Well, Asher does.
I took him to the Pediatrician yesterday because over the past 3 weeks I've noticed an increasing amount of blood-streaked, mucousy stuff in his poo. It doesn't happen in every dirty diaper, but at least 3x a week I've seen this very unsettling sight. With the move and new job {read: new insurance} it took me this long to get him in.
Our new Pediatrician was super nice and listened to my lengthy description of his symptoms and even took a peak at a dirty diaper I hauled in with me {hands down, grossest things I've had to do as a Mom so far}. After our discussion and a physical exam of Asher she believes that he has a milk protein allergy.
The weird thing is that this just manifested itself a few weeks ago {most kids who are allergic show the allergy from birth} and he hasn't been vomiting or experiencing intestinal pain. I was hoping it would be something that we could control through my diet, since I've been exclusively breastfeeding since his birth, but the Pedi thinks that won't be enough to clear it up entirely since my milk will contain the protein as well.
She recommended giving him hypoallergenic formula over the weekend to see if that stops the bloody poos. In the office I was so shocked to hear all of this that I agreed to the plan, took the formula samples, and headed home. It wasn't until I was getting ready to give him the bottle at bedtime that I started getting upset. I just cried and cried over this bottle of formula. Have you ever smelled Alimentum? It stinks like a wet dog. I felt like a terrible mother feeding that to my little guy. You should have seen the disgusted look on his face. But, bless his heart, he drank it down like a champ.
Meanwhile, I'm crying and ended up giving him to Drew halfway though the feeding. Not only does it smell like the worst food imaginable, we've worked so hard to keep up with breastfeeding that I can't fathom just stopping cold turkey.
If I have milk to give him, isn't that the best?! Shouldn't we at least try to alter my diet and see if that helps his symptoms?
I mean, he's a thriving {mostly healthy} boy who loves mama's milk! I'd be willing to do whatever it takes to make my milk tolerable for his little body. I am really hoping that cutting all dairy out of my diet might be enough to help him. His symptoms are so minor it doesn't seem like it should take much to curb them...right??
I plan to call the Pedi office again today and ask the list of questions that I came up with overnight, including re-pitching the idea of cutting dairy from my diet. Asher's doctor said that most kids outgrow this type of allergy by the time they are 1 year old, so if we can just make it for another 7 months we should be ok.
My first priority is doing what's best for Asher, so if that means hypoallergenic formula, then that's what we'll do. I just don't want to give up instantly and assume that this solution is the only one. I really want to keep breastfeeding him. Anyone else have to deal with this kind of situation? Any suggestions??
How do you feel about all of this, Asher?
Yeah, me too.
email me directly at abiandandy at gmail dot com!
ReplyDeleteAugustine has MSPI and I've cut out milk and soy from my diet since he was a month old. you don't have to stop bfing and you don't have to feed that formula if you don't want to! I've got more and I'd like to help. you're a good mom and don't feel bad.
Abi
I hope that you get to talk to your new doctor again this morning and come up with a better plan, especially since you want to keep nursing! Poor Ash... and poor Mama too!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with Mrs B!
ReplyDeleteAva has the same thing, albeit significantly more severe from the sound of it, and it is entirely alleviated by my having eliminated dairy. If she can go from three to four diapers like that DAILY to like one to two dirty diapers of normal consistency per week, I feel confident asher can too! Email me if you need support/food ideas/have questions!
Emily, I've been stalking your blog for awhile now, but I've never commented. I have a new baby (7 weeks) and from week 2, she screamed when I nursed. I thought she was starving, and in a moment of weakness, I supplemented with the formula they sent from the hospital (Similac Early Shield). The crying during feeding didn't stop. I called the pediatrician (many times!) and they suggested supplementing with Similac Senstive. Still, painful crying during feeding. This frustrated Mommy didn't know what to do...until I saw the Alimentum on the shelf at Target. I tried it...my baby was happier in 3 feedings! I continued to breastfeed for a bit longer, but that bothered her still. I know it doesn't seem to bother your Asher, but I did want to give you a positive review of the Alimentum (even though it's a little stinky and expensive). It's been a lifesaver at our house - I actually posted about it in my blog post yesterday. I cried when I stopped breastfeeding, but I've stopped feeling bad about it. I hope for you that you don't have to!! Maybe you can figure something out! I like to hear opinions from both sides, so thought I'd offer mine! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog a while back and have read it ever since. My son (he's 10 months) has had a ton of digestion issues. He used to be so fussy and would just scream like he was in pain. My doctor finally figured out it was wheat, so I cut it from my diet and saw huge improvements. We have had many nursing issues and I lost a lot of weight when I cut out wheat (I'm a carb person), which made my milk supply go down. I asked for referrals to a lactation nurse and she helped me figure out a way to both meet my sons nutritional needs and keep his tummy happy. Doctors are not always the best ones to deal with things involving nursing. Most will just push you to go to formula if you have any trouble. Don't be discouraged. Try cutting milk out of your diet first. If you don't see any improvements I would suggest looking at other possible food allergies (wheat allergies can look similar to milk allergies). It is rare for a child to be allergic to the proteins in a mother's milk. Those proteins were made for babies, where as other milk proteins are made for animals (which is why babies often cannot handle them). The good news is, your doctor is right, many babies grow out of their allergies. My sisters and I all grew out of milk allergies, and my son has just begun to eat wheat without a problem. I am so glad I kept nursing even though it meant I couldn't eat much for months!
ReplyDeleteI am another formula-feeding mom here who wants to say: Don't beat yourself up about it if BFing doesn't work for you...hopefully, stopping dairy will help Asher, but if it doesn't, don't drown yourself in guilt.
ReplyDeleteGiving your baby formula, if that's what it comes down to, is better than him being sick or suffering undernourishment because his body can't handle milk protein.
My daughter has been on formula exclusively since she was 3 weeks old and is the happiest, healthiest little girl EVER.
We have also just started to try Alimentum; started today with just 1 oz. Not for the same reasons as you. We're supplementing after nursing so Lillian can gain some extra weight and have extra fluids as well. But I EBF and I understand how hard emotionally hard it is to give your child formula when you love nursing so much. But like other's have said, and you know this as well, we all have to do whats best for our sweet babies even when it breaks our hearts sometimes. I definitely think a call back tot he doctors is necessary and also, maybe try to contact le leche or an LC to help you if you're really determined to stick with BFing. I do hope that you can still nurse and supplement with formula when needed.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, yes, alimentum STINKS! But weirdly enough, my little girl drank it pretty well when she hasn't tolerated any other kind of formula.
Good luck to you and Baby Asher!!
I understand your frustrations over possibly not being able to provide the milk for Asher. I have been sick for the past week and a half and my milk supply has gone down. We were thinking about having to supplement some feedings with formula and it made me feel horrible as a Mother, a complete failure. We haven't had to do it yet, but I need to tell myself that it's "OK". Hopefully you can figure something out that works for you and Asher. Good luck!
ReplyDelete