Thursday night Bella started throwing up her formula again. So I automatically switched back to pedialyte and continued to give her only pedialyte through the night. This worked last time and she was able to keep it down. Well she started vomitting that back up to. I start FREAKING out in the middle of the night and Nathan tells me he will follow my lead. He says my mommy instincts have never been wrong. I tell him I will see how she does with her other nightly feedings. Well she managed to throw them up. I decided that if her last feeding went badly, I was taking her to the pedi. They only had an appointment with a nurse practioner. Now I have nothing agains NPs per se, but after just being in the ER I wanted to speak with a doctor.
I decide to go to the ER just to make sure she isn't deyhdrated again, because she hadn't had too many pee diapers again. Of course she wasn't because she wasn't keeping ANYTHING down. My grandmother and aunt went with me to the hospital. We got put into our own room. I was completely grateful for this since the triage room is a nightmare from hell. In walks in a nurse practioner. Fucking Great! Just what I was wanting to avoid. She looks Bella over and tells me that the diagnosis of a stomach bug for Tuesday's visit is wrong. She pushes on Bella's tummy and out comes all the pedialyte she just drank.
She thinks Bella may have an underdeveloped pyloris. This is fixed with a lacrospcopic surgery. Immediately I start to panic. My heart starts racing and I'm trying to remain calm so that Bells doesn't pick up on my anxiety. They schedule a sono. We go up and of course I have no idea what I'm looking at so I focus on trying to keep Bella calm. We go back down to our room and wait. The NP finally comes in and tells us everything looks fine. No surgery! PHEW! That was a bullet dodged. With that ruled out, she tells me what is wrong. She tells me she has GERD. Well duh, I already knew that. She tells me that Bells has sever reflux and we are going to make some changes.
Apparently Bella's refulx is so bad that now I have to put rice cereal in all her bottles. I had been doing this at night and noticed she NEVER spit up her night time bottles. She took her off of Zantac and put her on Prevacid. I got the lecture on how to hold her while feeding and to keep her upright after every feeding for 30-45 minutes. Of course, this is all stuff I already knew and am already doing. She tells me her kids had both problems. One had an underdevolped pyloris and the other severe GERD just like Bells. She told me that by 6 months, her GERD should be better. Once she can sit up by herself, she will be much better.
That ER visit left me feeling so much better. I knew it couldn't have been just a little tummy bug. I knew it had to be something else for her to keep vomitting after she had done so well for an entire day. I am so happy to have an answer. We shall see how the new routine goes. I hope it goes well.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Worst night EVER
Last night was seriously THE worst night of my entire life! Arabella had been vomitting all day. For a baby with GERD this is not abnormal. However, with GERD usually they will spit up right after they eat. Arabella was spitting up ALL of her food after about 30-45 minutes. She wasn't eating as much but sometimes she does that and then clusterfeeds in the evenings. This didn't make me worry too much. She had VERY watery stools and we only changed her diaper 3 times from the hours of 8:30am-8:30pm. Since I kiss the top of her head a milion times a day, I had noticed her soft spot was super soft. I found out later that, that was a sign of dehydration.
After all that, I sent Nathan to the store for some pedialyte to see if she could keep it down. What really freaked me out was her inablility to keep down the two ounces of pedialyte. Once she threw that up, I freaked out. At the urging of some of my mommy friends, I decided to call the pedi and figure out where to go from there. I called the pedi and waited 30 minutes for him to call me back. The entire time I was on pins and needles. He asked what was going on and I told him. He told me to take her immediately to the ER.
We drove across town to the children's hospital and the drive took FOREVER. It only took about an hour and half for them to call her back. Being in a triage room of a children's hospital is nightmarish. All these other kiddos are screaming at the top of their lungs because they are being poked and prodded. I heard several screams followed by wailing for Mommy. Needless to say, it was very unpleasant.
