Khalessi - Cow's milk allergy?

We've been home from the hospital for over two weeks after Khaleesi battled dehydration caused by campylobacter which I wrote about here and here.  She's been doing much better since returning home but just when I thought her diarrhea was gone, it returned non-stop.  Then I saw her vomit and you could imagine the panic that ran through my mind thinking she could still be sick and I feared going through my mommy nightmare all over again.  But since there were no signs of dehydration, I waited things out.  She has continued to be a happy baby and still sleeping well during the night.  But day after day, I've started seeing her struggle a little bit more.  I can see her stomach in pain as she scrunches up her legs and cries and wants to be held more.  The diarrhea and occasional vomiting have continued as well as dryness around her forehead.

All of these things are symptoms of a cow's milk allergy.  Now I don't know for sure that it's an allergy but the symptoms sure point that way. The past few days have been trial and error of different formulas.  The gentle/sensitive ones have proven to not be any different than the normal kind.  The one formula that she has been doing better with is the hypo-allergenic kind specifically for cow's milk allergies.  I called the doctor today and he suggested I try soy but I'm not sure I want to use that long term.  Also half of babies allergic to cow's milk are also allergic to soy but we are going to give it a try and maybe we can supplement with it even if I don't want to use it all the time.  At this rate, it really looks like she needs the hypo-allergenic kind which stinks (literally smells terrible) because it is substantially more expensive than regular formula.  I've heard I can order in bulk for cheap on Ebay.  If you have other money saving suggestions for this, please send them my way.

The next couple weeks or so will continue to be trial and error to see which formula my little baby can tolerate best with normal poop again, less pain and no vomiting.  I feel close and far away at the same time.  Her four month check-up is in November and I can talk to the doctor then if we haven't figured this out on our own or if things get substantially worse (which WILL NOT happen!)  You could also imagine there is No cloth diapering going on right now until we get this diarrhea under control!

What are your thoughts?  Cow's milk allergy? Something else?  It's interesting stuff eh?

And here she is growing and playing:

HOME

Is there a happier photo than the family that you love all together again?  Khaleesi was released from the hospital today after 4 long nights and it feels so good.  No more trips back and forth, no more shift sleeping between Jesus and I and best of all an assurance that she is well enough to be home and continuing to get better!

She looks great!  She was up smiling all morning and has been eating normally.  She still has some diarrhea but it's finally to the point that we believe she is taking in more than she's putting out.  That's what we needed to happen in order to be done with the IV, be confident in her hydration levels and be able to go home.  On Thursday night, I wrote the story of our journey and thought I'd be going home the next morning.  Turns out she had several watery poops that night and our morning plans turned into getting a bigger room with a window.  The sunshine and this beautiful fall tree sure helped!

Later that day or the next day (I've lost all track of time) the Doctor thought Khaleesi was ready to go home again.  Just as the nurse was about to pull out her IV, Khaleesi vomited everywhere.  Thank goodness, they did not get the IV out and have to put it back in because with this news, it meant another night at the hospital.  At this point, Khaleesi was being treated with an IV for hydration and under lots of observation and endured many tests all leading to a viral infection.  But on Saturday they took another stool sample and found a bacteria called, Campylobacter. This meant we FINALLY had a diagnosis and there was an antibiotic to treat it!  Campylobacter is a bacterial infection similar to food poisoning that could have been caught anywhere from anyone.  Did I touch something at the grocery store, target, the playground, faulty diaper change, a friend?  It could've been anywhere and we'll never know.  It's very contagious and spreadable so there is some very diligent hand washing going on in this house! I remember when I had food poisoning as an adult and was shaking uncontrollably and vomiting on the way to the Doctor so I can only imagine catching something similar as a tiny baby.  Anyway, enough said, we had a diagnosis. 

Sunday morning, I joined Jesus at the hospital again ready to pick up our baby as it was his night shift there.  Shortly after I walked in, so did the Doctor with the good news that Khaleesi could go home!  Her intake finally exceeded her output and we were ready.  She even had the IV out for several hours and still did well.  We now just have to keep a close eye on her at home monitoring the feedings and diapers as well as watching for any signs of dehydration (which I should now sadly be an expert at).  

