Breastfeeding

Rebjane

Super Moderator
Shannon,

it's great you breastfed your first child as well. I breastfeed my son til he was 15 months old and I was an experienced mom and nursing mom bf a CF child truly helps. How are you getting the enzymes into your baby? I found when i opened up the enzymes and gave them to Maggie I'ld find those little beads everywhere, in the couch, my bed, in her ears! Our nutritionist recommended putting Maggie on an "acid blocker" to help her absorb her enzymes better . When you open up those capsules(which of course you have to for a baby) the enzymes break down quicker and may not be as effective. having my daughter on Zantac(an acid blocker) has helped her gain weight by keeping her stomach acid from breaking down those enzymes before they get to the small intestine(just something to think about) Also, our clinic never put a limit # of enzymes I could give Maggie in a day. I know it's weight based for enzyme dosage but if she was hungry, she got her enzymes and she nursed, I never counted how may doses in a day she got(not sure if this is ok but it's what I did and our clinic knew. I also used fenugreek when I felt my milk supply drop(in times of stress). It truly did work for me. Another thing; the enzymes for Maggie would last about 45 min, so sometimes I'ld repeat a dose if she nurse a long time or if she nursed often like during a growth spurt. Maggie ususally was inthe 25-40% for weight. CF'ers just need more calories than non-CF'ers. My son who seemed to nurse less than my daughter as a baby was in the 100% for weight. He just absorbed everything cause he doesn't have CF.
 

Rebjane

Super Moderator
Shannon,

it's great you breastfed your first child as well. I breastfeed my son til he was 15 months old and I was an experienced mom and nursing mom bf a CF child truly helps. How are you getting the enzymes into your baby? I found when i opened up the enzymes and gave them to Maggie I'ld find those little beads everywhere, in the couch, my bed, in her ears! Our nutritionist recommended putting Maggie on an "acid blocker" to help her absorb her enzymes better . When you open up those capsules(which of course you have to for a baby) the enzymes break down quicker and may not be as effective. having my daughter on Zantac(an acid blocker) has helped her gain weight by keeping her stomach acid from breaking down those enzymes before they get to the small intestine(just something to think about) Also, our clinic never put a limit # of enzymes I could give Maggie in a day. I know it's weight based for enzyme dosage but if she was hungry, she got her enzymes and she nursed, I never counted how may doses in a day she got(not sure if this is ok but it's what I did and our clinic knew. I also used fenugreek when I felt my milk supply drop(in times of stress). It truly did work for me. Another thing; the enzymes for Maggie would last about 45 min, so sometimes I'ld repeat a dose if she nurse a long time or if she nursed often like during a growth spurt. Maggie ususally was inthe 25-40% for weight. CF'ers just need more calories than non-CF'ers. My son who seemed to nurse less than my daughter as a baby was in the 100% for weight. He just absorbed everything cause he doesn't have CF.
 

Rebjane

Super Moderator
Shannon,

it's great you breastfed your first child as well. I breastfeed my son til he was 15 months old and I was an experienced mom and nursing mom bf a CF child truly helps. How are you getting the enzymes into your baby? I found when i opened up the enzymes and gave them to Maggie I'ld find those little beads everywhere, in the couch, my bed, in her ears! Our nutritionist recommended putting Maggie on an "acid blocker" to help her absorb her enzymes better . When you open up those capsules(which of course you have to for a baby) the enzymes break down quicker and may not be as effective. having my daughter on Zantac(an acid blocker) has helped her gain weight by keeping her stomach acid from breaking down those enzymes before they get to the small intestine(just something to think about) Also, our clinic never put a limit # of enzymes I could give Maggie in a day. I know it's weight based for enzyme dosage but if she was hungry, she got her enzymes and she nursed, I never counted how may doses in a day she got(not sure if this is ok but it's what I did and our clinic knew. I also used fenugreek when I felt my milk supply drop(in times of stress). It truly did work for me. Another thing; the enzymes for Maggie would last about 45 min, so sometimes I'ld repeat a dose if she nurse a long time or if she nursed often like during a growth spurt. Maggie ususally was inthe 25-40% for weight. CF'ers just need more calories than non-CF'ers. My son who seemed to nurse less than my daughter as a baby was in the 100% for weight. He just absorbed everything cause he doesn't have CF.
 