It got much more unpleasant from there. They came and looked Bella. They asked what her weight was at her last appointment. I told them 12 pounds and 12 ounces. She then told me that Bells had last 10 percent of her body weight. This immediately sent me into panic mode. They told me they were going to run tests on blood, stool, and urine. Since Bella had been screaming at the top of her lungs during the day, I mentioned that. Bells is a pretty laid back baby. Even with Colic she doesn't scream or cry. She cries only when she needs changing, is hungry or cold. Since it was out of the ordinary for her to be crying the way she was (inconsolably), xrays were also going to be done. I was also informed that she needed fluids.
They tried to stick and IV in her hand, but because she was so dehydrated,they couldn't get it to work. They put an IV in her foot and made this little shoe thing to keep her foot straight. They then gave her a medicine through her IV to stop the vomitting. Then it was time for the tests. They put a catheter in to get some urine and removed it right away. They took a stool sample, and did a heel stick to get TWO vials of blood. Nothing sucks more than having to help some nurses hold your baby down while she cries from pain. I managed to stay calm during all this, but once it was over, I just started bawling. I was holding my baby who I just held down and was crying from pain. After some snuggling she was perfect. She even smiled and laughed at me.
Time came for the Xray. We went up and the lady looks at me and immediately tells me I have to wait outside. She instructs Nathan to put on the lead apron and hold Bella down. So while I am waiting outside, I hear her screaming. Now I know xrays don't hurt at all, but I felt so horrible for her. I was really pissed that I didn't get to be there with her to comfort her. Luckily, all this was quick and we were back in triage in no time. Once we got back the nurse came back and said she wanted us to see if we could get her to keep pedialyte back. I had to give her 5 mls every 5 minutes. After she was able to keep down an ounce they told me to stop. We waited for another hour and they came back and told us all her tests were normal and so were her xrays. Then they told us they wanted her to take another ounce of the pedialyte. We repeated the routine and she was good. Finally we got discharged. The diagnosis was a stomach bug.
We were at the ER from 9:30pm to 3:30am. It was a compltely nightmarish experience that I hope to never repeat again. When we got home she was wide awake. I swaddled her, put her in her crib and didn't hear a peep until 11is this morning. She slept a full 8 hours. I gave her pedialyte all day long and finally this evening I gave her her night time bottle. She kept her pedialyte down and so far her night time bottle too.
I knew she would get sick, but I really thought it would be a cold. Never in a million years did I think the first time she got sick we would be at a hospital. I don't know where she got the bug from because I'm neurtoic about people coming over if they are sick. She is doing better now and for that I am thankful. I just hope this doesn't happen again.
After all that, I sent Nathan to the store for some pedialyte to see if she could keep it down. What really freaked me out was her inablility to keep down the two ounces of pedialyte. Once she threw that up, I freaked out. At the urging of some of my mommy friends, I decided to call the pedi and figure out where to go from there. I called the pedi and waited 30 minutes for him to call me back. The entire time I was on pins and needles. He asked what was going on and I told him. He told me to take her immediately to the ER.
We drove across town to the children's hospital and the drive took FOREVER. It only took about an hour and half for them to call her back. Being in a triage room of a children's hospital is nightmarish. All these other kiddos are screaming at the top of their lungs because they are being poked and prodded. I heard several screams followed by wailing for Mommy. Needless to say, it was very unpleasant.
It got much more unpleasant from there. They came and looked Bella. They asked what her weight was at her last appointment. I told them 12 pounds and 12 ounces. She then told me that Bells had last 10 percent of her body weight. This immediately sent me into panic mode. They told me they were going to run tests on blood, stool, and urine. Since Bella had been screaming at the top of her lungs during the day, I mentioned that. Bells is a pretty laid back baby. Even with Colic she doesn't scream or cry. She cries only when she needs changing, is hungry or cold. Since it was out of the ordinary for her to be crying the way she was (inconsolably), xrays were also going to be done. I was also informed that she needed fluids.