We have had a tremendous outpouring of love and support from friends and family this week and want to say thank you!  The thoughts, calls, texts and PRAYERS have made all the difference!  Thank you and cheers to a better week ahead!  

Here's a few more pictures of our journey:

So much for this sign...turned out to be Sunday but hey, we will take it!

My Mommy Nightmare

It all started with my little poltergeist baby.  On Monday might my 8 week old projectile spit up her milk like I had never seen before!  It just kept going!  Wow, I guess I overfed her is what I thought.  On Tuesday she had a similar spit up and again, I just assumed she was making the signs saying she wanted food but really wasn't hungry.  Then in the middle of the night on Tuesday she continued with the projecting and added diarrhea to the list.  Now it was no longer an issue of over-feeding and I knew my little baby was sick so I made her a Doctor appointment for Wednesday afternoon.

The doctor said she was about 5% dehydrated and had some kind of stomach virus.  He recommended if she showed more signs of dehydration that I should take her to the ER for an IV.  So I took her home, and she continued to vomit or diarrhea every time she drank and could not keep any food down.  My biggest worry was how would I know if she was at the point of dehydration to need an IV.  The doctor told me what the signs would be and said: "I trust you" when I expressed this concern.  After dinner I saw the signs clearly and Jesus and I rushed our little baby to the ER.  Her eyes were heavy from not sleeping but also looked sunken in from dehydration.  Her coloring was off and she was lethargic.  It was so scary because it was like she changed in an instant from being ok to not and it happened so fast because she's so small and doesn't have any reserve.

Jesus was so excited that she didn't cry when they poked her for the IV but I knew it wasn't good that she didn't cry.  It was because she was too lethargic and dehydrated to even respond and the Doctor confirmed my thoughts.  Then things got worse when they admitted us for the night.  She had a rash all over her body, a fever and needed to be monitored to get rehydrated and needed to be able to keep her milk down at home.  Jesus went home to be with Joaquin and I stayed in the hospital for one of the worst nights of my life.  I laid in the room with my baby and listened to her whine the entire night in pain.  She barely slept and was hungry.  We mixed her milk with Pedialyte but she wasn't drinking nearly as much as normal (which was actually fine because the IV could compensate).  Then the tests began.  My little girl was poked and prodded with blood draws and even a catheter.  She wasn't peeing and the Doctor had to be real with me.  He let me know all the tests were to rule out things like a urine infection, kidney infection (or failure!) and he said depending on the results, they would possibly need a spinal tap to rule out meningitis.  Meningitis?!  Isn't that some crazy disease in the old days like Polio?  Maybe not, but that's what I thought and I was not about to google it and find out!  Thank heavens the tests did not need to go that far.  I couldn't handle my baby screaming and crying anymore so when they put in the catheter, I went downstairs, sat on a bench and cried.  I cried all night in fear and sadness. But later that night, my daughter peed!  I was so upset from not sleeping but when she peed, I no longer cared about sleep and was just so happy her kidneys were working!

Then an hour later, the doctor came in and told me her urine test results were good and she did not have a urine infection.  Her blood work also came back good and we did not need to test for meningitis!  She just had a very bad stomach virus that would run it's course.  This morning, Jesus joined me at the hospital again and he and the missionaries in our area gave our little girl a Priesthood blessing.  The blessing reassured me there was much work for her to do yet on this earth.  Now, was I being a crazy mom all night wondering if she was going to pull through? Maybe but maybe not because what would you think if your doctor said they needed to rule out meningitis and kidney failure for your 8 week old! But the good news is all results have pointed to just a stomach virus and no crazy disease.  A sad battle to fight but only a few days long hopefully.  

Today she looked amazingly better!  Just look at her before and after photo within a matter of hours.

Her rash has cleared up tremendously and her fever has gone down!  She even smiled today and to not see that smile for even just 24 hours was heartbreaking. She's drinking her milk again (still mixed with some Pedialyte) and she worked herself up to her normal dose.  If she holds her milk down all night and all the other symptoms stay away, she will be coming home in the morning and I couldn't be more excited!  So please pray for no negative changes and only improvements.  It was only two nights in the hospital but honestly one of the scariest nights of my life.

