This morning I was struck by how some of the … ah … college experience does prepare you for life. There’s the experience of hugging toilet, as I was doing this morning. Only this time, as a parent, I was hugging my small child with tummy hurting sitting on the toilet to go poop. When he doesn’t feel well, he can get a hug anywhere. And all-nighters? That’s obvious to anyone who’s had a sick kid. And here I thought I had outgrown my days of hugging the toilet!
At Karston’s preschool, the teachers carefully dash out the name for each child to trace on the daily artwork. Tedious! Karston is learning to write his name, and I’d love to build on that at home, but I know I’m not going to draft all this tracing for him when I’m sure there’s a font for it … I found free trace fonts @ fontspace.com with the Print Clearly and Trace fonts. Much better!
I have an “All Hands” meeting tomorrow, so I just drove home from the coast. I left my boys with Daddy so they could enjoy more time at the coast, another boat ride, maybe play on a sandy beach. I cannot possibly explain how hard it was to leave them behind. The hormonal sense of bereavement was excruciating. I think what I learned is that I can’t possibly get divorced. I have no reason to (thank goodness! we all love Daddy!), but even if I did, I couldn’t bear to leave my children on a regular basis. It was brutal. For some reason I can go to work in the morning, but this “optional” trip when I came home a day earlier is rough. I wonder if it’s because Cale nursed right before I left so all of my “mom hormones” are up.
Really! The educational company LeapFrog is afraid of beer! I was trying to figure out why neither of us could enter Cale’s name in Karston’s new Leapster2 (he played with Nadia’s in July and picked it up easily). Finally I found the answer from the company, and the example was very helpful … can’t have ALEX because it contains ALE, so that explains why we can’t have CALE too. Their workaround works, too. And it got me out of the endless loop of the doggone thing asking me to enter a profile name but not accepting it! We were sure it was a bug, but it really is a “child protection feature” *argh*! In their defense, they are using “a popular third-party filter” and they did document the problem. Another non-bug: you can only delete a name when all three name slots are filled.
Karston’s been playing with it for less than a day so far, but he loves it. (And he loved Nadia’s all that weekend.) I think it’s a flexible (since spanning ages 4-8 covers a lot of changes), expandable (SD slot) learning toy.
About two weeks ago, during a rare bout of heartburn (I had it once as a kid for overeating, as an adverse reaction to naproxen, and during most of both pregnancies), I wondered why I had such fond, rosy memories of my pregnancies. I mean, morning sickness kicked in before the fourth week, before the positive pregnancy test even, subsided around the 20th week, and kicked back in once I was really large. Add in the unaccustomed bulk and the every-movement-is-arerobic-exercise from week 24 on, and it’s no picnic. I figured it out, though. I relished the free license to be selfish about taking care of myself. Of course I have to eat this, it’s the healthiest choice on the menu that doesn’t make my stomach churn at the thought. Time to get ready for bed now so that I have time to do my static flexibility stretches to keep me from aching. No, it’s not breakfast time yet, I have to do my strength training first!
Post-partum, the rules change to keep the baby happy.
But since I noticed what I liked, I’m making more time for exercise. (I’ve always preferred healthier food, although I was falling off the wagon for sweet snacks more often before I noticed this.) I like it. I think I’ll go stretch now and enjoy my own oasis of luxurious, self-indulgent exercise. I’ve done this routine before bed so many times, I can’t stop yawning for the last third of my static stretches. Great way to take care of myself. I’m headed for the floor!
I was multi-tasking searching the web for two topics, looking for GFCF recipes and looking for possible causes of Karston’s abdominal pain.
From the GFCF recipe search, I ran across mention of a low oxalate diet (LOD) helping severe pediatric abdominal pain! Interesting! So I went looking for LOD and quickly got to the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) (with recipes). Those might be worth trying, but it’s so hard to get Karston to eat anything that I shudder to think about trying to get him to eat from an approved list. On the other hand, maybe tracking his diet for oxalates and carbs while tracking how he feels …
I found this doctor, and he’s not that far away either. Hmm, a specialist … wouldn’t be the first one, but we haven’t gotten anywhere yet either.
