Yeah, its been a really difficult journey with regards to feeding since day 1. Basically, my breast milk never increased beyond 1-2 ounces right till today. I did everything-pump till the cows came home, herbal tea, fenugreek, raw papaya, oats, 3 different ladies to massage the mammary glands. Still, bubba was hungry all the time, so I had to supplement. It shattered me for a bit but after that, I had to get on with the 'taking of the baby' bit instead of wallowing. I was fine until his reflux started acting up.
At 3 weeks, he was posseting all the time, an occassional projectile vomit here and there but then, it just didn't stop. Burping took forever and he basically threw up all the time. The doctors said gastroesophageal reflux, basically a condition where baby cannot contain his feeds due to immature digestive tract. We had to give him thickened feeds, which at 5.5 months, still on.
This kept his reflux at bay. The condition was there still and basically, it was just to wait till he grew out of it. Then, came the eczema, a common side effect. His skin started erupting in red rashes everywhere and was weepy. As a result, he has been on steriod creams on and off for months. Steriod creams on a very young baby for a long time is not a good idea (i am too lazy to link the literature). His skin is still very blotchy with white patches in parts.
It then seemed that he could be having a milk allergy as well so we did an allergy test which came back negative. Still, he had all the classic symptoms of milk allergy. Very confusing to already frazzled parents.I have since tried every brand of soya in the market (thickened) but he rejects it by throwing up for some reason. It breaks my heart to see him throwing up so much that sometimes, he just slumps out of exhaustion.
There was some thought to start solids early to address the problems but doctors said that this is not really going to make a difference. So, I counted the days and waited till 5 and a half months and started. I pray that this will resolve all the feeding issues we've been having so far.
Fingers crossed.
About Me
- Jane Sunshine
- Who am I? I feel like a character in a Virginia Woolf novel sometimes, doomed to hover around the fringes of words. I try to write nonetheless, like a foolish lover. I go on finding meaning in words, thread them together and watch them being interpreted. I am a romancer of words. This blog? Of Psychedelic Shenanigans. Spiritual Questing. Distilled Confusions. Magic and Mystery. And big slices of Sunshine.
