October 15, 2008

Just another day in paradise around here. The boys are doing wonderfully. We are so blessed!

As I was thinking about what to blog today, I relized that there are a few misc. tidbits that I am not sure I shared with you...

-Did I tell you that they now speculate that Evan's NEC may not have been NEC at all, but rather flat out feeding intolerance? Likely, caused by milk protein intolerance. It can cause gassiness, tummy issues, and even blood in the stools.

Here are some things I found on the internet about it:
"Approximately 2% to 3% of infants have a milk allergy, and they typically outgrow it."

A milk allergy occurs when the child's immune system mistakenly sees the milk protein as dangerous and tries to fight it off. This starts an allergic reaction, which can cause an infant to be fussy and irritable, and cause an upset stomach and other symptoms. Most children who are allergic to cow's milk also react to goat's milk and sheep's milk, and some of them are also allergic to the protein in soy milk.


Infants who are breastfed have a lower risk of developing a milk allergy than infants who are formula fed, but researchers don't fully understand why some children develop a milk allergy and others don't. It's believed that in many cases, the allergy is genetic.

Typically, a milk allergy goes away on its own by the time a child is 3 to 5 years old, but some children never outgrow it.

Symptoms of a Milk Allergy
-loose stools (possibly containing blood)
-vomiting
-gagging
-refusing food
-irritability or colic
-skin rashes.

Treating a Milk Allergy:
-If your infant has a milk allergy and you are breastfeeding, it's important to restrict the amount of dairy products that you ingest because the milk protein that's causing the allergic reaction can cross into your breast milk.
-Switching to a soy based or a hypoallergenic formula

Interesting, huh? Sounds like our little Evan!


TIDBIT #2-
I can't diet right now. For the first time in my life, I am supposed to keep my calories up to be sure that my breastmilk is as rich as it can be for my two tiny guys. This means no calorie cutting, and a big fat Becki for a while. Oh well! I don't mind being plump for a while if it helps my boys out. I'll have time to lose it later!

And on that front, I've been doing very well with cutting out milk-based products. I don't DRINK milk, or EAT gobs of cheese and haven't had the beloved ice cream since the doctor asked me to stop milk products...but I don't avoid things that have it MIXED in. Still, it's a sacrifice, as I LOVE LOVE LOVE milk, cheese, and ICE cream!

You should SEE our freezer by the way! I bought some rubbermaid type totes to orgaize all the milk, and wow. There's ALOT. If I ever can't work, I think I could sign up on a dairy farm. Hahahahah.

Our insurance covers my pump until mid November, and at that time I think I have to give it back. The nurse in the NICU told us to talk with our pediatrician about getting him to try and get it approved for us to keep it longer out of medical necessity. Really, Evan can NOT drink formula. He does not do well on it and that's been proven, UNLESS we MAYBE go to hypoallergenic. So she was thinking that he'd perhaps be able to get insurance to pay for it. We'll explore that with him at our next doctor appt...Monday!

TIDBIT 3-
Alec has been having some temperature type issues here at home. At the doctor's office he was 97.9. Then Curt took it later and he was right around there as well. In the NICU they want the babies at 98.4 at least. So, Alec has been bundled tightly, with a onesie, fleece jammies, swaddled with a thick blanket over the top and wearing his hat. When I took his temp last night after all that covering, he was a toasty 98.4. Guess we have to keep him cuddled a bit until he gets some chub on his bones.

TIDBIT 4-
The carbed digs into Alec's neck. I'll take some pictures of it without him being covered up sometime. We hope he's up to 5 lb here at our next visit so we can schedule our carseat test. We'll be happy to be rid of it.

I think that's it for now!!!