Rebjane

Super Moderator
Shannon,

it's great you breastfed your first child as well. I breastfeed my son til he was 15 months old and I was an experienced mom and nursing mom bf a CF child truly helps. How are you getting the enzymes into your baby? I found when i opened up the enzymes and gave them to Maggie I'ld find those little beads everywhere, in the couch, my bed, in her ears! Our nutritionist recommended putting Maggie on an "acid blocker" to help her absorb her enzymes better . When you open up those capsules(which of course you have to for a baby) the enzymes break down quicker and may not be as effective. having my daughter on Zantac(an acid blocker) has helped her gain weight by keeping her stomach acid from breaking down those enzymes before they get to the small intestine(just something to think about) Also, our clinic never put a limit # of enzymes I could give Maggie in a day. I know it's weight based for enzyme dosage but if she was hungry, she got her enzymes and she nursed, I never counted how may doses in a day she got(not sure if this is ok but it's what I did and our clinic knew. I also used fenugreek when I felt my milk supply drop(in times of stress). It truly did work for me. Another thing; the enzymes for Maggie would last about 45 min, so sometimes I'ld repeat a dose if she nurse a long time or if she nursed often like during a growth spurt. Maggie ususally was inthe 25-40% for weight. CF'ers just need more calories than non-CF'ers. My son who seemed to nurse less than my daughter as a baby was in the 100% for weight. He just absorbed everything cause he doesn't have CF.
 

Rebjane

Super Moderator
Shannon,

it's great you breastfed your first child as well. I breastfeed my son til he was 15 months old and I was an experienced mom and nursing mom bf a CF child truly helps. How are you getting the enzymes into your baby? I found when i opened up the enzymes and gave them to Maggie I'ld find those little beads everywhere, in the couch, my bed, in her ears! Our nutritionist recommended putting Maggie on an "acid blocker" to help her absorb her enzymes better . When you open up those capsules(which of course you have to for a baby) the enzymes break down quicker and may not be as effective. having my daughter on Zantac(an acid blocker) has helped her gain weight by keeping her stomach acid from breaking down those enzymes before they get to the small intestine(just something to think about) Also, our clinic never put a limit # of enzymes I could give Maggie in a day. I know it's weight based for enzyme dosage but if she was hungry, she got her enzymes and she nursed, I never counted how may doses in a day she got(not sure if this is ok but it's what I did and our clinic knew. I also used fenugreek when I felt my milk supply drop(in times of stress). It truly did work for me. Another thing; the enzymes for Maggie would last about 45 min, so sometimes I'ld repeat a dose if she nurse a long time or if she nursed often like during a growth spurt. Maggie ususally was inthe 25-40% for weight. CF'ers just need more calories than non-CF'ers. My son who seemed to nurse less than my daughter as a baby was in the 100% for weight. He just absorbed everything cause he doesn't have CF.
 

sdavis227

New member
Hi all.

Well we went and got an allergy test done and the milk didn't react, but egg did! Now I'm very confused. The doc then sent us to get blood drawn to see how many antibodies he had against the egg and milk. Hopefully this will help? I'm so confused with all the allergy stuff - only thing I've ever dealt with is seasonal allergies. But I'm so glad that I went and got him checked out - I would have had no idea that eggs could hurt him!
I've been drinking water almost non-stop and also taking fish oil and fenugreek (which I can already smell the syrup <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">) I think I'm going to call the CF center and cancel my appointment for Parker this week. It's just too much going in all the time.
Hopefully when we go in next week for a check up he will have gained something. Either way I am planning on sticking to breastfeeding. Thank you everyone for your advice and words of encouragement!
 

sdavis227

New member
Hi all.

Well we went and got an allergy test done and the milk didn't react, but egg did! Now I'm very confused. The doc then sent us to get blood drawn to see how many antibodies he had against the egg and milk. Hopefully this will help? I'm so confused with all the allergy stuff - only thing I've ever dealt with is seasonal allergies. But I'm so glad that I went and got him checked out - I would have had no idea that eggs could hurt him!
I've been drinking water almost non-stop and also taking fish oil and fenugreek (which I can already smell the syrup <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">) I think I'm going to call the CF center and cancel my appointment for Parker this week. It's just too much going in all the time.
Hopefully when we go in next week for a check up he will have gained something. Either way I am planning on sticking to breastfeeding. Thank you everyone for your advice and words of encouragement!
 

sdavis227

New member
Hi all.

