A few weeks ago our pediatrician was concerned about Felix's weight gain. In two weeks he only gained 4 oz. To help him get more nutrients she put him on a two hour feeding schedule during the day and three hours at night. Previously I was nursing him every three hours during the day and on demand at night. We went to see her again to get him weighed and he had only gained another 2 oz. So then we started supplementing his feedings with formula since obviously he wasn't getting enough from me. Unfortunately he vomited after I would give him any formula. I called the pediatrician Thursday and she suggested thickening the formula with a little rice cereal to see if its a reflux issue and that would help it stay down in his stomach. We had previously done this while Felix was in the hospital and it seemed to help. But the doctor said that if he throws up again I would need to take him to the ER so they could run some tests and in the meantime she got us an appointment with a pediatric GI doc at Children's on Friday morning. So Thursday afternoon I did two feedings with thickened formula and he kept them down! I thought we had found our solution, he was just experiencing reflux. Then about an hour after the next feeding he threw up quite a lot. I called the pediatrician and she had us take Felix into the ER at Children's.
The ER was an exhausting experience. Mainly because we were there from about 9pm until 3am. Luckily Phil had just landed from Chicago about the time I called the pediatrician, so he met me at Children's. In the course of the evening Felix got an IV (which took them 3 attempts...this was probably the most stressful for Felix) where they gave him fluids, had his blood tested, had an ultrasound and x-rays. In the end everything looked fine. They couldn't find any obstructions (which is what our pedi feared) or any other issues. They only thing they could see was that he had a lot of gas, which we already knew.
It was so sad for Phillip and I to see Felix going through all these things. Because we was vomiting the doctors didn't want me to nurse him until they determined there was no obstruction. So other than the fluids Felix got through the IV, he didn't eat for over six hours and because he was so hungry he had a tough time sleeping. His poor little eyes were so bloodshot! So they sent us home from the ER. We got home around 3:15am took a little nap and then woke up again for a 9am upper GI scan and appointment with the GI doc. Needless to say Friday was an exhausting day for all of us!
When we got to Children's we went up to radiology and they got Felix prepped for his scan. This included getting into a really adorable baby hospital gown with clowns on it.
While they were scanning him they fed him a tiny bit of formula with barium in it so they could see how his body handled eating. The scan went well and everything looked normal. We then went up and met with the GI doc. After talking with her for quite a bit, examining Felix and testing his stools she determined Felix is allergic to the proteins in cow's milk and possibly soy as well. She prescribed him medication for acid reflux and put him on hypoallergenic formula.
In order for him to gain weight we had to feed him this past week small amounts every hour during the day and every 2 hours at night. It was exhausting! I was on my own again for a little while because Phillip had to head back to Chicago, so luckily I was able to get some help from some women from church during the day on Tuesday and Wednesday so I could take a nap! But it paid off. We took Felix in to be weighed by his pediatrician on Thursday and he is now 9lbs 4.5oz, up from 7lbs 6oz the week before! Almost 2 lbs in one week!
Felix as of today June 18, 2011
Felix is a totally different baby! His face is filling out as well as the rest of his body. When I look at him he just looks healthier to me. He's less yellow (his pediatrician was worried about his bilirubin a few weeks ago, but it was normal) and he had a rash on his cheeks and neck that has cleared up. We're finally on our way to getting a little chubby baby!
Here are some pictures I just downloaded from the camera. All of them were taken before he started to beef up except for the last one.
These two pictures were taken about one second apart. Something obviously upset him!
Grandma and Grandpa were in town for Mary's baptism, so Felix got to spend a lot of quality time with them!
This picture perfectly captures how large his hands are! And the one below gives you an idea of how big his feet are. I predict we're going to have one big kid!
