Sick Baby Update

Our little Blip was able to remain oxygen free throughout the night after being taken off of it.  The nurses all warned us that most babies need to be put back on oxygen after being taken off...especially at some point during the night.  Blip proved them wrong and did not need any further support.  He did need to be suctioned a few more times...and the crud they continued to get out of his sinuses was incredible.

By about 10am on Monday morning, the doctor made his way in to check on Blip.  The doctor was pleased with the recovery the baby had made and said we were okay to take him home.  We were so happy to leave with our son, but also so thankful we had such great care when we needed it.

Here's what we ended up dealing with:

Blip was positive for RSV.  His cough was pretty much gone by the day after we got home (Tuesday).  We only had to suction Blip's nose one time since we left the hospital.  This baby is so awesome...if you didn't know he was sick...you'd never be able to tell.  

He was so sick on Friday.  It was wonderful to see such a positive change in only a few days.  I am so, so thankful we were able to get Blip in to the doctor and get his sickness looked at early.  I think things could have been much worse if we had waited through the weekend to get him support.

We were also able to deal with the reflux issue.  We weren't sure if reflux was what we were dealing with, but the doctors were sure.  Our sweet, mellow child never puked or even cried from the discomfort, but he would sound like he was regurgitating after eating...sometimes a while after he ate.  At times, it seemed like he was choking....but then recovered quickly and on his own.

The doctors gave us two ways to deal with the reflux.  The first, was to add a small amount of rice cereal to Blip's food...making it a nectar consistency.  Adding the weight to the his food should help it stay down.


The second option was to give Blip a type of medicine similar to Zantac.  I'm not a super freak, but I wasn't too sure about giving my four week old prescription meds...obviously reflux isn't life threatening, and I would do whatever I needed to do to save the baby's life...but meds already?  Ugh.

Along with those options, we were also told to keep Blip upright for about 30 minutes after he eats.  We have also elevated his bed to about 30 degrees.  To keep Blip from sliding down, we have made a "nest" (rolled larger blanket in a "u" shape kept in place under his bed sheet).

We agreed to start with the rice cereal option.  I immediately disliked it.  It was a guessing game at how much rice made the formula or breast milk the right consistency.  Plus, I wasn't loving the idea of adding rice cereal to my four week old's food.  

I am sounding more and more like a freak.

After a day or so of adding rice, Blip was still showing signs of discomfort, so we started him on the Zantac.  We also stopped the cereal, but continued to keep him upright after eating and we elevated his bed.

We noticed that the baby seemed much more comfortable after his second dose of the Zantac.  No more arching his back...and very little regurgitating noises after eating.


Blip's weight was also an issue that needed to be dealt with.  I think we all believed that the weight issue was caused mostly by the reflux issue.  Blip ate enough to survive, but as little as possible to try and avoid the burning sensation of reflux.  Pretty smart if you ask me.  He never even ate every two hours...

There is also an issue with the amount of breast milk I am making.  I don't seem to make quite enough.  The doctors were also concerned that the baby may be using too many calories to nurse...while not taking in enough calories to begin with.  So I am pumping, but I am not able to pump enough to feed the baby 100% of the time.  

I was feel overwhelmed and so guilty about everything to do with nursing my sweet baby, but I do believe my milk consumption issues are all thyroid related. Lactation issues are very common in women with Hashimoto's Disease.  I know it's not my fault, but I am still struggling with what to do...what's right for me and what's right for the baby.  Hopefully I will figure it all out...and come to terms with it all very soon.

Blip has gone from eating two ounces every 3-4 hours to eating four ounces every three hours.  At night he is going longer, but it's great to see the huge increase in his consumption in just one week.

We have a home health nurse coming to the house twice a week to check on the baby, but her scale is not quite what the scale at the hospital is...or the one at the doctor's office.  We have a follow-up on Monday, so we will check his weight on our regular weight check scale.

For now, we are just happy our baby is feeling better and gaining weight.  We are also very thankful we were able to help Blip be more comfortable. So far the Zantac is a miracle for us...he seems to feel so much better.