The Mystery Continues

Sunday, May 25th will go down in history as one of the worst days since Nolan was born. He screamed during every feeding, would only eat 2-3 ounces at a time and would only take hour long naps. Just the day before, he was smiling and cooing…and somehow overnight, he had become a different baby. Unfortunately, he has been on the Maalox for a week, so we are done with that medication. We will continue on the double dose of Prilosec until Friday, but if it was going to work, we should have seen some improvement by now.

So, that means it is time to schedule the dreaded Upper GI test. I knew it was going to be hard – I mean, anytime you have to have a test done on your newborn, it can’t be good, right? But, I had no idea what it involved until I went onto the hospital website and read the instructions for the procedure. He can’t have anything to eat 12 hours prior to the test. Then, they give him a bottle with Barium solution in it and do the x-ray. It said in the instructions: “it’s important that your infant lie still so the pictures are accurate.” I just laughed. What 3-month-old is going to lie still after not being fed for 12 hours?!? Thankfully, we can both be in the room with him and I will be able to nurse him as soon as it’s over. The test takes about 30 minutes total.

The bad part is that regardless of what they find out about his reflux from this test, there is really nowhere to go from here in terms of medication. We can try Prevacid (which is the same type of drug as Prilosec) – they say that some people respond better to one versus another. But, the drug our pediatrician suggested we try (Reglan) has a class action law suit against it and technically is not FDA approved for infants under the age of 2. I’ve read some very scary accounts online about children having long-term side effects from being on this drug. No thanks!

The other option I want to pursue is to see if Nolan has MSPI (stands for milk/soy protein intolerance). I have already cut dairy from my diet, but am still consuming soy protein. Some of the symptoms seem to fit and it is simple enough for them to diagnose (they just do a test for hidden traces of blood in his stool…which, he did have as a newborn, but they chalked it up to being from cracked nipples). The hard part about MSPI is that if he does have it and I want to continue to breastfeed him, it will require me to go on a very strict diet and read labels closely to make sure I avoid all traces of milk and soy proteins. But, all the research I did supports that breast milk is the best thing for him.

At this point, I will do almost anything to get my little man to be comfortable and happy. As frustrating as feeding times have become for us, I have only ever felt sorry for him and helpless that I can’t fix what is causing him pain. Some days I do better than others and am able to take it all in stride. But, some days there are a lot of tears in our house – and not just Nolan’s. I honestly don’t think any baby has been prayed over more than him. As always, utter reliance on the Lord is the key. It would be impossible to endure any of this on my own strength, but He gives me exactly what I need for each day. The hymn I keep singing in my head is:

“I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.”

Please pray for us this week - Nolan will be seen one more time to be tested for MSPI, we will schedule the Upper GI test and I will also meet with a lactation nurse to ensure I'm doing everything I can to keep up my milk supply while he is on this "feeding strike". We are desperate for answers and are hoping that we will get some very soon.







Nolan during happier times