Reflux?

Over the past week or so Stella has started to get more and more uncomfortable after eating. There were also a few days last week where she emptied her entire stomach contents spitting up. I've spoke to a few different lactation consultants trying to figure out what's going on. 

When she first came home I was offering her both breasts with each feeding. This whole breastfeeding a singleton is new to me. L & C always just ate on one side, but I was under the impression that when feeding a single baby you should let them finish on one side and then offer the other. I think as a result she was eating too much and that's what was causing the extreme spitting up. 

I started to think maybe I have an overactive letdown. I can tell when my milk lets down that she struggles. She sputters, gulps, pulls off sometimes, and milk pools out of the sides of her mouth. I've been trying to nurse her in a more reclined position so at least gravity is working against us. It just doesn't seem to be making much difference. She never eats more than 10 minutes and won't comfort nurse. I've been pumping in the mornings since I'm so full and get between 5 and 6 ounces in 10 minutes. It's reasonable to think she gets a lot of milk in a short amount of time. 

All of her signs and symptoms seem to point to reflux. There are times she spits up, but other times I hear it and then she cries (silent reflux). After eating she'll grunt, clear her throat repeatedly, arch, and she gets awful hiccups if you lay her flat. She also has a tendency to sound congested. She hates her carseat and will generally scream in the car as well. 

I've tried feeding her more frequently to ensure she gets less and isn't as full and uncomfortable. I've tried eliminating dairy from my diet, gas drops to no avail, wearing her, keeping her upright after eating, changing her diaper before feedings so we don't have to put her flat after, nursing in a reclined position, and even a Hyland's homeopathic product that's supposed to help neutralize stomach acid. Nothing seems to be making a huge difference and I'm feeling frustrated and discouraged. 

So, this afternoon I'm taking her to the pediatrician. I'm not jumping up and down to get her on any kind of medication, but I'm at a loss for what else to do. I'm not even sure the ped will want to put her on anything. When I talked to the nurse last week she told me she was too young and to give it time. Poor baby Stella is so uncomfortable and cries a LOT. I feel so helpless.

My experience with L & C tells me that medications do help and make a difference. I'd hate to reach that same point we did with Lucy where Stella starts to associate eating with pain and then refuses to eat. The thing is, L & C are still on Prevacid. We've tried a few times to stop but every time they wake up screaming in pain and stop eating well. I don't really want to get her on something thats so hard to get off of.   

So I guess we'll see what her dr has to say. I'm curious to see what her weight gain has been like and to get his input. I'm hoping that something will make a difference soon and that I'll have a baby that's content a least a little bit of the time when awake. This whole crying any time she's awake thing is not fun. 

Twins Tip: Shots

For our last round of shots we tried something new. My friend Natasha told us how they did their shots and we decided it was worth trying. 

Usually we have both girls in the room and they take turns with the shots. We used to have Clara go first because she got so upset and then Walt would take her out of the building (usually screaming). Lucy would always be upset at the start of her shots and we'd inevitably be leaving the office with two screaming babies. 

This time we tried separating them. W waited first in the room with Clara while I waited with an undressed and ready Lucy in the hallway. W said Clara didn't even cry for the first shot, but he took her down the hallway crying as I went in the room. Lucy didn't cry for her first 2 shots and she calmed down very quickly. 

Since I didn't hear Clara screaming I assumed W had taken her to the car. Instead, as I walked down the hallway to checkout I saw him there holding Clara with a piece of paper in his hands. Not only was Clara calm, but he had also checked us out and scheduled their next appointment. 

I really wish I had figured this out sooner. The girls were obviously feeding off of each other and making themselves much more upset. Even though the majority of their shots are done, I'm still planning to use this tactic for any further appointments. 

First Fevers

The girls had their first fevers this week. It was a miserable day for everyone and, unfortunately, we are still seeing glimpses of the misery. 

On Tuesday we went it the pediatrician. Lucy had gained a little bit better than last time and the dr was happier. We also had the results from the blood work he ordered that showed everything was find. He still wants me to supplement her a little by adding some Neosure to 2 ounces of breast milk and giving that to her once a day. I went out and bought it but haven't opened it yet. It breaks my heart to have to give her anything but my breast milk unless absolutely necessary. The dr thinks she needs more calories than her sister. I've been trying to just feed her more to get more calories into her that way. I'm back to waking up at 3 am with her in order to feed her. It's not fun but it's good to know she's getting a few extra ounces a day. I used to give her the paci and she would go back to sleep but I figured feeding her was probably best to help her gain weight. 

Getting up with her isn't as bad as in the beginning, but gone are my 5-6 hour stretches of uninterrupted sleep.  My body is a bit confused as well. Most nights I'm able to nurse her in a side-lying position so I get to stay lying down in bed. For the first few nights I soaked the sheets and bed as I leaked from the other side. 

Tuesday afternoon the girls were knocked out from their shots. They had to be woken up for most of their feelings. I thought they felt a little warm before bed but we didn't take their temperatures. 

On Wednesday morning I got up around 7 to feed them. Lucy definitely wasn't herself and was very upset. Clara was her usual smiley self. They ate and went back to sleep until around 10. 

Every morning we have the same routine. I feed them in bed and then we go in their room. I change diapers and put a blanket on the floor. They play on the floor and I pump, read them books, sing songs, talk to then, etc. Well, as soon as I put them down on the blanket they both started wailing. They both felt hot so I ran downstairs to get thermometers. I checked Clara first. She had a temperature of 103. Lucy's was 102.8. I called the pediatrician and waited to her back about the dosage of Tylenol to give them. 

I found that out, gave them Tylenol, and hoped for the best. Luckily my mom and FiL were over to help. 

The girls napped in people's arms (something we usually try to avoid) and by the time W came home their fevers were lower. 

You would think since their fevers were lower they'd be feeling better. Not so much. They took turns screaming and also screamed some in unison. By 9:00 I had a migraine and needed W to take over. Unfortunately, Lucy cried for the next 2 hours. I felt horrible that I couldn't help, by my head was pounding and I felt super nauseous.

W survived his time with Lucy. She eventually crashed and fell asleep. 

I was hoping Thursday would bring me babies who felt 100% better. Not so much. They took turns being grumpy and refused to nap in their crib. 

I guess what they say is true. As soon as you think you have a handle on things and feel like you know what you're doing, things change. If anyone knows where my happy and napping babies are, please send them back to me.