…chilling like a villain…
Sam had his first visit to the GP today. I’m so very grateful to our GP for squeezing us in today, it’s just another reason why I love my GP. Sam’s not sick, he’s just backed up. Apparently it’s common for formula feed babies to get a little bit of constipation and we’re ok with that. (By ok I mean we’re not freaking out about it, we’ve accepted that it’s part of life with a newborn.) However, we’ve been following the advice of the midwife (put 100ml of cooled boiled water into his diet) and it’s not rectified the situation. So today, after another night of Sam having a really bad night of sleep, we decided he had to see a doctor.
I was in two minds about taking him to a doctor’s surgery; there’s sick people hanging out there! But I really don’t like to see him in pain so that trumps any concerns I have about some random stranger sneezing on my bundle of joy. We couldn’t get in to the doctor until Wednesday, but she made space for us at the end of the day, so we took him in late this afternoon.
The doctor had recommended over the phone drops (coloxyl) to add to his formula that should rectify the situation but we still wanted him checked out. When we spoke with the GP she asked us what formula we were using and when we told her she advised that it’s a formula renowned for causing constipation in newborns and that we should change brands. It was all I could do not to laugh because only that afternoon Kate had recommended we change brands and I’d told her that Baby Love said there’s no credence to changing brands.
The GP ran through the two brands she’d recommend and why. We then spoke about what we should be seeing in his nappy if he was pooping properly. Can I just say, as much as I want to see Sam happy and comfortable the thought of “messy poo” just fills me with dread! But better he be happy and I’m covered in poo then the alternatives.
She asked if there was anything else we wanted to talk about and I asked her about my loss of appetite and whether that was normal post-baby. She told me that I needed to eat and that I was losing weight too fast, even for having a baby. I knew on some level that it was important that I get nourishment but I guess I was hoping that it was just a side affect of my gastric sleeve. No such luck. Seems I’m going to have to start forcing myself to eat 3 meals a day. I’ll just add “eat a meal” to my daily lists.
It’s funny to think now that I need to look after myself because Sam needs me. He’s a great motivation to make sure that I start to do the things that I know I should and not put them off. I want to do everything in my power to make sure that Sam grows up knowing his mother.
After we finished with the GP HUBBY went and got some of the new formula. It was quasi-good timing because we were just about to finish our first tin of formula. Luckily I hadn’t opened a new one.
…no photos please…
I feel like I have a real rhythm going to my life at the moment. I know what I have to do when I wake up, I know what I have to do before I can go to bed and I’m working on a weekly breakdown so I know what needs to be done on each day. I love it. It’s so tapping into the organizational freak I have hiding on the inside. It also makes me feel like I have a little bit more control over things and that I’m not just floating along.
I really like knowing that the house is in order and everything is being looked after. We’re not drowning in a mountain of washing, dinners are being made and Sam has everything he needs ready to go for when he needs it. I’m like a domestic goddess! I’m not sure how long it will last for, but I’m hoping it will stick around for awhile.
The only downside to all this domesticity; I have dishpan hands. Seriously, I’ve never done so much washing up in my life. Everyday I do at least 2 loads of bottles so that we can have bottles sterilized and ready to go at all times. Between the constant washing up, the washing of my hands and the use of alcohol based hand sanitizer I now have the hands of an 80 year old. I think I’m going to have to upgrade from using Body Shop Almond Hand & Nail Cream to the Body Shop Hemp Hand & Nail Cream.
And with that revelation, I’m going to go to bed. I have a midnight dinner date…
4 Comments
I love reading all your thoughts about being a mum and the things that you are doing ….. you are such an awesome mum and so organised. Wish I was such an organised person. He’s is such a beautiful little man. …. so cute. Look after yourself though and take care of you as well.
Oh and glad you have a good GP too …. so important when you have your first baby … very reassuring.
My formula fed bub got into the routine of doing a giant poo once every three days for the first 4 months of his life (until we started introducing solids). It is really common. I hope the change of formula works for you. All the best!
We tried switching formulas a bunch because of constipation (and spitting up w/our first). We didn’t find any that solved it, but we did find one that made it less bad. It was the most expensive kind, of course. Oh well. I hope that it does help for your little guy! If it doesn’t… well, you’d be surprised how easy it is to get used to glycerine suppositories and how fast it loses the horror factor.
After my 2nd baby, I did not want to eat either. For the first week I lived on bagels. My appetite came back eventually, but I remember having to force myself to eat too… nothing sounded good.