Dehydration Bronchitis 11 Months Old HELP!

One of my girls was hospitalized when she was just over a year for dehydration. She wouldn't drink pedialyte so the doctors told me to give her Gatorade. She took this much easier. They just told me no milk because it's just too hard on her stomach.

If she is lethargic and not keeping liquids down I'd say it's time to take her to the hospital again and get her on IVs.

If your doctor told you not to nurse her any more, then get more info as to WHY.
Nursing is the best thing for babies. And breastmilk is considered a "clear liquid" so it's exactly what a dehydrated baby needs. If it wasn't your doctor who told you to stop nursing, then keep nursing!
Good luck to you and your baby!

When my 12 mo old have a stomach virus for 8 days (!) nursing was key to keeping her hydrated and comforted. One day she nursed all day long, more for comfort than anything else. Not nursing makes no sense to me.

Oh my heavens... whoever has told you not to nurse her anymore??? Breast milk is the PERFECT food AND liquid... you can't get better than that.

And if she's not feeling well, the extra comfort of breast-feeding should soothe her as well. Make whatever time you possibly can, grab a book or turn on the tube or whatever... and let her nurse to her heart's content!

Pedialyte is great when you need a break, but the only nutrition an infant needs in the first year is in your breast milk. Plus you're sharing your antibodies with her, to help her fight off the bugs inside her.

I don't know why you wouldn't nurse, especially if she is getting dehydrated. I do know that diary products can be very bothersome on a sick stomach so I would suggest cutting back on dairy yourself while you are breastfeeding a sick baby, but I wouldn't stop breastfeeding.
Also it may be helpful if she only takes small amounts at a time, often, throughout the day.
A pamphlet I have on baby's health issues does suggest to stop nursing for a little while, but keep pumping, to help with diarrhea. So feeding them Solids that will help like the BRAT diet, but then back to nursing. i don't remember how long it said to stop nursing but it wasn't long.
My daughter (11 months) is just getting over the stomach bug herself. All she will eat are cheerios and her formula. She is on a hypo-allergenic formula so we don't have to worry as much about milk-upsetting-her-tummy issue. She would also take water here and there. If she would still nurse i would do it.
Good luck this is no fun and scary.

NURSE, NURSE, NURSE, NURSE, NURSE..... I don;t know why you would ever be told not to, it lowers your milk supply and just makes you and her miserable. She needs that more than anything right now. Breastmilk is not a dairy product so she should be able to have all she wants.

Who told you not to nurse her? That is like, the worst advice ever! Breastmilk is considered a "clear liquid" for nutritional purposes, unlike formula, which is dairy. Furthermore, your body will create antibodies to whatever germs she is fighting and she will get them through your breastmilk. Personally, I would do nothing but nurse, nurse, nurse. You don't need to give her Pedialyte if she is nursing fine.

Ok, who told you not to nurse her? The doctor? Is it because she will throw-up every time?
Ok,first of all ,I am not a doctor but a mom of three 6 and under who has been nursing non stop since my first was born . I am still nursing my 17 months old and did tandem nurse the first two for a year. So, i have A LOT of experience with nursing through sicknesses (since i never stop nursing since my first one was born)and even surgery(my last one got heart surgery at 7 months).So, here is for you what i will do if she were mine:
Nurse her as long as she will take it .Why nurse? Even if she throw up half of it,at least she got something in which will help with the dehydration .It is what your guys are used to do.So it is comforting to you both and this is good while she sick. She does get the nourishment and immune benefit of nursing even at 11 months old. And she needs even more immune protection when she is sick.My first two used to nurse every 2/3 hours when they were sick.It was just like having newborns again for 5/7 days and then they were fine until the next sicknesses (sigh) . However ,my last one was not so good at nursing a lot through sicknesses .As a result (i think) ,it always takes him a lot longer to recover from sicknesses .It could be his heart problems too though.
Over the summer, he got Roseola and totally refuse to eat or drink anything at all . We even try formula then as he was refusing milk ,pumped breastmilk ,my boob, juice .... nothing worked. So we took him back to the doctor very worried. The doctor said that he was mildly dehydrated and gave us the choice to hospitalised him for I.V. or try to syringe feeding him liquid(pumped breastmilk mostly and some formula) over the weekend. It was A VERY HARD weekend .We were feeding him 10 ml of liquid every hour or so per syringe as this is all it will take. By monday, we went back to the doctor . He was still dehydrated but much better and started taking sippy and breast again and was on his way to recovery.
So, here this my experience with nursing through sicknesses .Hope some of this help.
Good luck and hang in there.Just offer her liquid often and the dehydration should get better.However if you still worry about her being dehydrated ,don't hesitate to take her back.Better safe than sorry.And remember you are the mom and mom have usually good instinct .So, trust your and good luck. :-)
N..