They tried to stick and IV in her hand, but because she was so dehydrated,they couldn't get it to work. They put an IV in her foot and made this little shoe thing to keep her foot straight. They then gave her a medicine through her IV to stop the vomitting. Then it was time for the tests. They put a catheter in to get some urine and removed it right away. They took a stool sample, and did a heel stick to get TWO vials of blood. Nothing sucks more than having to help some nurses hold your baby down while she cries from pain. I managed to stay calm during all this, but once it was over, I just started bawling. I was holding my baby who I just held down and was crying from pain. After some snuggling she was perfect. She even smiled and laughed at me.
Time came for the Xray. We went up and the lady looks at me and immediately tells me I have to wait outside. She instructs Nathan to put on the lead apron and hold Bella down. So while I am waiting outside, I hear her screaming. Now I know xrays don't hurt at all, but I felt so horrible for her. I was really pissed that I didn't get to be there with her to comfort her. Luckily, all this was quick and we were back in triage in no time. Once we got back the nurse came back and said she wanted us to see if we could get her to keep pedialyte back. I had to give her 5 mls every 5 minutes. After she was able to keep down an ounce they told me to stop. We waited for another hour and they came back and told us all her tests were normal and so were her xrays. Then they told us they wanted her to take another ounce of the pedialyte. We repeated the routine and she was good. Finally we got discharged. The diagnosis was a stomach bug.
We were at the ER from 9:30pm to 3:30am. It was a compltely nightmarish experience that I hope to never repeat again. When we got home she was wide awake. I swaddled her, put her in her crib and didn't hear a peep until 11is this morning. She slept a full 8 hours. I gave her pedialyte all day long and finally this evening I gave her her night time bottle. She kept her pedialyte down and so far her night time bottle too.
I knew she would get sick, but I really thought it would be a cold. Never in a million years did I think the first time she got sick we would be at a hospital. I don't know where she got the bug from because I'm neurtoic about people coming over if they are sick. She is doing better now and for that I am thankful. I just hope this doesn't happen again.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Some Pictures!
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I have been trying to capture Arabella's smiles on camera. I managed to get a couple of somewhat decent shots so here they are.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Giggles and Smiles
Arabella has graced us with giggles and smiles. She gave her first smile to her daddy. I was bathing her in the kitchen and he come up and started playing with her. She looked at him and broke out into the hugest Grin I have ever seen. I was so excited. Her first real smile.
On superbowl sunday, I was holding her and watching her face as she dreamed. She smiled and all of a sudden laughed! It was the most adoreable thing. She did it a couple of more times and I couldn't help but be amazed.
Since Nathan and I sleep in shifts when he brings her to me in the mornings I get smiles. I lay there for 10 minutes talking to her while she smiles at me. This morning I got a little laugh from her. It is now my new mission in life to make this little girl smile and laugh. I get so excited. I have been trying to get her to smile in pictures, but I never catch it in time. When I do though, I will post a picture.
On superbowl sunday, I was holding her and watching her face as she dreamed. She smiled and all of a sudden laughed! It was the most adoreable thing. She did it a couple of more times and I couldn't help but be amazed.
Since Nathan and I sleep in shifts when he brings her to me in the mornings I get smiles. I lay there for 10 minutes talking to her while she smiles at me. This morning I got a little laugh from her. It is now my new mission in life to make this little girl smile and laugh. I get so excited. I have been trying to get her to smile in pictures, but I never catch it in time. When I do though, I will post a picture.
Lessons learned so far:
Sleep Attire: Sleep sacs, footie jammies (with zippers), and those cute little dusters are the best things EVER! They make for quick late night changes. Trying to snap a dozen snaps half asleep with a wiggleworm of a baby is really no easy task. Zippers or the dusters which can simply be pulled up are a new mom's or any mom's best friend. It's quick and easy.
Gas: If your baby is prone to a lot of gas, put Mylicon in his/her bottles. Just one dose per bottle. Baby can have this 12 times in a 24 hour period. Arabella is formula fed so doing this minimizes the bubbles. If you shake a bottle after Mylicon, the bubbles simply disappear. Arabella also has colic so this helps GREATLY reduce her gas. My sister in law gave me this wonderful little piece of information.
