The good news!!! ( Fair warning: Poop talk!)

When we realized Beau had a dairy problem he already had a skin rash, pretty intense discomfort, green mucous filled stools, and a rash on his bum that was a very typical circular allergy diaper rash. That was on the 16th, 9 days ago, we have taken a fast paced crash course in going 100% dairy free for me and today was our first bowel movement that was back to regular seedy newborn yellow!!! I am expecting the diapers to fluctuate a bit between yellow and the yucky green since I did have a few oopsies, like not realizing nuggets contained milk and non-dairy creamer still contains whey. 

The only down side is now I get to trouble shoot our cloth diapers. We use one size pockets that are a 100% cotton fleece inner with a PUL outer shell, 100% cotton microfiber soakers, and 100% cotton prefolds as a doubler (they work great when you stuff a diaper with one prefold on top of one soaker with the prefold closet to the baby in the pocket). When we pull the prefolds out of the dryer it feels like they have a nasty soap scum residue. For a dirty diaper we use the diaper sprayer to get the poop off of the fleece inner and then spray any staining with Bac-out (this: http://www.amazon.com/Bac-Out-Foaming-Action-Sprayer-Ounces/dp/B001OI0YWG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377455959&sr=8-1&keywords=biokleen+bac+out) and rinse at the next diaper change. We do a load of diapers somewhere between every day and every other day. I put the diapers in the washing machine while it fills I use two TBS of rocking green (this kind:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003N0JXUW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1)  I do an extra rinse after the cycle runs and then place them into the dryer, we use dryer balls (four of these kind: http://www.amazon.com/Honey-Can-Do-DRY-01116-Dryer-Balls-2-Pack/dp/B002LGWKKO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1377456232&sr=8-3&keywords=dryer+balls)  and dry them on the medium setting. When the dryer stops we pull them and stuff the diapers to put away for use. I am going to try stripping them with apple cider vinegar in the next wash cycle and see if that helps. I hope my prefolds aren't ruined, but we shall see! Until next time. 

More on the Dairy issue and some randomeness.

Sorry in advance, this will be all over because I am really all over lately.


We are about a week into the dairy free thing for Beau and things are going pretty well. I can definitely tell when I've consumed some hidden dairy (which has happened more than I care to admit, seriously chicken nuggets have milk in them) as his "heat rash" gets pretty intense again and his allergen rash on his bum flares back up. I am getting really good at reading labels as a default before I eat something (even if I just read the label a couple hours ago). He is still having some symptoms, and his diapers are still kinda rough, but he seems to be in significantly less pain and he is much less fussy. We have two weeks or so left until he is better, but things are looking up for sure. The biggest things that have helped are equal parts diligence and Aric being so helpful.


In other news, I have FINALLY finished my shoe bench project!! Aric and I bought a new bed a while back and our old one has been sitting in our house dismantled waiting to be a project. I decided I would make an over sized bench to sit by the front door and our shoe rack. Now we have somewhere to sit to get our shoes on before heading out the door! I also screwed a couple little hooks into the headboard for our key rings.
How I did it:
First I did a rough measurement of the couch seat to see how long it is. Since I wanted the bench over sized I added about 6 inches to the length and snipped a piece of ribbon to size. I use the piece of ribbon to mark my length on the inside of the side rails of the former bed. I cut the rails to length and flipped the hook things that fit into the headboard. on the end that I cut to length I used a standard inside corner bracket to attach the side rails to the foot board. The reason I flipped the side rails was so that the center supports would sit nearly flush with the top rails instead of recessed for a mattress to fit inside. I also attached the rails a little higher on the foot board so there is a gentle slope from the part of the bench under your knees to the back board. After the outer frame of the bench was assembled I went ahead and screwed the center supports back onto the side rails. I then cut legs that go under the very middle of the center supports to the needed height and attached them in the same way they normally would attach to the bed. I used one center support leg in front and one in back. For the pad we have a twin sized comforter (and no twin sized bed for it to go on) that is folded in half right now. Once I can run out and get some fiber fill I will be sewing it inside of the comforter for an actual plush pad. The bed frame I used was a queen sized frame and the twin comforter is the exact width I would need.  All in all it was a pretty easy project, especially considering that Beau is only a month old and I'm still healing from his birth. It was no strain at all to complete this project even with Aric at work. All in all it took about 2 hours total work. I broke it up into couple minute long sessions here and there when Beau was asleep and AJ was otherwise occupied.

Breastfeeding and Dairy problems and soothing a hurting baby.

My husband and I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Beauregard has a milk protein issue. I'm still not clear on whether its called an intolerance or an allergy, but whatever it is it is obviously VERY painful for him. There is a ton of info out there on what to eat and avoid, but not much in the way of soothing the poor screaming, upset, and in pain baby.

Last night I posted about how terrible I felt and how it was all my fault that Beau was in so much pain in a mommy group. Some of the other moms reached out to reassure me and the reassurance was invaluable to my emotions. So that's what this post is going to be about: The very LONG period of 2-3 WEEKS of waiting for the dairy to clear moms system and milk, then baby's system and how to soothe them in the mean time.

I'll add links in here also where possible and do my best to explain everything.