I suspect either intestinal allergies (sadly, there’s no test for these T-cell-mediated allergies, so you just have to associate symptoms with diet) or colitis. Since Cale was diagnosed with colitis and it can run in the family, I think it needs to be considered for Karston. Unfortunately, it looks like differential diagnosis is a current research topic, explaining why it’s tough to get medical traction.
So, flipping through Pediatric Gastroenterology, I read up on Colitis and Short Stature. We already tested for Celiac Disease although he hadn’t had any wheat that week (should be able test for any wheat in past six weeks, though). I read Cholecystitis, which is interesting since we were worried about possible bilirubin earlier this month (but we think it was artificial color from lollipops). I read Colic, linked to milk protein allergy, and found the differential diagnosis of soy protein intolerance interesting. However, colic weight gain is typical, which doesn’t cover Karston falling off the weight charts at 6 months. I read about Crohn Disease (often considered with colitis) and other Malabsorption Syndromes. Protein Intolerance was interesting: “cow’s milk proteins are most frequently implicated as a cause of food intolerance during infancy,” “only a few of these [intolerances] have a clear allergic immunoglobulin E (IgE)–mediated pathogenesis” and “in children, GI symptoms are generally most common, with a frequency ranging from 50-80%, followed by cutaneous symptoms (20-40%), and respiratory symptoms (4-25%).” Constitutional Growth Delay mentions falling off the growth charts at 3-6 months of age, then resuming growth on the right slope but below the curve. Where have I seen that??? Silver-Russell Syndrome usually starts with low birthweight, which didn’t happen. Oh, and your word of the day is borborygmus: tummy rumbles!; can be caused by “incomplete digestion of carbohydrate-containing foods including milk, gluten, fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, and high-fiber whole grains.”
We’re on the last stage of potty training, having crossed the (lack of Toddler) motivation hurdle, and we were headed into this turn, I was wondering why I couldn’t just snap in a liner in his underpants to catch the poop that wasn’t going in the potty (as has happened all week, hurrah! finally!). I thought about making some, but I don’t spend a lot of time sewing anymore … I seem to be chasing children instead! Wow, snap-in liners are not as common as I would hope!
Almost all snap-in liners only snap in the back, closer to the mess I don’t want to touch. Front and back snaps would probably be better based on this experience (with pattern too!). Cloth diapers with snap-in liners are usually called all in two. I understand that fleece can be too drying on Baby’s skin, but this is Potty Training and why would I want to wash an entire diaper when I just need to catch and toss the poop? I don’t understand pocket diapers, where you stuff a liner inside a pocket so that all pieces need to be washed, compared to the all-in-two, where the outer covers only need washing if something escaped the inner layer.
But here’s what I found.
- Mother-ease Snap-in Liners only snap in the back, but otherwise these are what I want at a great price.
- Rainforest Babies Snap ‘n Wrap Diaper (All-in-Two)
- Gro Diaper has the option for snap-in soakers (but the doublers don’t have snaps, only these soakers).
- gDiapers include snap-in liners.
- Tiny Tush Trim One-Size Fitted Cloth Diapers
- SoftBums PerfectFit All-in-2’s
- BerryPlush All-in-Ones or Covers … mmm, minky softness!
- Pampered Cheeks One-Size All-in-2
- Baby Softwraps All-In-Two Diaper Covers with Snap-In Soakers
- Sugar Peas Snap-In Diapers (I would link to the company website instead, but I’m opposed to Flash-only websites on principle)
- Always Fit Diaper looks similar
- Sammy’s One Size Cloth Diapers & Snap-In Liner
None of those are what I wanted to buy: just the liner, with snaps back and front. I would put matching snaps on his Fruit of the Loom tidy whitey underpants.
So I guess it’s a good thing that we’ve made progress this week after being stalled for so long. He could hold it overnight, go standing up or sitting down, go anywhere not just familiar places. He could even hold it for a long time while we were on a plane! We’ve been there for quite a while. But poop? Messy cleanup. Until this week! Thank goodness for ring pops and big stickers!
