Hi,

I would like to ask any concern parents here.

My baby son is now 7 weeks old four days ago he has diarrhea.

It was ok at first but at second day, we have to changed his nappies every 3 hours and stool is abit mucus and sticky. So we brought him to children hospital at about 6pm. Doctor said just breastfeed and drink the electrolyde (sodium) for 12 hours and see if its get better. He said we MUST not give him formula.

My wife has been having problem with producing enough brreastmilk that is why we are concerned.

The next morning, thing get worse so we went to local GP and again doc advice the same thing, this time he asked us to wait for another 24 hours wihout any formula.

During the late evening, we are getting worried because we have to change the nappy every 1.5 hours so we brought him again to Children Hospital. This time he was seen by another doc and he was Very SURPRISE because he said we should give him formula and breastmilk to avoid any hunger. We were confuse and i am upset of different opinions. So i requested for second opinion from the specialist.

Unfortunately, we have to wait for about 8 hours to see the second doctor and my wife was crying and upsetting because 1)baby is very hungry 2)she has some minor depression and it get worst after hearing this matter and have to wait for so long

Second doc came and she said there is no need to stay overnight and she said we should give both as long as the baby is willing to be fed.

my questions are

1)Wht if i dont go back the second time to Children hospital and two previous doctors have given me the wrong information ? it means my baby has been hunger for more than 20 hours !!!

2) what if i listened to local GP and wait for another 24 hours, it means my baby wil be hunger for more than 2 days

3)my wife depression is getting worst after this thing. Who is going to take responsible for that ?


Any concern parent out there can you please advice me what to do ?

i can either let it go and keep quiet but WHAT if similar things happen to another new parents like us who are inexperience ?

Can l make a formal complaint ?

Thanks

I think you should complain about it, at least you should be going to a different GP. It is really worrying, how they negelct patients.

that's awful...i would complain. my friends baby is nearly 4 week old and he had diarrohea and vomiting - she took him to drs who told her to give watered down formula little and often to avoid dehydration.

I'm really saddened that you have been given such dramatically different information that has clearly hindered and exasterbated the situation. I would definately recommend that you complain about this, but put your complaint to the Chief Exec of the Sheffield hospitals- Andrew Cash. Complaints go far further and have greater impact if they go to the top dog!

As far as what to do, and whose advice to follow, I would seriously recommend contacting a breastfeeding counsellor. Their services are over the phone, are confidential and FREE. The NCT offer this service and their counsellors train for 3 years and can answer many different questions surrounding breastfeeding and nutrition. The number to call is: 0300 33 00 771 . As they are counsellors they listen carefully, do not jump in with immediate answers, and are helpful with emotional issues too. :)

Thanks for all of your advice. I am following the third doc advice of mixing formula and breast milk. the peadiatric i met yesterday ask our local gp to persribe domperidone for my wife to increase the milk production.
went to gp today (seen by other gp) and she wont not advice my to take it (AFTER she took second opinion from the gp yesterday that give me the wrong information).

has anyone use this medicine before ? would you recommend it ?

thanks

The thing is if your wife is having trouble producing milk they wouldnt really recommend using formula as to get more baby needs to feed more. They should have also arranged an appointment with your wife to see a breastfeeding advisor to see if your baby is latched on ok. The important thing is to give your wife as much support as possible. If it is impotant to HER she carries on breastfeeding then this should be encouraged and she needs the right advice to do so. If your baby has diorhea then cooled boiled water is also a good idea to stop the baby being dehydrated. What area are you in there are probably local breastfedding peer supporters in your area?

I am at S4 area

Is that firth park and surrounding area? Ask your doctor, midwife or health visitor if they have any breastfeeding peer supporters in your area? They trained a lot in the s6 area but I presume they would have expanded the project now.

I had domperidone and had no problem with it.

is it effective to produce milk ?

can i insists from my local gp because she is not even sure of it

Yes it seemed to work for me. It might be worth having a word with your health visitor and getting them to support you when asking the GP for the medication.

Hi, I knew somebody who had real problems producing milk but was determined that her baby wouldn't have formula. She took the domperidone and was able to breastfeed fairly sucessfully. In the end she has to give a top up of formula at night but this was only when the baby was about 4 months old.

