In the beginning. <3
A friend of mine posted a question on Facebook the other week asking if (us) breastfeeding mamas had to change our diet while nursing, what we had to cut, for how long, and what changes we saw in our babies after. This is her second baby and it was déjà vu for me because I had such a different time nursing my second time around, as well.
Right when my Little Miss was born. My perfect little girl. <3
Right away, my daughter nursed so differently than my son did, which is okay because every baby is different, but it wasn’t until a few weeks old that we started to notice it was more than that. She would nurse so quickly, unlatching sometimes right after my letdown (spilling milk and I would try to catch it), but would want to nurse again very quickly because she would spit up almost after every feeding. She would only nurse from one breast and it would take forever for her to burp. Then if we could get her to finally burp, she would have hiccups and spit up. With my son, he was calm and would stay latched forever, falling asleep at almost every feeding the first few months (milk drunk), never spit up, never had trouble burping after a feeding and always nursed from both breasts each feeding.
So tiny and loving her milk.
When she started to spit up after every feeding, she also became very upset and fussy most of the day, especially from noon until midnight. It was so awful and frustrating, I felt like we could never leave the house. At first I thought it was just something I kept eating, so I started to pay attention to my diet and I figure it had to be all the spicy food I loved eating. I already ate a dairy–free and egg–free diet, and I babywore her almost always. But after all that, cutting out the spicy foods included, it still seemed to not make a big enough difference for her. I became desperate and went to our pediatrician, who gave us a prescription for baby reflux. But, after 5 days of her being on the medication I just started having a bad feeling about this harsh medicine in her tiny body. After researching and reading all the potential side effects, my husband and I decided that our daughter would immediately stop using it that day.
Boob pillow! Milk drunk and out. <3
We researched everything on natural, homeopathic and naturopathic ways to help manage or even cure baby reflux that night. My husband came across this blog or parent conversation board where this husband and his wife had figured out the right treatment plan that cured their baby from reflux. The next day we went and got what we needed and made the right appointments to get our baby girl the relief we were praying for. After a little over a week of following this plan our Little Miss was cured. No joke, you didn’t read that wrong – cured! Below are the homeopathic remedies she took, the specialists she saw, and the treatment plan we stuck to.
– I cut out onions, garlic, broccoli, peppers (all but a few bell here and there), caffeine, dairy, eggs, and all spicy foods. It was hard at first but I stuck to this diet until she was 7-8 months, then only slowly brought back these foods until after her first birthday.
Image from Google
– Hylands #10 Nat Phos 6, one after each feeding. We called these her ‘little baby tums.’ They easily dissolve, which can be crushed up and given to baby directly, or use a baby medicine or breastmilk syringe with a drop of water or breastmilk.
– Boiron Nux Vomica 30c, twice a day, morning and night. These are harder and take a little bit to dissolve, so I used a syringe with either some breastmilk or a few drops of water and swirled it around until completely dissolved to give to baby.
– One trip to a specialized pediatric chiropractor for a post birth therapy session. We’re spoiled and have a few great practices here in Portland with great homeopathic, pediatric chiropractors, but you should be able to find one in your area.
Image from Google
– One dose of pediatric probiotics applied to a pacifier or your nipple right before breastfeeding once a day. I was given a great one by my daughter’s pediatric chiropractor.
– Warm bath before bedtime every night. This is a great way to calm and relax colicky or reflux babies. Even if they don’t seem to like it at first, be consistent and continue giving them a warm bath as part of their night routine.
– Castor Oil tummy massage after bath, then cover with a washcloth, and clothe in a onesie. Maybe use onesies you don’t care about because the castor oil can stain.
– Dress baby in loose clothes, no tight waist bands, and be mindful of how tight the baby’s diaper is.
– When changing baby’s diaper, instead of pulling up her/his legs, like we’re taught, gently roll baby slightly to her/his side and carefully lift her/his leg up to wipe and replace a diaper.
All of this treatment was approved and encouraged by our pediatric chiropractor and my daughter’s pediatrician.
My baby girl, now. Not such a baby at 22 months old, but always one to me.
This may seem like a lot but it’s far better than the alternative, and we did this for only four days and saw a huge improvement! Every baby is different and my daughter was not diagnosed with sever GERDs, so it might take longer than a week or more pediatric chiropractic appointments than it did for my daughter, but it’s worth it.
I will say the first two days are a little tough because there isn’t an overnight change when you first start the treatment. But being consistent and just sticking with it will payoff, trust me.
I kept the homeopathic remedies on hand in her diaper bag in case she became irritated here and there, but we really didn’t have to use them much after a couple of weeks of treatment.
I’m not a medical professional nor do I have a medical license, but I do believe this treatment plan has to be better for babies bodies in the long run. This is what worked for my baby and our family, and it’s important that I share our experience with more parents because it could also cure your baby’s reflux.
We would love to hear from you! What has been your experience with Exclusively Breastfeeding and using a Binky? Share it with us in the comments below!
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And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld
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I am a 27-year-old WAHM to two intelligent and amazing toddlers (3 and 1.5 years), and two stepdaughters (12.5 and 8.5 years). I am a very active and passionate birth advocate working to change regulations, laws and cultural norms in the U.S. to provide parents to be educated and empowered to know all birth rights and options. I am a proud emergency, unplanned c-section, turned all natural, non-medicated VBAC experienced mama! I am a modern-hippie mama practicing attachment parenting, who loves babywearing and toddlerwearing, and of course breastfeeding! I love to laugh with my amazing husband/best friend and to travel to new places with our beautiful family.
For more of my lifestyle and mommy blogging updates, check out my Instagram page @PRbabywearingMama.
