What is "wind" supposed to be? Is it also caused by another name? Then again maybe it is good that I don't know what that is because I would have thought of a heart defect first anyway (due to hearing about a case of a preschooler having open heart surgery... a blue coloring was one of the signs). Renata Mangrum, MPH, RD. http://nurturingnotes.blogspot.com http://infantfeedinghistory.blogspot.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/renatamangrum On Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 8:24 AM, heather <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > We are obsessed with babies having what we call 'wind' in the UK - the back > thumping and patting that mothers think they have to do is crazy (***why*** > would a series of thumps on the *back* get rid of air in the *stomach*? If > an adult feels bloated, windy, flatulent or whatever, does he/she get their > partner to backslap for half an hour? No.....I think not. Sounds extremely > irritating, too) > > I have permission to share the following story - the mother wants people to > know what happened and I offered to post her experiences. I don't think I > included Lactnet when I first wrote about it earlier this year. > > Joanna is the mother, and Tom is the baby. Born at term, normal weight, not > got details, sorry. > > Over a period of 4.5 weeks, Joanna experienced continuous difficulties > with Tom staying on the breast. He kept latching and then coming off, again > and again. He gained well in week 2 and then lost weight in week 3 and then > gained a little in week 4. Output normal. But he did not stay on the breast > well at all. > > His lips were often blue after a feed, and his hands and feet were always > very cold. > > The mum was told by her healthcare professionals (several of them, over > these weeks, who actually saw the baby) that lots of babies have cold feet, > and that the blue lips were normal - and that blue lips show the baby has > 'wind'. This is a common idea in the UK, though sometimes it is a blue > tinge above the lip that is supposed to be a sign of wind. > > Anyway.....did Tom 'have wind'? No. He was cyanotic and the continued and > increased difficulty with breathing and feeding was affecting his growth and > risking his life at every feed. A vigilant health visitor (one she had not > seen before) at a breastfeeding support group Joanna happened to go to > spotted it. Joanna was at the group because everyone had told her she had a > problem with her milk supply and little Tom's on-off feeding was due to > wind (they'd seen the proof in the blue lips, after all) . Anyway, this HV > saw the blue lips and sent Joanna and Tom immediately to hospital - not even > stopping off at home first. > > > Within a very short time (an hour or so, I think), Tom was diagnosed with a > major heart defect (transposition of the great arteries) and several holes > in the heart. He had an operation later that same day, which saved his life. > > He had a more permanent op some weeks later, and Joanna has managed to keep > some breastfeeding going, last I heard, together with expressing. > > Heather Welford Neil > NCT bfc, tutor, UK > > *********************************************** > > Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html > To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] > Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] > COMMANDS: > 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set > lactnet nomail > 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail > 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet > 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome > *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome