Toy Story Party!

Sam has been talking about her birthday party for a full 2 weeks. So finally the day came and went and she had an absolute blast. She wanted a toy story theme and she Ben and Patrick all dressed up like Toy Story characters. She loved playing with her friends and was showered with gifts. We are so thankful she had such a wonderful time.

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Our pediatrician is amazing!

We have loved our pediatrician Dr. Meadows since our first time meeting at the hospital when Sam was born. She is kind and understanding (she has 2 kids close to the same age as ours), and always goes that extra mile that lets me know she cares. Today was no different but I had to brag on her a little bit because I think so often people only say something when they are complaining instead of complementing. 

Today after we had both of the kids tests run (see previous blog), I called to let their doctors office know that we had finished so they would know the results were coming. I got a call back around 3pm that Sam and Ben’s pedi was off that day, and that the reports from the hospital had not been sent over yet and that we likely would not get the reflux meds for Ben and wouldn’t know the results of Sam’s ultrasound until Monday at the earliest. I was frustrated, because even though the reflux meds won’t work immediately I wanted to start Ben on them right away so that he could start feeling better sooner rather than later. I know the nurse was doing everything she could but there just wasn’t much else she could do at that point.

Fast forward to 7:30 tonight. I got a call from an unknown number on my cell but answered anyway. It was Dr. Meadows! She said she had the day off but called in to the office to get Ben’s results and found out that the fax machine was down all day, so she called the hospital directly to find out about the results then called me so she could find out what pharmacy we used so she could call in a prescription. I was amazed to the point of tears. All I could say is how much I appreciated her going out of her way to help Ben. I’ve seriously never known a doctor who cared so much. We got the meds called in and were able to pick them up before they closed so I could give him his first dose tonight. Hopefully he will be feeling better in about a week. Dr. Meadows also let us know that Samantha’s protruding belly button is just an outie after all and is not a hernia, so she will not need anything further done for that. What an incredible relief.

So even though she may never see this blog, I just want to say again, THANK YOU DOCTOR MEADOWS FOR BEING SO AMAZING AND FOR TAKING SUCH GOOD CARE OF MY CHILDREN!

Sam’s first visit!

Ben’s first visit!

Reflux sucks!

So for a few weeks now I’ve suspected that Ben might have reflux. He spits up all the time, fights me when I nurse him a lot of times, has a congested nose but no other cold symptoms, he arches his back and screams like he is in pain when he feeds for more than a few minutes at a time, he breathes funny (hard to explain), and he is very gassy but cries every time I try to burp him. I had convinced myself that maybe it was something I was eating, maybe it was normal (Sam didn’t spit up but most babies do), maybe it was rsv, maybe it was that I had forgotten what it was like to have a newborn. Nope, it was reflux.

Today we had Ben do a barium swallow test. I was worried because I’d heard about good and bad experiences, but Ben did great! The test is really used to diagnose problems with the esophagus or stomach but in some cases can show reflux, but if it doesn’t show the baby refluxing doesn’t mean that they don’t necessarily have reflux. They dressed Ben in a gown and then fed him one ounce of barium from a bottle. We had a long wait so he hadn’t eaten in almost 4 hours, and I was a little concerned that since he had only ever had one bottle that he wouldn’t drink it, but he wolfed it down like it was the best thing he’s ever eaten! The doctor explained everything on the xray as we were looking at the screen next to Ben. He showed me the barium going down his esophagus and then into his stomach. The doctor assured me that everything physically looks great, no abnormalities whatsoever in his anatomy. We waited for about a minute to see the contrast go back up into his esophagus to show the reflux, and  sure enough it did. The doctor said that he was actually surprised that Ben had been gaining weight so well with this degree of reflux and said that he would recommend that the pediatrician prescribe some medication. I was so relieved not only to hear that Ben is physically fine, but that we have a definite diagnosis of what has been causing him to be so fussy while nursing and to spit up.

We also had them run a test on one of Ben’s diapers to rule out a dairy allergy, and there was no blood found in it so it looks like I can go back to eating normally, however I think I’ll still skip the spicy stuff for a while.

Hopefully this will be the only picture I ever have to take of Ben in a hospital gown.

Sam’s 3 year check up/Ben’s first sick visit and Valentines Day!

Today we took Sam to have her 3 year check up. She is 33lb3oz (75%) and 38 1/2 inches tall (75%). She passed her hearing and vision tests with flying colors, and looks “perfect” according to her pediatrician. She is meeting or exceeding all milestones and even sat still while she had her finger pricked for her iron test which also came back normal. Our only small concern is that Sam has a protruding belly button. We will take her for an ultrasound tomorrow to have it looked out so we can rule out an umbilical hernia, but we are pretty sure she just has a very pronounced outie. I’m so happy that she is such a healthy happy little girl! She picked out a blueberry dum dum and a Belle sticker, and can’t wait to see her doctor again!

Ben has been having a few issues so while we were getting Sam checked out we made an appointment for him too. He’s been spitting up a lot, very fussy during and after feedings, and breathing funny. I have suspected reflux, but am not sure if that’s it. Also he’s been congested but nothing we do helps his little nose. I was worried after a friend of Sam’s had RSV that he might have it, so we had him tested for that too but it was negative. No temp, weight was a whopping 9lb14oz, and he is overall a happy baby during the day. Also, he has been screaming from 8pm-12am every night for over a week, and a few days the week before. I had started eliminating possible trigger foods from my diet like caffeine, spicy food, onions, dairy, and citrus, but nothing seemed to help. Our doctor seems to think that reflux is definitely likely and will send us to have a barium swallow test tomorrow to rule out any anatomical abnormalities before proceeding with medication because that could mask the symptoms of a larger problem. Also, the screaming for extended periods of time with no known trigger has given us a diagnosis of colic. Nothing much we can do for the colic except for wait it out and be patient. My poor baby! I will keep you updated on his tests and let you know how he’s doing.

Also I had my 6 week post partum checkup today, and everything is fine, my blood pressure is back to perfect even after only having 3-4 hours of sleep a night for over a month and dealing with a colicky infant so I’d say that’s awesome. Dr. Tallent even took the time to have his picture taken with Ben. I’m so lucky to have such an amazing OB!