HV advised me to give up BFing.

[beanzean]

I know it's for the best but I'm still sad about it as I don't feel the closeness and bond with the bottle as I did when I was BFing.

Grace has been suffering with horrendous wind/colic since a couple of days old and although I had been telling the MW and HV how bad she was they didn't take any notice of me. Even when for 28 hrs!!!!! she was screaming in agony, bright red and screwed up so tight that I couldn't open her up. It was only when she was 4 weeks and I asked the MW to hold her while I went to get changed that she said she could feel and hear all the trapped wind and stomach spasms. She suggested infacol which didn't make any difference at all so then put us on coleif which did take the edge off for a while but things seemed to build up over a couple of days to a terrifying bout of colic that went on for 4 days!!!! The HV said last week to give her a bottle at nightime to fill her up and settle her and see if that helped her system settle. We have been using Actimel colic formula at night and it did help a bit.

Well the HV came yesterday and said that as I was lactose intolerant as a youngster and that as the colic was building up throughout the day that the chances are that Grace is intolerant too and has prescribed her lactose free formula which we are starting tomorrow.

I have to agree with her as for weeks it has felt like evrytime I BFed her I was poisoning her but my MW and HV made out that it was a stupid idea!!!! Well obviously I wasn't a complete paranoid, over-reactive freak as they have now reluctantly agreed.

Although I miss the bonding and feeling that you only get with breastfeeding. I felt relieved when they agreed with me but now I'm really quite upset about having to wean her off boob on to exclusive bottle. I feel like I'm losing my little girl!!!! Damn hormones.

Although the moral of the story is....
Even first time mums who haven't got a clue sometimes need to trust their mother's instinct and demand to be listened to by "professionals".

 

[onlyme]

Hi hun, just wanted to let you know that I was in the same situation as you and didn't want to stop breastfeeding. In my heart I didn't accept that breastfeeding was making LO ill as it is natural. Anyway, I did some online research and found out about how what I eat goes through the milk to LO. By limiting my dairy intake and upping the fat content of my meals (apparently high fat mummy milk can ease colic as baby doesn't work so hard to get the goodness out) LO's symptoms disappeared and we've now reached the 9 months milestone! So.....what I'm trying to say is, if you really don't want to give up BFing yet, then don't. I know it's a horrible situation to be in and you just want LO to be happy and not in pain, but some changes to your diet may make all the difference - they did for us. x

 

[MelanieAnn]

I can completely understand feeling torn and also quite angry in the situation. You have tried so so hard to give your baby the best - and it isn't working.

There are a couple of things which HVs are rarely trained to spot, and still less to deal with. Things like foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, oversupply of milk, and lactose coming through your milk. These are rectifiable, normal, and often cause mums to wean. Just because your HV hasn't discussed these possibilities with you doesn't mean that formula is the answer.

Would you be comfortable to call a helpline and talk with a breastfeeding counsellor? Or even pay for an IBCLC consultation?

This problem is almost certainly overcomeable. But it may need more knowledge/expertise/information/skill than most HVs possess. For them, a prescription formula is a simple solution.

Melanie

 

[freckleonear]

Do you know whether it is lactose intolerance or cow's milk protein sensitivity? True lactose intolerance is very uncommon in babies.

Primary lactose intolerance never appears before two years old. The various types of congenital lactose intolerance (including the inherited type) are all very severe, with diarrhoea and failure to thrive being obvious within a few days of birth. Secondary lactose intolerance occurs when the intestine is damaged by infection, inflammation or allergy. Secondary lactose intolerance can be a side effect of cow's milk protein sensitivity but will disappear once dairy is removed from the diet and the intestines heal.

If it is actually cow's milk protein sensitivity then lactose-free formula is unlikely to help unless it is also dairy-free. In this case you could eliminate dairy from your diet so that you could carry on breastfeeding.

Another possibility is lactose overload. Foremilk contains a lot of lactose so a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance caused by oversupply can overwhelm the baby's digestive system. If you think this might be the case, try block nursing rather than switch nursing (feeding on one side per feed rather than both sides).

I'm glad your HV has finally realised there is a problem and hope that you find a solution to help Grace feel better.

 

[Trix]

Just to echo what the others have said; it's worth clarifying whether it is a lactose intolerance or cow's milk protein intolerance. My LO was diagnosed with the latter a few weeks ago after taking him to A&E with severe pains/lots of blood in his nappy, and an overnight stay on the childrens ward.

A couple of the paeds that we saw gave no other option that the special formula (nutramigen and then neocate), however two Drs explained how I could eliminate dairy from my diet and continue to breastfeed.

Well, that's just what I did and I have an extremely happy and thriving little boy once again.

So just to let you know that I know exactly how you feel about the disappointment of having to give up BF, however that's not how it has to be if you don't want it to be

 

[beanzean]

Thankyou ladies for the support and a little ray of hope!
I am going to do a lot of research tomorrow and contact the breastfeeding supporter at my sure-start centre on Monday.
I am now concerned that if I cut down on BFing over the weekend and my milk starts drying up will it come back again if I need it to?

 

[lousielou]

Have you thought about calling a La Leche League Leader? https://www.laleche.org.uk/pages/about/helpline.htm I spoke to one when I was having problems BF my son. I was concerned about supply and mastitis and all sorts, and she was honestly the most helpful and lovely person ever. The phone line goes straight through to their home, so you can call tonight or over the weekend xx

 

[beanzean]

Have you thought about calling a La Leche League Leader? https://www.laleche.org.uk/pages/about/helpline.htm I spoke to one when I was having problems BF my son. I was concerned about supply and mastitis and all sorts, and she was honestly the most helpful and lovely person ever. The phone line goes straight through to their home, so you can call tonight or over the weekend xx

That's great, thankyou, I will contact them tomorrow.

 

[lousielou]

No worries hun xx