Baby Elizabeth doesn't like to sleep at night. Which makes it very hard for Mommy to function during the day. Plus, she doesn't feel very well. She has terrible diaper rash and possibly a yeast infection on her bum, plus she is so gassy that she is miserable. Makes me feel like a terrible Mommy... But we are working on getting rid of the diaper rash and I don't know what I can do about the gassy problem. I didn't think breast-fed babies could get so gassy! We were up every 45 minutes to an hour last night trying to get rid of all the gas. I just don't know what I ate to make her feel so terrible! On the bright side, she is about 8 pounds 4 ounces now, so she is gaining weight at a good rate. Plus, since I am still at home and not having to go back to work yet, we are managing to try to catch naps during the day when Elizabeth does like to sleep.
I love the baby pictures - can't see too many of those! One of my good friends breastfed for the first 6 weeks (and it was miserable for both mom and baby) and then switched to formula and her boy was on Zantac and then Prevacid with the formula for like the next 6 weeks before they weaned him off of the medicine. She felt so guilty, but I told her not to because it was so evident that both mom and baby were MUCH HAPPIER. So hopefully you can continue to nurse as you want to, but if not, know that it is not the end of the world! I'm not sure if your situation is as prolonged or serious as theirs was, but just thought I'd share in case it is helpful. Hang in there :)
ReplyDeleteShe's so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to leave a quick side note too regarding the gasiness. My son was horrible gassy as well and I didn't find out till after he weaned that he couldn't tolerate dairy. And there I was guzzling the stuff down since they said it was so healthy for the both of us! I then found out after doing some research that things like dairy, wheat, soy, egg, and corn are actually more the cause of gas and colic than things like spicy foods, onion,and garlic! Ugh - I only I would have known before, it would have saved him so much trouble. So try cutting out dairy for a bit and see if it helps her. Dr. Sears also has a good elimination diet for breastfeeding moms if you google it! As for the yeast - did you have antibiotics during labor? If so, it can upset BOTH of your gut flora for a long time and it can take months to get rid of yeast issues! Make sure you take good probiotics and eat probiotic foods like yogurt. (or course if you can't have dairy.....) Coconut oil is also a good diaper rash 'cream'. It also helps with yeast! Other than that, let her dry out for 10-15 minutes after each diaper change and that in and of itself usually helps a ton!
Hope you start getting more sleep soon! Hang in there mama!
I have been away from blogging for quite awhile, but I am back now and am so thrilled for you! Elizabeth is beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteokay, on to the advice!!
For a diaper rash...I was told by a pharmacist, who I totally trust because because we grew up together :-) to never buy diaper rash cream that has less than 40% zinc oxide. I used to by Desitin that was in the purple package and it often worked in less than one day!!! If it doesn't work within a couple days you probably need to see the doctor.
For gassiness and upset tummies I used something called Gripe Water. This is a product that can literally work instantly. I have seen it change a crying, fussy baby into a smiling happy baby in less than a minute. Please try it!
Gripe Water is very common in Canada, my mom gave it to me! It is hard to find in the states, so I had my mom bring some whenever she came to visit. I have seen it online and you might be able to find it in some healthfood stores although is it usually 4 times the price that I can get it in canada. My mom still brings me some everytime she comes because I give it to all my friends with babies. So I do have some that I could send to you. I know that is such an odd offer, but I promise I am not a crazy person! I simply love this product so much that I offer it to anyone with a fussy baby, it truly works that well! you can email me at chicks_222@yahoo.com