Reflux and Cow’s Milk allergy or Intolerance

It is very hard to see your baby “vomiting” after every feed. It started when she as around 2 months and got much worse at around 3 months. In the beginning, I imagined that this was because she would feed so quickly that she was overfeeding and for that reason, she needed to spit up, but when the projectile vomits started after every feed I decided to check it out with a Lactation consultant.

One thing that she notice was that my baby was slowly putting on less weight than before. Where her average was around 200 to 300 grams a week she had put only 500 grams in 1 month and that was a sign that something was not right. She was eating half breastmilk and half Nan HA formula, as I did not have enough milk.

Some babies are happy spitters meaning that they reflux but they are ok with it. However, my baby would anticipate the reflux coming and getting very upset and scream so the GP tried changing her formula to a more hydrolyzed formula (Aptamil) but still the symptoms were similar so she started on Losec medicine before feeds, which makes the acid reflux less acidic. She would still reflux but with less pain. However, as a Mum I did not want to keep her on a medicine for too long so I started researching and found out that Cow’s milk could cause Reflux and other symptoms that she had from birth but I did not think they were related. She had body rash, loose poos (which are not common when babies are having formula), she was very gassy and had lots of colic, she was always wheezing and making breathing noises, she winged the whole day and would not sleep at all. Those last two continues until today but that can be still reflex of anxiousness from the inflammation and pain she felt in beginning of her life. (There is a symptom checker here: http://www.neocate.com/help-for-parents/tools/symptom-checker/).

I decided to try as much as I could giving her more breastmilk, I started a dairy free diet, and that was it. In 1 week, she wanted more and more my breast (I was now on Boobies Bikkies and Motillium, and this made my supply increase). Still she was hungry so I went to a pediatrician he put her on Neocate formula which is an amino acids only based formula. She really loved and actually started refusing the breast. I guess that it is very hard to be 100% out of lactose and she felt much less pain on Neocate so I transitioned for 1 month and now at 5 months she is on Neocate only. Her skin is clean of the rashes, her poos are great, her gassiness is gone and she is a much happier baby. 

It is very hard to see your baby refusing to breastfeed but I know that it is for her own good in the end. I miss our night feeds and cuddles, but I still try to hug her tight while giving her the bottle now.

Two of the reasons for that milk allergy/intolerance (I state both here, as we are not sure what she has yet and there are big differences between those two) is being a genetic condition or the fact that I ate LOTS of dairy while pregnant. I really craved it and ate a bit too much. Either way now I need to make her feel better and help her not be anxious because of the pain and to sleep more. 

I am here for her and I want her to know that.

A mum that will do anything for her baby after 30

#neocate #mumafter30 #boobiesbikkies #cowsmilkintolerance #cowsmilkallergy #reflux

After 3 months and I am back...

Today it has been 3 months exactly that I do not write on my blog…

I decided that I needed to focus only on my baby and me during this last 3 months as things were going a bit out of whack.

 I learned a lot and had many different issues that I could not expect. I have been riding this roller coast with issues around breastfeeding, allergy to cow’s milk, reflux, sleep deprivation, excessive crying, catnaps, baby hyperactivity and planning to go back to work. Still going through this with a smile on my face, actually not always, but with a strong mantra that this all will pass, new challenges will come, and I need to take one-step at a time.

I am even seeing a physiotherapist to support me on the hardest skill that my baby is teaching in my life that is that even if we PLAN – Nothing is under my control. I am a bit of a control freak, I do my research, I plan, I prepare and usually all goes to plan. However, not in the motherhood life, that is not real but I will share more in the next posts.

I am just glad that I am able to share this all here and if I am able to help 1 mother like me I feel like I will have accomplished something. We do not live in villages like in the past where woman would live together and learn from each other while the men would hunt. Now most of the time we are at home alone while partners are at work, so now internet is our village and I think people need to be more honest and share the realities here so we can really be able to support each other.

From a Mum learning a lot in 3 months

#momafter30

In the picture: Me and my baby losing one sock at night… yes she will be like me never have pairs of socks. The joke is just to make us laugh, but I cannot complain of my husband as he is always here to support me after he is back from work ;)

Wonder Weeks, are they real?

We hear so much about Wonder weeks so I decided to download the app (Wonder Weeks) to try and follow to see if they really happen.

My baby is only 8 weeks so I only had a chance to go over 2 of those weeks and here is my experience:

Week 5 – This is the first leap the baby starts to have sensations and is aware of the world. On this week my baby really was more alert looking everywhere and seems that she could recognize some people. She did cry quite a bit as expected on his wonder week but also started to sleep more at night ;)

Week 8 – This is the second leap where baby recognize patterns. I am on this week and I will can tell she does recognize it and also now screams to get things done quicker. She wants a feed quicker; she wants to be picked up quicker. This is a very challenging week. She also found her hand and sucks it all the time, even spits the dummies for it. This week she also started to play on her floor mat with toys and she loves it.