Well we went and got an allergy test done and the milk didn't react, but egg did! Now I'm very confused. The doc then sent us to get blood drawn to see how many antibodies he had against the egg and milk. Hopefully this will help? I'm so confused with all the allergy stuff - only thing I've ever dealt with is seasonal allergies. But I'm so glad that I went and got him checked out - I would have had no idea that eggs could hurt him!
I've been drinking water almost non-stop and also taking fish oil and fenugreek (which I can already smell the syrup <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">) I think I'm going to call the CF center and cancel my appointment for Parker this week. It's just too much going in all the time.
Hopefully when we go in next week for a check up he will have gained something. Either way I am planning on sticking to breastfeeding. Thank you everyone for your advice and words of encouragement!
 

sdavis227

New member
Hi all.

Well we went and got an allergy test done and the milk didn't react, but egg did! Now I'm very confused. The doc then sent us to get blood drawn to see how many antibodies he had against the egg and milk. Hopefully this will help? I'm so confused with all the allergy stuff - only thing I've ever dealt with is seasonal allergies. But I'm so glad that I went and got him checked out - I would have had no idea that eggs could hurt him!
I've been drinking water almost non-stop and also taking fish oil and fenugreek (which I can already smell the syrup <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">) I think I'm going to call the CF center and cancel my appointment for Parker this week. It's just too much going in all the time.
Hopefully when we go in next week for a check up he will have gained something. Either way I am planning on sticking to breastfeeding. Thank you everyone for your advice and words of encouragement!
 

sdavis227

New member
Hi all.

Well we went and got an allergy test done and the milk didn't react, but egg did! Now I'm very confused. The doc then sent us to get blood drawn to see how many antibodies he had against the egg and milk. Hopefully this will help? I'm so confused with all the allergy stuff - only thing I've ever dealt with is seasonal allergies. But I'm so glad that I went and got him checked out - I would have had no idea that eggs could hurt him!
I've been drinking water almost non-stop and also taking fish oil and fenugreek (which I can already smell the syrup <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">) I think I'm going to call the CF center and cancel my appointment for Parker this week. It's just too much going in all the time.
Hopefully when we go in next week for a check up he will have gained something. Either way I am planning on sticking to breastfeeding. Thank you everyone for your advice and words of encouragement!
 

jdprecious

New member
Excellent for you Shannon!!!! I am so glad you decided to continue bf'ing Parker.

I bf'd both of my girls. Jaelyn's doc told me I wasnt producing enough milk for her at her 1 month appt which is why she had failure to thrive... idiot doc... got rid of him shortly after he told me to stop breastfeeding her and switch to formula... i went home that day crying bc i felt like such a failure of a mother... i called my pediatrician when i was little to see Jae and he did... he told me to bring her in for a weight check and 2 weeks later... she was gaining weight but not as much as he would have liked... he just chalked it up to not a big eater...

so long story short... i bf'ed my cf'er for 6 months... and when i quit was the worst thing i ever did... then came the pneumonia and ear infections... oh it was horrible... if i could have bf'ed her for longer i would have.. but i was a working single mom w. 2 jobs and going to school at night.. there was just no time!

my advice... bf for as long as you possibly can!!!!
 

jdprecious

New member
Excellent for you Shannon!!!! I am so glad you decided to continue bf'ing Parker.

I bf'd both of my girls. Jaelyn's doc told me I wasnt producing enough milk for her at her 1 month appt which is why she had failure to thrive... idiot doc... got rid of him shortly after he told me to stop breastfeeding her and switch to formula... i went home that day crying bc i felt like such a failure of a mother... i called my pediatrician when i was little to see Jae and he did... he told me to bring her in for a weight check and 2 weeks later... she was gaining weight but not as much as he would have liked... he just chalked it up to not a big eater...

so long story short... i bf'ed my cf'er for 6 months... and when i quit was the worst thing i ever did... then came the pneumonia and ear infections... oh it was horrible... if i could have bf'ed her for longer i would have.. but i was a working single mom w. 2 jobs and going to school at night.. there was just no time!

my advice... bf for as long as you possibly can!!!!
 

jdprecious

New member
Excellent for you Shannon!!!! I am so glad you decided to continue bf'ing Parker.

I bf'd both of my girls. Jaelyn's doc told me I wasnt producing enough milk for her at her 1 month appt which is why she had failure to thrive... idiot doc... got rid of him shortly after he told me to stop breastfeeding her and switch to formula... i went home that day crying bc i felt like such a failure of a mother... i called my pediatrician when i was little to see Jae and he did... he told me to bring her in for a weight check and 2 weeks later... she was gaining weight but not as much as he would have liked... he just chalked it up to not a big eater...

so long story short... i bf'ed my cf'er for 6 months... and when i quit was the worst thing i ever did... then came the pneumonia and ear infections... oh it was horrible... if i could have bf'ed her for longer i would have.. but i was a working single mom w. 2 jobs and going to school at night.. there was just no time!

my advice... bf for as long as you possibly can!!!!
 

jdprecious

New member
Excellent for you Shannon!!!! I am so glad you decided to continue bf'ing Parker.

