Nursing and Cereal

Hi Jennifer! Just express your milk for one feeding to see about how much he is eating. Usually the baby is getting twice as much as you can express but he won't need that much because the cereal will fill him up. This is also how you can see about how much milk he is drinking. All babies are different and so you really can't compare him to others at his weight and age. He is his own little person. You will understand more about what I mean about this when you have another baby!!! I can tell you that the cereal feeding will help the acid refluxe a lot. Try it at night first. He will 1. not be in pain having the acid refluxe at night and 2. be full for alonger period of time resulting in sleeping better. Which means you will actually get a full nights sleep!!! Hopefully anyway.

I know how you feel about nursing. I felt the same way with my last baby. I wasn't able to nusa my first 2 for more than 2 weeks due to meadical resons and surguries that I had to have but it was different with my last baby. She even enjoyed it. It's a real bonding time and a special time that only a child and it's birth mother can share. It's a beautiful and moving thing. Just remembering it now brings tears to my eyes. I had forgotten! She is 19 months now and I started drying up when she was only 5 months old. I haven't nused her at all scence she was 7 months old. Wow! It has been awhole year now! My how time zooms by.

Good luck! Let me Know how it goes.

Stacy

My son has reflux too. I was told to put a table spoon of cereal for every ounce. At that time he was nursing and also getting formula. His specialist told me I could keep nursing and just put the cereal in the bottle of formula, but again he was mostly getting bottles by that point. The doctor also told us that if I were going to pump and give it in a bottle not to use rice cereal because the enzymes in breast milk would break down the cereal. She said to use Thicket. I don't think there is any other way to give it to him because the whole point is to weigh down the breastmilk/formula so it will stay down. Usually at this age babies will take anywhere from 2-4 ounces.

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/ger.html
http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVFebMar03p12.html

I also second the recommendation of the askdrsears.com link from a previous poster.

I also would recommend a second opinion, perhaps from a physician more knowledgeable about breastfeeding, or ask for a referral to a gastroenterologist for a more thorough evaluation. Best wishes! :)

Hi I'm a new mom also. My daughter is 17 months. I found a website that may help you out www.coliccalm.com/baby_infant_newborn_articles/acid-reflu... Personally I would try not to give the baby ceral His digestive system is not developed enough to tolerate it until about 4 months. There is a special formal that is for babies with acid reflux I can't think of the name of it but there is one. good luck

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t106000.asp

Breastmilk won't actually thicken with cereal....the enzymes naturally present in breastmilk break the cereal down before it can be thickened enough to decrease reflux. And some studies say that feeding cereals too early can increase obesity and diabetes, so I'd skip the cereal right now. Go with the meds! They help! A lot! Also keeping him upright after feeding for 20 minutes will really help with reflux....you can put him in a sling, wrap or other baby-carrier so you aren't tied to holding him. Breastmilk is better than formula for reflux because formula takes too long to digest and it ends up sitting in the stomach and GI tract longer and feeding the reflux fire. My preemie had reflux for about 6 months and the two things that helped the most were the meds and keeping him upright after feeding. I understand not wanting to medicate your child...trust me....but with reflux, it's best to 'put out the fire' so to speak and the acid reducers really help!

ETA that the ped told us to start cereal too....but I've read and researched enough to know that it isn't always the best recommendation. I switched pediatricians! You can look at www.reflux.org and http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html for more info. And you can always contact La Leche League (742-MILK) or Brenda Dalton (certified lactation consultant).

Jennifer,

I would say that you should be giving him about 4 oz of milk in a bottle and if he is still hungry try some more an 0z at a time. I have a very close friend that is a retired ped and he told me with my first son and I had to do this with my second also, as they both spit up ALOT, spoon feed him the cereal. It will take him alittle bit to get the hang of doing it, but both of mine did. Just keeping giving it to him and he will get it. He may get frustrated but he will eat it. Don't nurse him first either as he will get full and not want to eat the cereal. Hope this helps....Best of success!!
T.

My son didn't have reflux, but I gave him a few flakes of cereal mixed with my breast milk when he was 2 1/2 months old. He was sitting with support at that time and I fed him with a spoon and a bowl and it worked out fine.

My mother helped my son take a bottle, but he wouldn't drink from it for the first two days. After that, he gave in and drank from them and everything's been fine since. He didn't take more than 4 ounces of milk from the bottle, but of course, as he's grown older, he began drinking more.

FYI: My birthday is July 19th!

Speaking from my own experince here. My oldest nursed until she was 13 mos old. She was diagnosed with reflux at 6 weeks old. My doctor never told me to give her cereal but if yours is telling you that then I would do as he says. You know your baby best though. We started giving her cereal mixed with water inbetween feedings and it seemed to help with the vomitting. My daughter vomitted so much that I couldn't go anywhere with out a change of clothes. Do you have any friends or family near that could give your son the bottle? I had to pump and give bottles to my mother in law because I went back to work when my daughter was 2 mos old. If you can get some one else to introduce the bottle then it will be much easier. I understand your feelings on wanting to nurse but you have to do what is best for the baby. By now your baby should probably be taking about 2 - 3 oz of milk per feeding. I hope this helps.

You can't just breast feed him. I wanted to do the same with mine which is now 4, but I didn't produce any milk until the day I went home. She had to stay in the hospital an extra night because of jondas (not sure of spelling). I had no choice but to use a formula supplement. Some babies require special things and breast feeding mixed with formula feedings are ideal. I never produced enough milk to completely fill my little piggy up, I always had to give her an extra 2 or 3 ounces of formula to fill her up. It sucked cause I wanted that bonding, but it was great in another aspect........ I didn't have to do ALL the feedings.

Knowing how much to feed your son is a harder one. Mine would quite eating when she was full. If she wanted more I gave it because everything was normal. You should see her now. She's 4 and 42 1/2 inches tall. I myself am only 5'2 1/2". Her feet are 2/3 the size of mine and she is by no means over weight or in danger of becoming over weight. Your son will let you know when he is full. When Linzi was that age I would make her an 4 ounce bottle for when she was done with me. Sometimes she'd finish it and other times she'd only drink an ounce or so. When he is full he just won't eat anymore.

Did you tell the doctor your concerns regarding nursing and bottles? If yu didn't, then please call him and discuss it with him - he may be able to give you some advice on how to manage to keep nursing.

If you did tell him and he blew off your concerns, then I'd seek another pediatrician.

Either way, I'd get a second opinion.

Hello Jennifer,

You are right to be concerned about giving bottles with formula at this age. If it was a choice between formula and cereal or giving meds, I choose meds. I feel it would do more damage to use the artificial feedings at this age. Breastmilk is so precious. If there was a was to manufacture it ( and there is not!!!) we could not even afford it. Please get in touch with the La Leche League or call the lactation dept of a hospital in your area.

R. Riddick RN IBCLC

just put enought milk in the bottle to try and see how he does