Elliott has had a high fever since Wednesday night. I knew he had his nine month appointment scheduled for the upcoming Friday though, so all I did was keep him on ibuprofen for his fever until we could get there. This morning he woke up at 2:30 and had a fever of 102.9 which was the highest it had been!
Adam and I brought him to the doctor's for his appointment at 1:30 and I let them know about his fever. The doctor knew it was an ear infection the moment she looked into his right ear. His left ear looked dirty, but not infected. So, no big deal, we have to give him antibiotics for seven days.
They also weighed and measured him and everything else. He only weighs 16lbs 11.5oz which is pretty much off the charts. (1%) I remember going through almost the same exact thing with Miranda but she was a little older, around 15 months or so. She also had her first ear infection at 10 months old, so not far off from what Elliott is going through.
The problem is, that this time around, I'm breastfeeding. Miranda was formula fed and so I always knew she was getting enough. Elliott, however, is breastfed and I've been doubting my milk supply for some time now. I've been trying my best to boost it up with Fenugreek pills (4 of them 3x a day!) and with oatmeal (2 instant packets 2x a day!) and with Mother's Milk tea, etc ... Anything I could think of to try and get my supply back up to where it was. So far I've been having minimal luck. The doctor is worried that I am not making enough breastmilk to support healthy growth for Elliott. This is a scary thought for me.
We have to go back in 6 weeks for a weight check to see if he's still gaining or not. I have to continue my routine of Fenugreek, oatmeal and tea, as well as having to 'dry pump' (because I don't let down for a pump anymore) for 30 minutes on each side as many times a day as I can. I need to cut out all bottles from his routine, except for his night time one. The doctor was okay with me continuing that. She also wants me to give him food four times a day and try to add butter to it. She really wants me to try and fatten him up a bit more because she's highly concerned about him falling off the growth charts. I'm worried that adding more food to his diet will only decrease his need to nurse, but I don't know.
As if all of this wasn't bad enough, he has eczema on top of it all. I can't bathe him more than twice a week, I must keep a humidifier running at all times and slather him with A&D cream as much as possible.
My poor little boy. By her telling me all this, she basically makes me feel like I'm starving him, even though I know I'm not. I would appreciate any and all positive thoughts you could spare for me and my little guy right now and any advice you can give me about upping my milk supply would be great too. At least, I'm happy that she didn't just tell me to give up and wean. That's something to be thankful for at least.
For what it's worth, when we added more food to my son's diet, it didn't really affect his need to nurse. I'd suggest nursing FIRST and then giving him food (and maybe even trying to nurse again after he eats food--I've heard some people have some luck increasing their supply that way).
ReplyDeleteThe other thing...and maybe this is TMI...but I had a pretty significant drop in supply when I started ovulating again (right around 9 months for me). Not that there's anything you can really do about that, but just as a "maybe this is part of what you're dealing with." For me, it resolved itself when I started my period again, but it took a few weeks.
Good luck--there's little that's as nerve wracking as not knowing if you're producing enough for your kiddo!
Thank you so much Ginger! That is very sound advice. I agree that it could be the return of ovulation for me. I'm going to continue nursing him before any meal or bottle so hopefully, my milk will stick around until at least a year. I appreciate you stopping by and for all the advice and support!
DeleteI've nursed 4 babies. The 1st two I weaned early so I could go back on medication. The 3rd baby made it to 9 months and then we went on vacation which pretty much killed my milk supply and her desire to nurse. The 4th baby I made it to 13 months before he weaned.
ReplyDeleteThe best way to increase your milk supply is to nurse. A LOT. That's what triggers you're body to produce more milk. Nurse before feeding him solids, then nurse after feeding solids. Nurse a morning snack and an afternoon snack.
Also, check to see if there are any lactation consultants in your area. They could give you more tips and help.
Also, check to see if your health insurance will cover a lactation consultant. I learned to late that my insurance would have covered a few sessions.
Stephanie
stephaniesmommybrain.blogspot.com
Thank you Stephanie! I have been working so hard to raise my supply. It is still a work in progress for now. I appreciate you stopping by and for the wonderful advice.
DeleteIt's so tough when you're worried about what they're getting and not getting. Maybe see if there's a local chapter of LLL to help you out or a LC to come and give you some pointers. And as the previous posters said, nurse and pump as often as you can.
ReplyDeleteStopping by from SITS
Hi there! Thank you for the advice. I have contacted the LLL and they have been a humungous help throughout my nursing journey. Love seeing you here!
DeleteI can relate so much to what you are facing right now. I am a mom to 5 children. I breastfed each of them. They were each weaned at different ages, 17 months being the shortest and right around age 2 being the longest.
ReplyDeleteMy firstborn weighed 16 pounds at her 12 month check-up. The doctors wanted us to see an endocrinologist. (By the way, she also had eczema.) As it turned out, her endocrine system was fine, but we eventually learned that she had Celiac Disease (gluten intolerance). The doctors weren't able to figure this out until she was almost 3 years old. After removing gluten (wheat, oats, barley and rye...and all foods containing ingredients with gluten) from her diet, she gained weight at an amazing rate. Her eczema continued to be a problem until we removed all grains from her diet, especially corn. Dairy intolerance is also common in children with Celiac.
I recently ran across an account of a child with Celiac that sounded so familiar to our situation. Here is a link:
http://smallnotebook.org/2008/11/21/short-guide-to-gluten-free/
If you scroll down to the comments section, Rachel's comment is very helpful, she explains some symptoms to look for. I don't know if this is what might be the situation for your son, but just felt I had to mention it, just in case. I wish we'd had an answer sooner for our daughter; she suffered for a long time before she was finally diagnosed.
I've also learned that in order for my body to produce enough milk for my nursing babes; I had to take a nap every afternoon. I'd turn off my phone and resolve not to even answer the doorbell if it rang. We moms work hard and don't often find a chance to get off our tired feet. You might try this; don't feel guilty. Your body is working hard to produce milk for your sweet little guy and it needs all the help (rest) it can get.
I am praying for you.
Thank you Rebecca! That is very interesting information. I will have to look more into this and ask his doctor about it. I appreciate you stopping by and giving wonderful advice!!
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