need MOJO and formula advice--urgent

[boogiemomz]

i have had a flare of a chronic health condition (ulcerative colitis, similar to crohn's disease) since the end of my pregnancy and since delivering DD in november. it has gotten much worse in the last few weeks and i just spoke with my doc, who thinks i need to be admitted to the hospital, today if possible, for a few days of IV steroids. i have been on high dose oral steroids for about 4 weeks and they are not helping. i have managed to continue exclusively breastfeeding, though DH was very concerned about it (he is an MD and a paranoid one at that) despite prednisone's official classification as safe for nursing (it's an extremely potent drug). i desperately didn't want to give up nursing my newborn, so i have been taking it at night and delaying nursing for 8-9 hours. there remains the possibility that i may need to go on add'l drugs that would prohibit nursing entirely, but we're not there yet.

i am full time at home w/ DD, DH works all the time and we have no family in the area, though my mom is willing and ready to get on a plane to help out. basically i'm just reeling at the thought of not being available for DD's every need for several days (they said i would probably be in until monday). plus, if i am on IV steroids, i will need to feed her formula, which she's never had, and i know that can be a tough transition for some babies.

so i'm wondering if anyone has experience with an abrupt transition to formula and can share some advice? i need to go out and buy formula and i don't even know what to get. we have some samples from the hospital/mailings but that's it. she takes a bottle no prob, so that shouldn't be an issue. also, i could use some encouragement, i'm feeling pretty discouraged and angry that my illness is interfering with my ability to care for my daughter. thanks BBB friends. :)

ETA: also would love to hear from any moms w/ UC or crohns--how has this affected your parenting? i was completely in remission, no meds, for 6 years before this and never considered that it would be such a problem for pregnancy, nursing (b/c of meds), etc. now i'm afraid i won't be able to have more children, if i have to have surgery or can't get the disease back in check. last time i was on/off sick for about 3 years before achieving remission.

[BabyMine]

I had the same thing happen to me. I had to stop BF becasue something happened and I had to be put on more meds that didn't mesh with BF. I used Enfamil with both kids. You really can't go wrong with either Enfamil or Similac. I also used the liquid cans only. I know they are more expensive but it was easier for us and I always had a problem with the powder clumping. Sign up on Enfamil or Similac's website and they will send you coupons. You can also call them and they will actually send you samples of their formula.

:hug: I know you are upset about not being able to BF but your health is important. You DC will be feed either way. I was pretty bumed for awhile but I realized there wasn't anything I could do and I did the best thing I could for the both of us.

[elephantmeg]

aww. huge hugs! I would take your mom up on her offer. Start with your samples. If you have some breast milk pumped then do 1 oz of formula and 1 oz of breastmilk for the first bottle and see how it goes. Your sample is probably enfamil or simalac if your baby does fine with that then you're fine :) Then buy whatever brand that was!

A few things about formula:
-some babies don't tolerate DHA so you may need to find a DHA free formula
-some babies don't like enfamil/similac but will drink good start (nestle)
-some babies get constipated on formula. Your pedi will have their own suggestions about what to do. But it may involve anything from corn syrup to glycerine suppositories...
-I would not go to the store right now and buy all of the above-just keep it in mind. Your DH and hopefully your mom will be able to do all of the above. Hang out, nurse, snuggle and enjoy the rest of the day. I hope you feel better soon! Your baby will be fine-you need to take care of youself!

[Tondi G]

I had to take meds after the birth of my 2nd DS that were not safe while BFing. I had previously nursed my DS1 till he was over 2 years old. It was hard but once I realized he was healthy and thriving I felt at peace with having to make the switch. I gave him Enfamil. He took it well, he never had any issues (this was before the DHA was added though). If I were to formula feed again I would probably opt for something from Costco.... something less expensive than the main stream brands .... they are all the same as far as nutrients go since it's regulated! Formula is not cheap! One suggestion to make your life easier... use room temp water to mix your formula powder and don't warm the bottle.

Any chance you could attempt to pump as much as possible before you start meds and get some into the freezer... then use that to ease into formula a bit... maybe 1/2 and 1/2 bottles for a few days?

I don't have any experience with Crone's except that my DH's cousins wife has it and recently had a baby (we all thought she wasn't going to be able to). I hope you can get things managed and back into remission.

