Really? already 1 month old? Yep! He gained a little weight over the past few days and are now ALMOST 8 lbs! crazy to think my girls were NEVER 8 lbs - always bigger. Macsen is growing - if more slowly. The doctors told us they grow slowly at first but after they have recovered more fully from the operation and their new circulation their growth usually accelerates.
We've also been struggling with GERD or reflux or really bad gas pains. It's so hard to know what is normal baby stuff and what is heart baby stuff. I know lots of kids have reflux - the girls didn't - but I think Macsen, like so many heart babies - does. He's on Zantac - has been since his surgery - sort of a blanket "All heart babies need this" but lately, the past 2 weeks or so he has really had bouts of screaming, arching his back and spitting up. No vomiting per se- just lots of vomity burps. Going with the reflux theory we've been only lying him down on an incline - never flat and we never feed him lying down. Had to say good-bye to my favorite lying down nursing position. Speaking of nursing I've cut that out too in accordance with theory # 2 - that I have a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance (http://www.llli.org/faq/foremilk.html.) My body went into milk production overdrive after he was born and I made way too much milk. I have been mostly dumping the thin first milk- foremilk- and giving him only the fatty hindmilk as per the nutritionist @ CHOP's suggestion. I recently read that foremilk is high in protein and vitamins so added some back in with my pumped hindmilk only to have Macsen really suffer. Painful gas and green poops. More research revealed foremilk is also a lot higher in lactase that - if out of balance- can overload the baby's colon causing the previously mentioned symptoms - in addition to more spit ups and colicky symptoms. Hmmmm. sometimes I wasn't super diligent about only giving him hind milk - especially those 3 in the morning pumping sessions. And when he nurses he's only getting foremilk unless I pump first then nurse because he tires after 5 minutes - not enough time to get to the good stuff on his own.
We see his pediatrician for the first time tomorrow - I'll talk to her about it. I hate to just throw more meds at the problem if in fact there's something going on with my milk.
He's happily passed out at the moment - propped up in my left arm. Sweet baby - happy 1 month birthday!
Hi Alex. We've never met; I am Aaron's cousin Caitlin. I have been reading your blog and wanted to chime in on the foremilk/hind milk problem. I had the same oversupply imbalance issues with my son, and a lot of the same symptoms. For me, the pumping the foremilk off made it worse, because it kept my supply high. I talked with a lactation consultant and La Leche League leader, and they both suggested nursing off of only one side for 12-24 hours, with hand expression only to take the edge off. The theory is that you will encourage baby to get the hind milk because he will have the opportunity to empty one breast fully over that time, and your supply will start to decrease too, helping to correct things. I don't know if you've tried this, but I thought I'd throw it out there since it helped me!
ReplyDeleteI had the imbalance and forceful let-down, too - Isabella would choke (I sprayed milk on her once!) and her poops were green for a few weeks. I went to the "block feeding" - feeding off one side only for four hours, then moving to the other side. The green poops didn't go away because of that, i don't think - they went away later when Isabella was more efficient and at that point, she probably wasn't getting enough (I went on the mini pill and my supply got lower - I'm off the pill now).
ReplyDeleteI visited a lactation consultant yesterday because Isabella seems to be no gaining like she used to and I feel like my supply is less. The LC gave me some advice on gas and helping her poop - basically massages you can do when you change their diapers with olive oil or jojoba oil or what have you. The first one is "I Love You." Starting parallel to his belly button and over above his thigh on his left (your right) side, move your thumb or finger down til it touches his leg. that is "I." Then start to the left (your left) of his belly button above his thigh and move your thumb/finger across his belly and back down to his other thigh. That's "L"ove. Finally, start above his right thigh (on your left)and move up to his belly button, across, and back down. That is "you" (because the pattern looks like a "U" Always move in a clockwise direction. (Your left to your right) I haven't tried it on Isabella with oils yet, but have done it over her clothes. Hopefully, it'll help!