Thursday, December 29, 2011

We Didn't Dodge the Bullet After All:(

Well turns out Cooper has followed in his two big brothers footsteps, after lulling us into a false sense of security he too has also taken to refusing to feed even though he is hungry.  They do this because they associate the breast with the reflux pain that comes after a feed as well as the pain during feeding.  The pain during feeding comes because their little throat is all burnt and sore when they swallow.  

Boxing Day was the start of all the dramas for us.  Yep Coop has started to refuse to feed.  It has been building up slowly to this point for a couple of weeks now.  Unfortunately, things haven't righted themselves this time and it's just getting worse.

I think I have cried pretty much every day since Boxing Day!  I can't believe I actually thought he wasn't going to stop feeding when it had happened with the other two.  I just keep wondering how I'm going to be able to get back and forth from School and Creche and be on time, when it takes a while to get him to feed.  I guess I'll just have to take him screaming hungry!?  Karl keeps telling to me to remember that it is just noise... umm yeah a mother is not wired to be able to switch off from crying!  I guess I'll figure it out somehow.

So I will just have to say adios to a life for another 9 months and keep trying to remember the bigger picture and that if it's the worst thing that happens to him, we are very lucky.  And I know we are, he is not handicapped in anyway, he is so lovely.  But when you have a crying hungry baby who is fretting because the thing they want most is going to hurt them (how confusing must that be for them by the way?), and you have to feed them through out the day, it does get you down a bit. 

I can't go out for very long either because I have to feed him at home, in a room by ourselves, where I can try to settle him down.  I also have gone back to lying down to feed just like his brothers, I just have more control of him, I know it's bad for reflux, but it's the only way I can do it now that he is bigger and stronger.

Went to Plunket today, and his weight has started to dip from the 91st percentile to the 75th percentile.  Will have to keep an eye on that, especially if his height stays at the 91st.  With the puking and now the not feeding thing combined he will be taking in a lot less.  But that just might be him doing the Hamon boys thing.  Both Chase and Flynn started of big and are now wee things.

Well I will take a big breath and hope that the rest of the family forgive me for being so grumpy for the next wee while. 

2 comments:

  1. Oh I feel your pain! Good on you for persevering, I truly hope that this painful time will be over really soon.
    I also found lie-down feeds were really good if my boys were on their left as that's the way the stomach drains..
    My mantra during reflux and screamy-stressy times was "It's not forever! It's not forever!" and it truly got me through. Arohanui.

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  2. So sorry to hear that :-(.

    Our second child (boy) is due in April... hoping this time we'll be reflux-free though.

    Hope Cooper gets better quick.

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