Breastfeeding help please!

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Smilelee

Guest
Any mommies out there that can tell me about their breastfeeding success or failure with a baby with CF? My son is three weeks old and is pancreatic insufficient so I am giving him1 capsule of ZenPep before each feeding, but I am finding now that he is wanting to eat every 1-2 hours instead of every 3 hours. It seems like I am just not able to keep up with his need? I know he will have a higher caloric need, and I am starting to feel discouraged. I really want this breastfeeding to work, but I want to be sure he is satisfied as well. Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance!!
 
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Smilelee

Guest
Any mommies out there that can tell me about their breastfeeding success or failure with a baby with CF? My son is three weeks old and is pancreatic insufficient so I am giving him1 capsule of ZenPep before each feeding, but I am finding now that he is wanting to eat every 1-2 hours instead of every 3 hours. It seems like I am just not able to keep up with his need? I know he will have a higher caloric need, and I am starting to feel discouraged. I really want this breastfeeding to work, but I want to be sure he is satisfied as well. Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance!!
 
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Mommafirst

Guest
I breastfed three babies and only one had CF. I can assure you that ALL newborns breastfeed more frequently than every three hours....especially in the beginning and at times when they are in growth spurts. So don't get discouraged, good breastfeeding requires adopting an "on demand" schedule in the first few months. I know its exhausting and overwhelming, but you are doing it right!!! And you are sustaining your child with natures very best supplement out there. Breastfeeding is hard and its easy to get discouraged, but it sounds liek you are doing GREAT!!!! Keep it up!!
 
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Mommafirst

Guest
I breastfed three babies and only one had CF. I can assure you that ALL newborns breastfeed more frequently than every three hours....especially in the beginning and at times when they are in growth spurts. So don't get discouraged, good breastfeeding requires adopting an "on demand" schedule in the first few months. I know its exhausting and overwhelming, but you are doing it right!!! And you are sustaining your child with natures very best supplement out there. Breastfeeding is hard and its easy to get discouraged, but it sounds liek you are doing GREAT!!!! Keep it up!!
 
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mummy09

New member
At 3 weeks he is probably going through a growth spurt. In a couple of days your supply should catch up with his demand. If I remember correctly yoyr son has the df508 & n1303k?
 
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mummy09

New member
At 3 weeks he is probably going through a growth spurt. In a couple of days your supply should catch up with his demand. If I remember correctly yoyr son has the df508 & n1303k?
 
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Keepercjr

Guest
I don't have experience bfing a baby with CF (I am the one w/ CF and my mom did bf me though). BUT I want to say that your newborn's nursing patterns are NORMAL. Just nurse as often as possible and he should get enough. Nursing more is a way to bring up supply but it is also the only way they know to "cope" (with any feeling they have) - so they nurse for comfort and bonding. My son nursed every hour or 2 when he was a baby. My daughter spaced hers out a bit more but I believe it is because my breasts got much larger after her delivery than they did with my son - as in I had more milk production and storage equipment. If you have smaller breasts (even if you don't) you could have a small "storage" so they just have to nurse more to get as much as a baby who nurses from someone who has more storage.

Please don't give up! Go see a lactation counselor or call the La Leche League. A lactation counselor can weigh your son before and after a feeding to give you a precise amount that he took in to ease your mind. Don't gauge your production from a pump as babies are much more efficient at getting the milk out than a machine. Nursing more often would seem to actually be a really a good thing for a CF baby since they will get mostly the fatty hind milk instead of foremilk. A great online resource for me in the early weeks was Kellymom.com.
 
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Keepercjr

Guest
I don't have experience bfing a baby with CF (I am the one w/ CF and my mom did bf me though). BUT I want to say that your newborn's nursing patterns are NORMAL. Just nurse as often as possible and he should get enough. Nursing more is a way to bring up supply but it is also the only way they know to "cope" (with any feeling they have) - so they nurse for comfort and bonding. My son nursed every hour or 2 when he was a baby. My daughter spaced hers out a bit more but I believe it is because my breasts got much larger after her delivery than they did with my son - as in I had more milk production and storage equipment. If you have smaller breasts (even if you don't) you could have a small "storage" so they just have to nurse more to get as much as a baby who nurses from someone who has more storage.