Tidbits:

• I had the best nurses and doctors.  So knowledgeable and so sweet!
• When I arrived in our hospital room, the nurse brought me ice cream.
• The grandma nurse was the best who offered to hold my baby without being asked and loved to cuddle her.  Her story about how she doesn't drink much but had four coronas at a wedding and sang karaoke and thought she'd get "whiplash just from her butt," while my baby was getting blood drawn helped to lighten the mood...well...she tried!  
• We went to the ER on my husband's birthday.
• I believe in the Priesthood being restored and on the earth today and am so grateful I have the gift of faith.
• Fingers crossed we are out of the hospital and home in the morning!

Toddler Busy Bag Exchange: Religious Edition

One thing I am grateful for in my life is a group of friends who share a common interest in raising our children to know Christ and the Gospel.  We also share the common interest of getting our small children to sit down and be quiet during church! These commonalities led us to our toddler busy bag exchange: religious edition.  You can see our non-religious related busy bag exchanges here and here!  Be sure to check them out for ideas to keep your little ones busy.

Jess printed pages of different modern day Prophets and Apostles with a giant letter of their last name to help kids with their ABC's, letter sounds and to learn the names of the Prophets.  The kids can decorate each page with all the stickers she included.

Anjela, like so many of us, had a hard time figuring out what to do for a religious busy bag that was in our skill set, affordable or that didn't require a printer so she made us the best long-lasting play-dough with the recipe.

I'm posting this blog too soon because this little photo album is about to become an ABC book using words about the Gospel.  Cami is making us digital files of all the pages including pictures of our own children so once we send her photos of our kids, she will include them in the file and then we can print them off and fill this little photo book.

Kristy made this magnetic puzzle on an adorable tray that can unintentionally double for tea parties. ;)

Mel made this flip book all about Christ and the purpose of the Sacrament and Atonement.  We can show it to the kids during the passing of the bread and water to help them understand why we take it. Here's the link to the printable.

Selena made a matching/memory game with these pictures of prayer, baptism, CTR (choose the right), etc.

I made the "Jesus Loves You" file folder game found here.  Kids get to match the cards of children from all around the world with the matching picture in the folder.

Did some of the vocabulary in this blogpost throw you for a loop?  Prophet, Sacrament, Atonement perhaps?  You can click this "I'm a Mormon" link here or it's always on my blog's homepage to learn more!

Cloth Diapers: MY Routine

I posted this adorable picture on my Facebook and Instagram and got quite a few questions and feedback about cloth diapering so I wanted to share my routine.  The reason I capitalized "My" in the title of this post is I've found that every parent tweaks their routine a little.  I've just started so I may even tweak but here's the current run down.  Thanks to all my cloth diapering friends for helping me out getting started and another thank you to the kind woman who was donating all of her used (but still in great condition) cloth diapers that I got my hands on!

First here are my supplies:

1. This is a wet/dry bag for on the go from Planet Wise.  It has one zipper pocket for dry diapers and another lined pocket for wet diapers and this bag can go right in the diaper bag.  Since I've gotten this however, I've been using it mostly for taking Joaquin swimming.  What a great place to put our wet swimsuits!

2. This is where I put my used cloth diapers in the house.  For a diaper pail, I decided on a trash can with foot pedal with a Kanga brand diaper pail liner with drawstring on the inside.  Again with that nice lining for wet things.

3. A separate tiny foot pedal trash can I found at Ikea for disposable wipes.  Some people use cloth wipes that they can just put in the same diaper pail but this whole endeavor is gross enough for me so I just don't want to do that.

  

3. A personal touch for me was this cool Air wick air freshener with an auto spray.  It sits on the shelf of the closet right above the diaper pail in case that thing ever starts to smell.  Am I a genius or what?!

