An update

Cooper has not been well. The reflux is out of control. He is back on his full dose of Nexium and on breakthrough meds, but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I don't know what to think. It hasn't been this bad in months. Honestly, I can't remember the last time he struggled like this. It is hard too, because his weight is great, so it is assumed that the reflux is fine. But that hasn't been the case. He has been choking on fluids, gagging and chocking on solids, spitting things out, and coughing like crazy. His throat really hurts. His stridor and raspy breath is like it was as an infant. Yesterday was terrible. He had his normal 6-7am bottle of 6oz. He never asked for breakfast, so I didn't give him anything except some rice cakes. Then around 11, I decided we would do oatmeal for lunch because that is easy to go down. He gagged and winced with each bite. It was so sad. After that, I fixed him a 6oz bottle. He got excited as usually when I shook it up and handed it to him. He tried to take a drink, but he literally couldn't. He couldn't do it; he just handed me the bottle back and went to play. It broke my heart. Then a little later, I tried it again. I thought I would rock him and get him ready for a nap. When I tried to give him his bottle, he pushed it away and covered his mouth. I tried it several more times throughout the day, and he would suck it, but let all the milk run out. He couldn't seem to get it down. The worse part was he always wanted it at first. He had a little chicken and applesauce for dinner, but I had to stop him once he started gagging and acting like he might vomit. So, he went to bed yesterday having only 6oz of formula; he usually has 18-24. Then this morning, he woke at 6, we gave him a 3oz bottle and he "dream fed" it all, then fell back asleep propted on my arm. He doesn't usually go back to sleep, so that was a little out of the ordinary. I hear him reflux, then I hear it again, and up comes the whole bottle, all over me and the bed. He choked and cried. The milk wasn't even warm; he threw it up pretty much instantly. After we changed the bed, he fell back asleep and slept for a little over an hour. I took him into the pedi first thing. His tonsils were huge. They were literally touching each other. He has no sign of infection or a virus. He does not act sick, he just doesn't feel well, if that makes any sense. The pedi said, "it is a mechanical issue, they need to come out." We set up an appointment with a local ENT. After about an hour of thinking it over, I realized he would have to be put to sleep to have his tonsils out. He does not do well with anesthesia. I spoke with the ENT's office and gave them a brief history. They said it would not be advisable for us to use them, so we will be going to the Children's hospital where his GI and pulmo are. I called the pulmo to ask their opinion about an ENT. The nurse gave me a name and agreed we absolutely needed to be there, not here. She said that the pulmo would likely want the tonsils out before doing anything else. She acted as if this is a pretty typical occurrence for kiddos with a story like Coop's. She gave me the name, and told me if I had any trouble getting in quickly, to call back and she would make the call. She also told me to tell them that Dr Hadeed thought he needed to be seen asap. She said that if/when he has surgery, Dr Hadeed would admit him and watch him overnight. This was a huge relief. I called the ENT's office and told them what had been going on. They gave me a March 9 appointment. I can't imagine waiting that long; he is miserable. I told her that he wasn't eating, and that Dr Hadeed's office said it was important he be seen soon and that the nurse said she would be happy to call. I told them how little he ate the past to days. After sitting on hold for several minutes, she came back with a February 19 appointment. That is Thursday. We just got back on Sunday night, but it is so good to get in quickly. They said if he needed surgery, we would meet with a surgery coordinator that day and get a date set up. I am ok with this. I feel that if he will need to get them out, let's do it now, so he doesn't have to suffer. I say, don't put off the inevidable. He had 6oz of Elecare today and about 8oz of applesauce, probably about 6oz of juice. Clearly not a good day of eating. Only one more day until the appointment.

