I have officially become a label-reader. It's almost worst than becoming a formula-user. Luckily, I have a dear friend who was also a label-reader for several years thanks to a daughter that was premature and allergic to everything. So we just spent and hour and a half in Hy-Vee with our daughters so she could show me the ropes. If I would have had to start this journey on my own, it would have began with tears.
Yesterday we had a weight check for Catherine. She is a hefty 9 pounds, 11 ounces...at the doctors office. At the Gastroenterologist she was only 9 pounds 4 ounces. Either way, it's improvement which is what we wanted to see. So the pediatrician asked, sine Catherine has also been having regular bowel movements, we still needed to see the gastroenterologist. I said I didn't think so but also just wanted to make sure that everything is OK. The pediatrician agreed and off we went to the GI doc.
Last Tuesday, I decide I wanted to see exactly how much food Catherine was eating everyday. So I fed her formula all day and just pumped. I pumped more than she ate, and she only ate about 16 ounces. I pumped more than that, so I was concerned. The I internet says that she should be eating 24-30 ounces at this age. The doctor agreed but she was gaining weight so she didn't worry too much. Later that day at my breastfeeding support group, the lactation consultant said that 24-30 ounces is a lot! 16 ounces, for the size she is, is just fine and case-in-point, she ate 3 ounces while we were there.
So fast forward to our GI appoinent, where the doctor tells me that he isn't getting enough calories based on her birth weight. But she also left the hospital almost a full pound below her birth weight. So to gain 2 pounds in less than 2 months isn't great, but not terrible. In trying to tell him that, it seemed as though he acknowledged it, but didn't want to factor it in. Instead, he wanted to see better weight gain and when approaching that subject, asked me how I felt about breastfeeding.
Ohhhh no. We are not going there. I proceeded to tell him that I have worked too hard and would like to continue breastfeeding. If I need to add something to the breatmilk, I would gladly pump, bit I have invested too many tears to NOT breastfeed anymore.
So he told me to nurse only 10 minutes total and supplement the rest with formula. But because of the freaky out-the-nose reflux, he deduced she is allergic to the formula I have been giving her. So I get to use the neat $50/can-that-fits-in-my-hand formula. Awesome!
Then he tells me that I need to cut dairy and soy from my diet. Because if she's reacting this poorly to the formula, she is most likely allergic to dairy I eat as well.
Awesome!
When I got home, I thought a lot about what the doctor had said, and really about our journey to this point thus far. My pediatrician says she snow getting enough. The GI doc says she IA getting enough to eat, she is just not getting the calories she needs. The lactation consultant says she is getting enough to eat.
Since last Wednesday, her diapers say she has been getting enough to eat...in fact, sometimes twice a day. But something resonated with the food allergy. So like anyone curious about anything, I googled the shit out of it.
And it wasn't until I read an article by a mom with the same problem. The same problem with her second she had with her first. Then it hit me -
James is allergic to eggs.
So I called my good friend Heather, who had to go on a total elimination diet when her daugter was a preemie. So she knows it all. We went to lunch at Wendy's, since thy have a great dairy/soy free menu and then she took me to Hy-Vee. We scoured the aisles of the "health market" and she gave me the best fake dairy, soy and egg products she had discovered in her two years of living this diet. God bless her.
So tonight for dinner, I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on special white bread with Frito's. Yep, all of that is dairy, spy and egg free. So is my Peanut Bitter Captain Crunch, hallelujah.
So long post made longer, it will be interesting to see where the Battle of the Bulge goes from here.
Hopefully down, especially considering I am still at 167! 'Til next week!
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