Dehydration can be scary. I don't know who told you not to nurse or why, but I can't think of any reasons why you shouldn't.
The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends babies continue to breastfeed until they are at least one year old; UNICEF and the World Health Organization both recommend until age two, so you're hardly out of the range of normal.
We've had cryptosporidium and rotavirus at different occasions with my three children. Both sicknesses are very dehydrating with lots of vomiting and diarrhea, and we managed to avoid a hospital stay both times because of breastfeeding.
Our pediatrician told me there is some (anecdotal) evidence that sick babies are more likely to throw up milk than Pedialyte, just because it requires some minimal digestive processing with its fat and protein content (whereas Pedialyte is just salt water). Even so, he said the fat and protein in mother's milk is beneficial as Baby starts to recover, and even if vomiting continues, *some* stays down and is helpful.
He also said if I was willing to be the "Mom I.V." and just hang our in the recliner and nurse the baby all day, that would be so much less stressful than being admitted to the hospital and running an I.V. to try to get rehydrated. He said all the stress and crying could be a waste of calories and strength, and could make Baby feel worse. As long as I had the option, I much preferred phone calls and several trips to the doctor's office to be checked for improvement to a hospital stay!
Most current anesthesiologists consider human milk to be a "clear fluid" and do not limit it before surgery the way they would suggest limiting other foods. It is digested within 90 minutes and is less dangerous for a newborn to aspirate than water, because of its germ-fighting properties. If you are able to nurse and your baby is interested in nursing, it seems like the logical thing to do to aid healing and reduce stress. What a relief you have the option!
Consider calling your local La Leche League Leader (find her number at www.lllusa.org) if you have other questions. They offer medically accurate information and all their services are free.
I hope you're all feeling better soon! Hang in there!

My 6 mo old & I once sat in the ER for 5 hours waiting for him to be seen. He'd not had a wet diaper in over 24 hours, constant diarhea & a bleeding bottom. I had taken a bottle of Pedialyte (Walmart's version) to the ER w/me & just filled his bottle. When it was empty & he wanted more, I filled it again. While we were waiting he killed the entire bottle. The doc yelled at me for doing it, but had I followed their advice of an ounce an hour I think it was, he'd have been admitted & stuck w/an IV. Once I filled him full of Pedialyte (on my terms) they said since he was peeing again, he was fine to go home. I had some crazy poopy diapers to change & a bluish green bottom to wipe for a couple of days but we avoided admitting & IV. I would say to keep doing what you're doing (I don't know why they'd tell you not to nurse, I'd get a second opinion on that one) & give her as much to drink as she's willing to take. Hope you avoid another trip to the hospital & she's feeling better soon!

Nurse nurse nurse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i agree with the other moms.we recently went through the same kind of stomach bug. it is always easier to throw up something rather than nothing(dry heaving). so i would let her eat and drink anything soft like crackers and jello. plus her throat might hurt. those cold and cough suckers wotk really good . they sooth. but Popsicles are great. chipped ice . helps as well. hot steamy baths with vapor bath help a lot with the humidifier too.
good luck and god bless