Please don't give up! Go see a lactation counselor or call the La Leche League. A lactation counselor can weigh your son before and after a feeding to give you a precise amount that he took in to ease your mind. Don't gauge your production from a pump as babies are much more efficient at getting the milk out than a machine. Nursing more often would seem to actually be a really a good thing for a CF baby since they will get mostly the fatty hind milk instead of foremilk. A great online resource for me in the early weeks was Kellymom.com.
 
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Smilelee

Guest
Thank you all for your replies! I was wondering about a growth spurt, I think I was just worried it was more related to not having enough of a supply. It is so hard not to worry about every little thing, lol. I was going to try and work on pumping in between feedings to start storing some, but that has been impossible.

Mummy09, you have a good memory <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> , his mutations are DF508 and N1303K.
 
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Smilelee

Guest
Thank you all for your replies! I was wondering about a growth spurt, I think I was just worried it was more related to not having enough of a supply. It is so hard not to worry about every little thing, lol. I was going to try and work on pumping in between feedings to start storing some, but that has been impossible.

Mummy09, you have a good memory <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> , his mutations are DF508 and N1303K.
 
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ehtansky21

New member
If he is nursing every hour or so, you may want to do 1/2 of the zenpep capsule. Did they give you a maximum amount per day that he could have. Too many enzymes could cause tummy issues.
If you are concerned about your production, there are some pretty yummy teas at the natural food stores that work quite well!!! You could also pump a bit after he is done feeding, to try to produce more.
Every mom is different when it comes to breastfeeding. I was a scheduler and it worked great for me. I would notice how often my children would feed and if it was every 3 hours, we would stick to every 3 hours. But I could tell when they were going through growth spurts or could go a little longer. Whatever you feel comfortable with, go for it!!
Don't give up. You are boosting your precious child's immune system!!!

blessings,
missa
 
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ehtansky21

New member
If he is nursing every hour or so, you may want to do 1/2 of the zenpep capsule. Did they give you a maximum amount per day that he could have. Too many enzymes could cause tummy issues.
If you are concerned about your production, there are some pretty yummy teas at the natural food stores that work quite well!!! You could also pump a bit after he is done feeding, to try to produce more.
Every mom is different when it comes to breastfeeding. I was a scheduler and it worked great for me. I would notice how often my children would feed and if it was every 3 hours, we would stick to every 3 hours. But I could tell when they were going through growth spurts or could go a little longer. Whatever you feel comfortable with, go for it!!
Don't give up. You are boosting your precious child's immune system!!!

blessings,
missa
 
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Smilelee

Guest
Hmmm, they didn't give me a maximum amount per day, they just said to be sure to give him enzymes before each feeding. I wonder if that is part of the problem though, he gets about halfway thru feeding sometimes and gets pretty cranky. I will have to call them tomorrow and ask them about a max amount, you really have me curious now.
I was looking at some of the teas online, that might be something I think about doing. He fed often to start with and then we had a good week of going every three hours, pretty much like clock work. But the past few days have been really bad, no schedule at all! I am sort of thinking now that it probably is a growth spurt.
Thank you for your response!
 
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Smilelee

Guest
Hmmm, they didn't give me a maximum amount per day, they just said to be sure to give him enzymes before each feeding. I wonder if that is part of the problem though, he gets about halfway thru feeding sometimes and gets pretty cranky. I will have to call them tomorrow and ask them about a max amount, you really have me curious now.
I was looking at some of the teas online, that might be something I think about doing. He fed often to start with and then we had a good week of going every three hours, pretty much like clock work. But the past few days have been really bad, no schedule at all! I am sort of thinking now that it probably is a growth spurt.
Thank you for your response!
 
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kitomd21

New member
Our third child has been my only successfully BF baby. I had almost no supply with our first and our second (DD w/CF) required more calories than what was in my breast milk. I had to add formula to expressed milk to achieve proper caloric content as she wasn't gaining enough weight without doing so. I did, however, pump exclusively for ONE year. Ugh.

