FPIES

So it turns out our little guy has a condition called FPIES (Food Protein Induced Entercolitis Syndrom). So far his triggers are Milk, Soy, and Rice. It is not a condition many are aware of so I'm doing my part to raise awareness. At the bottom of the page there are links for more information.
 FPIES is a severe delayed food allergy of the gut, it is understood to be a T-cell mediated response, a Non-IgE Food Allergy, in which food is considered a foreign invader and the body “fights/attacks” it until it can violently expel it; although the exact mechanisms are still not well understood.

Symptoms include: profound vomiting (often to bile), diarrhea and/or constipation. These can lead to: lethargy, low body temp or fever, hypotension, and in severe cases, sepsis and shock. And still yet, many children also experience many discomforting symptoms while the body "fights" this reaction and these can include: extreme stomach pains, gas, runny stools with or without mucous or blood, persistent hiccups, acid reflux, rashes, sleep disturbance, and agitation. 

To learn more:  *The FPIES Foundation website 

*FPIES United Family Fund

New Pictures!

The last week has been a busy one. Peanut is really enjoying her little brother. She even gave him hugs at the doctor's office before his first round of shots. He did great but she cried for him. 

Our First Months Home

Here is our first month and a half in pictures

July 28th Sweet Pea Arrived!

I had Sweet Pea on July 28th at 1:11 PM. He is a handsome baby boy! He weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches long. And it was an eventful day! Labor was a bit stressful. After drawing my blood they found that my hemoglobin was very low and put me at risk, there was debate over a blood transfusion but they decided to just order the blood and have it on hand if needed. Then our little guy was having issues of his own, the cord was wrapped around his neck causing his heart rate to drop really low so I had to go on oxygen. Luckily after changing positions and oxygen his heart rate increased enough to avoid a c-section. This made me very happy considering I had a one year old at home and J only had 10 days off.

After he was born we found out that the anatomy scan missed the fact that his cord only had two vessels instead of three an abnormality that only happens to about 1% of the population. This was a little worrisome because it could be an indicator of more serious problems and if they had known they would have induced a few weeks before my due date because SUA increases risk of stillborn. They wanted to keep a watch to make sure his kidneys were functioning properly.

We spent some time bonding with him and choosing a name and then we called to have Peanut come and meet her little brother. It was important to us that Peanut be the first one to welcome our little Sweet Pea into the world. After we arranged for her to come we finally started making phone calls to announce his arrival. I will never forget the first time Peanut saw him it was such a sweet moment.

After we had a few visitors Peanut and Daddy J went home. I spent some quiet time resting and cuddling with  my son. He started having trouble keeping down his food. We switched to formula so they could keep better track of his input and output but he had trouble with milk based. We switched over to Good Start Soy but he couldn't tolerate that either so then we switched to Isomil. Another problem we encountered was that he wasn't making bowel movements. We ended up having to stay another day so they could monitor him, after an x-ray and seeing a specialist they decided if he didn't start having regular bms we would transfer to another hospital so he could be admitted into the NICU for more testing. Luckily we didn't have to transfer.

He liked to keep us on our toes, the next problem we encountered was he failed all of his hearing screens. So we had to wait two weeks for a hearing test. This had us pretty worried for the first couple of weeks but he passed with no problems at his test.

Peanut did pretty well with the big change. She loved all of the time she got to spend with J, it didn't seem to really sink in for her until he went back to work. The first day at home alone with the kids was great, I felt like Wonder Woman. I cleaned, did laundry, the dishes and both kids were happy.

Peanut Pulled Up!

My little baby is growing up! Earlier today she was crawling around and saw the remote up on the couch and the next thing I know she pulled herself onto her knees with the help of the couch. I was telling James that it probably won't be long before she manages to pull herself to a stand. Little did I know that today would be the day!

I was hanging out on the floor with her catching up on Gray's Anatomy (the baby had me in tears) and the next thing I know she was after the remote again.

15 Weeks!

How far along? 15 Weeks!

How Big is Baby? 4 in, 2.5 oz about the size of a Naval Orange

Baby's Development -  Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now out measure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements

Weight Gain - + 5 lbs from the starting weight

Strech Marks? Almost gone! But I am almost as big as I was at the end of Peanut's pregnancy so I have a feeling that I will never wear a bikini again.

Sleep? Not so much

Best moment this week? Taxes done

Movement? Not yet but I can't wait!

Food Cravings? Chili again

Gender? So far we are staying strong! Team green all the way!

Labor Signs? Nope and it better stay that way for a long time

Belly Button in or out? It's an innie but not for long! It is already disappearing.

What I miss? Not having to pee every 2 minutes.

What am I looking forward to? My appointment on the 10th!

Weekly Wisdom? There is no such thing as too much ice cream

Milestones? No more normal pants.

Is Peanut still nursing? Yes but I am supplementing because it is getting hard to keep up.

Some Random Thoughts

I am a big fan of attachment parenting. Ever since I heard about it when I was pregnant I knew that is how we were going to raise Peanut. It just seemed natural. I love that Peanut has made her on schedule and that we get to enjoy so much time together. I feel like we have really been able to bond.

One of the struggles I have had is finding balance in our life sometimes. As amazing as it is to spend so much time with our daughter, it is also important for us to spend time together as a couple. Our most recent solution to this is date nights at home. Peanut goes to bed around 6:30 so we have the rest of the evening to spend together. We can eat, play games, watch a movie, or just catch up and talk. I have missed having time with James and since we have started this things have been so great.

I also love the closeness we get to share when I wear her in the wrap or mei-tai. It is fun to have her cuddled up to me as we experience the world together. I love that I am able to do tasks such as housework or cooking and not miss out on time with Peanut. I am so glad that attachement parenting introduced me to babywearing.