Hi, sorry you have had this rough time:(. How is your little one now? I hope he is doing better. You raised a lot of issues in your post. Firstly there is (as you found out!) a lot of differing opinion amongst medics when it comes to dirrhoea in babies. Some say water only for 24 hours, others say feed as usual etc.. Unfortunately there is no real evidence that any one regime works better than another, hence the continued disagreement.The main thing is to ensure that the baby does not become dehydrated - drinking cooled boiled water will ensure this, but so will breastmilk or even formula if the baby is keeping it down and not being sick.
Also just to mention it is normal for breastfed babies to have frequent loose motions. My first DS would poo after every feed, and he used to feed evry hour or so , and that was his normal - boy we got through a lot of nappies!
Secondly with regard to the breastfeeding - has your son already been having some formula or is this being suggested as a new thing ? Generally when there are breastfeeding supply problems it is best to avoid formaul as it further hampers the supply. The baby should be encouraged to feed/suckle as often as possible as this will bost supply. Obviously if there are concerns that the baby is REALLY not getting enough, then supplementing with formula is needed short term, but this is rarer than a lot of people think. I would agree with PP and try to find a breastfeeding counselor who will be able to look at your specific situation and make suggestions that will help. That is if your wife feels strongly about continuing to BF. If not you can support her in her choice to wean onto formula.
Also you mention that your wife is feeling low. Has she seen anyone about this? It is imortant that she doesn't suffer in silence if she feels her mood is not improving. Post natal depression is no fun, but there is a lot that can be done to help with it, she needn't just put up with it.
I hope things are settlilng down for you .
Oh and congratulations on you new little bundle!:thumbsup:

hi thanks for everyone giving advice

My wife is BF and also topping up
usually at nite she will BF but during the days he will be feed using formula as milk is not produce enough.

Can i know will there be any side effect taking domperidone ?

can i insist on GP to persribe this ?

thanks

If your baby has a growth spurt and demands more frequent, prolonged feeds it can appear that they are hungry and not satisfied but this is natures way of increasing milk supply to match baby's needs. If formula is given to satisfy the baby at this time the supply does not increase accordingly and it is a cycle that is difficult to break. Everyone else has given excellent advice and I too believe you need to access breastfeeding support rather than look for domperidone as the answer. Is your baby thriving?? Has there been weight loss?? If your baby is well there may be sensible, logical steps that could be used to wean them off formula, More importantly your wife needs to be happy and enjoy the experience and be confident that she is providing the baby with nutrition whatever the means. If she is depressed domperidone won't really help though it may seem like the answer at the time...

if there is a breastfeeeding group at S4 please let mekonw i iwll bring my wife ther

just ben to hospital again today..at Acute Assemenent

Baby refuse to drink bottle now and only wants direct breast milk.

suprisingly, all of the doc there not heard ofr domperidone which is a very suprise.

i insist on domperidone becvause baby still diarrhea once every 2 hours

the poo is green and sticky. is it normal ?

thanks

just ben to hospital again today..at Acute Assemenent

Baby refuse to drink bottle now and only wants direct breast milk.

suprisingly, all of the doc there not heard ofr domperidone which is a very suprise.

i insist on domperidone becvause baby still diarrhea once every 2 hours

the poo is green and sticky. is it normal ?

thanks

My daughter will not have a bottle at all where as my other two would now and again. You could try a baby cup instead but unless he is losing weight I wouldnt panic. Green sticky poo could be a sign he is gulping milk and taking a bit of air in. It is normal in the first weeks to feed virtually constantly and therefor poo constantly but then it will settle down and probably not poo for 3 days to make you panic again. Did he lose weight after his birth?

can i know what is gupling milk ? he cries lot.

everyday he will cries withouth any reason form 7 pm to 10 pm then he will settle down,

but it has been going like this for the past weeks. only now he has green poo since he has diarrhea.

what cause the green poo then ?

doc weight him two days ago was 4.7kg, three weeks ago was 4.2kg. but i dunno if he lost weight in between.

he poo as soon as being fed, poo smell also quite strong.

Gulping milk is when they drink the milk fast so get a lot of air. This would probably explain why he is crying from 7 till 10. He may have a sore tummy. Does he stretch out or move his legs quite suddenly? If he is pooing as soon as he is being fed it is because he is relaxing whilst feeding so easier to poop and trump. If he is really upset a warm bath will relax his tummy. As for the weight gain that seems about normal especially given that he has had a few changes with his feeding. As long as he isnt losing weight and he is feeding on demand.

you are correct !!. he likes to strecth with hand and feet pulling straight and sometimes he will get shock alot. does it mean he has diareach or stomach flue or this is normal ?

can i have your contact number waxonwaxoff so i can ask directly ?

i am very confuse with 6 differcnt doc with 6 diffent opinions. its better to talk to experience mom if you dont mind

thanks

This is normal from my experience. I dont think this is a stomach bug or anything but You should speak to a doctor or midwife you feel comfortable with to be sure. I would personally suggest your wife feed the baby on demand and if you can make sure that she is eating and drinking plenty herself. Breastfeeding mums get very hungry and dehydrated. Tell your doctor and midwife the exact symptoms you have told us on here. They will also probably show you how to gently rub your babies tummy if he is full of wind and how to circle his legs. If they dont ask them to show you how to do it? Is your wife still seeing her midwife? If she is ask her to check her latching position.