A quick update on the Coopster

Well, I was beginning to realize how long it had been since I posted about Cooper's health. That is the reason I started this blog, but he had been doing so well lately that there had been nothing to report. January was a terrific month. He wasn't sick once. The only time we went to the doctor was for a vaccine. This was probably the first month in his entire life he hadn't gone in for a sick visit. February started out well, and I even thought he might be able to go off his meds soon, but hadn't spoke it for fear of a jinx. But, then the reflux really flared up with teething, and then he got bronchitis, so he is now back to the full dose and extra carafate for the breakthrough. Last night was just awful. His breathing sounded like it did as an infant. I recorded it for the pedi to hear. He looked at his throat and found his tonsils were very swollen, explaining the increased stridor last night. He believes it is due to the increased reflux and mucus from being sick, but that there was no current infection. I asked if he thought reflux kids were more prone to needing there tonsils removed, and he said "tonsils, andnoinds, more ear infections, wheezing, asthma, ect." Of corse, this is just in his opinoin from what he has seen, but it all makes since to me. So, that could be in our future. But we will take it with a grain of salt. We are just so thankfu to have a very healthy boy these days compared to one year ago. He goes to the GI tomorrow, so I will update with an offical weight and POA then.

Biopsy results

I spoke with the GI nurse today. They still do not have the pH probe results back yet, but they did have the biopsies. They showed some reflux damage, so he will be going on to a new medication, Nexium. This is the "healing purple pill" designed to treat and heal reflux. The doctor felt with the amount of time Cooper has been on prevacid, that there should not be reflux or damage. This is why the med change is necessary. On a brighter note, Cooper had NO eosinophils present in his esophagus, which means no EE! It also means he does not have any blood cells responding to an allergy of any food he is currently eating. That means my hard work to make my breastmilk incredibly pure has paid off. This is great news! All our current foods are SAFE! I am really glad to have the results, and that he will be on the best medicine for his current situation. I am also very glad that we did the EGD. This 100% confirms that it was a necessity and absolutely the right thing to do.

Cooper's lungs are clear, and he is finally back to his old self. His reflux is still quite flared up, and he is having lots of diarrhea, but other than that, he is doing good. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers.

Seriously!?!

Seriously. Cooper is off the antibiotic due to a possible allergic reaction. Not sure which antibiotic it is that bothered him though. He was given a dose of augmiten in the ER and then has had one dose of zithiromax at home because the insurance didn't cover the augmiten. Yesterday, I notice some small red bumps on his tummy. I remember thinking "hum, wonder what that is?" I thought it might be from the cold weather as my skin is awful this time of year. Then this morning, his chest and tummy is covered in little raised red bumps. It doesn't look terrible, but it doesn't look good either. Thing is, I can't remember when I noticed the bumps yesterday, if it was before or after giving him the dose of the zithiromax. So who knows which one is causing the reaction; it could be both. I called the ER where he was seen, and they said to dc the antibiotic and see the pedi tomorrow. Urg!
He seems to be feeling better. He is much more himself and is no longer running a fever. He is coughing a lot now and is wheezing some. But, that is a good thing I suppose; he is breaking that junk up. His reflux is really flared up. This is so frustrating. Why could he have not been doing that during the probe. I am really worried that it wasn't a very accurate account of his reflux because he was so sleepy. I'm sure it will be fine though. His meds should kick back in soon and he will be feeling better. Anyway, it has been a week!

Still making it

Things are going pretty well so far off the prevacid. We are certainly seeing that God has his arms around our little boy during this tough time. So much so that earlier today I began to question if we were doing the right thing by having the procedures done. He is not 100% himself, but he has done surprisingly well, even better than when we cut his dose in half a few weeks ago. This all made me wonder, does he really need the tests. Then we had lunch. He barely ate. He kept chewing the same bite, swallowing it, then spitting it up over and over. I tried different foods, but this still continued. Then I was changing his diaper. You know, on the infamous flat changing table. He began to scream, then stopped breathing briefly, and then the tell tell heavy gulp of reflux. It was like God was telling me " you are doing the right thing". Reassuring me that we need to have the answers and/or the peace of mind. Cooper is back to playing happily on the floor beside me now.

