October 2014 // thread 5 // baby's first Christmas

[JeannePoole]

Welcome back!

(Dear greetings cards manufacturers: 'Baby's First Christmas' does NOT necessarily have to include Baby being liberally sprinkled with glitter from your shoddily-made merchandise.

Except that, as I'm rapidly discovering, it does.

We had a rather lovely time despite the fact that the infant woke up snotty and spent most of the afternoon and evening grouchy or feeding. It was just us and MIL here. I made it through half of Christmas dinner and then was just too tired and the baby was too unhappy, so I buggered off to bed before pudding. When I came down this morning the whole kitchen was cleaned. Now it's just us again, preparing to spend the day cuddling the baby on the sofa.

Loving the Xmas outfits! Rocco wore a grey knitted number with a star on the front from m and s it wa very cute.

He was a bit unsettled in the restaurant yesterday mainly because it was so hot so I took him up to the bar where it was quieter. I got talking to another woman and her family she was with her elderly father who gave me the best laugh of Xmas. He was very Manc and a bit deaf.

His daughter said to him "dad this lady has got four children"
"What?"
"Four children dad, this lady's got four children" (shouted)
"Four?!"
"Yes dad four children"
"Oh"
Big pause
"Fucking hell love I think you need to learn to go to sleep when you go to bed"

Pregnant, that's classic!!

Merry Christmas everyone. Had a lovely day with the PILS yesterday and my DM also joined. Baby bump is happy to be passed round which gave me plentl of time for wine and whatnot. Just got her back for feeds and she sat on my lap during dinner. Didn't manage to nap much yesterday but its only one day and everyone gets so much joy from her that I don't mind! Last baby for me and my sil is done too so she's the last baby for them.

Now back we go for more.

Sazzle I'd say so. If you're going from good sleep to shit and its lasting more than just an odd night, combined with the other symptoms then combined with the observed improvement when dairy free suggests its CMPI. Its annoying as you never get definitive proof of non Ig-e mediated CMPI - gut based rather than immune system allergies don't show in blood tests and can only be detected by excluding and then doing food challenges and noting any changes in symptoms. Results can be muddled by other issues - teething, colds etc so challenges need to be timed when the going is smooth and, if you believe in such things, when there's not a big wonder week due. Its very tempting to want to put reactions down to other things - overstimulation, wonder weeks, teething, colds, immature digestion but if you're consistently getting a return of symptoms with a food challenge then its the food. Wonder weeks don't cause projectile voms !

Hehe pregnant he sounds great! Glad to hear most people's Christmas wad good. We're travelling again, up to in laws now. Ugh. I've filled up on bacon and egg rolls at my mums as I doubt there will be a lot I can eat as they are old school vegetarian and eat nothing But cheese and nuts in everything. Hate nuts and df at the moment so it's going to be a fun day!

Bump milk or dairy lactose quite often lurks in stock cubes and some restaurants and cafes, despite the law change on December 13th (there's a new law requiring full disclosure of the 14 most common allergens, anywhere that serves food), don't think about stock. Buttered veg is another common cock up! Not helped by some Muppet serving staff thinking that dairy is eggs. Errr since when did cows lay eggs? Don't worry the odd accidental exposure leaves your system much quicker. For Jonas it would lead to 5-7 days of symptoms when wee, probably a 12 hour reaction today. I might do a dairy trial with Lil in the next week or so, need to it before the 4 month sleep regression could hit so I know I'm not confusing symptoms.

I made a booboo yesterday and have been greeted by a lovely runny, vinegary poo today. Eurgh.

Argh but she's having jags on the 29th so might have to do it today, or I might just leave it til she's six months and her gut should be fully sealed and mature - hmmm not sure.

You are 1/2 way there yellow I would just leave it until 6 months, but then I am only on day 2 dairy free!! :)

My DS has been asleep for 2 hours in his bed. A proper nap! It's a christmas miracle.

