Houston, we have a problem.
You know, I was just starting to feel like we were making ground on the breastfeeding front… Levi was able to breastfeed for almost 20 minutes at each feeding before we gave him a bottle; my supply was finally kicking into gear; it wasn’t hurting near as much anymore… when suddenly late last week, we developed yet another new complication. I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say that we could tell something had gone awry based on Levi’s diapers. Color, texture and content were all “off.” Plus he started getting really fussy and inconsolable, which is not like him. We called the pediatrician, who basically told us to call back or go to the E.R. if things kept bleeding and/or he developed other symptoms.
First, some background (which is how you diagnose usually-fuzzy baby symptoms).
- Disposition: Levi is usually a very happy and laid-back little guy, crying only when he really has something to say. Dirty diapers don’t make him upset. He’s even pretty patient when he’s famished as long as he knows breakfast is on the way. But lately, he pouts, cries, screams, stiffens his legs… the whole shebang… and it can last for a long time.
- Appetite: as anyone who looks at him can tell, the boy can pack it away. He has been gaining weight like a champ all along, although he has always mildly resisted certain aspects of feeding time. Namely, breastfeeding and bottle-feeding (two rather pivotal aspects to feeding a baby). Both take some coercion, but obviously we have to get the food down him somehow so he finally concedes. When he was younger, we supplemented him with formula when he needed more than I could provide, but these days all he eats is breast milk.
- Gassiness and spitting up: the boy burps like he’s prepping for a contest. He even drew some comments from other moms in the nursing room at church yesterday morning. But I thought maybe that was normal for a little boy. Also, he never spit up when he was younger, but that keeps getting worse and worse (thus it’s not acid reflux, which would be getting better). It’s not caused by over-eating either, because he will spit up after an unusually small meal sometimes.
- Sleep: not so much. Before he was even 7 weeks old he could sleep for 5 hours at a time, so I know the boy is capable of going for long stretches. However, he still isn’t sleeping through the night. In fact, he’s on a pretty regular 2- to 3-hour schedule for getting up to eat.
- Diapers: profuse. Definitely more than the recommended daily allowance. But generally “normal” for breast-fed babies.
- General health: the poor guy always sneezes a lot and has a stuffy nose. Sometimes at night an entire nostril gets totally clogged. He also has a few skin issues, and has already had one round of diarrhea.
Thanks to the Internet (where would we be without that?!?), we’ve now learned that the apparent culprit is probably some form of food sensitivity. Man, that Dr. Sears website is the best. The light is now dawning. I think the problem has been there all along, but it didn’t get really obvious and problematic until recently. Night waking, nasal drainage, sneezing, skin problems, spitting up, boycotting his food… all the classic signs were there. So now, until we figure out what things he’s allergic or hypersensitive to, the only way to keep him feeling good is to feed him formula. If he’s anything like me, he’s probably only allergic to, oh you know, EVERYTHING! Corn, wheat, soy, milk, everything green, dust, cats, dogs…
Good grief – this is just what we need. We were just getting into the swing of things – FINALLY. After THREE LONG MONTHS. Heck, at least I should be well-versed if ever I decide to pursue a career in lactation consulting. Just pray for us! Pray for my attitude (which is obviously not at its best at the moment), pray for me not to get discouraged, and pray for us to get a hard-earned break!
Jessica – Your pedi has probably already told you this but there is a simple blood test babies can get at 4 mos. of age to test for about 10 common things – Isaac had it and we discovered his milk and egg allergy. He also had eczema – probably tied closely to the milk/egg issue as it’s much better now – if you were asking my advice (wink), I would suggest a visit to a pediatric dermatologist for that issue if it persists – our regular pediatrician prescribed lots of different creams over a period of months, none of which worked until we went to the dermatologist – who knew exactly what to do (for example, our pedi said give him sponge baths and put as little water on his skin as possible – the dermatologist said the opposite – give him hydration and let him sit in the tub for at least 20 min twice a day till he’s pruny…I was suspicious but it totally worked!…along w/ the dermatologist giving us the RIGHT creams). Also – I have friend who’s little girl had the bloody diaper issue so I’d be happy to hook you up w/ her if you like. You know, just when you get things figured out – those little toots decide to change – I think that never stops!