Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Allergies & Childcare & The Economy OH MY!

Wow, there is a lot going on. Seriously, a lot. Which most definitely calls for a bullet pointed post.

• We had Liv in to the doctor for her 6-month visit last week and Hub mentioned that she could not shake the stomach bug. The dr. recommended temporarily switching her to a soy formula. We did, and it made an immediate difference. What it also did though, was cause her to stop fussing through her feedings, caused her to completely stop spitting up (thereby immediately eliminating her need for Zantac), and caused her to effectively burp and pass gas instead of building it up and being uncomfortable after a feeding. We’ve also noticed a marked improvement in the red blotchiness on her cheeks. So……milk allergy? I’m starting to think that she never actually had acid reflux as the dr. assumed, but has been sensitive to the milk all along. Case in point, we had about enough of the gentile formula left for 2 bottles, and hub just mixed it in with what was left of the soy……fussy baby all day yesterday. It has been less than a week, and we have a completely different baby. I can’t even believe it. I was fine with believing she had acid reflux……but then this formula—everything just clicked. I had a severe milk allergy as a child, one that I mostly grew out of (I would say I have a minor intolerance now) and it was probably only a matter of time before I passed it on to one of my kids. I’m just glad it’s not as bad as it could be, though I imagine that if we hadn’t caught it when we did, there could have been trouble. So……from here we become vigilant. Checking labels. Being careful what we introduce in to her diet. And see what happens.
• We have decided to take the kids out of preschool/daycare one more day per week; they will be there 2 days now as opposed to 3. Though I’m overly sick of statements that begin with “because of the economy…” this does have something to do with it. Hub is losing a little bit of business, and we did just buy that truck, so we need to take some precautions before we get hard up. Hub has also had some issues working at home since Liv has been born, you know, since she requires constant attention, so having all of the kids home 3 days a week poses a bit of a problem.
• My mother though, has recently quit her job. My mother had some health issues and other things going on over the past year and has made a good turn in her life. She is though, home by herself all week. She’s going to help us out and watch the kids 2 days a week. She’ll likely only have 2 kids at a time—the baby plus one big kid, but Hub can manage one kid. He can even take one kid out on jobs with him. It’s going to be a big help to us, but I think it’s going to be an even bigger help to my mom. She lives pretty close to where I work too, so it won’t be much different than dropping them off at daycare. I think it will be good.

And ok, this turned out longer than I thought it would and doesn’t contain nearly as much information, but I need to get back to work. More to come soon!

8 comments:

d e v a n said...

That's a great situation with your mom/dh!! I hope it works out well!
Poor Liv! I'm glad the formula has made a difference. :)

Nowheymama said...

Wow--there IS a lot going on. I'm so glad Liv is feeling better!!

Jess said...

This is awesome! It looks like you are finding great solutions all over the place.

Mommy Daisy said...

Glad that you've found the key to a happier baby. That is great!

I'm also glad to hear that things are going well for your mom and she'll be able to help you out a bit. I bet she'll love having the kids around.

Fiona Picklebottom said...

Not necessarily an allergy. Two of my kids had to use soy formula as well, because the milk-based bothered their stomachs, but they went on regular old milk at a year old and both did fine. Sometimes little babies have to grow into being able to handle milk. So glad you figured out what was wrong. I am very surprised that her doctor didn't suggest trying the switch to soy before assuming acid reflux. Seems that the switch is usually the first (and easiest) thing to try.

LoriD said...

So happy for Liv! Your childcare solution seems ideal.

Anonymous said...

So great to hear about Liv. Poor girl!

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who is sick of "in this economy..." While I'm not arguing that the economy sucks, it seems like it's the cause of EVERYTHING now. Global warming? Blame the economy. Flunked out of college? Blame the economy. Cheated on your wife? Damn economy!

Misty said...

So glad the baby is feeling better. And I hope everything works out ok with your mom.