Wow,
        My first digest, off no-mail, and a note about a situation I know
dearly!
        My first son has a paralyzed left vocal chord also -- he had great
difficulty nursing/weight gain for the first 6-8 months... one thing that
helped him greatly was some cranio-sacral work. But it was always a struggle.
        I had great difficulty bringing in and maintaining an adequate milk
supply. He lost 10% the first week and eeeked upward very very slowly over
the next few months. He regained his birthweight of 10lbs between 9-11 weeks
old. I never tried Reglan,  or fenugreek as I didn't know of them at the
time (1994) but did use blessed thistle with little result. I never got more
than 1.5 ounces (45ml) from pumping, before, during or after a nursing
session with an Ameda Egnell hospital double pump... very frustrating.
        My son was quick to get "confused" by anything else in his mouth,
pacifier, finger, eyedropper, spoon, and would refuse the breast with great
screaming arching back if he'd gotten food any other way in just ONE
previous feed.
         He always nursed better when asleep. Wish I'd thought to try him in
the tub as well....

        AS for aspiration and reflux... aspiration wasn't an issue if it did
happen -- breastmilk being absorbed by lungs as has been discussed on
lactnet before --- but reflux was definetely a laundry dilemma and to some
extent a food amount dilemma... I was constantly worried that since he
wasn't gaining weight well that anything he spit up he really needed to be
digesting instead...

Hope this helps if mom wants to know more about how we've dealt since then,
through 4 years old, contact me personally and we can set it up!!

Anne Robb, LLLL, Oregon