Thank you Lord for giving me peace about our decision. Thank you for holding our child in your arms and keeping him safe.

One day down...

Today was Cooper's first day off his prevacid in preparation for his pH probe and EGD next week. He already isn't feeling 100% himself because of a red throat, the cause of which is unknown. (maybe reflux or perhaps a virus) All in all, he was pretty normal. I was starting to notice that it had been a full 24 hours close to bed time. He is thankfully able to take cafafate (a super version of Maalox) to soothe his tummy and esophagus. After a short battle with the breast, he is fast asleep. I am not far behind him. Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers.

Back up

Well after a major choking and vomiting spell earlier today, I decided to put a call in to the GI. Cooper had been on the lower dose of prevacid for about 5 days now, and it just isn't cutting it. Lots if fussing and restless nights. He just hasn't quite been himself. It felt kind of like a step backwards, which was hard. The GI said to go ahead and go back to 30mg a day, splitting it into 15 in the morning and 15 at night. I really wanted the lower dose to work, but it hasn't yet, so that's ok I guess. We should see a difference with in a few days.

GI appointment continued

I have finally found a few moments to blog in greater detail about our appointment on Friday. The appointment went really well. Cooper weighed 18lbs 1oz and was 29 inches long. That put him IN the 5th% for weight, which makes me very happy. The doctor wanted us to cut Cooper's prevacid dose in half, down from 30mg a day to 15mg. He told me that this is the dose he (a very tall, grown man) would take. This is not the first time we have been told that. Bottom line is, we have to do something about that. I have tried many times before to cut the dose on my own, but it has been unsuccessful. This time, I am doing it, and will just cope with whatever the result. He's been on the new dose for 3 days now, and while I have noticed an increase in coughing /choking, he doesn't seem to be too uncomfortable. We also will have to take Cooper completely off meds 5 days before he has the EGD. This is going to be tough for sure. The doctor explained that he will have a major increase in acid regardless, because he has been on meds for so long, basically his whole life. So, even if the reflux itself is better, he will still have a noticeable difference. He gave us a new med called Carafate that lines the esophagus. He will be able to take this up until the day before the procedure. It will help with irritation and further damage. He also prescribed miralaxx to help with Cooper's constipation due to the incredibly strict diet.

The main reason they are performing the EGD is to check for damage to the esophogus and eosinophilic disease. We are simply looking for an explanation as to why he is still requiring such a high dose of medicine, and why he is so sensitive to foods. It could be that all of this will resolve with age, and that they find nothing. That is the hope, but it will be good to know for sure. Some of you may remember little Grayson had this same procedure a few months back. The reason for the pH probe is to determine if reflux and acid is still the main issue or if there is something else going on such as an EGID or some other food allergy. The hardest part of the pH probe will be the fact that it is left in for 24 hours and we will be discharged from the hospital with it. He will wear arm guards called "no nose" and is expected to go around as normal. HA! This was hard enough at 5 weeks old when staying IN the hospital, but at 11 months toddling around either a relatives home or a hotel, it may be a nightmare. Pray for my sanity!!!

The other thing we discussed was the fact that Cooper drinks all the time. He loves to have a bottle or a cup, and would drink juice/water all day long if I let him, on top of nursing. I always assumed that it was because his throat probably burned from the reflux. The doctor said that would be concerning if it wear true because on the high dose of med, again it should be under control. He also didn't like the fact that he was feeling his tummy with very few calories. He said that we should give him an amino acid based formula, elecare, instead. This was kind of hard for me to accept at first since I have done everything in my power to keep him on breastmilk and off formula. But I know this will be good for him and maybe those extra calories will help him chub up and get some reserve for the winter. He had his first bottle of it today, and it went really well.