Colic: Gripe water is OK, but my favorite colic remedy thus far is Humphrey's number 31! You dissolve these little pellets in her 1/2 tsp of water and administer orally. This is awesome. They are all natural. They have chamomile in them so they help baby sleep. These are a Godsend and were recommended by a nestie.
Also under colic, the vibrating bouncer seat is wonderful. The vibrations soothe and help break up gas bubbles.
Onsies: Gerber sizes run really small. Before Arabella was born, I bought some Gerber onsies. I'm not nuts about them. My favorite brand so far is Carter's or Child of mine as well as One Year which are divisions of Carter's. These sizes run a little big. Arabella fit into her newborn onsies of these brands for 6 weeks.
George's has the cutest 100% organic onesies with a Kimono front. If baby spits up, no pulling the onesie overhead, you just unsnap the kimono front and take it off like you would a jacket. LOVE these!
Messages of the heart is super cute. The clothes are adoreable. I have no idea where to get this brand as a lot of the stuff I got from them were gifts. I absoloutely love their clothes.
Osh Kosh, of course is my one of my all time favorites. I grew up in their overalls. Arabella has the cutest little outfits from them.
Diapers: So far I have tried Pampers, Huggies and Luvs. The only brand I like so far is Huggies. The Pampers and Luvs leaked all over, and I didn't wait super long to change her. I got sick of soaked onsies and receiving blankets. Huggies little snugglers is where it's at. Pampers swaddlers and Luvs get two thumbs down.
Bottles: One must be careful when using the playtex liner system. I have had the bags burst on me when trying to get the air out three times. After the third time, I stopped using them. My nails weren't long and there was nothing that could have punctured the liner.
Formula: I have tried 7 formulas with Bella. She ended up going back to the one we left with at the hospital. She has GERD so she uses Similac Sensitive RS. I have learned Soy Forumula smells horrible after your child spits up on you! :) The Nutramigen and Alimentum smell the worst. They are also supposed to be the best in the tummy issues department.
Boppy: This thing has so many uses. Our primary use is for sleeping. Arabella doesn't like being flat on her back. If lay her on top of it, it keeps her head higher than the rest of her body. For a baby with GERD that spits up quite a bit, this is a blessing. She screamed bloody murder the first night home in her crib. After we put her on the Boppy, she fell asleep immediately.
This is all I have so far. If this helps another new mom out there, I'll be happy.
Gas: If your baby is prone to a lot of gas, put Mylicon in his/her bottles. Just one dose per bottle. Baby can have this 12 times in a 24 hour period. Arabella is formula fed so doing this minimizes the bubbles. If you shake a bottle after Mylicon, the bubbles simply disappear. Arabella also has colic so this helps GREATLY reduce her gas. My sister in law gave me this wonderful little piece of information.
Colic: Gripe water is OK, but my favorite colic remedy thus far is Humphrey's number 31! You dissolve these little pellets in her 1/2 tsp of water and administer orally. This is awesome. They are all natural. They have chamomile in them so they help baby sleep. These are a Godsend and were recommended by a nestie.
Also under colic, the vibrating bouncer seat is wonderful. The vibrations soothe and help break up gas bubbles.
Onsies: Gerber sizes run really small. Before Arabella was born, I bought some Gerber onsies. I'm not nuts about them. My favorite brand so far is Carter's or Child of mine as well as One Year which are divisions of Carter's. These sizes run a little big. Arabella fit into her newborn onsies of these brands for 6 weeks.
George's has the cutest 100% organic onesies with a Kimono front. If baby spits up, no pulling the onesie overhead, you just unsnap the kimono front and take it off like you would a jacket. LOVE these!
Messages of the heart is super cute. The clothes are adoreable. I have no idea where to get this brand as a lot of the stuff I got from them were gifts. I absoloutely love their clothes.
Osh Kosh, of course is my one of my all time favorites. I grew up in their overalls. Arabella has the cutest little outfits from them.
Diapers: So far I have tried Pampers, Huggies and Luvs. The only brand I like so far is Huggies. The Pampers and Luvs leaked all over, and I didn't wait super long to change her. I got sick of soaked onsies and receiving blankets. Huggies little snugglers is where it's at. Pampers swaddlers and Luvs get two thumbs down.