CJ I think you're right. Its been a lot easier being dairy free second time round, I'm only really missing cheese and a cuppa as I'm a pro at substituting most other things now. 3 months more til a dairy trial, which I expect she'll react to and then likely dairy free until I wean her at 18 months (in time for Easter 2016 nom easter egggs!) that isn't so long in the scheme of things. Especially as she's happy and sleeps and feeds well without the CMPI screaming episodes. Sleep or cheese? Sleep wins!

Yellow I've just written on FB about my attempts to get DS to sleep. Do you think lack of sleep could be reflux/CMPI related? My DD was awful at naps until approx 6 months but DS takes the biscuit could be awake from 8am - 10pm with approx 1hr sleep snatched in day.
He is on 10mg Losec so no acid pain but still lots of silent reflux happening & appalling nappies with mucous (not green very often). Rashy head & wheezing.

excited i may have asked this before but im too sleep deprived to remember, how do you get losec into your lo? We are meant to be trying it but he just spits it straight back out, i think its the gritty texure. The plan was to give losec and ranitidine for 2 weeks to give it chance to work but we're still just on ranitidine and i dont know if thats stopping working or if the new batch we got last week is a bit off

Anywho we are happily home from mil's now. She seemed very sad that we were leaving and said shes always there if we need help! If thats true then why didnt she change any nappies or pick him up when he cried? Odd woman!
We are off to meet some workmates tomorrow in manchester (yay car parking chaos :s) for brunch and im praying he wont scream the place down but not holding out much hope!

Maybe your mil didn't want to offend you by appearing to take over when babymoose cried? If she's offered help, then take her up on it! Phone next week and arrange a day when he can take babymoose out in the pushchair for an hour to give you a break

Maybe, but even dh commented it seemed odd how little she wanted to help :s i might try and arrange a visit see if she will take him for a wander :)

CJ if he's on reflux meds and still symptomatic then there'a possibility its CMPI. Even super high doses of reflux meds won't help if it is CMPI and he is still being exposed to dairy and soy. Exclude 100% for a week and see if there's any improvement. It takes 4-6 weeks for dairy proteins to totally leave the gut but you should see benefits within a week. Sleeplessness related to low level gut pain is quite a common symptom of food intolerances. Jonas was exactly the same until we twigged he was reacting to soy as well as dairy, it was so maddening so many folks saying "woo he's just overtired, you just need to give him a good nap" when nothing - no amount of rocking, shushing, walking, bouncing, singing NOTHING worked. Cutting out soy and dairy = child that napped at the drop of a hat. Worth a try?

Thanks Yellow you just made me cry with hope that there might be a solution! FX.
Moose I'll see if I can find pic that I posted in last thread. Basically, you pop the Losec tablet into a nurofen syringe & suck up some cool boiled water. Lay the syringe on its side for 5 mins to let it dissolve & give it a good swirl to disperse in the water. Then squirt high into cheek, some will be spat out & your DS will prob have a wee choke but you'll both get the hang of it quickly. Do not crush the tablet as the little balls inside have an acid resistant coating that won't allow them to work if crushed. You will probably need to suck up more water in the syringe to ensure all the little balls are given. Hope that makes sense? Oh & give within 1/2 HR of dissolving.

I have been trying to get him down for 2 1/2 hours!!! It is not normal!

CJ with the wheezing, rash and dodgy nappies it definitely is worth a try. I'm afraid I don't buy the old line that "some babies are just difficult / like to cry / don't sleep" most babies LOVE being asleep and, as you say, taking 2.5 hours to get him to sleep isn't normal.

splendid yaaaay to your napping baby!

splendide, flippin autocorrect...

Thanks i'll start trying the losec again tomorrow morning, the gagging/choking was freaking us out a bit but if theres hope that we might all get used to it its worth a try :) how long did it take for you to see some improvement with losec? Thanks xx

moose the gagging is frightening, I gave my DD Losec 3 1/2 yrs ago & when I started giving to DS it still freaked me out but he accepts quite readily now!
It takes a good 5 days to see improvement & up to 2 weeks to really make the difference but you should see some improvements within 2 days. Good luck, it really is worth giving it, works wonders.