Another reason for the green poo could be that your baby is just taking foremilk (which is more like the thirst quencher) and not getting the hindmilk (which is the bit that has most calories). Make sure that your wife if letting the baby feed for as long as it wants rather than just feeding for a certain amount of time to to make sure it gets as much of the more nutritious hindmilk (which could help with the weight problem too). You wife can improve her supply herself by making sure she is drinking and eating plenty and feeding on demand (rather than something like once every 4 hours which is common with formula fed babies) - by doing this her supply should adjust itself. As Waxy has suggested it would be worth getting someone to check the latch.

If you can get to the Hillsborough area, there is a dropin at the Childrens Library in the park on Mondays at 10.30am where peer supporters, experienced mums and health visitors are there to offer advice. Good luck :)

I'd reitterate the advice from LisaH and Waxy. Many issues around weight and the health of BF babies are solved with a conversation and help from a peer supporter or a breastfeeding counsellor. It is often to do with latch positioning or length of time at the breast. In order to increase the supply and get the hind minlk, babies need time to suckle at the breast for as long as they want to. My son loved to suckle for ages and ages, not all of this suckling was what is termed as "nutritive" suckling, but all was important for getting the correct supply for the baby. The baby and the mother's body work in perfect harmony when it comes to breastfeeding, and the baby will suckle as much as is needed to produce the milk that is needed, (in the majority of cases)

With regards to doctors, midwives and health visitors, their training on breastfeeding is generally fairly limited, especially compared to that of a breastfeeding counsellor. (some of course will choose to do extra training and take a special interest in BFing, but in my experience this is not the norm.) Because of this they can end up giving mixed advice, and some of that advice does not help, but hinder the breastfeeding relationship unfortunately.

I hope you find the right solution for you all. best wishes.:)

Also a point to add is that midwives quite often use the incorrect growth charts for babies as the bottle fed chart comes as standered in the red books. You should specifically ask for the breastfeeding growth charts as breastfed babies tend to be lighter. Unless they are greedy monkeys like mine. :D

i used domperidone. gp refused to prescribe so the hospitals breastfeeding co ordinator sent them a letter outlining its use and the reserch behind giving it to bf mothers.
i used it until my daughter was a year old. went from producing just 150ml a day ( i was expressing so no baby to do the suckling ) to well over a litre a day, ended up with so much frozen expressed milk i kept the hospitals milk bank supplied

oh and when my daughter has diohreeah she goes on dioralite for 24 hours then to quater strength formula milk, then half strehgth then 3 quater strength and then finally back to full strength. if at any time when re introing her milk she gets worse then we go back a step. this was on the advice of my daughters pead, dietitian and home nurse ( my daughter is 3 and a half now but have done this since she was tiny and in hospital )

if your wee ones crying for hours in the evening and drawring up their legs then it could be colic, ask the health visitor

Hi everyone, first of all l would like to extend my appreciation to give advice and opinions regarding my son problems.
I really appreciate it as we are young parent and this is our first child.

Heres update, after calling many doctors, gp, health visitor , midwive, finally the gp willing to prescribe the domperidone althought they still insist not to take it.

Went this morning to gp and took the medicine from pharmacy, funny thing is they dont know how many to take (they thought is for vomitting). tried to explain to them and sitll not idea.

i have to go back to GP, they ask my wife to take 4 to 8 tablets a DAY!!! i ask for second opinion, they come back and said 1 to 2 a day.

I am not really trust their opinions so i will be going to children hosp for update check up to ask them.

can anyony know how much to takr each day n any side effect?

thanks

i took 3 a day, 1 at each meal time

i had no side effects and was on this for 11 months

hi sumayyah, is it effective with lots of milk production ?

doc advice her to take four times a day, meaning 6am 12 pm 6pm 12 am

sorry im so late replying, was without internet

my supply went up from 150mls a day to over a litre, best thing ever where my wee one was concerned

my gp had told me to eat something with them

hope your wifes doing well on them