Products I use

Large Muslin swaddle blankets (I use 40x40 inch off brand ones, bigger than that will work, smaller will be a bit more difficult to use)
Hot water bottle (think old school dramatic movie ice bags they put on peoples head after they swoon or faint)
Swing and bouncer
Awesome support person (Mine is my husband, could be anyone though, mother in law, wife, fiance, boyfriend, girlfriend, close neighbor, really anyone you can lean on physically, but EMOTIONALLY too.)
Internet access (for access to KellyMom.com and youtube and and mothering resource sites)
Baby carrier (I prefer wraps, my favorite is simple a 5 yard long strip of cloth from the fabric store)

Techniques
3S's Shush Swaddle and sing.
Whisper Shhhhh in babies ear while bouncing, rocking and consoling when they're upset.
Swaddle- I love the second technique in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHQHR9tJOUM) but I've tweaked it to make it work for me. I put the bottom up before I wrap side to side and I also tuck the very end after wrapping the second side back in to keep it tight.
Sing- this doesn't have to be nursery songs and is as much to keep you calm as it is to soothe baby. Something that makes YOU smile and feel better would be ideal. Can you sing "bohemian rhapsody" by queen without a big grin on your face? I can't and that's why right now its my go to. This is where youtube comes in handy, search a song and play it, sing along, its fun and the baby doesn't know if you're tone deaf.

The hot water bottle is great to put against baby's tummy with gentle pressure and rocking it back and forth when they are really gassy. It's a great quick helper if a bath is just not possible at the moment (Like when you have a toddler running around to care for too)

The swing and the bouncer are great for when you need to use the bathroom, or take a minute to collect yourself. Its HARD to have an upset and hurting baby when you can't do a whole lot to help them. It's a good idea to set them down and walk away for a minute when you start to get upset too. Yesterday morning was particularly rough for little man, and I was holding him sobbing right along with him. My husband came in and took the baby, told me to go for a quick trip to the store. I nursed him right before I left and was gone for about half an hour. Hubby got little man to sleep and calmed down pretty quickly after I left. He was feeding off of my upset as well as his own pain and discomfort.

Kelly mom is an awesome parenting resource, I frequent the site often for resources about breastfeeding.  Right now this resource (http://www.kellymom.com/store/freehandouts/hidden-dairy01.pdf) is particulary useful to me. I have a print out in both my purse and kitchen to double check if there is a dairy concern in the food before I buy or eat it. Seriously, my newborn is 3 weeks old now, I can't remember ANYTHING. this little cheat sheet is a lifesaver.

If my husband is home, or there is another responsible adult around to watch my two year old for me when Little Man is really having a rough time falling asleep because of the discomfort I will put him in a baby carrier and go for a short walk. There is a little loop I walk that is a half a mile. It calms me down and helps him fall asleep and only takes about 10-15 minutes doing a nice slow mosey to calm him down.  I use this site (http://www.wrapyourbaby.com/) often to find ways to tie my simple piece of cloth wraps (5 yards of woven fabric) My Infantino Sync Wrap has instructions is the instruction booklet that came with it, so that is handy too. My Moby wrap I have had down since my daughter was a baby so I don't need to refer to the booklet on it anymore, but I still have it.

Burping is SO important right now for little man, I know some people say burping a breastfed baby isn't necessary, but in my situations (having oversupply and overactive letdown) I really disagree. My daughter was a colicky baby so burping her was always a must too. With Little Man he gets so incredibly gassy that you can hear it rumbling. There is the Super Granny secret burp technique (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xcGbd8xWGI) that really helps Beau get out those big burps. I employ multiple burping methods and techniques to do as much as I can to alleviate his discomfort. I make sure I burp him well after each feeding, and anytime he gets fussy. The three methods detailed here (http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-burp-your-baby_10363676.bc) are my usual go to methods. When I put him up on my chest to burp I make sure his belly is solidly against my breasts and hold him there firmly with the hand I'm using to support him. I find the extra pressure from that helps him burp more fully. Anytime I'm holding little man I pretty instinctively pat his back in a burping type motion. I'm fairly certain most moms do this, I notice it pretty often anytime I'm around other moms of younger babies.

Finally, lean on your support person, cry to them, vent to them, ASK THEM FOR HELP! Seriously moms, ITS OK TO ASK FOR HELP. I don't know about you but this is the hardest thing for me to do, but you need to do it. Knowing you need help and seeking it when you need it is a sign of STRENGTH, absolutely not a weakness, do it! Ask them to take the baby or the kids for half an hour and go for a walk or a drive. Hell even going to sit outside for 5 minutes with no toddler hands on you and no toddler voice singing twinkle twinkle for the millionth time that day can save your sanity (I love being a mom, but I don't love every moment. You know what, though? That's totally OK)

So I think this about covers it, at least for now. I'll go ahead and post resources just below for your convenience. Until the next time.

Feel free to leave comments with other tips and tricks you've learned.

Burping
http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-burp-your-baby_10363676.bc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xcGbd8xWGI

Baby Wearing
http://www.wrapyourbaby.com/
http://www.infantino.com/product.cfm?product_id=1412
http://www.mobywrap.com/mw/Home.htm

Breastfeeding and parenting info
kellymom.com
http://www.llli.org/

Muslin Swaddling Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHQHR9tJOUM

Here We Go?

My initial intent here was to just post my sons birth story to share in a widespread way with friends and family. I felt it was a bit too long for a facebook post, but still wanted to get the nearly overwhelming excitement and energy out of my system so I could relax and enjoy my newborn with my awesome husband.

As the past three weeks have positively FLOWN by I have found myself wanting to update and touch on other things. Things like handling a newborn with colic (maybe caused by a milk protein sensitivity) and an energetic ball of destruction known as a two year old. Things like nursing issues and cloth diapering SNAFUs.

So Here We Go? Maybe. I hope! Hopefully this will be a success. Hopefully I can help other new moms to their first or second or whatever number who feel like they are alone in what they're going through know they are NOT alone. I tend to be pretty optimistic when dealing with others, and I hope that this blog will help me see MY OWN situations in a more optimistic light as well. Hopefully this will be a kind of light therapy for my train wreck postpartum emotions, and a habit that allows me to quench my thirst for writing beyond that. This is hopefully a beginning. Help me make this a  beginning and not an end. Keep an eye out for new posts and visit me often, Let's call it a date?