4. And finally my beautiful supply of cloth diapers!  Aren't they cute?  I have a supply of Cutey Babies all in ones where the microfiber liner is attached to the waterproof cover.  Then I also have Fuzzy Buns and Bum Genius where all I have to do is stuff a microfiber liner into each waterproof diaper cover.  In the right of this drawer are extra yellow microfiber liners all folded up.  And on the bottom right of the drawer are extra flushable liners that are supposed to catch the poo.

And here's my routine:

1. I  stuff each diaper (that needs stuffing if it's not an all in one) with a microfiber liner after it comes out of the wash so they are always ready.  Then I just snap one of these cute diapers on my baby just like putting on a disposable diaper.  I'll also add one of the disposable liners into the diaper before putting it on her but that's easy to do during each diaper change.  

2. Place soil diaper in diaper pail.  But first I reluctantly and gently pull out the microfiber liner to separate it from the diaper cover so I don't have to do that later during my wash routine.  I place wipes in the wipes trash can and the flushable liner gets flushed.  I have both my little trash can and diaper pail in the closet across from each other so it's not like I'm doing an extra step throwing diapers and wipes in separate places.

Note: it's recommended to not put solids in the washing machine so I would dump any solid poop possibly from formula or when baby starts solid foods in the toilet first (that should have hopefully been caught in my flushable liner) or I may give in and buy a diaper sprayer that attaches to the toilet.

3. It's recommended to wash cloth diapers every other day so that's what I do.  You'll need a stash of at least 15-20 so your baby can go through 10-12 diapers a day and then you can wash a load every other day.  I turn the Kanga diaper pail liner inside out and dump everything in the washer including the bag!

4.  The next few steps are basically rinse-wash-rinse. First, I run a cold rinse cycle on the highest water setting to get any water soluble poo rinsed off.

5.  Next I run a heavy duty hot wash cycle with an extra rinse cycle with detergent (currently trying All Free and Clear). 

6.  Finally I run one more heavy duty hot wash cycle without detergent (optional).  This helps to prevent detergent build up on the diapers to make their absorbency last longer.  Many people just do a rinse, wash, rinse cycle but I do this last step because I have used diapers and want them to last as long as possible.

7. Put liners in the dryer and hang waterproof covers to dry.

While I wrote this in 7 steps...it doesn't actually feel like that many steps.  I'm just laying it out there! There's so many resources online and this is a new endeavor for me too but I'm most excited about the money saving benefit.  Sure, I could lie to you and tell you I do this to help the environment and to prevent diaper rash or some other reason but for me "It's all about the Benjamins baby."

I should also mention that typical Desitin diaper cream ruins the absorbency of cloth so read online about a friendly alternative.  I'm trying Grandma El's or coconut oil for now.

Thank you mi amor.

After our second child was born, neither of us were sleeping through the night. As I was still recovering from surgery, my generous husband offered to do some extra nighttime feedings using my pumped milk or formula because it was still hard for me getting in and out of bed. Last night his turn was at 2:30am and he hadn't gone to sleep prior. My turn to feed wasn't until 6:30am and I was so grateful to let my husband sleep. But then it happened. Baby girl had a blow out (while I was changing her) into our bed where the whole family was sleeping! My sweet husband had no choice but to wake, get out of bed and help me. He managed to change the baby's clothes while I changed the sheets and myself!! My oldest son, age 2, of course awoke in tears because he thought it was time to wake up and play but we asked him to go back to bed. Then my husband knew just what to do. He laid the baby in my son's bed in the kid's room and then came for my son. He brought him to the kid's room as well and within minutes the three of them were asleep in my son's twin bed while I showered and washed the bed sheets. I'm in tears of gratitude as I write this.

The past few days have been beautiful in so many ways but also so difficult. I'm grateful to so many people who have supported me at this time even when I didn't recognize I needed the support. It's hard to give birth, have surgery, a literal near heart attack (birth story here), try to figure out nursing, pumping and really what's best for my family all while still trying to take care of my son, my little dog and support my husband rather than just bossing him around because it's all so much. I love my new baby and I love my whole family I've been blessed with. It will get easier but I'm so happy to have my husband by my side. He's the reason for this post, the reason for our children/family and I wouldn't be where I am today without him. Thank you mi amor.