All in all, I am very pleased with the appointment and the new clinic. I think we are finally in the right place, and it gives me such hope. I feel completely at peace with all of this. I am not too worried about the tests or the results. When the dr told me he would need these procedures and would have to be put under a general, I didn't freak. It is an amazing feeling to trust in the Lord. Thank you Jesus for making me feel at peace, knowing Cooper is in you hands!

Cooper's GI appointment

So here is a quick update from Cooper's appointment with the new GI. He was wonderful. Took everything I said into consideration. He agreed that Cooper has been on too high of a med dose for too long. So first thing we are going to do is see why he is requiring such a high dose. He will have a EGD (upper endoscopy) and another pH impeadence probe (off meds this time) on November 19. Iwill post a more detailed explaintion of his appointment soon. 

Contrary to popular belief...

...I have not fallen off the face of the earth; I have just become increasingly busy with my 9 month old boy! Oh, all the happening I need to share. I'm not even sure where to begin. I guess we will start with Cooper's ever growing vocabulary. He now says mama, dada, gigi, has a sound for Nicko(our dog, this is usually a loud, almost yelling sound. Can't imagine where he got that from!?!), bye bye, and I'm sure there is more that I'm missing. As far as motor skills go, he is doing great. He is bear crawling EVERYWHERE and pulling up and cruising too. This week he has started standing for a few seconds on his own, but as soon as he realizes what he is doing, he bends his knees and eases to the ground. His fine motor skills have developed really well also. He has the pincer grasp down and can self feed finger food quite well; he also claps and waves. We are working on the baby signs for "more" and "please," but he has yet to do them on his own. There is nothing cuter than a baby signing "more please," so hopefully he will pick it up soon.

Now for the health update: Cooper is doing really well, but we are still really struggling with food. He had his pulmonology appointment 2 weeks ago, and it went great. He was released from their care! We are welcome to come back if any issue arises, but we do not have to come back. I was very excited about that. Dr. Hadeed agreed that seeing a pedi GI about Cooper's food intolerances would be a good next step. We have had quite a heavy reflux flare up, curdled spit up, very sour breath, and I'm just not sure what else to do for him. This is why I think the GI might be good. I am so fearful to try new foods with him, because it seems like when I do, it usually fails. And he suffers. I had not added a new food for him in quite some time, and decided I needed to. So, I thought peaches would be good. They are a mild nectar fruit, and I have been eating them for months now without any problem for him. The first time he had them, it seemed to go ok. The next time I offered them, he only ate a few bites and the refused the rest. I think he knew they were going to make him sick. About 20 minutes later, he was on his back having his diaper changed, and peached started coming out his nose. Then, later that day in the car, he choked very bad and was gasping for air. He quickly caught his breath, but not before scary me half to death. His chest sounds very junky on the days when the reflux is bothering him too. I'm just kind of at a loss on how to help him. He has been teething and has recently cut the top 2 teeth, and due to the extra saliva, reflux is often worse during teething.

He had his 9 month well check on Tuesday, and I left feeling incredibly frustrated. I had decided to delay some of Cooper's vaccination and split them up. Since we know he has allergies, I wanted to make sure we could tell what he is reacting to, if he were to have a reaction. I basically got treated as if I were a neglectful parent, wanting my child to be infected with some terrible rare disease. Honestly, since when does the parent who takes the extra time to do the research and make the tough decisions about her child's health, become the bad guy. I never said I wasn't going to vaccinate Cooper, I just don't want to give him 5 shots at a time. The nurse even told me, "it is only 3 sticks" as if that were the reason I was declining some of the vaccines. Seriously, that was the least of my concerns. So, since I wanted to make sure he had the DTaP, I had to give him DTap, HIB, and polio because they only have a combination injection at that office. I was not happy about this at all, and now I regret him having it at all. I should not be bullied into giving my baby vaccinations! Then the doctor came in. He was very pleased with Cooper's growth. He was 17lbs9oz which keeps him right at the 5th percentile, which I am completely satisfied with. Rising above that dreaded line was a huge feat for us, and it's fine by me if he's sitting on it, as long as he doesn't drop below it again. I can't recall his height, but he stayed in the 75th percentile for that. He's going to be tall and thin like his daddy! I discussed with the doctor my concern with Cooper's food issues, and expressed my interest in seeing a pedi GI. He told me he believed Cooper had food induce antephialtics that presents with digestive issues. He said most kids out grow it. I told him I was concerned with what to feed him, and that I am unsure how he will be able to rely on food for his main source of nutrition versus breasmilk. He said if I was concerned about how to feed him, I should see a nutritionist, not a GI. It is not that I don't know how to feed him, it is that I am unsure of what to feed him, that is why I want him to see a GI. The main thing he eats right now is peas! There are a few other things he can tolerate, but it seems that peas are his favorite, and I just don't know where to go from here. I told him of the recent increase in reflux, and he said we could add back axid, but I haven't filled the rx yet. I just don't really want to give him med, at least not until we see another doctor. I think for now, I am going to have a consult with another pedi, and see what he would recommend and then go from there. Oh the decisions!

