Feeding Nathan

I knew that feeding a Lyle boy would be a challenge, but I didn't expect that challenge to occur right after birth...I was expecting it when Nathan was older and eating me out of house and home ;-)

Nathan was born via C-section and so he was given a bottle right away while I was in recovery (no big deal). My milk took a bit to come in so we supplemented with formula while at the hospital. He dropped over 10% of his birth weight in the first few days, but gradually began to pack it back on. By time we were released from the hospital Nathan was in the 50th percentile for weight and was being exclusively breastfed!! I was so excited!

About 3 weeks after Nathan was born we started to notice blood in his stools. We took him to the pediatrician and the diagnosis was that he was allergic to cow's protein. I then went on a VERY strict diet...no dairy, whey, soy, etc. I was reading labels left and right and found that everything in my normal diet contained some form of cow's protein, so I pretty much went on a veggie and meat diet. After 2 weeks of breastfeeding Nathan while not eating cow's protein the bloody stools were still there...and getting worse! In fact one day I changed 6 bloody diapers in a span of 4 hours...I was a nervous mommy so off to the ER we went when James got home. At the ER they did many tests and x-rays on the little guy...he was such a trooper! The ped doctor on duty decided to put Nathan on Nutramigen (a formula that is for babies with a severe allergy to cow's protein, soy, etc.) I stopped breastfeeding and we tried the new formula out. Again after 2 weeks we hadn't seen much of a change so the pediatrician in Cheyenne sent us to Children's Hospital in Denver to see a gastroenterologist. Lucky for us, Nathan had a blow-out diaper during the appointment that contained blood so they were able to see what was happening. The GI doctor does not think any of this is hurting Nathan since he is a happy baby, doesn't cry when his stomach is pushed on and has wet/poppy diapers often. Since Nutramigen didn't seem to work there maybe a more severe allergy than originally suspected. The problem is there is no way to test for that. However there is a formula that is given to babies/kids when  the allergy is unknown. So now Nathan is on Elecare...it smells terrible, makes him spit up constantly thus he is always hungry and cannot be found at any grocery store or pharmacy!

Since starting the process of seeing doctors Nathan's weight has gone from a healthy 50th percentile on the bell curve down to the 35th percentile. Since he is still young we don't know what "curve" he is going to stay on, so this is a bit of a concern and his weight has to be monitored. After 2 weeks of being on Elecare we will go in for a weight check, at 3 weeks we will check in with the GI pediatrician and at 4 weeks we will make a decision as to whether or not more testing needs to be done. I am happy to report that Nathan has only had 5 bloody stools in the past 6 days!!! Please pray that we have found the answer and that Nathan will grow out of this allergy (most babies do by the age of one).

I will spare you the bloody diaper pics (yes, I took pictures to show the doctors!) and share with you our little trooper during his ER and doctors visits:



       

   

ER visit



2 months old!!

Time is flying by...Nathan is 2 months old already!

 

Weight: 11 lbs 4 oz (35%)

Height: 24.25 inches (90%)

Head Circumference: 39cm (25%)

 

Eating: Nathan is still a great eater, but unfortunately we have had to do some experimenting with breastfeeding and formula due to Nathan having bloody stools. He is being seen by a GI doctor at Children's Hospital in Denver and we are working on a solution (I will blog about that later).

 

Sleeping: With the change in Nathan's feeding schedule came a change in his sleeping schedule :-( He does pretty good at night...James feeds him a bottle at 8:00pm and lays him down in his crib, then Nathan wakes up some time between 1:30-3:00am to eat and goes back down until 6:00ish to eat and then sleeps in until 8:00ish. Naptime however is totally on Nathan's schedule...when he is sleepy he naps. I have tried everything in my power to set a naptime routine, but he refuses to sleep in his crib. Crying it out hasn't worked (even after 3 hours!), placing him in his swing sometimes work, but mostly he likes to be snuggled up in someone's arms during his naps. He usually takes a 1-1.5 hr nap in the morning and a 2-3hr nap in the afternoon.

 

Playing: Nathan has come leaps and bounds this month in playing...so fun to watch what he learns each day!! He still loves his play mat and has recently learned how to purposefully grab his lion and pull it towards his mouth! The dragon fly still gives his legs a great workout. Tummy time is not so bad anymore especially if he is using his boppy. He has gotten really strong in his head and neck muscles so we are now having bumbo time. We place the chair in front of a mirror and watch him interact with himself :-) He loves to "stand" in one of our laps and dance around while making silly faces.

 

 

 



2 month memories:

- recognizes mommy and daddy and gives up great big smiles we he hears/sees one of us!

- tries to copy facial expressions you make with him...especially sticking out your tongue (thanks James!)

- such a trooper during doctors appointments...especially 2 month shots!

- stops smiling, talking, giggling, etc when the camera comes out...bummer :-(

- has discovered that his hand makes a pretty good toy...sucks on it constantly and prefers it over a paci.

- he has learned to roll onto his side and then over to his back again...it makes him giggle.

Really mommy...I am 2 months old already?!
This out of the womb thing is pretty fun!
 

 

 

 

Nathan's Baptism

Saturday, August 31st, 2013

St. Augustine Catholic Church

Brighton, Colorado

Godparents: Grandpa Bernard and Granny B

 

James and I knew before Nathan was born that we wanted our little one to be baptized at St. Augustine...the church I did all my sacraments at, where James was confirmed and where we were married. It holds a special place in our hearts. We also wanted Fr. Humberto to be apart of Nathan's big day!! Grandma and Grandpa Lyle flew out for the long weekend to meet Nathan and to be at the baptism. Nathan wore Grandpa Lyle's baptismal garment from when he was baptized as an infant...a very meaningful outfit. Nathan however was not in the best of moods, so we have no good pictures.

 

 

The baptism was held during the normal 5 o'clock mass so that we could share with the congregation. Nathan did great and didn't even cry when the water was poured over his head...much to Father's dismay :-)

 

**Pictures are small since we used phones instead of a camera to take pictures in the church.

 

 

After mass we went back to my parents house and celebrated with friends and family!! So happy to have Nathan apart of the Catholic Church!