Bottles: One must be careful when using the playtex liner system. I have had the bags burst on me when trying to get the air out three times. After the third time, I stopped using them. My nails weren't long and there was nothing that could have punctured the liner.
Formula: I have tried 7 formulas with Bella. She ended up going back to the one we left with at the hospital. She has GERD so she uses Similac Sensitive RS. I have learned Soy Forumula smells horrible after your child spits up on you! :) The Nutramigen and Alimentum smell the worst. They are also supposed to be the best in the tummy issues department.
Boppy: This thing has so many uses. Our primary use is for sleeping. Arabella doesn't like being flat on her back. If lay her on top of it, it keeps her head higher than the rest of her body. For a baby with GERD that spits up quite a bit, this is a blessing. She screamed bloody murder the first night home in her crib. After we put her on the Boppy, she fell asleep immediately.
This is all I have so far. If this helps another new mom out there, I'll be happy.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Managing Colic and Switching Pedis
Well the little one is 7 weeks old. Things are still rough. We have managed to get her colic to where it is at least manageable. Before we were giving her mylicon and gripe water. I was alternating between the two, but it didn't seem to be helping as much as I thought it would. My wonderful sister in law told me to put mylicon in her bottles. I did and like magic, most of her gassiness disappeared. A friend of mine recommended Humphrey's Colic Remedy. Let me just say, this stuff is amazing. It's all natural and has chamomile to help her sleep. Last night was the third night we used it and it worked well. She sleeps a full 4-5 hours before waking for a diaper change and bottle. Even though I give her another dose at night, Nathan can never get her back to sleep on his shift. But as soon as he hands her to me in the morning she crashes out. She likes to be held constantly. I used to be able to put her in her swing, on her boppy or anywhere really. Now I put her down and within 5 minutes she starts crying. I pick her up and she immediately falls asleep.
I am trying to get her in the habit of sleeping in her crib more. She doesn't sleep with us or even in our room, we just stay up and hold her. So now when she falls out, I put her in her crib. I want her to be more comfortable sleeping in her own bed instead of us holding her constantly. At nights, I take a heating pad and put it on under her quilt before I start her bedtime routine. I get it warm for her and then turn it off before we set her in her crib. The warmth seems to help her. I hold her all day long, and I love it, but once I go back to work, there will be no way to continue staying up all night long like we are. I don't know how my husband does it.
I have switched pediatricians because my last pedi was a crackpot. At my two week appointment he told me to not feed her at night and let her cry it out. That was strike one. Strike two was telling me not to bring her in unless her fever was 104. The guy is obviously off his rocker.
Arabella also has a horrible eye infection. She had a clogged tear duct and the pediatrician told us not to worry about it. We were to keep it clean and massage her tear duct several times a day. It kept getting worse and finally her eye was getting raw from me wiping it. I took her to another pediatrician and saw another GP and she was given antibiotic drops. Her eye is clearing up beautifully.
I am trying to get her in the habit of sleeping in her crib more. She doesn't sleep with us or even in our room, we just stay up and hold her. So now when she falls out, I put her in her crib. I want her to be more comfortable sleeping in her own bed instead of us holding her constantly. At nights, I take a heating pad and put it on under her quilt before I start her bedtime routine. I get it warm for her and then turn it off before we set her in her crib. The warmth seems to help her. I hold her all day long, and I love it, but once I go back to work, there will be no way to continue staying up all night long like we are. I don't know how my husband does it.
I have switched pediatricians because my last pedi was a crackpot. At my two week appointment he told me to not feed her at night and let her cry it out. That was strike one. Strike two was telling me not to bring her in unless her fever was 104. The guy is obviously off his rocker.
Arabella also has a horrible eye infection. She had a clogged tear duct and the pediatrician told us not to worry about it. We were to keep it clean and massage her tear duct several times a day. It kept getting worse and finally her eye was getting raw from me wiping it. I took her to another pediatrician and saw another GP and she was given antibiotic drops. Her eye is clearing up beautifully.
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