please help me brainstorm

[alison]

I'm not cut out for this mom thing, I don't think...

Thank you for your well wishes. I took dd in, and we switched her over from Zantac to prevacid.

Dd has a syringe feeding in her very near future (when she gets up from yet another nap). I've got some Medela bottles from when she was tiny, and I'll see if she recognizes them as "good bottles."

I let dd play with her bottles today, like Kris suggested, and it was pretty funny. She's at the age where she sticks everything into her mouth. And so, when I gave her an empty bottle, she started bringing it to her mouth! Her eyes got really big, and then she let the thing go like a hot potato!

I'm the only one she'll allow to feed her. She screams at dh, and won't let him hold her. The poor guy has no idea what he's done wrong. I feel terrible for him, and will let him do all the fun stuff until she's back on track.

I guess it just takes time until the aversion to bottles goes away. It's so hard to watch your kid starve. She doesn't even fit in her Bumbo seat anymore, because she's so lean now. She just slides around in there. She's down to 12 pounds 8 oz. That's down 5 oz from Monday when she had her 4-month check up.

[Sheherezade]

Oh Alison. I'm just seeing this now. I'm so sorry this is going on! How frustrating! Is the diagnosis of reflux certain? (I was thinking it might be something with teeth because sucking on anything can hurt like the Dickens for some babies when they are teething.) Is she in pain WHEN she is drinking or do you think she is just scared because she links the feedings to pain afterwards from reflux? Have you tried dosing her with Tylenol or Motrin an hour before a feeding?

Just brainstorming. I remember that my first went through some weirdness with nursing for a few weeks that had me in tears and completely baffled. It eventually just went away. Of course, he was a butterball so it never was a matter of NEEDING to drink or eat.

I'm thinking of you two tonight. I hope she gets some fluids on board soon.

[ladymoreta]

I hope that the Prevacid works better for her. Don't beat yourself up - you are doing a great job!

[MarissaNicole]

I hope that the Prevacid works better for her. Don't beat yourself up - you are doing a great job!

Ditto. Thinking of you.

[PrincessFiona]

Re: please help me brainstorm

I'm so sorry Alison. Hopefully the other med will be better. I think I would still try letting her play with the bottles to see if eventually it makes a difference.

Hugs to you. You ARE cut out for this and you are doing a great job.

Kris


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[GreyhoundsRUs]

Poor little M and mommy! I hope things turn around

And truly, maybe try putting something sweet on the end of the nipple (or frontloading the nipple) to see if you can entice her.

You ARE doing great, but yes, it's hard work. Right after Jacob was born I read something that really stuck with me: Parenthood means that you will forever wear your heart on the outside.

[peggyfromwastate]

A little sugar water never hurt anybody...



Hang in there Alison. You are doing great! This whole situation sounds very very disconcerting--- you are handling it all like a pro.

Keep us posted!

[HouseofWool]

Does M take a pacifier? What about one of the pacis used to dose medicine. Load it with a little apple juice or sugar water so she can experience intake as a positive thing?

[peggyfromwastate]

alison-- i'm so worried! could you post when you get a chance?



hang in there!!!

[HouseofWool]

alison-- i'm so worried! could you post when you get a chance?



hang in there!!!

ditto!!

[Sheherezade]

Me too. Is everything OK? I'm hoping your little sweet pea is on the mend and feeling active again. Being fussy and opinionated is normal for a baby....but lethargic is scary.


Please post when you can.

[Pollyanna]

ditto!

[alison]

Thank you!

This is one stubborn girl.

As a last-ditch effort before I syringe-fed dd, I offered her a nursette (2oz) formula bottle. I had one left over from when we brought her home from the hospital. She drank the whole thing, and so I re-filled it, and nope, wouldn't take it. With some other tinkering after noticing that she wouldn't drink the refill (hehe, free refills!), I realized that it's not just a bottle issue; it's a flavor-of-formula problem, too.

So, I've been having her drink soy formula again for now. It smells much different than the lactose-free formula she had been drinking up until now. She seems to think it's acceptable for a few sips. And then she gets a good look at the receptacle (the bottle), and turns away.

I just bought some soy nursettes, and will play the role of the lady who gives free refills for as long as is necessary.

Dd appears to be doing the same on prevacid as far as eating is concerned.
I always figured she just didn't like lying on her back, because she couldn't see stuff. She never really had a problem sleeping on her back when she went to bed for the night, but during the day, she would complain. Now, with the Zantac/prevacid, she seems to actually like it when you leave her there for a few minutes while she looks at the world from the floor. Who would have thunk it.

That's the positive part, because you can see that some of the symptoms of reflux have gone away (the coughing has, too). Apparently, it takes 1-2 weeks before the behaviors attached to bottle avoidance start to go away. I guess that helps me see the light at the end of the tunnel, but is she really supposed to lose weight? I'm alright if she maintains it (and doesn't gain any), but losing weight at this age can't be good.

We're going in again tomorrow to get her looked at and weighed.

A child psychiatrist lives next door to us now, and I'm seriously considering knocking on his door to ask what to do about bottle avoidance. Maybe he can sit her down... (No wait, I'm actually a little serious about that. Would you do the same???)

The lethargy and crabbiness (when alert) are still there, but comes with the territory. She poops and pees, which is what the pediatrician pointed out, so we know she's absorbing something.

Sorry to ramble. Thanks for your concern. As always, it means a lot to me. *crawling back to my cave where I get to be a basket case"

[Pollyanna]

Thanks for the update Alison. You are an AWESOME mommy!!!! Your little sweetie is blessed to have you.