All around updates

Sorry for the lack of postings this month, but it is actually a good thing. It means my little man is doing so well that I just don't have time to post. I can't believe how good things have been. It is amazing how far Cooper has come since I started this blog. The ups and downs of dealing with all of his issues have been overwhelming, but we are certainly on the up and up now! He is into everything now. He will be walking before we know it I'm sure. He has stood on his own for a few seconds and has learned how to ease to his bottom versus falling down. His speech has really taken off too. He started really jabbering about 2 weeks ago, and he now say MAMA and DADA. We love it! He is really chunking up now. We go to his doctors in a couple of weeks, and I am really excited to see what he is weighing. He is doing much better with foods as of late. I decided to be brave and let him try some broth from my reflux friendly soup, and he loved it. So, I decided to make him some of his own and blend it up, and it is his new favorite thing. It is just rice, carrots, squash, and chicken. He did so well with it, I decided he could probably have some rice snacks, so now he has lots of finger foods which he loves. This is a huge feat, and I couldn't be happier about it. I must say it feels amazing to make his food, and the fact that he loves it is a nice stroke for the ego as well. I am so glad to be feeding him such healthy foods. He has also been sleeping really well for about 3 weeks now; man has that been nice. I think we have really made it over the mountain. I say this very quietly as not to jinx it! Things are going good with Curtis and me too. He has started school; His last year of school! He is doing his internship over the next two semesters, so we don't get to see him very much, and we really miss him, but the end is so very near. I am finally getting to enjoy being a stay at home mom and truly embrace it. I no longer am constantly fretting over my baby, so now I am able to really enjoy my job.

We have been sick!

So, I know it has been for ever since I updated. We have all been through the ringer lately. Cooper cut both of his bottom teeth in five days. This caused a major reflux flare up, so that made for a really rough week. We have since increased his prevacid dose and that really seems to have helped. Then, the next week, I came down with bronchitis followed by a nasty bladder infection which landed me in the ER Saturday. Now, Cooper's git the upper respiratory junk. All that and Curtis worked an extra night shift all week last week and started class this week. Needless to say, we have been busy. This makes for a lot of updating to , so please bare with me. Cooper is officially a "mover and a shaker!" It has been fun and exhausting. I took him to the doctor today and he weighed 16lbs 1oz! This was fully clothed, but I'd say he's probably 15.5 naked. I'll take it! We are slowly working on foods. He does great with pears, apples, and peas, but everything else we've tried has been a no-go. We added carrots this week, but the jury is still out on that one. We are going to the chiropractor quite frequent and have a new found love of whole body healing. I plan to post a full chiro post later to encourage any non-believers.

Sick again...

