Breastfeeding?

[Jakesgirl05]

Hello, I have cf, my son is 7 months and I have breastfed him with formula supplement (not very much comes out when I pump). My question is how many cfers have breastfed? how long? also my baby has constipation issues (he tested negative for cf and is not even a carrier) and was wondering if it could be my milk? I also have problems gaining weight, I only gained 8lbs while pregnant and lost 15lbs after the baby. Any advice?

 

[marisalynn]

I breastfed my now 2-year old exclusively for 2 months, and then started supplementing with formula because my supply couldn't keep up with her. I stopped breastfeeding around 5 months, not by choice. My supply just kept dropping until it just wasn't worth it anymore. I am completely pancreatic sufficient, and gained 30 pounds during the pregnancy, which it took me about a month to loose completely. I would have loved to breastfeed much longer, and to have exclusively breastfed for at least the first 6 months, but I just wasn't able to.

I was wondering too what test they did to test your son as a carrier. We did the sweat test on my daughter at 1 month old, even though we knew my husband wasn't a carrier. It was negative. I was always under the impression that any child of someone who has CF is a carrier no matter what, but if that's not the case, I would like to have my daughter tested. Thanks!

Marisa 26w/CF

 

[jrotier]

Hi Jakesgirl05,

I too have struggles with breastfeeding and my weight. My daughter is almost 7 weeks old and I've been supplementing since she was about 2 weeks. I had great milk supply, but I lost 10 lbs the first week so we decided to start supplementing to prevent my further weight loss. I've been drinking 2 ensure plus's a day to try and get the weight back, but since I'm pumping less, my milk supply has also started to decrease.

As for the constipation, are you sure it's that? I only ask because I thought my daughter was constipated because her frequency changed to about every 48 hours, and she seemed to be straining. However, her stools are not hard, therefore not constipation. Check with your ped. Sometimes I've heard just adding a bit of water can help.

I haven't heard of BM causing constipation, I'd think it would be more diarrhea as in an allergy. But this far in, I think you might have seen something sooner.

Hope this help, good luck!

 

[bookperson]

Hi, I have an almost 3 year-old daughter. I breastfed her for two and a half years. I gained fifty pounds during pregnancy, lost sixty after giving birth, and after that my weight was stable the entire time I breastfed. My daughter never had any problems with digesting my milk.

As far as carrier status, marisalynn, I just had a consult with my genetic counselor and she said that my daughter is definitely a carrier since I have CF. She got one copy of the mutated gene from me and one normal copy from my husband.

I don't know how many CF mothers have breastfed, but there is a facebook group for CF mothers and they have gathered a lot of statistics on pregnancy and cf. Maybe they have some data on that.

 

[Jakesgirl05]

I didn't think my milk could cause the constipation, I was more concerned about the formula than my milk. Yes he when he does go it is hard. They did the regular infant test they do on all babies, and there where no abnormalities and the sweat test was negative, when I asked the Dr (not a genetic counselor) he said he was not a carrier in that case, but I don't know.... I did BF him exclusively for 3 months, then I just couldn't keep up with him, so he has gotten 1-2 bottles of formula a day since then, and that's when the hard stools started.... We have been trying to get him to drink water every day! It seems to be a little better now that he is on baby food.

 

[triples15]

Hi there!

I am currently still breastfeeding my (just turned) 2 year old. I also had a problem with weight loss after my daughter was born. I basically just tried to constantly eat, even if I wasn't hungry, and added one or two supplemental shakes a day. This kept me from continuing to lose, however, I didn't start gaining weight back until she started nursing much less frequently.

As far as the shakes went, I used a chocolate protein powder and mixed it with ice cream and vanilla almond milk. They were so yummy that I actually looked forward to them! I miss them now that I've gained enough weight I don't need the extra!

I'm sorry I can't speak to the constipation issue. My little one never had issues, always had loose, regular breastfed baby BMs. She was, however, super gassy and seemed to have tummy problems and wanted to nurse 24/7. The doc thought maybe it was a cow's milk protein intolerance, so we cut out dairy and she did WAY better! Of course cutting dairy out of my diet also contributed to my weight loss problem. Ugh. But i did find substitutes, such as almond milk, rice milk, vegan protein powder etc. It took a lot of work, but I'm glad I've stuck it out.

Good luck to you! Take good care of yourself and baby!

Autumn 33 w/CF