So far those wonder weeks have been very real. Here is a full list of the leaps and the weeks and what to expect. Is it’s nice to have an idea of what is going on when all is fine and a wonder week starts and brakes the cycle, at least we are more prepared.

A Wonder Mum during a Wonder Week

#wonderweeks

Wonder week table found at: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/84/4b/a2/844ba21403c31adcfa46274814c70b8f.jpg

Which are the different kinds of formula? What to give to your baby?

As I had some issues breastfeeding I had to complement with formula while I was getting my milk supply back. (I used Motillium, Fernugreek, Oats and Brewer’s Yeast to do so.) I still need a bit of formula to top up but I am happy that I would say I am giving 80% breastmilk and 20% formula now, which before was almost 80% formula).

Because I needed to give the formula from the beginning I tried to learn more about it and here is what I learned from pharmacists, midwifes and nurses, still this is just an idea and a professional support should be the best way to go:

-        Regular Formulas – 100% lactose / 100% protein – It can be organic or not and most of older kids can adapt to it quite easily

-        Comfort Formulas – 50% lactose / 100% protein – If the baby is getting some mild gut reaction (Lactose intolerant kids that will grow out of it later).

-        Lactose Free Formula – 0% lactose / 100% protein – If the gut reaction is severe with: lots of wind, abdominal pain, explosive stools, vomiting, nausea, discomfort and it happens every feed (The ideal would be to some tests to see if the baby is really allergic to lactose and also see if there is family history of lactose allergies).

-        H.A. (Hypo Allergy) Formula – 100% lactose / 50% protein – If the baby has lots of constipation and colic. For me this is the most similar formula to breastmilk when considering the protein. At a Dr. Howard W Chilton’s seminar, I learn that breastmilk has 100% lactose but very little protein (less than 1 gram per 100ml) and that made me research further and I realized that cow’s milk, which the formulas are made with, have around 3.5 grams per 100ml. This way this formula would give my baby around 1.3grams of protein per 100ml, making it very similar to breastmilk and being ideal for little babies.

-         Formula can also be or not GOLD – Meaning that it has Omega 3, which breastmilk also has, they just don’t know if this Omega 3 is absorbed or not but I would say it wouldn’t hurt having it.

A pharmacist told me: “Formulas are like medicine you just need to find out the problem and see which formula would solve the issue” And I agree with her not one kind of formula is good for everyone. The good thing is that doesn’t matter which one you choose the rules in the nutrients in Australia are quite serious so you can be sure that you are giving the best thing, after breastmilk, for your baby.

I choose NAN Opti-pro– HA GOLD – And my baby is very happy with it, no more colic, no more constipation, but again I only give it to her when she need to top up. My milk is always going to be the BEST for her J

A very informed MUM after 30

Tip: Nestle has a CARELINE number that you can call and get advice: 1800 468 8736

#nanoptiprohagold #nan #nestle

Nappies, Creams, Shampoo, Colic helper…what have I used so far?

As a first time Mum I decided that I would give everything a try, but for that first I tried to get samples of everything so I would not need to invest much first and then I bought what I liked the most. ( How to get some samples:Samples and Freebies Post)

Here are some of my favorites:

-        Nappies – Huggies are quite good and famous nappies and I was thinking to sticky with it but the newborn ones were a little too big for her (she was born 2,890 grams but very skinny and tall). So my first nappies were Baby Love Preemie which fit perfectly and couple of weeks later I tried the Comfy Boots from Coles which impressive enough were also good. Now my baby can finally fit on the Huggies one, but we decided to try the new Little ones (Woolworths Brand) which don’t look fancy but do the job well for the price which made me impressed. Luckily enough she didn’t have any allergies and by trial and error I could find the ones that wouldn’t leak at night, so I think this needs to be the way, try small packs and find the best one for you, also babies grow so quickly that is not worth to waste too much money, just buy on demand. And if you have a baby shower ask the guests to bring the second to third size as she is now 7 weeks and already on the second size at 4,500 grams.

Wipes – I just use the Huggies as I got lots of it and I have this box that I love which is very handy to use. But I wouldn't mind trying other brands later.

-        Rash Cream – On my bounty bag I got some Sudocream and so far she didn’t have any rash. I use it 3 times a day specially before long sleeps and she adapted quite well.

-        Body Cream – At week 5 she developed some pimples that went all over her body, the nurses said was just a hormonal reaction and would go down by itself at her 12^th’week but I still tried to help using the Curash Healing Cream and her allergy is almost gone at 7 weeks so I guess was worth trying. Also her skin gets super soft with it so I keep using it.

-        Body Shower – I use Gaia Sleep Time as it helps her calm down after the bath and sleep longer at night (I will have a post about sleeping after)

-        Blocked Nose – I use the Flo Baby saline solution and I also started using the Snotty Grotty spray in the room. She used wake up quite congested and this seems to make it happen less often.

-        Colic – As most new babies she had quite a bit of colic so I waited the first month (which is recommended) and from the second I started giving her Colic Calm when she was feeling pain and it really does the job... I can hear the gas coming out so quickly ;)

-        Congestion – Because of her first formula she got congested so I gave her Coloxyl Drops, it did help, but the best thing was change her formula (I will have a post all about what I learned about formulas from an expert).