On Friday night my mom noticed that Cooper was really wheezing. His stridor has been a lot worse this past week too. When it was time for bed on Friday he had really started to wheeze. I was really worried about him, afraid he had perhaps aspirated. I would have put him on his monitor for the night, but the home health company had come to pick it up that day. This was really hard. Even though he had not worn it in almost a month, it was still in the bedroom. I knew it was there if I needed it. It was really hard to get rid of it; it had definitely become a crutch. So, needless to say, I didn't sleep so hot on Friday night. We took him into sick time on Saturday morning. The on-call doctor was the doctor who had originally seen and diagnosed Cooper with reflux in the hospital at 5 days old. We loved him, and he would have been Cooper's pedi if he had been taking new patients. The funny thing was, is he started asking us if we had considered the fundo and gave us a surgeon's name at Cook's who is very well trained in the laproscopic version of the surgery. He said he would of sent Cooper to her long ago. I told him Cooper was doing really well now, compared to before, and that the Elimination diet has seemed to really help. Also Cooper's weight was really great. He was weighed on a different scale and fully clothed, but he weighed 14lbs 5oz! I figure he's probably in the mid to high 13s. All of this made me wonder, if he would have been Cooper's pedi, would he have had the fundo at 2 months like the pulmonologist suggested? What would that mean for Cooper today? It is amazing how God works. As much as I love this particular pedi, I'm glad we haven't done the surgery. I know it is still possible that he may need it at some point, but I feel that things are pretty under control for now. I think that Cooper was protected from the surgery. God worked through our pedi in convincing us to hold off and give Cooper some time. Wow, how thankful I am for that. Anyway, turns out Cooper has a little cold, and his throat was really red. This exacerbates his laryngomalacia and his reflux and that is what is causing the wheezing. Luckily, his lungs sounded clear when the pedi listened to his chest. He is on an antihistamine and we have added back another reflux med just for a few days until he seems to be doing better. I am so glad it was nothing more serious. Now we just have to deal with the rough nights having a sickie in the house!

Stolen time

Tonight we went over to Tracey's house for scrapbooking, well at least that was the plan. For the first time, I felt like Cooper was typical, an ordinary baby. He played on the floor with Andrew. He laughed and even squealed at times. He fussed when he wanted to nurse. It was wonderful. I wasn't fighting an arching, screaming baby; I was enjoying myself, and he was having a good time too. I sat there in awe of him. Who is this child? Is this the boy he always was? Have reflux and food allergies been masking this precious personality? I was amazed that I too have a healthy, happy baby now! Now I sit here mourning the time I lost. The time that reflux stole! This disease should not take his joy, his light, his soul. It makes me so angry at myself for not doing the diet sooner. I know I could have never known, but I can't help but blame myself. It is unfair that I will never have those first four months with him again. Those months were nightmares I wouldn't want to relive, but if I could go back and change things I would. I think part of me is realizing he's getting bigger and he's becoming less and less of a baby. I also think that I have a huge fear that he will be my one and only. I am so grateful for every moment I have with this child, but I can't help but wonder what could have been. I feel so blessed he is thriving now and doing all he should, but there are times when I feel like we missed so much. We spent so many hours in doctors' offices and waiting rooms. I have only one video of him since he was born because who wants to watch a screaming baby. I know that one day I will look back and see all he had to overcome, but for now I look back and see time that was lost. I never wanted this for my baby. People really don't understand what GERD means. They think, "oh, he spits up," but that is not it. He suffered every day and still does at times. Please pray for all the little ones out there who struggle with this disease. May they soon be blessed with health.

Catching up

Wow, am I behind on posts! I will be attempting to catch up throughout the day. Cooper is having a major reflux flare up. I feel like were back to 2 months ago when we were considering the fundo. His weight is still good though, which is of up most importance. It has just been really hard. I thought we were past this. I'm really not sure what is going on. Maybe it's the teething, maybe he has a bug that is making it worse. Whatever it is, I hope it is over soon. His poop is also very concerning. We have between 6 to 10 dirty diapers a day. I very rarely change a simply wet diaper. I took him to the pedi yesterday and they took a stool sample. We shall see if that sheds any light on the issue. I am really considering drastically changing my diet and seeing what affect, if any, that has. Anyway, on a happier note, Cooper has been apnea monitor free for a week now! We had a really good pulmo appointment last Friday and he said we could stop the monitor. I have done surprisingly well with this, only waking a few times to check his breathing. He doesn't have to go back until the end of June either. He really is doing so much better; we're just having a rough time for now.

