Working out the kinks....

Here I am ....2 months old today with Pappa!

Hi Guys!

Today is Elias's official 2 month mark & I still can't get over how 2 months went by that fast! At his 2 month appointment yesterday, the doctors examined him and told me he is totally healthy. He weighed in at 11 lbs. 8 oz. (50th percentile) & he is 24 inches long (90th percentile). He is gaining weight like a champ and the doctors think the nasal congestion is nothing excessive and is completely normal. That made me feel better. What can I say I am a new mommy... steep learning curve over here!

Overall, I am happy to say I think we figured out our little problem. After having Elias on a day & a half of hypoallergenic formula I felt like there was no difference in him. Deep down inside I really felt that it wasn't a milk protein allergy. I researched further about the mucus in his stool which lead me to a lactation consultant from the La Leche League - http://www.llli.org/. Since I had to pump my breast milk while Elias was exclusively on formula for a day & a half, I quickly started to see that each time I pumped it was WAY more than Elias has ever taken in one bottle at a feeding .

What I learned from speaking with a lactation consultant is that overproduction can cause an imbalance in the formilk/hindmilk and those two things can effect the stool. The lactation consultant & pediatrician both suggested I begin to breast feed again but be certain to let the baby eat off from 1 side & completely drain the breast by letting him unlatch when he is satisfied. Overtime my production will adjust back to what the baby needs.

Before I was trying to make my breast "even" so after Eli ate for 10 minutes on one side I would move him to the other side. I also noticed he was gulping allot when eating and taking in air that contributed to his problem in the gas department. Once you put that with the nasal congestion he was getting to be really fussy and didn't want to latch on and eat. Basically, I was "watching the clock" & not the baby. On top of it all I would pump the other side many times in order to stash some in the freezer.

So to sum it all up Eli was never truly getting to the hindmilk which is very important for healthy digestion and is rich in nutrients. When the baby doesn't get the hindmilk a variety of issues can occur that I learned about through the Le Leche League. In just the past 2 days of working on this we have noticed improvements so I am crossing my fingers the kinks are all worked out now!

On another note, I ran my first race yesterday morning since giving birth to Elias. It was a 5K (3.2 miles) and I did surprisingly well. It was freezing cold & raining, seems to be a common occurrence when I have "really" important races for me. Like when I ran the Hartford Marathon it was the same exact conditions, for the full 5 hours it took me. Ugh...

My time yesterday was 28 minutes flat. It was not my best time but I felt really good out there and it was great to be back racing. I placed 38 out of 132 entrants and 11th place for my age group (20-29 yrs old). I hope to do another run on Thanksgiving day. I am going to firm up those plans soon. Something about running makes me feel so content. I am not quite sure what it is, it doesn't come naturally to me so it is hard work but when I am done I feel great. I have my days where it really feels like a "labor of love" but since I started running towards the end of my freshman year of college I have never stopped and don't plan on any time soon :)


Here I am just before the race, wish I took a picture of how soaking wet I looked when I walked back in the door after the race!

Also, here is a picture of my new haircut & and of course Elias :)
I chopped quite a bit off & it felt so nice to get back to my short hair. It has been years since I have had it short and I was afraid to cut it while preggers because I feared I would blow up and look all crazy! LOL...

Acid Reflux or Allergies?

Hi Everyone,

*warning* long entry!!

I wish this entry would be more upbeat & happy but this past week has been a challenge for all of us on this end. On Sunday, Elias started to scream & cry when being breastfeed. It started at the mid morning feeding and continued ALL day. He would unlatch, arch his back and cry uncontrollably. I felt like I was force feeding him and could tell he was uncomfortable anyway I tried to nurse him. It got to the point where I pumped my breast milk and bottle fed him just to make sure he would put food down but that too seemed to be a struggle.


I figured it could be acid reflux & I called the doctor on Monday morning. The doctor suggested it sounded more like an allergy right away but since I haven't changed my diet at all I kept with my first thought that it was acid reflux. He prescribed medicine for the reflux and told me to try it out for a few days. We did just that and really no improvement. During this time, some breast feeding sessions went ok but not great. I eventually pumped bottles just to make sure he was getting some food down again but I felt like I was force feeding. I soon began connecting the dots with his symptoms.

• mucus in his stool for weeks now


• nasal congestion that has never gone away but is clear- even with constant saline drops & suctioning


• excessive frustration with gas and digestion so bad we could here the bubbles & gurgling his tummy since we brought him home


• jumping off the breast and arching his back in pain & frustration while trying to feed


• Sleeping much more during the day for the past week & much longer stretches at night


• sneezing from time to time

The hardest thing with this situation is that there were always a few feedings a day that went well. So, I always thought some of his other symptoms were just "normal" for him. I felt that the mucus in his stool would eventually disappear when his nasal congestion finally left him. The sneezing was never excessive so I figured that was just normal too. Then onto his tummy trouble- we have been giving Mylicon drops consistently & it has seemed to help the problem but we never have seen him comfortable with his digestion after eating. Sometimes his discomfort was immediate after feedings and sometimes it was an hour or two following.

After spending the majority of my day yesterday researching what Eli was experiencing & no improvement from the acid reflux medicine, I called the doctor back last night. He said it really sounds like an allergy to milk protein which means I need to remove all milk proteins from my diet (all dairy/whey & caisein). My other option was to put Eli on the Similac Alimentun Based formula. That would be more of an immediate improvement and after seeing him suffer so much I decided that was what I would do. I left the conversation with the doctor that I would continue to pump my breast milk during this trial period so that I don't loose my supply. Eli's 2 month appointment is Friday so I figured by then we will see how this all shakes out.

I have to say I was hoping the doctor was thinking it was my caffeine consumption (I only have 1 cup a day, on occasion 2 but I make sure the 2nd is 1/2 decaff....). But the doctor said that would not cause this issue. I can't believe I almost thought I could figure out a way to give up caffeine but dairy is just too hard for me. Needless to say I am struggling with this situation because I finally have a huge supply of breast milk pumped in my freezer in preparation for returning back to work on November 2nd.

So this is where we stand - Elias is on this new very expensive formula since last night and to be honest I think it is working. I could be too soon to tell but he has had 3 bottles and I haven't seem him screaming/arching his back yet and not nearly the amount of bubbling/gurgling noises coming from his belly. I just have to let this run it's course for a few more days to know for sure. Also, Eli's congestion/mucus in his stool will take some time to clear up but the first immediate improvements we are seeing are promising so far.

Pumping breast milk during this process is not easy either. I have to feed Eli with a bottle of formula & then pump my milk right after to keep my supply going as he would demand it normally. Yes that means even in the middle of the night. Ugh....

Breast feeding is all supply & demand so once the demand goes your milk eventually goes. The other complex I am dealing with is that the milk I am pumping now & have stored in the freezer could be all a waste. I can't begin to tell you all how frustrating that is for me. I not only have a very expensive breast pump that will be useless but "liquid gold" in the freezer pumped that I will have to toss out, not to mention the effort & time I have put into it all.

Right now the only thing that is making this situation ok is the hope that Eli gets better fast. If this is what is going to take to see him more comfortable and is our solution to the problem I have to find a way to deal with it. A happy & healthy baby is the number one priority right now but this mommy guilt of not being able to breast feed or at least use my pumped milk is killing me.