Y'all, the spit up that is coming from my child's body is reaching the point of being totally intolerable. I don't know what to do. I just cried tonight when he spit up for the eighth time in two hours. It is making me completely miserable, and I know it must be miserable for him, too.
The pattern is very weird. He eats and burps just fine. Sometimes there will be a little spit up right after he eats, but it's not much--a couple of teaspoons at the most. I am very careful to keep him upright for 60-90 minutes after meals (which is becoming increasingly difficult as he discovers his mobility) and to limit the kinds of activities he's involved in post-eating (no bouncing, no up and down motions...we even change diapers on the floor or in his crib if it is necessary to keep him from being jostled from the changing table and back). I have found that the most abundant amounts of spit up come two to three hours after he eats. I can't figure it out. Is it a lactose intolerance issue? Is it a milk allergy? He doesn't seem to be in pain, although he is taking Zantac, so it might be helping with any discomfort. I just don't understand. I have taken him to the doctor three times on the issue, and I am always told that some babies just spit up more than others. I'm having a really hard time accepting that this is just Tyler's normal. Plus, every time he spits up, I cringe inside that I chose to give up breastfeeding early on. I feel so guilty and blame myself for each and every drop that comes out of his sweet mouth. If I could get my milk back, I would. Don't get me wrong, there are LOTS of benefits to formula. But, breast milk is so much easier for babies to digest, and I feel terrible because I believe that Ty wouldn't have this problem if he were breastfed. I promise you I'll do things differently next time.
On to happier things...
Despite his frequent spitting up, Tyler is reaching developmental milestones faster than I can keep up with. This week he's been really holding himself in a sitting position. Most of the time he can maintain the sitting until he gets interested in reaching for a toy, then he topples over. He likes to do that, though, because he often topples over to his tummy or side and looks up like he's so proud of himself. Such a sweetie...
And, he's becoming more and more sociable. Even the ladies at church mentioned on Sunday that they could tell he was beginning to interact more with them. They were getting lots of smiles and giggles! Danny snapped a picture of him laughing and playing with me the other night. He was so tickled, hence the silly expressions.
Please put in an extra prayer that baby Ty will be healed from this spit up problem and that I will have patience with the whole situation and the wisdom about how to help him. We hope you have all had a wonderful Wednesday!
7 comments:
Jenn,
Zach did the same thing-he projectile spit up all the time. And it was just like Tyler-sometimes right after his feeding, but usually 2 or so hours after. And it turned out to be a formula thing. I had to change it up a bit and get him the one for sensitive stomachs(isn't it terrible I can't even remember which one it was????) The other thing was, my pediatrician had me put some rice cereal in the bottles to help it "stick" when he drank the bottles. That worked wonders.
I'll be praying for you to get through this. And please don't beat yourself up over breastfeeding-lots of babies do the same thing with breastmilk. So don't go there-it will only make you feel worse. You made a decision that helped make you a better mommy to Tyler, period.
You will get through this and so will little Ty. The more food that is added to his diet, the less formula he gets, and the less spitting up you'll get!
Love you!!
I am definitely saying prayers for you and sweet Ty. My friend Lori had the same problem and her little one was breastfed exclusively. He is now 9 months old and starting to crawl, which has helped out a lot.
You may want to take Rachel's advice and try the sensitive formula. G's mom had to use soy formula for his sensitive stomach.
Hang in there and keep us posted.
You know that I breastfed Addison and she still spit up everywhere...it's just the luck of the draw sometimes. He'll grow out of it' I am glad that you started babyfood, because I think that I help a lot. By 8 months, AP was good to go with no more Prevacid and loving her baby food! DO NOT feel badly about giving up your decision to quit nursing...I agree with Rachel 100% on that...you did what you thought was best and what worked best for you and Tyler. If he isn't acting like it hurts him, I wouldn't worry about it so much...babies will spit up...it's just natural. Will pray for him though!
Let go of the guilt. No good comes from that, and Carly is right...lots of mama's that have breastfed exclusively for months have the same problem.
I'm less shocked about the spitting up and more shocked that your 4 1/2 month old is already sitting up! That is awesome. Doesn't it make things so much easier???
Back in the dark ages Julie, Trent and Carly spit up constantly until they started crawling. Every outfit they owned was stained and I used many bibs on them. They eased off when they became mobile. They probably haven't spit up in years (except for those party times during college)!
I agree with Julie, Ty Man is doing great with his sitting up.
Jenn, the doctors say that even a few days, a few weeks, even, of breastfeeding will give Ty an edge. You shouldn't feel guilty -- you're a great mother.
You might have to switch to soy formula. Talk to your doctor. It might be that Tyler is sensitive to the cereal you're feeding him, or one of the new veggies.
One thing is for sure - he is alert and healthy and incredibly handsome. He's truly thriving!
bella went thru a phase of throwing up too... and with breastmilk. they grow out of it as quickly as you blink! don't worry -look at Ty - he's sitting up for goodness sake! What a strong little man!!!
he's a cutie, hang in there - he seems happy so don't worry!
i love the cute faces!!!
Post a Comment