From a non-CF standpoint, the key to successful breastfeeding is to feed on demand - there's no other way around it in the early weeks. Evidence has shown that your supply later down the line is directly related to how you allow your LO to nurse in the early weeks/months. I think this is what I did wrong with our first child. You won't always have to feed on demand...you don't want to be a pacifier when your LO is older! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> They will definitely want to nurse more during growth spurts...but I would strongly advise against scheduled feedings with such a young one. Some people are fortunate to have an adequate supply regardless of scheduled vs on-demand feedings - but that isn't the norm. Speak to a lactation consultant!

For something so seemingly basic as breast feeding, it really doesn't work out that way, does it?? <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0"> Our third child nursed for what seemed like every 1 to 3 hours in the beginning...usually less than two. That won't always be the case - she's now 5.5 mos and eats every 4+ hours. Enjoy the bonding time!
 
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kitomd21

New member
Our third child has been my only successfully BF baby. I had almost no supply with our first and our second (DD w/CF) required more calories than what was in my breast milk. I had to add formula to expressed milk to achieve proper caloric content as she wasn't gaining enough weight without doing so. I did, however, pump exclusively for ONE year. Ugh.

From a non-CF standpoint, the key to successful breastfeeding is to feed on demand - there's no other way around it in the early weeks. Evidence has shown that your supply later down the line is directly related to how you allow your LO to nurse in the early weeks/months. I think this is what I did wrong with our first child. You won't always have to feed on demand...you don't want to be a pacifier when your LO is older! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> They will definitely want to nurse more during growth spurts...but I would strongly advise against scheduled feedings with such a young one. Some people are fortunate to have an adequate supply regardless of scheduled vs on-demand feedings - but that isn't the norm. Speak to a lactation consultant!

For something so seemingly basic as breast feeding, it really doesn't work out that way, does it?? <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0"> Our third child nursed for what seemed like every 1 to 3 hours in the beginning...usually less than two. That won't always be the case - she's now 5.5 mos and eats every 4+ hours. Enjoy the bonding time!
 
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Swallowtail66

Guest
I nursed both my daughters. It was wonderful, but some of the hardest work! The first one threw up about 1/2 of everything she fed (didn't know about the CF) and I felt like I was nursing 2 or 3 babies almost around the clock. She was always hungry. I lost down to 9 pounds under my not so huge pre-pregnancy weight (didn't know about my CF needs either!) The other daughter had colic and loved to nurse, but had horrible gas and tummy issues (didn't know about the CF...a pattern here). Have the doc check about reflux and colic. We gave her a tea made from dill seed and it helped the colic much more than the medicines like simethecone. Hands down, breast feeding was one of the most important things I have ever done. The second child WAS a short gut due to loss of intestines before birth. Now her intestines are nearly normal in length. Breastmilk has intestinal growth hormones. Add to the immunity help and the wonderful bonding, it can't be beat. I wish I could do it again...except I am too old to have a baby anymore! Good luck!
 
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Swallowtail66

Guest
I nursed both my daughters. It was wonderful, but some of the hardest work! The first one threw up about 1/2 of everything she fed (didn't know about the CF) and I felt like I was nursing 2 or 3 babies almost around the clock. She was always hungry. I lost down to 9 pounds under my not so huge pre-pregnancy weight (didn't know about my CF needs either!) The other daughter had colic and loved to nurse, but had horrible gas and tummy issues (didn't know about the CF...a pattern here). Have the doc check about reflux and colic. We gave her a tea made from dill seed and it helped the colic much more than the medicines like simethecone. Hands down, breast feeding was one of the most important things I have ever done. The second child WAS a short gut due to loss of intestines before birth. Now her intestines are nearly normal in length. Breastmilk has intestinal growth hormones. Add to the immunity help and the wonderful bonding, it can't be beat. I wish I could do it again...except I am too old to have a baby anymore! Good luck!
 
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