Becky

Sent from my iPhone

Baby Khaleesi's Birth Story

I am loving the feeling of a sleeping baby on my chest while I take some time to update my blog.

Warning: you're about to read a bit of a horror story about Khaleesi's birth but I can assure you, I am better and out of the woods now.  Before I continue, please know that my caesarean section with Joaquin was not bad.  I recovered quickly, had great nurses and anesthesiologists etc.  I did spend the first 24 hours being nauseous from the epidural and narcotics but that happens to me with any surgery.  However it was hard to not be able to hold Joaquin the first day because of the constant nausea and vomiting.  The shaking of my arms in the operating room was also a little much.  But really, the good won out with a great hospital, a supportive husband and I don't even remember the pain of the epidural!

Khaleesi's ceasarean yesterday was quite different.  Let's start with the good news.  My friend, Anjela, is a doula and introduced me to something called gentle caesarean or family centered caesarean.  There are new approaches to help moms experience something closer to a natural birth and less like a surgery.  I learned so many cool things and came up with a birth plan implementing things to do differently and my Anesthesiologist and Doctor were on board with all of it!  For a couple examples, Jesus got to be with me for the epidural and they didn't strap my arms down during the surgery.  So I was very appreciative of all the understanding.

I also wanted skin to skin ASAP in the operating room but because of my low tolerance for drugs, that did not happen.  Everyone on the team was made very aware of my nausea and they tried so many things to help me not have a 24 hour nauseous experience like I did with Joaquin.  The good news is, my nausea did get under control and I was able to hold Khaleesi more than I held Joaquin by evening time.   I was even able to speak and get words out during yesterday without almost hurling every syllable!  The bad news however is how many drugs they gave me to keep the nausea at bay.  While it was better by night, it did not stay at bay during or after the surgery.  I threw up several times in the operating room and then even more in recovery.  Recovery normally takes 45 minutes but I was there almost 4 hours while Jesus and the baby were back in their room.  Not only did I have nausea but my limbs were shaking uncontrollably from all the narcotics.  Then my blood pressure was too low so they gave me medicine for that.  By now I've had an epidural, nausea meds, blood pressure meds, and meds to stop the shaking and this was clearly too much for me!  Next thing I knew was the feeling of my heart beating out of my chest and hearing the beeping of my heart monitor racing in pace with red lights flashing.  Suddenly there were three nurses at my side and the doctor was called immediately to get to me!  While my heart rate is normally in the 80s-90s, it spiked to 212!  All I can say is how grateful I am that I am alive and that I didn't die in the recovery room while my husband and family were somewhere else!

Oh another tidbit of the surgery was a shooting pain through my shoulder, into my neck and at the base of my head.  Like a torn muscle or something.  The anesthesiologist said sometimes this happens when there are tools going into your stomach causing pain to travel to higher muscles...or something.  The doctor however never saw this happen with someone's shoulder.  While the pain was excruciating, it was finally put under control too but only after they refused me more drugs to not cause more nausea.  I also really do love my doctor.  As she was sewing me up after the baby was out, she begged her co-workers to play some music and she was so funny making sure it was "good" music that she or I would like.  I thought it was a sweet consideration.

So now I don't know what to do for a future caesarean.  Whats's worse?  24 hours of nausea without holding the baby or 4 hours in recovery and a racing heart rate?!  I don't know but it is clear that I have drug sensitivity and there is no magic cure so good luck to me I guess!

It's day 2 and I feel so much better!  I've been keeping food down and my hear rate is normal!  And...we have a new baby!  She is beautiful and I'm so so happy to give Joaquin a little sister.  He was a bit nervous at first to see me in the hospital and it was difficult to understand that baby was no longer in my tummy. But again by day 2, he did so much better while visiting the hospital and even brought Khaleesi a toy.

 I love my little family!  Newest member: Khaleesi Jane Gonzalez.  6lbs. 15 oz. 19.5 inches long.  Born 7-29-15.

Preparing for surgery!

A realistic photo of emotionally seeing the baby for the first time but just after after the vomiting has started...enjoy!

Family visit

Meeting grandma after we surprised her by giving our daughter grandma's middle name.

Big Brother