Transition phase...narrowing down the possibilities!

Well, we're narrowing things down!

I know I've mentioned before that we have had some "cranky" issues with Kaleb. We were pretty certain it's colic, but he's also seemed pretty upset about spitting up too this whole time during his short little life.

As the doc says, he's an "unhappy spitter."

Well, since he'd not been getting any "happier," and babies are supposed to outgrow the cranky stage beginning around three or four months, I decided to take him to a pediatrician to see what they said.

Just you know..to make mom feel better!

Well, I have a sweet friend Ashley who decided to go with me, and she is a wonderful person. Besides being awesome and prompting and helping me to go, she did something amazing for me...she dumpster dove.

Lol. Will share with you the details about that in a sec...

Anyway, as I was saying, I decided to get a "second opinion" on my precious boy because I am sort of concerned for him.

The pediatrician, Dr. Mclatchy, is in Abilene, and kind of a drive, but she's worth it. She was more than helpful. I felt so at ease with her, and she was VERY thorough with us, asking so many helpful questions.

She asked about his feeding habits, and his pooping, and his spitting up.

I explained to her my concerns, which are several...

He spits up A LOT.

And he doesn't seem happy about it.

And recently, he's had trouble breastfeeding!

And he is pretty fussy most of the time, still. And always seems hungry!

And it's because every time he eats, he pretty much spits up everything he eats again, so he feels like starting all over...but he can't! So...I was breastfeeding him like every two hours, then, after that, feeding him a bottle, and he'd always take like at least four ounces. It was hard for me to tell when he was full...because after he'd take it, he'd be satisfied (after spitting most of it up again) for about 20 minutes, then fussy all over again. I am always constantly guessing what's wrong...and never quite sure!

Now, being a new mom, I really have not been sure what's "right" and what's "wrong" for a new little one. I didn't know that the amount of spitting up Kaleb's been doing is abnormal...I'd always heard that babies just spit up, and that's what they do.

So I kind of just decided to deal with it for a while.

But he really wasn't gaining weight either.

So, after the previous trip to the doc, what I'd decided to do (after doc's orders) was to breastfeed every two hours, then give him formula. It was kind of exhausting!

But anyway, through this doc's visit, I realized that Kaleb's symptoms were not normal. So, after Dr. Mclatchy's visit, and after Ashley's dumpster dive, we eliminated some issues it could be...and came up with new ones.

Lol. (Ashley had to go get a dirty diaper out of the dumpster we'd thrown in there a few minutes before our doctor's visit....she said it was at the very bottom amongst many other dirty diapers...it was a "God thing" though...because the only way she was able to determine which one was ours was that we'd thrown Kaleb's into an old coffee cup because we had to carry it so far to the dumpster!..Ashley deserves an award or something! I think she ranks higher on my friends scale today! Lol!)

After checking Kaleb's poopy dumpster diaper for blood (doc did it - she said that it would eliminate a milk allergy - good to know!) and coming up with none, our elimination process ended with the doctor saying she thought it was one of two things.

She said the first, which she's pretty sure it's not, could be Pyloric Stenosis, which is a fancy way of saying an "intestinal obstruction". She said most of the time, with this, babies projectile vomit starting from like the second week on, and really don't gain weight at all, no matter what you do. She said this doesn't look like the case, because he is gaining a bit, finally. (After a weight check today, he weighs 11 pounds...thanks to all that formula!:)

The second, she said, is most likely what it is - acid reflux. That's originally what we had thought (from the last doc's visit). But the second opinion really helped me to nail it down.

Plus, she had more suggestions for us. She said that she was going to prescribe a different med than my previous doctor because the first (Tagamet) didn't seem to work. She prescribed Prevacid. However, she did say that it might be a little expensive, but just to let her know if that was the case, because she'd call in something else if so. (which ended up being the case when we went to the pharmacy...so they are in the process of changing it and we'll check on it tomorrow) She also said that she would recommend a different bottle to use - the Avent bottle, with a variable nipple. It's a nipple that has three settings - the first being the strongest setting at preventing too much formula to get through it at one time. She said this, combined with a tablespoon of rice cereal to the amount of formula he already takes, should help with the problem too. Rice cereal stays down easier because it's heavier. She said she only prescribes this for babies with acid reflux.

She mentioned with the breastfeeding issues I'm having, that maybe we should just try to do formula, and "supplement" with breastfeeding...pretty much just what she calls, "comfort feeding," - giving him one good breastfeeding at night. She said more than likely my milk will adjust to it. Hopefully. That still kind of makes me sad...to think that we may not be breastfeeding anymore. I have wanted so badly to give him the best start possible to his life. And I know that through all the breastfeeding I've done so far, I have....but three months? Makes me sad...to think that we would stop now. But...if that is what it takes to keep him healthy, that's what it takes. :)

Dr. Mclatchy also saw Kaleb spit up while she was there, and that was a big help too. She was like, "Whoa....is that how much he usually spits up?"
I was like, "Yes..."
And she said, "Yeah, we'll want to see him back here soon. Set up an appointment for next week sometime and we'll see how he's doing."
She said if he hadn't gained any weight by then, she'd possibly do an ultrasound on his tummy for an intestinal obstruction...which, of course, is NOT what a mommie wants to hear!

So...we are praying that it is the acid reflux. I would hate, I mean...I would CRY if I knew my sweet little boy had to have surgery right now....The thought scares me.
I know it would be safe, as I've read about it, but still.
No one wants their three month old to go through surgery.

But we'll be finding out real soon what is wrong with him. I can't wait for him to just be a normal, happy little guy...his happy times are like nothing I've ever experienced before in life...His happy times are SO much fun.

Oh, and as for Ashley - she is doing much better after her dumpster diving experience. She escaped unharmed and relatively clean. She did decide she needed to use hand sanitizer after the ordeal, though.

What a friend.

Lol.

Anyway.

So we are in the elimination phase.

Pray it's a smooth transition into a new one!