I noticed that Cale’s hempmilk says Not for use as an infant formula. I know the true (cynical) reason for that label is that infant formula makers have expensive lawyers and lobbyists to crowd out the competition. But the more I think about it, the more that annoys me. (Rachel Ray is right: who’s going to lobby for broccoli? because they should.) I have a baby who is allergic to milk and soy. Infant formula is either made from milk or from soy. Oh sure, there’s the hypoallergenic hydrolyzed formula for babies with allergies. Guess what? Cale doesn’t like the flavor, and it gives him a lot of painful gas (a mild allergic reaction). So when Cale wants a bottle or ta-ta and I don’t have anything for him, what am I supposed to do? It was the best of serendipity that I learned about hemp milk from another parent at work, a dad who’s proud his twin girls, who outweigh Cale despite being twins to his single status, have never had formula, just breast milk or this hemp milk. If those twins thrived on hemp milk, as they clearly did with their outstanding weight gain to go from premature twins to normal size within the first year, I’m convinced it’s safe for Cale to drink even if it’s <sarcasm>not for use as an infant formula</sarcasm>. No you twerpy lawyers, it’s better, much better, than infant formula (Cale likes the flavor and doesn’t get painful allergic gas from it)! How am I supposed to know these things, to be a good mom to my sweet child who has multiple allergies, when the formula companies have lawyers making sure this vital information is suppressed? *sigh* I’m glad I’ve got something for Cale, but I’m sad that this isn’t widely known. I’m so sorry that other moms in my situation (baby with multiple allergies, including milk and soy) don’t know that there’s an easy answer that’s cheaper and healthier than hydrolyzed infant formula. Shucks, you don’t even have to be avoiding allergies to want to know this! Save money? Healthy alternative? You bet!
I know every use, even one!, of infant formula in the first year* increases the chance of SIDS as compared to a diet of strictly breast milk. Like the campaign says, breast is best. It really is! *Yes, somewhere between 4 and 6 months, babies need pureed food added to their diet too. As long as it’s healthy (not pureed fast food greasy salty swill), baby food isn’t a risk. What I mean is, if it goes in a bottle, formula is not my first choice (breast milk) or my second choice (help milk). Formula’s not even on my list. And I’m generally not the crunchy type if you know what I mean …
Every time Karston and Daddy go away on a trip, I learn something about Cale while it’s quiet enough to give him my full attention. What I learned this time is that Cale on his own quite clearly prefers to go to bed at 7:30 pm. Karston never wanted to go to bed, so I didn’t know kids would tell you when their bedtime should be, but Cale does. Now that Karston’s back (and the hour-long flight was delayed 3 hours, ugh!), Cale’s too excited watching Karston to want to go to bed. At all. I can try, but Cale jumps out my arms reaching for his brother! In fact, Cale wants to see that Karston is also ready for bed when we do the bedtime kiss exchange, so I can slide Cale’s bedtime to the start of Karston’s routine, but no sooner.
Wow. 7:30 pm. We’d have our evenings back! Too bad Karston’s tummy pain makes him avoid bedtime.
One of those nagging questions is what to feed your baby. If Cale is not getting as much breastmilk as he wants, he bites! Infant formula would be the standard answer, but as you replace breastmilk with formula, the rate of SIDS goes up proportionally. Plus Cale doesn’t like the taste of formula, and even the hydroplyzed formula for multiple allergies causes him a lot of uncomfortable gas (exactly what the hydrolyzed stuff is supposed to avoid). Well, thanks to a recommendation from a co-worker whose kids just a few months older than Cale grew up on this as a supplement, I tried Living Harvest Hempmilk. Cale thinks the taste is fine, he slurps it down, and he doesn’t seem to have any problems with it. Given his suite of allergies and how often something causes him gas, that’s pretty impressive.
One thing that helps is that the Original is lightly sweetened. Most milk replacements, like soy and rice milk, are either sickeningly sweetened too much, or chalky and not sweetened at all. Lightly sweetened is a nice compromise: enough to moderate and improve the flavor (I tried Hemp Dreams and didn’t like it at all), but not so much that I think I’m going into sugar shock.
Standard infant formula has 20 calories per ounce, approximately the same as breast milk. Formula for premature babies contains 22 calories per ounce. For comparison, this hemp milk has just over 16 calories per ounce, so for the newest ones, give as much breast milk as possible. However, especially now that he’s over a year old, I think this stuff and water are the greatest drinks for Cale! He likes both of those too.
