Tummy Troubles

We found out that Graham has a milk protein allergy and reflux last Friday. He had been pretty fussy for a few days and it was getting harder and harder to satisfy him. He was wanting to eat every 1-1.5 hours and then many times he still wasn’t happy and he always seemed to have a tummy ache. We tried gas drops but they just weren’t cutting it so I decided to take him to the doctor to make sure it wasn’t something else that was bothering him. I was sure they would tell me that it was gas pains and that he was going through a growth spurt but that was not the case. The doctor examined him and said he has reflux and gave him a prescription for Prevacid. He doesn’t spit up much but he does gag quite a bit. She said his esophagus is probably burning and it just feels better when he is drinking a bottle which might be the reason he wants to eat so often. This also explained why he has not liked laying on his back. She said he is going to be happier right now sitting up in swing or bouncer and he is. That is where he spends a lot of time and all night. She then diagnosed him with a milk protein allegy when she found blood in his stools. She put him on a new formula – Enfamil Nutramigen, a hypoallergenic formula and for me – no dairy if I choose to continue to nurse. We are hoping the Prevacid and new formula will make his tummy feel better. She said it could take 2-4 weeks before we notice a difference in his fussiness and discomfort. The plan for now is to keep him on this new formula for a year and hopefully he will outgrow this allergy like most babies do. We go back in a week for his 2 month well visit. He was a healthy 10 lbs. at 6 weeks but it will be fun to see where he falls out on the charts at 2 months. Below is a recent pic of our sweet baby boy hanging out in the swing.

Day 4 without Pacifier...

And Morgan is doing GREAT! We never thought this major change would be so easy. Morgan has asked for it a couple times but we just remind her that the Pacie Fairy took all of her pacies to the little babies that don't have one. She just smiles and reminds us that she colored all over the box and taped it shut. Graham has pacifiers around the house that Morgan finds and she picks them up and gives them to him. Thank goodness that she doesn't try to take his! We are so proud of her!!

Pacie Fairy

Morgan has always had two comfort items, a pacifier and a blanket. I am a fan of pacifiers for babies but it is one more bad habit you have to break as they get older. When she was about 18 months we decided to only let her have her pacie during nap time and night night time which worked for a little while but then we went back to letting her have it whenever she wanted it throughtout the day, which is often. Now that she is 2 years old and still very attached to it we feel like it is time to take it away. We decided to let her keep it to help transition to her big bed and then wanted her to get through Graham’s arrival before taking it away. We thought it would help her cope with all the big changes and we think it did but now it is time to break her of it. I have been nervous about taking it away and dreading the hard times that it could bring for her and us but the longer we wait the harder it will be.

We have been making a big deal about the Pacie Fairy lately. We told her that big girls get to keep their blankets but they have to give their pacifiers to the Pacie Fairy to take to little babies that don’t have one. We explained that she would get a special treat for being so nice and giving her pacifiers away. Morgan has been telling us that she is a big girl and that she is giving her pacifiers to the babies so we thought we should give it a shot.

This morning I woke up and thought, today is the day. After breakfast I told her that we were going to decorate a box and put all her pacies in it because the Pacie Fairy was going to come and get it and take them to the babies. She was excited about decorating the box. We wrapped a box, put stickers on it and she colored all over it with markers. She then put all her pacies in the box and we taped it shut. She was happy and had a good time with our little project. Then she went to the front door and put the box outside for the Pacie Fairy. She said “Bye Pacies” and closed the door. Mid morning she was busy playing and I quickly went outside and got the box, hid it and left a present at the door. The first time she asked for her pacifier we went and looked outside to see that the box was gone and there was a present for her. She was super excited! She asked for it several times throughout the day but I just kept reminding her that we gave them to the babies and she just giggled and went on about her business. The toughest part of the day was nap time. She laid in bed for 2 hours and just talked the entire time, no sleeping!! Not sure if it was because she didn’t have her pacie or if she just wasn’t tired. Tonight she didn’t even ask for it and went to bed just as easy as always. We will see how tomorrow goes, but hopefully the hardest part it over.