Acid Reflux.....sucks!

So my first week back to 'work' was one of the worst of my life. I like where I'm at for fieldwork and the people are great. I know I'm in the right career, that's for sure. It was just a difficult week in every other aspect of my life. Obviously it was hard to leave Isla. I cried harder than I have in a long time about 3 times that week because it just breaks my heart to be away from her. I just worry that she is going to feel abandoned :(  But, she is having a great time with her nana and I think everyday, when my mother in law sends me a picture of her smiling, it makes me feel better.

However, in addition to that her acid reflux has been acting up. As I've posted before she choked and lost her breath because of the reflux a few times in the past. This past week it has happened 11 times! Most of the time it happened at night when I was home, but it still happened a few times during the day with my mother in law. You can tell something is wrong by looking at her and all of  a sudden she is turning red, there is obvious fear in her eyes, and she is trying really hard to breathe and can't. It lasts about 5-9 seconds and then she coughs or cries real hard and can breathe again. It scares her and us so bad. She's also been crying while eating and/or kicking her legs like shes frustrated. She's been having mucusey spit up and is constantly gurgly. So we took her into the Dr.  today to see what is going on.

There wasn't much new news that the Dr. shared with us. He didn't even seem that concerned. He said what we've already heard which is that it is common and that there isn't much that can be done except wait for her to outgrow it. He said it might take until she is 8 months old before it gets better. He did suggest putting a teaspoon of rice cereal in her bottle and he changed her medication. She was on .5ml of Zantac 2x a day and he changed it to Prevacid solutabs. So....we went to CVS to get the Rx and it was $60! And that's with insurance otherwise it was $119. I thought that there must be a mistake so I didn't get it.

I got home today and have been reading everything I can online about Zantac vs. Prevacid because I don't want to pay that much money and have the medication not work. (It seems that everything is trial and error with acid reflux meds). From what I've read on forums, Prevacid solutabs work better for babies because Zantac is not for long term and is weight sensitive. It also seems that rice cereal should help. Although, Isla is exclusively fed breastmilk, so during the day is fine, but I don't want to quit nursing her altogether. Hopefully rice cereal in her bottles during the day will be enough to help. We already keep her upright after eating, she sleeps in the rock and play, she only eats from one side at a time, I've stopped eating dairy and tomatoes, and we make sure she burps.

I am thankful that Isla is such a happy girl besides the reflux. She does fuss and cry more than other babies I'm sure, but we haven't had to deal with colic. I just don't know if I should pay the $60 to try the Preavacid or call the Dr. and ask for something else. Its so hard to be able to tell if a medication is going to work and its going to be a monthly cost.

If anyone knows about the medications and has any suggestions let me know!

3 Months

 

Three months have gone by and the wonderment (yes that is a word whether its in the dictionary or not) of being a mom has not passed. In fact, it grows everyday. People told me that having kids is amazing and that being a mom would be the best job I would ever have. I found myself saying the same things to a woman at a hair salon that was 6 months pregnant. I saw a baby in the store the other day that was 6 days old that I had to stop and stare at. If anything, being a mom makes me appreciate babies and kids and the whole experience even more. I wanted a baby so bad for so long and I don't know if that's why I feel the way I do but it still brings tears to my eyes when I look at my baby girl asleep in my arms. God has been so good to me.

This month has been different than the first two. Isla is starting to become her own little person. She does more than "eat, sleep, and poop". She is starting to play. She loves her little gym mat and staring at the "other" baby in the mirror. She bats at the animals hanging above her. And most of all, she is rolling over. She first rolled over when she was 2 1/2 months. That whole week she rolled over at least once a day and fought to do it. By the end of that week she was rolling over like a pro. Now I am hardly able to keep her on her back. I set her down, she rolls over, gets stuck and fusses til I roll her on her back again. But then she just rolls on her tummy and tries to roll back herself again. She is determined and I'm sure she'll be doing complete rolls around our living room before the end of January.





She also loves her swing and staring at the lights and the bears/stars as they rotate above. It is so fun for me to watch her track them and smile up at them. It reminds me just how innocent she is. She also likes to sit on my lap and stand up. She just needs me to keep her balanced and from falling over, but its her muscles propelling her up. I think we are going to be in trouble with how much she wants to move.

Monday, the 7th will be my first day at fieldwork. I have been so anxious and sleeping erratically all week just thinking about it. Luckily Alex's mom is here to watch Isla the first three weeks. But the inevitable is that she will start daycare. Either way, its so much time that I will have to spend away from her and its breaking my heart. I know it will become a new "normal" and I just have to get in the routine. But knowing that doesn't make it easier.

One more topic for this post: insurance and breast pumps lol! You may have seen my post on facebook. The first person told me it wasn't covered. The second person told me it was according to the new law. I went to pick up my new pump and they told me that my insurance told them it was 80/20 coverage and only after I met my $750 deductible. So I got the pump and will have to fight with insurance company again. What a debacle. It shouldn't be this hard and it just makes me think about all the other people out there that need medical equipment (not a breast pump) that have significant needs and have to fight with the insurance company for stuff that they should be getting according to their plan.