start trying in the next year as well … at least, that’s the plan. =) Congrats on your soon-to-be-expanding family too.
“stay off the dairy and soy, try soy formula at one feeding per day”
I’m really confused at this combination of information – what on earth could be the rationale of you staying off soy while feeding it directly to your babe? And what is the reason for adding formula to breastfeeding at all, when he’s gaining lots of weight? To me that just adds a lot more Stuff for you to do, and a lot more complications to the mix.
One of the things I found really hard as the mum of a newborn with reflux was the impetus to do all sorts of things and to throw all sorts of laundry lists of interventions at the problem, when what we mostly needed to do (and your mileage may vary, as always) was provide skin to skin nurturing to help him organise, lots of uprightness instead of lying on his back (so lots of carrier time), cue feeding, and waiting for his system to mature. We had to add medication to that too, but it wasn’t the primary or only thing. Sometimes, I don’t know, it can be worth taking a step back from all the lists and orders and looking at nurturing and supporting yourselves as a family, and making sure you’re getting some quiet space to enjoy each other. (as well as interrogating the logic of the suggested interventions.)
Sorry, one more thing – you’ve mentioned doctors and paediatricians and chiropractors, but are you working with an IBCLC at all? They’re the actual experts in infant feeding 🙂 (and I say this as a doctor myself.) You can find a list here.
Yes, we’ve been to a lactation consultant 3 times so far and love her! She is fantastic and was so helpful to us, especially when my milk took forever and a day to come in at first. =) Thanks for the suggestion.
Totally understand the confusion – the Dr was hoping the soy formula would take a bit longer to break down so lil man would sleep for longer than 2 hours at the first evening stretch. She chose soy instead of milk because she thought it would have less chance of bad reactions for him than a milk based formula (just to be on the safe side). Lil Man has been (prior to the reflux meds) sleeping around 9 to 11 hours in a 24 hour period and was just exhausted and soooooo tired so she was hoping to get him some relief. It turns out that after 5 days of trying that, it didn’t work at all (still had short sleeping time) so I just went back to breastmilk at that feeding time.
I went off soy because some random woman at the health food store told me that milk and soy proteins are closely related and that it helped her son so that’s why I’ off soy but the Doc recommended getting off of dairy. You have a child – you know how it is – you’ll try anything to make the little one feel okay.
We’ve been doing lots of upright time (30 minutes after each feeding which really makes those feedings long) and skin to skin (diaper time with no onesies, bathtime with Mom, showertime with Dad) and threw out the idea of a schedule for cue feeding a while back. My biggest struggle with him right now is getting him to take a full feed for the 4 a.m. (ish) feeding. He’s so tired (and I am too!) that he falls asleep after a half feed and it’s that deep, deep sleep and so he’s up again 90 minutes later wanting more food. But if that’s my biggest issue after the reflux meds have taken effect? I’m a lucky mom! I’m just hoping we’re on top of everything now but I agree, throwing the laundry list at things isn’t helping me right now because I really miss cheese! And milk! But I don’t dare try it, just in case … =)
A-M, I was exactly the same kind of baby and it took years to determine that I was allergic to ragweed, so chamomile tea was instigating my problems (they are from the same botanical family). I was also tested for soy and found to be sensitive. I have to severely limit my soy intake. Baby J might just have a sensitive tummy. I’m sorry to hear about your trials, but it seems like everything you’re doing is on the right track, it’s just going to take some time for his digestive tract to get acclimated to the world. You might want to investigate 4Life Brand Transfer Factor. I can send you info on it if you’re interested or you can google it!
He is seriously the cutest little baby ever. I’ll bring him to the Conference next year so you can meet him but he’ll be a full toddler by that time! =)
Oh dear … re: Chamomile since I’m drinking a ton of it! I’ll google 4Life Brand Transfer Factor right now. Thanks for the suggestion.
BTW, I love your #FitCEOs tweets and cannot WAIT to join you. I went running last week, before the Doc approved me to, and apparently, that exacerbated an adhesion or two so I’m back to walking only (boo hiss). But I’ve pre-paid for Pilates AND Yoga sessions so I won’t let myself slack off when I do get that Doctor’s approval. =)
I’m looking forward to meeting the little guy! It’s hard taking time out from your workout schedule, but don’t rush it. Go easy on yourself until the doc clears you so you don’t overdo it and end up with a longer recovery time! I’ve done that on too many injuries and I always regret it!
What a sweet little man! Do you have a Piggies & Paws artist in your area? You so need to get some prints done of him! It is so sweet seeing the hand and foot prints and how they grow through the years!
I had never heard of Piggies & Paws; what a GREAT idea. There is one 4 hours away from us but no closer (pout). Hm … and I want one of those for sure! Maybe I can figure out how to do my own prints of him – ooooh, wouldn’t it be fun to do 1 for every month of his life for his feet?! Totally! I’m going to go out and buy some paint just for that (or would that be ink?) and some archival paper ….
He is certainly a cutie! The nights do become very long, I am thankful to finally be sleeping, 3 kids later, none of them slept through the night til the age of 2!!.. a nightmare to say the least.. and a tired mom! Our middle guy had terrible reflux, every feeding, it all would come back up.. you just knew to expect having a towel ready to catch what was coming, as awful as it was for him there seemed to be nothing to do for it.. we tried it all.. he was on an anti-reflux pill once a day, which helped very slightly.. soy milk.. but this went on til he was about a year & a half old.. and not much you can do when they run away from ya with a bottle in hand.. especially in public.. like – the airport! probably the worst spot it ever happened! so my only advice.. carry lots of towels & extra clothes!
🙂
Glad to hear all is well and that you are following the LeLeche league book. When my children were young over 31 years ago, I followed an even joined the meetings. A lot of time things can be controlled. Especially by what we eat when we were nursing.
What you put into you effects baby.
Contact your local group to for more information.
Good luck and best wishes!
He is so cute!!
Jamisen is adorable – and, you are right, “time flies” and babies do grow up very fast! My “baby girl” is now 30 years old so I can’t help you with home remedies for “the baby reflux” (though, until this very day, I still remember the colic days.) All I can do is send positive thoughts and prayers your way along with the very best wishes.
Some sleep them just about upright over here in one of those carry things that prop just about upright to feed them in. Like these removeable car seat pods/carry things here. http://www.sleepywrap.com/2008/11/strollers-baby-carriers-and-infant-stress/ (look at the car seat carrier) SIL had to do that with both of her kids. It was inherited from my brother both of us were reflux and had to be put on solids very early we drove Mum nearly mad. AM start taking gut flora stuff yourself like lacto bacillus etc. look here for help and guidance http://www.drdahlman.com he’s in the US and knows what he’s talking about. Cheers and best luck Sharon