The Strike is Over!
I think it all started when we went to Steven's parents for Christmas (or.. new years weekend). Out of desperation for some rest, I did a lot of pumping and bottle feeding with Annie (she has always gone back and forth between bottle and breast flawlessly). Pumping took 5-10 minutes and then anyone (mostly her granny) could feed her! I also did it out of convenience. You see, she can be a slow (and messy) nurser - so I'd be away from the crowd for 20-30 minutes while I fed her. PLUS. She was able to room-in with her granny while we were there, and this mama got her first solid night's sleep in 11 weeks (insert hallelujah chorus here).
I should also say - that even a day or two prior to our going, Annie started having some trouble nursing. At times she would pull off and scream bloody murder and refuse to latch back on. To save myself from having to get up 30 minutes later to feed her, I would just pump and give her a bottle, which she seemed happy with. While we were at Steven's parents.. she would do the same (hence another reason for the bottle).
On top of all of this, she would puke like a mad woman. We were thinking that maybe she was getting reflux.
When we got home last week on Wednesday I tried to nurse her and she would do ok for a while - and then start crying. This happened so much that I felt like it was totally pointless to keep trying to nurse her. I could save us both time, energy, and tears if I just pumped and gave her a bottle - and so that's what we've done. At some point in the day I would try to nurse her just so she would remember... but for the most part, she ate strictly from a bottle. Now, I didnt really have a problem with this. I like when she eats from a bottle because I know exactly how much she is eating and she can do so at her own pace. She isnt flooded by milk when the good stuff comes. However, when its just me feeding her, the process can be lengthy (warm previously pumped milk, feed her, change her, put her on her play mat so she can kick around and hopefully stay happy long enough for me to pump and then store the milk). When she nurses, well, that's that.
We also thought that part of her spitting up and puking was from overeating or my overactive letdown when she was at breast. However, it was still happening when she had a bottle. So we've been wracking our brains to try to figure out what the heck was happening with this kid! Again, our minds kept going to "well maybe its just reflux." One night I tried to nurse her (she did better in the wee hours of the night/morning at breast than she would during the day) and she pulled off, threw her head back, bowed her back and started screaaaammmiing! It took a while to calm her down. We read that with reflux it burns and sometimes babies associate the pain with feeding. So again, we pulled out the bottle.
This went on Wednesday thru Sunday. Sunday... a light bulb popped on. We were at the point where we were going to take her back to the doctor (not sure how we forgot to ask about this on the previous Thursday when we were there for her shots) because she seemed so crazy. But, back to the light bulb. Steven and I were talking over all the things that I've eaten and all the things I drink, etc.. to make sure it wasnt something in my diet. The second day we were at his parents' house her puking subsided.. and she seemed fine for a few days. What was different? The culprit to all of this madness: citrus fruit.
I have been citrus fruit free for three days and Annie has not puked (she still spits up a little bit here and there, but that's normal) and she has nursed like a champ. Alas, the nursing strike is over! No more crying, no more pulling away from the breast, no more puking. I can wear the same outfit for the entire day and so can she. And no longer does it take me 45 minutes to complete a feeding cycle! I still give her one bottle a day (usually at her 11pm feeding when she is practically asleep) and then a little bit for her vitamin (I keep a bottle handy while nursing and when the milk starts flooding I use the bottle to catch some to mix with her vitamin - its the only way she'll take it). Can't tell you how relieved we are!!
Thank you Jesus for the light bulb!
I should also say - that even a day or two prior to our going, Annie started having some trouble nursing. At times she would pull off and scream bloody murder and refuse to latch back on. To save myself from having to get up 30 minutes later to feed her, I would just pump and give her a bottle, which she seemed happy with. While we were at Steven's parents.. she would do the same (hence another reason for the bottle).
On top of all of this, she would puke like a mad woman. We were thinking that maybe she was getting reflux.
When we got home last week on Wednesday I tried to nurse her and she would do ok for a while - and then start crying. This happened so much that I felt like it was totally pointless to keep trying to nurse her. I could save us both time, energy, and tears if I just pumped and gave her a bottle - and so that's what we've done. At some point in the day I would try to nurse her just so she would remember... but for the most part, she ate strictly from a bottle. Now, I didnt really have a problem with this. I like when she eats from a bottle because I know exactly how much she is eating and she can do so at her own pace. She isnt flooded by milk when the good stuff comes. However, when its just me feeding her, the process can be lengthy (warm previously pumped milk, feed her, change her, put her on her play mat so she can kick around and hopefully stay happy long enough for me to pump and then store the milk). When she nurses, well, that's that.
We also thought that part of her spitting up and puking was from overeating or my overactive letdown when she was at breast. However, it was still happening when she had a bottle. So we've been wracking our brains to try to figure out what the heck was happening with this kid! Again, our minds kept going to "well maybe its just reflux." One night I tried to nurse her (she did better in the wee hours of the night/morning at breast than she would during the day) and she pulled off, threw her head back, bowed her back and started screaaaammmiing! It took a while to calm her down. We read that with reflux it burns and sometimes babies associate the pain with feeding. So again, we pulled out the bottle.
This went on Wednesday thru Sunday. Sunday... a light bulb popped on. We were at the point where we were going to take her back to the doctor (not sure how we forgot to ask about this on the previous Thursday when we were there for her shots) because she seemed so crazy. But, back to the light bulb. Steven and I were talking over all the things that I've eaten and all the things I drink, etc.. to make sure it wasnt something in my diet. The second day we were at his parents' house her puking subsided.. and she seemed fine for a few days. What was different? The culprit to all of this madness: citrus fruit.
I have been citrus fruit free for three days and Annie has not puked (she still spits up a little bit here and there, but that's normal) and she has nursed like a champ. Alas, the nursing strike is over! No more crying, no more pulling away from the breast, no more puking. I can wear the same outfit for the entire day and so can she. And no longer does it take me 45 minutes to complete a feeding cycle! I still give her one bottle a day (usually at her 11pm feeding when she is practically asleep) and then a little bit for her vitamin (I keep a bottle handy while nursing and when the milk starts flooding I use the bottle to catch some to mix with her vitamin - its the only way she'll take it). Can't tell you how relieved we are!!
Thank you Jesus for the light bulb!
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