To catch everyone up, there has been no rest for the rad. Emma would not sleep at night. At all. The entire night. Dan takes her 9-12 for me to sleep, and then we switch. We were doing EVERYTHING right - we asked many people for advice, but everything they said we were doing or had tried.
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| I'll pretend to sleep and then cry the minute they think they can get something done. |
Emma also spit up a lot more than Olivia (around 3-10 times after each feeding) and I didn't know what was normal. So I decided to schedule a ped appointment. The nurse said she sounds like a normal 6 week old (doesn't sleep well and spits up - haha) but that she would schedule an appt in a week if I really wanted. I felt kind of silly going in, but yes, I wanted that appointment.
Right when we got there, the doctor told me right away she could tell that Emma had an inability to digest milk and soy. She took a diaper and ran it through the lab for confirmation - and she was right. So my poor little baby has been bleeding inside and in a lot of pain - which is why she can't sleep.
It isn't an allergy, just that their digestive system is immature and they usually grow out of it 6 months to a year.
Two options are formula for that intolerance (which is a FORTUNE) or for me to completely eliminate dairy and soy from my diet (much harder than it originally sounds - I had to be put on different allergy medicine and buy a special chapstick!). It should take 2 weeks to get everything out of my system and 2 weeks to get everything out of Emma's system. So we have a few more weeks ahead of us, but Emma is already getting slightly better. Makes it much easier to resist cheesecake knowing its for her. AND that if I eat it, no one is sleeping tonight! :)
It is such a sacrifice but so worth it! KC grew out of hers by 3 months - but it was skin related so much easier to see the changes it made when I eliminated the two. Papa Johns doesn't use soy in their crust (and going cheese free isn't terrible). Pure pizza is a great option too! And I think the blueberry bagel at panera is soy and dairy free - funny how I remember these things! I have a few recipes pinned from those days as well I could share!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad y'all were able to get answers. I know having this information puts your mind at ease. Hopefully, this transition won't be too difficult for Mama. Best of luck to y'all and I hope you get sleep soon.
ReplyDeleteOh man. That does not sound like fun, but I'm glad you took her in and figured it out! Good luck and I hope it gets better! xo
ReplyDeletePoor little lady! I'm so happy everything got figure out and she can start getting better and you can start getting some sleep.
ReplyDeleteMy now 5 month old also has the dairy/soy intolerance. It definitely gets better once they get it out of their system. One little tip I found out if you decide to try formula - you may be able to get your insurance to cover a portion/all of the formula since it is a medical necessity. We switched from BM to Nutramigen formula and our insurance covers over half. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteWow! Poor little thing and poor you. So glad you trusted your instinct and made that appointment. I hate when they make you feel silly for heading in to get things checked out. You should have said, "In your face!" to the nurse after the doctor's diagnosis haha I'm sure the diet overhaul has been tricky, but it's exciting to know that it's just a phase that Emma will outgrow. I had no idea allergy meds could cause issues. You're a super mom and I hope you're all getting more sleep now.
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