So yes I tried many things and would try even more if meant to have my baby happy. Every baby is different so you need to find what works well for yours J

A Mum that loves to try after 30

#babylove #huggies #comfyboots #littleones #sudocream #curash #gaia #flobaby #coliccalm

Breastfeeding – Nothing prepared me for this

I can say that breastfeeding is much more painful than the labour pain.

In my view the labour will end, you will have a bundle of joy in your hands and you will easily forget all the pain. Now you can start enjoying motherhood, but wait… nobody talked about how hard and painful breastfeeding is.

I can only talk about my experience but I did hear the same from other mums about this too. From the first day the pain of the baby latching was unbearable, it was like someone was needling my teats, a strong burn pain that would only go away around 15 minutes after she started feeding because the teat would become numb. But as soon as I would take her out the pain would be back irradiating all the way to my shoulder and back sometimes.

No, I am not trying to scare anyone but to alert that you should also have a Breastfeeding plan and have some tools from the beginning. I added some “supporting tools” slowly so I think I suffered much more than necessary. I am on week 7 of my baby and now I can start to feel some relief so here are somethings you can prepare and do:

-        Use the lactation consultant from the beginning. As I had one in the hospital she helped me to learn more about the “art of breastfeeding”, specially how to correct latch. Which I used the techniques later when I was able to handle the pain in a better way

-        Start from the first day trying to feed, some people even recommended me to start expressing on week 38 so I could already get a hang of it and my milk would be ready for the baby (this I didn’t try but will try with the second baby for sure).

-        Prepare lanolin cream, gel pads and soft bras and take them to the hospital, this way you can start using those props from the first feed, not letting your teats become too hurt.

-        You can also use a silicon teat, but that is for a bit later when you milk flow is good, I wouldn’t use in the beginning as it may be hard for the baby

-        Invest on a good quality breast pump. I have the medela swing which is hands free (has a top that I can wear the machine) and I can take milk from both breasts at once. I tried the Avent for the first 2 weeks and I wouldn’t barely take any milk out. The Medela gives me 90ml in 15 min. The hospital can also rent the Medela medical grade which was great in the hospital.

-        Have some formula ready in case you need to use. (I am still giving around 30% of formula as I don’t have enough milk, which is another issue I had because you can only have enough milk if the baby stimulate it (and because of the pain I wouldn’t let her do it for too long), but slowly my milk is coming back as now let her feed for longer.

My tip is to be mentally ready that the first month as it will hurt, our skin is sensitive and not ready for this, so it needs to be damaged and heal again, this is the only way for breastfeeding to become less painful. But don’t put too much pressure on you, if you can’t do it formulas are very good at the moment and your baby will not be hungry if you can’t breastfeed, just don’t give up while you can as it will for sure be rewarding later.

A sore Mom After 30

#momafter30 #breastfeeding #medela #lactationconsultant #pain

My experience in the public hospital

After some research I decided to try the public hospital in Australia. If I was having the baby in Brazil it would be different as the public system doesn’t work well there, but in Australia it seemed to be the ideal choice for me. Firstly, because all the services were free but also because I heard amazing feedback about their services, specially about the Royal Hospital for Woman in Randwick where I had my baby.

The antenatal that I had was with a GP shared care which meant that I went to the hospital every second consultation and at the end as I had some back and SI joint pain, I was going once a week for Pilates/physio class which helped my pain a lot.

Before you have the baby you can have a hospital tour and I would highly recommend it, so you can feel at home when the time comes and know all you need to take or not on the day.

On my special day I stayed during 8 hours at the delivery room which was very well equipped with all the medical needs but also with Pilates ball, bathtub, floor mats, chair for my support person and lots of space for me to move around.

After I had the baby I went to the rooms where firstly had a double room for a couple of hours, but as I applied as private patient on the public hospital ( using my private insurance) I was transferred to a private room. The only difference was the space, the privacy and also the fact that my husband could spend the night with me which for me, being a first time mom, was essential.

The midwifes at the hospital were great, always supportive and checking if I and my baby were doing well. Also the staff in the hospital in general were always very polite. About the food, which everyone asks, I can say that is not that bad, yes it had little salt but you can put more and the variety was also ok. I was going to spend only some days there so I didn’t worry, just ate what they served and in the end became friends with the kitchen people that would save me some apples and bananas (as some foods were limited). The tip is to be nice to everyone, a smile goes a long way.

Another great service they have is the breastfeeding class and lactation consultant while you are at the hospital, they have a room with comfy chairs where moms would meet to feed their babies from the first day. This way everyone could see how hard it was together and not give up, which I didn’t yet but I would need a whole post about that later.

I can’t fault any service or people at the hospital, it was for sure an amazing experience and I will be for sure going back for seconds ;)

A happy Mom after 30

#momafter30 #royalhospitalforwoman #rhw