The pedi FINALLY got Andersen's results from the lab and his levels are "extremely high." So, he has MSPI. It's not the end of the world -- I know that -- but I go back to work tomorrow and I'm just emotional in general. I really wanted to EBF him until at least a year. And now I have to put him on Alimentum immediately. The doc said to eliminate ALL dairy (I've been really careful, but have had a bit here and there) and pump and dump for two weeks. My heart's breaking that he's essentially allergic to *me* and that I've been making him sick. And the thought of having to pump and pour it down the drain for the next two weeks is really upsetting me. I don't know if I even want to bother with it. (I will, because I do want to BF, but it really sucks). I'm afraid my supply is going to diminish and it will all be a waste of time anyway.
Not to mention Alimentum is freaking expensive. And the doc's office is out of samples.
*sigh*
My boys are such sweeties, though -- as I'm crying, Law keeps giving me loves and saying "It's 'kay, mommy" and Andersen is cooing and giving me big, gummy smiles, which are rare.
Re: Sitting here bawling.
((hugs)) I'm so sorry. I don't know anything about MSPI. Didn't you say his symptoms were getting much better when you cut out dairy?
ETA: I did a quick google search, and this link looks promising. It looks like a book that will essentially tell you what products you can eat and maybe offer some recipes, and there's a link with ingredients to avoid.
https://www.mspiguide.com/aboutus1.cfm
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
DD pp about checking with insurance.
And it is okay to stop nursing if you have to. ?It will be a lot of work to pump that much with 2 kids for 2 weeks. ?Your children need you happy and rested, too. ?(And I nursed for 10 months, so I support it, too.) ?I just don't want you to feel guilty if you need to stop. ?
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Good luck. ??
There was some improvement, but he's still been having nasty, mucousy (sorry if TMI) diapers and throwing up a lot. The gas has subsided and he's doing better, but not as well as he should be. He still seems pretty uncomfortable. And the stool sample was taken nearly a week after I cut out dairy. I guess the two weeks will give his GI tract time to heal and then hopefully he'll be able to tolerate BM again after that time. If not, we'll have to see a GI specialist.
Alex (11/14/06) and Nate (5/25/10)
"Want what you have, do what you can, be who you are." - Rev. Forrest Church
Aw, I'm so sorry. The next two weeks will suck, yes, but you can get through it. And you WILL be able to do the dairy/soy free diet, I know you can. You seem so committed.
In the big picture, two weeks isn't that long.
Good luck and lots of hugs.
That's a great point. If the test was done at 1 week dairy free, then it was too early to see a total change.
I'd probably try to get a second opinion to see if you can keep breastfeeding while making the change to your diet. Or maybe since you're going back to work you could do the formula at daycare and pump at work, and then bf at home. Pumping at home is hard to do when you have one baby, much less a baby and a toddler.
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
I have two MSPI babies and I completely agree with Laura.
mSpi - are you doing soy too? that's a key element. It's harder than dairy but it's doable. I am 3 mos in with DD and did a year with DS. Please ask me for help if you need!
I never used formula for either of mine. oh sorry - I once tried with DS when we were OOT and he puked it back up immediately. Even with the allergens, often BM is easier for them to digest.
I'm sorry for all the stress this is causing you. I would be just as committed to continuing to BF as you are and I totally admire you for all the hard work you're taking on to do what's best for your son. Good for you! I don't have any advice about MSPI but I wanted to send you lots of hugs...
I know it takes that long...I was just surprised the levels were that high if I'd been eliminating it for a week already. I'm guessing I need to quit the soy, too. The nurse said to just omit the dairy for now, but I'm going to cut out soy as well...I'd be pissed if he didn't tolerate the BM after two weeks because he was intolerant of the soy as well as the dairy...and then we'd have to go through the process again. It makes more sense to me to just cut it ALL out now and then slowly add things back in. Our pedi will probably call later with more info -- I only spoke with the nurse before.
Thanks for all of the input and support, ladies.
It might be worth your while to find a breastfeeding supportive allergist for this. IF they are diagnosing MSPI, telling you to FF and then telling you not to cut out soy yet then really they don't seem to have much interest in preserving your breastfeeding relationship. I would get a second opinion ASAP. I get not wanting to just random people on the internet's advice!
((hugs))
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You are a stronger woman than I-- I do not think I would BF under those circumstances! ? Good luck
I agree- it doesn't sound like you were given very good advice. Anyone who knows there stuff would have told you to cut out dairy and soy right from the start, especially with the symptoms you were seeing. It's much better to cut them both out from the start and get your little guy better, even if he's not intolerant to soy. (but, he probably is) You can always test the soy later after his colon has healed. And you need to cut out ALL dairy....every last bit of it, even trace amounts in bread. It's very hard at first because it's in everything, but there's a lot of info out there on the internet to help you.
I really do not think you need to switch to formula. Zenya and I have lots of experience with this (we were going through it at the same time....I think....weren't we, Zenya?) and most ped's who are supportive of breastfeeding (that's the key) will tell you to keep on going!