I bf'd both of my girls. Jaelyn's doc told me I wasnt producing enough milk for her at her 1 month appt which is why she had failure to thrive... idiot doc... got rid of him shortly after he told me to stop breastfeeding her and switch to formula... i went home that day crying bc i felt like such a failure of a mother... i called my pediatrician when i was little to see Jae and he did... he told me to bring her in for a weight check and 2 weeks later... she was gaining weight but not as much as he would have liked... he just chalked it up to not a big eater...

so long story short... i bf'ed my cf'er for 6 months... and when i quit was the worst thing i ever did... then came the pneumonia and ear infections... oh it was horrible... if i could have bf'ed her for longer i would have.. but i was a working single mom w. 2 jobs and going to school at night.. there was just no time!

my advice... bf for as long as you possibly can!!!!
 

jdprecious

New member
Excellent for you Shannon!!!! I am so glad you decided to continue bf'ing Parker.

I bf'd both of my girls. Jaelyn's doc told me I wasnt producing enough milk for her at her 1 month appt which is why she had failure to thrive... idiot doc... got rid of him shortly after he told me to stop breastfeeding her and switch to formula... i went home that day crying bc i felt like such a failure of a mother... i called my pediatrician when i was little to see Jae and he did... he told me to bring her in for a weight check and 2 weeks later... she was gaining weight but not as much as he would have liked... he just chalked it up to not a big eater...

so long story short... i bf'ed my cf'er for 6 months... and when i quit was the worst thing i ever did... then came the pneumonia and ear infections... oh it was horrible... if i could have bf'ed her for longer i would have.. but i was a working single mom w. 2 jobs and going to school at night.. there was just no time!

my advice... bf for as long as you possibly can!!!!
 

froggymama

New member
Keep on breastfeeding girl!!! My daughter was in the 3-5th percentile forever and then just gradually grew into the 25th percentile. Some kids are naturally in the lower percentiles. You may want to adjust enzymes, that could be the problem, if you aren't at a high dose already. Or maybe your son needs an acid blocker like prevacid. That can help with absorption. When your son is old enough for solids, avocado is a godsend! It's soft, yummy, perfectly saltable, and has awesome fat! Good luck, and definately trust your instincts!
 

froggymama

New member
Keep on breastfeeding girl!!! My daughter was in the 3-5th percentile forever and then just gradually grew into the 25th percentile. Some kids are naturally in the lower percentiles. You may want to adjust enzymes, that could be the problem, if you aren't at a high dose already. Or maybe your son needs an acid blocker like prevacid. That can help with absorption. When your son is old enough for solids, avocado is a godsend! It's soft, yummy, perfectly saltable, and has awesome fat! Good luck, and definately trust your instincts!
 

froggymama

New member
Keep on breastfeeding girl!!! My daughter was in the 3-5th percentile forever and then just gradually grew into the 25th percentile. Some kids are naturally in the lower percentiles. You may want to adjust enzymes, that could be the problem, if you aren't at a high dose already. Or maybe your son needs an acid blocker like prevacid. That can help with absorption. When your son is old enough for solids, avocado is a godsend! It's soft, yummy, perfectly saltable, and has awesome fat! Good luck, and definately trust your instincts!
 

froggymama

New member
Keep on breastfeeding girl!!! My daughter was in the 3-5th percentile forever and then just gradually grew into the 25th percentile. Some kids are naturally in the lower percentiles. You may want to adjust enzymes, that could be the problem, if you aren't at a high dose already. Or maybe your son needs an acid blocker like prevacid. That can help with absorption. When your son is old enough for solids, avocado is a godsend! It's soft, yummy, perfectly saltable, and has awesome fat! Good luck, and definately trust your instincts!
 

froggymama

New member
Keep on breastfeeding girl!!! My daughter was in the 3-5th percentile forever and then just gradually grew into the 25th percentile. Some kids are naturally in the lower percentiles. You may want to adjust enzymes, that could be the problem, if you aren't at a high dose already. Or maybe your son needs an acid blocker like prevacid. That can help with absorption. When your son is old enough for solids, avocado is a godsend! It's soft, yummy, perfectly saltable, and has awesome fat! Good luck, and definately trust your instincts!
 
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