4 months old!

I can't believe Cooper is 4 months old, but at the same time, he has been through so much in such a short time. We are so incredibly blessed to have him and are reminded of that daily. He is getting so big, but he's still very small. He has started to teeth, so remember us in your prayers. The reflux symptoms are generally worse when babies teeth, so it has been rough. He has been waking between 4 and 5am screaming for at least an hour. This is really beginning to take a toll on up all. We elevated his bed tonight, so hopefully that will help and I am going to move to the recliner after he wakes. We tried this last night and it worked, so hopefully it will again tonight. The only trouble with that is we have to take him off the monitor because it won't reach the chair. We realize teething is a battle for all parents and know we will make it through. This is his four month photo taken in a tree at the park on Saturday. He looks so sweet!

Cooks appointment

Cooper had his appointment with the pulmonologist at Cooks yesterday. It went alright I suppose. He is gaining weight steadily now, but he still has quite a bit of catching up to do. The doctor is still concerned about the reflux and feels it is quite severe and we need to get it under control. He was also concerned about the high dose of Prevacid Cooper has been taking. He said that it is the same dose he, a grown man, takes for his own reflux! So, we have decided to cut it in half. We have tried pretty much every reflux drug on the market and have seen little if any improvement. We also had the swallow function study done. Cooper was not aspirating the barium when he took from a slow flow nipple, but when he takes from the breast, the speech pathologist could here him aspirating. She felt that he should probably take from the bottle all the time. I was, of course, upset to here this. When we went back to Dr. Hadeed's office, he agreed with her. I asked if we could put Cooper on monitors while he nursed and see if his O2 sats dropped. He had an excellent feeding and they remained in 97-100% which is perfectly normal. He said I can continue to nurse for now. While this is a great relief, I am also concerned because I know he aspirates when he is having a difficult feeding. Also, the doctor feels he aspirates on the way up, when he is refluxing. Dr. Hadeed thinks that it is time we start really considering fundoplication, the surgery to reduce the reflux. I'm starting to agree. We will go back on April 4 and meet with the pediatric surgeon to discuss the operation in detain before making the decision. At the time of surgery, they will also place a "button" or feeding tube in his stomach. This way we can run a formula drip all night long so he can catch up, but continue to breast feed throughout the day. It seems like this is really becoming our best option. I feel that over all our visit was successful and productive. We just have to hang in there over the next month.

Diaper changing drama and such

What is it that is so awful about getting you diaper changed? Today has been a pretty good day. Cooper seems to be feeling ok and he hasn't had the long stints of crying like yesterday. His reflux is still bothering him, but he doesn't seem to be in near as much pain as he was in yesterday and over the weekend. The worst part of his day, however, has been during those pesky diaper changes. He just screams and holds his breath; he doesn't seem to understand that me wiping the poop off his hiney is a nice thing, not torture. One day I am sure he will thank me, NOT! Oh well. The pumping and feeding a bottle daily is becoming a nightmare. I haven't the time to pump a bottle these days as he is eating constantly. I wish he could just be a rolly polly baby and we wouldn't have to worry with all this. He has finally gained his first pound at two months old. He weighs 8lbs15oz; I believe that is what Kelsey weighed when she was born. Tracey, how did you do it my dear? There is no way I could pass this boy! We go to Cooks on Friday to see the pulminologist. He will have a swallow study that day too. I am desperately hoping for answers. If he is still aspirating, I am not sure what we will do. Well, it is that time of night and the crying has begun.