[alicenwonderland]

As most of you know from facebook, Teddy seems to have some sort of food allergy. I had to stop nursing him and put him on hypoallergenic formula (Nutramagen). I've been pumping and dumping for that past 3 days. His pedi says i need to wait a full week on a dairy free diet before i try breastfeeding him again.

Teddy seems to be feeling much better. He's a lot less fussy, and doesn't cry after eating anymore. He seems to be meeting more developmental milestones now, finally concentrating on things other than the pain. I sing to him and he smiles and talks back. He is still having lots of blood in his diaper though. The doctor says this could take weeks to heal. The diarrhea has turned his poor bottom to a raw red mess. We gave up cloth diapering for the time being, so i could keep the area dry and lathered with cream.

The burden of this is really getting to me. The feeding, changing, putting back to bed in the middle of the night takes twice as long now because i have to pump too. I'm afraid of losing my milk because i keep forgetting to pump. Twice I caught myself forgetting for 8 hours.

Today I was trying to put Teddy down for his nap, and was cuddling him close to me. His eyes fluttered closed and he sighed, then started sniffing at my breast. He was moving his mouth in his sleep and then smiled. I started crying. I miss our breastfeeding relationship so much.

[Resi]

That has got to be so hard on you. Big hugs. I hope you can continue after you are dairy free. The good thing is he is feeling better.

[LisanAndy]

HUGE hugs, Alice!

[amazing_love]

Oh i'm so sorry I can imagine why that would be really hard. I'm glad to hear he's doing better though!

[soImarriedAnerd]

{{{HUGS}}} that would be very hard

[**jessie**]

I'm so sorry Alice. If it makes you feel any better I did a 15-20 min pump session around 3 am for 6.5 months straight, ugh, its rough. On a side note, how is the pump working out for you?

[JediRach]

You are such a good mama! Soon you'll be back to BFing. *hugs*

[JustBreathe]

Hugs Alice! I hope things work out well with your new diet and that Teddy picks right back up on nursing again!

[~*sierra*~]

wow i didnt realize he had bloody diapers, that must be so sad well you are def doing the right thing sweetie! how much longer do you have to pump before you can get him back on the boob? which pump are you using? my SIL used the medela freestyle to EP for 6 months. it was great bc she could do something else besides just sit there while pumping, its a 'handsfree' type.

[**Jenn**]

I'm so sorry Alice. I know how hard it is to want to nurse so badly but not be able to, even if its just for a short time. Huge HUGS! I'm sure he'll pick right back up as soon as you're able. I'm so sorry he's been in so much pain but glad he's doing better! Cutting out dairy made such a world of difference for both my boys, like night and day.

[Angelaosaurus-rex]

how much longer until you can nurse again??

[bittersweet]

I know how you feel Alice. Jenna stopped nursing in the day...for a few weeks now, and I really miss not nursing her. At first I was devestated, but then I stopped feeling bad for myself and just went with the flow. She nurses at night still..but prefers the bottle/sippy cup in the day. As a mommy we bond so much from BFing and when that is interrupted for whatever reason, it is so difficult. Probably more for us than them. I pump in the day now too and hate it. I really hope Teddy can resume BFing after his intestines heal.

[Alison81]

I had to stop breastfeeding Kylie when she was 3 months old because when I went back to work I couldn't pump anything. It was causing me so much stress because my milk supply went downhill so fast, I tried everything, and nothing brought it back up. Kylie would scream and cry everytime she nursed, so I gave up and switched to formula and she was happier but it was hard for me. Sometimes I am still sad I couldn't keep up with it, but I am thankful for the time I was able to breastfeeed her. I hope everything works out and you are able to breastfeed him again.

[alicenwonderland]

Originally Posted by **jessie**

I'm so sorry Alice. If it makes you feel any better I did a 15-20 min pump session around 3 am for 6.5 months straight, ugh, its rough. On a side note, how is the pump working out for you?

It's been a life saver!!! I can't thank you enough! Don't know what i would have done without it. Now that i've figured out the settings, I can usually empty my breasts in less than 15 minutes, and get at least 5 ounces a session.

Originally Posted by Angelaosaurus-rex

how much longer until you can nurse again??

Tuesday night or wednesday morning. It will be one week by then. It will only be a trial then... hopefully everything works out!

[~* Helen *~]

I hope it all works out hun xx

[ShannonMVT]

I hope it works out so that you can nurse him again! It's so tough to do what is best and to know what is best. I wonder if I should have tried cutting out dairy earlier on while nursing and if it would have helped.

[alicenwonderland]

Shannon- yeah we can "what if" all day. I keep beating myself up for not noticing the signs sooner, and for not switching to a dairy free diet immediately when i became suspicious. I keep telling myself that i'm a first time mom... and really how could i know this would happen?

Would you mind sharing with me a bit about Mathew's issues?

[Mars]

Originally Posted by Resi

That has got to be so hard on you. Big hugs. I hope you can continue after you are dairy free. The good thing is he is feeling better.

(((HUGS)))