pepper1376's profile

pepper1376
	Age: 31 Country: US Province/region: Indiana City: Fort Wayne Partner: husband Gary Children: Yes, 7 Pregnant: Not anymore Occupation: mom
	Online: 17 days ago. Last updated: 71 days ago. Member since: 363 days
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May 8, 2008

My baby girl, Ava, is now 6 wks. old and had a rough start. She has reflux and when she vomits (which is constantly!), it sometimes comes up through her nose. When she was born, this caused her to stop breathing which got her an apnea monitor and an extra day in the hospital to be monitored by a pediatrician (who charged $400 an hour to stand there and watch her all day! Thank God we have insurance!) and all kinds of blood tests, plus a CT scan to make sure it wasn't anything else. She'll be on the monitor until she's atleast 3 months. She hasn't stopped breathing since I brought her home. When it comes up her nose, she panics and holds her breath but she does start breathing again on her own with me rubbing her back and suctioning her nose. She hasn't held it long enough to make the monitor alarm (Thank God!). Her doctor put her on Zantac which I didn't think was working until I missed a dose! After spending the day cleaning up vomit that shot clear across the room, I'll never miss another dose again! I heard good things about the Dr. Brown bottles so I started using those and have noticed an improvement. We still go through countless bibs/burp cloths/outfits a day though. If we aren't going anywhere then I'll just strip her to her diaper and wrap her in a blanket. Easier to change blankets than whole outfits!

Her doctor has decided to send her to an ear, nose, and throat specialist to see why it keeps coming out her nose since her palate seems to be formed normally. She goes on Monday, May 12. I can't wait. I've never looked forward to taking one of my kids to the doctor but I just want them to tell me why she does this and to hopefully fix it or atleast tell me "she'll grow out of it."

She started out at 6 lbs. 8 oz, and was 18.8 inches long. She's now 9 lbs. 15 oz. and is 21 inches. She's growing great so she apparently is keeping SOMETHING down. She's getting rolls! She's so cute!

One thing that seems to be different than all the other "reflux babies" that I read about is that she just isn't a fussy baby. She's very content, (except when it's coming out her nose...) and she's alert and happy for several hours a day. Doesn't have any real crying fits, except when she's hungry or strapped in that dang car seat that she hates so much! My second daughter had colic and she cried CONSTANTLY. Now 10 years old, she still cries all the time! But Ava just isn't fussy at all. She sleeps very well. At night she sleeps from Midnight to 6:30/7 am and wakes happy and ready to eat! Occasionally she'll seem a bit gassy and whiney but I'll put her over my shoulder and pat her back and she's happy.

She's starting to "coo" but no smiles yet. She likes to stare at me and dad while we talk to her and she'll "talk" back a bit but still no real smiles. She talks to dad more than me...I'm the one who cleans up the vomit all day and she talks to HIM more?????? Ah well... She likes to stare at bright colors and will swat at toys hanging on her car seat. She doesn't get much tummy time because that usually ends in a vomit disaster! I imagine she'll take forever to roll over as she's always propped up on her back or in her car seat. I have a bassinet that raises up at one end which is GREAT. Don't know what we'll do when she graduates to the crib--guess I'll just prop the mattress up somehow. Changing diapers usually turns into a race against the vomit as I HAVE to put her on her back then.

Ava listening to me talk to her. 6 wks

Ava listening to her dad talk to her. 6 wks

Ava and her niece (yep, her niece!), Aubrie. 6 wks.

May 12, 2008
Ava went to the ENT specialist today and all is well. The doctor said her palate is normal and that it's just something that she's going to outgrow, probably by 4 months. She said her ped. was concerned that she might have a cleft palate that she just wasn't detecting but the specialist said it was completely normal, perfectly formed. She said if she didn't grow out of it by 4 months then they would stick a scope down her throat but that she didn't feel it was serious enough to torture her with now, at 7 wks. She did tell me to call her ped. and get her zantac dose adjusted because she's throwing up more. She said you have to constantly adjust the dosage for babies as they grow so I'll do that today. She also said that it might help to add a little bit more water than called for to her formula to thin it out and make it easier to get through her system before she pukes it back up and to feed her smaller amounts more often, instead of 4-5 oz. every 4 hrs. I'll TRY that. I don't know how well Ava will adjust to 2 oz. every 2 hrs. She'll be convinced that she's starving!! I was hoping the spec. would give me some magic medicine to make it all stop but figured she would tell me "she'll grow out of it." They held Ava down and stuck a stick in her mouth to hold her to tongue down while she took FOREVER to feel around on her palate. Ava was so p.o'd!! And of course she was gagging and choking. Poor baby. Then when they stopped she was looking at ME like I did it! I felt horrible!
She'll be 7 wks. tomorrow--about 2 more months to go!

May 21
Ava is 2 months now. She's getting so big. She weighed 10.5 lbs at her weight check (her pediatrician wants her weight checked every 2 wks. to make sure she's gaining ok since she pukes nonstop!). She finally started giving me smiles a couple days ago. And she's pretty much awake most of the day now. She likes to sit in front of the TV and watch cartoons with her big brother. She's fascinated and has started "talking" back to the TV. Too funny!
Doctor doesn't want to up her zantac dose until she reaches 12 lbs. but she's really spitting up alot right now. I'm a little worried but she's gaining weight so I suppose she's not spitting up as much as it looks. She doesn't seem uncomfortable or anything. Very content baby girl. She had a nice rash on her face from puking so much while she sleeps at night and then sleeping in it (she leans her head over on her shoulder and so the spit up kind a settles between her cheek and shoulder. She sleeps for 5-6 hours strait and I'm not going to wake her up because then she'll want to eat and nights are the worst for her spit ups. After she eats she'll spit up for about 2 hours off and on and then it turns into an even bigger mess for her. So I bathe her in the morning and then put a little cortisone on her. That seems to be taking care of the rash on her cheek and behind her ear. I've tried laying her on the opposite side that she prefers but she manages to get herself back on her "choice side" and cocking her head onto her shoulder. DRIVES ME INSANE!!!! She's determined to sleep in that position!! I'm in a battle with a 2 month old over sleeping positions and she's winning! Oh well, I suppose this too will pass. Hopefully.
Can't wait for warm weather so I can take her on walks and get back in shape. I don't have a clue how much I weigh now as I don't check MY weight until after 6 months--too depressing in those first few months! I'll try to post more pics soon.

Ava sleeping. 8 wks<a href="http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i182/pepper1376/?action=view&current=100_3332.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i182/pepper1376/100_3332.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Happy Ava. 8 wks<a href="http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i182/pepper1376/?action=view&current=100_3406.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i182/pepper1376/100_3406.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Ava smiling. 8 wks<a href="http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i182/pepper1376/?action=view&current=100_3407.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i182/pepper1376/100_3407.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

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