Don't beat yourself up... you are caring for your baby and doing the best you can for her and yourself. A happy healthy mama makes for a happy healthy baby. Be thankful there is another option and you can feed your baby with formula ... it wasn't always this easy! Before you know it she will be eating solids and then on to regular milk... once they are all toddling around the playground drinking sippy cups and eating goldfish crackers no one can tell who was breast fed and who was formula fed! The one bonus to my DS being formula fed was that my DH could help with ANY feeding. ... as well as my mom and my sister. I could go out with no problems cause I knew he could be fed an cared for without any extra effort/issues than what he was already used to. Try to see the positives in it! Hang in there

[carolinamama]

Just wanted to send you get well mojo. Take care of yourself. Your baby will be fine whether breast-fed or formula-fed. I know it is very difficult to face after you have worked so hard to establish your bfing relationship, but your baby will be better in the long run with a healthy mom, however that must be. Sorry you are having to go through this.

[AnnieW625]

so i'm wondering if anyone has experience with an abrupt transition to formula and can share some advice? i need to go out and buy formula and i don't even know what to get. we have some samples from the hospital/mailings but that's it. she takes a bottle no prob, so that shouldn't be an issue. also, i could use some encouragement, i'm feeling pretty discouraged and angry that my illness is interfering with my ability to care for my daughter. thanks BBB friends. :)

Hugs to you for your Chrons. I hope you are able to handle it. Not being able to breast feed doesn't mean that you aren't able to care for your daughter (one of my biggest pet peeves is when people think this. I didn't breast feed out side of the home by choice and I'd get strange looks too!) I had DD weaned by a week before she turned 4 mos. old. Formula wise we started with Similac, then switched to Enfamil that I liked better (consistency wise) and then found Target brand formula. It was very similar to Enfamil consistency and DD had no problems with it at all. We did try Good Start once and that stuff made DD poop like crazy.

[arivecchi]

We did Enfamil with both kiddos. Never had any issues. Good luck.

[caheinz]

Sending feel-better thoughts and hugs... I have Crohn's colitis, so I know exactly what you're feeling like...

I don't respond to steroids, either, but have had very good luck with Remicade. (And was on that for both pregnancies.) It's kept me in remission for over 7 years now.

I know it's expensive (good insurance is a must), but has your doctor had you try that yet? It seems to be more effective for Crohn's, but it can work for some with UC as well. It's totally safe with breastfeeding (the molecules are too large to enter the milk), and seems to be fine for pregnancy as well. (I suspect my first pregnancy was reported and is part of the dataset that suggests that it's safe. I did my own research prior to the first pg, and was at a research/teaching hospital.)

My last flare was before DS1 was born. I cannot imagine having a flare with kids, much less a newborn. I hope you find relief sooner than soon!

[Indianamom2]

I don't really have any advice about switching to formula (my Ds won't take a bottle for anything!), but I just wanted to say that I hope you are able to start feeling much better soon. Your health is important and by taking care of yourself now, you'll be better able to take care of your DD.

Have no fear, no matter how you feed your baby, she will be just fine. If I could switch to formula right now, I would. Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves as moms.

I do like the suggestion of another poster who mentioned pumping as much as you can today and mixing the formula with BM to ease into the transition. It can't hurt.

:hug:

[ccather]

Another Colitis Mom here. I had three successful pregnancies and a year for each of BF'ing on my UC drugs. I'm not a fan of steriods and I don't really work well for me (nevermind the miserable side effects.) I take azathioprine (6mp) and pentasa as my cocktail. Also some Rowasa enemas when I'm actively flaring (which get to work right away!) My doc is also recommending the remicade infusions as another option for me, but the drugs are working for now, so I'm happy.

Have you tried other drug options? Are there other things that the doc can suggest??

[boogiemomz]

thanks for the encouragement and advice. i just got some more formula samples today at the peds office, and between what i have in samples and the BM i already have stored in the freezer, that should be able to get her through. my mom is coming in tomorrow morning and i will probably go in to the hospital after that.

now i'm just dealing with the thought of possibly not seeing DD at all for the next 4-5 days... completely heartbroken. DH doesn't want her coming to the hospital and getting exposed to stuff there. i haven't been away from her for more than 2 hours her whole life... granted not that long, but i just can't imagine going days at a time being away from her.

thanks also to crohn's/colitis moms for sharing your experience. this gives me some hope. i have been on remicade before but was in remission anyway so don't know if it was really helping. i haven't been on remicade in several years though so it is questionable whether i will be able to go back on it due to the potential for allergic reaction after a long hiatus. maybe worth a try though.

[elephantmeg]

I don't know where you live but we really aren't seeing the flu/pneumonia that we would expect at this time of the year. So the hospital I work at has actually relaxed the visitation policies. See what the unit looks like, hope (or ask!) for a private room, look around to see if there are lots of yellow signs with isolation instructions around... if not your baby will PROB be ok with good handwashing and in the bucket seat IYKWIM. Ask your doctor too-he may know a unit that has less infectious stuff that he can request you going to. Again, hugs. Glad your mom is comming, and hang in there!