A Simply Deep Kind of Day

Yesterday was a simple day, yet one of deeper, unexpected meaning.

To start, my son and I ran errands and went to a toddler class. Then, we even got ” daring” and drove to my chiropractor, taking the hour drive in traffic that we have not done since school/work let out for the summer. Sounds like nothing, but for us long car rides especially on a hot day are super challenging without someone sitting in the back seat with TJ to keep him from scratching at and irritating his eczema.

However, on our way up, he made a weird noise and starting fussing, causing me to look back to make sure he was okay. Something my worrying self does too often. As I quickly checked him in a moment of panic, eyes off the road I must admit, what I didn’t realize was that a car a few cars ahead had made a sudden stop. While I only turned around for a second, that second almost caused a huge accident. I had to swerve to the right as the car in front of me swerved to the left almost reading my mind on what I would do. Somehow, no one hit anything or anyone. After thanking God for taking control of my car in that second, I also realized that I need to let go of more of this food allergy/eczema fear, trusting in Him. I think it was a way of showing me that He truly has control of this wheel.
As we were out and about, I received texts from a close friend that her friend was looking for breast milk donations. Shortly after her daughter’s birth, she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then, she has completed radiation and is cancer free. However, her daughter never took well to formula and she has not been able to produce milk due to everything. While she has other moms such as my friend who have been donating their milk and pumping extra for her, she is in need for more. Therefore, the 238 ounces that I was looking to donate is now with them. =) I feel good knowing that this milk is able to help them in so many ways. It’s funny how something that seems so simple like donating milk really shows how much I’ve changed as a person over the past year. While a year ago I would have been slightly uncomfortable with the thought of donating my milk, a year later it brings me such comfort knowing I’m helping another sweet baby and amazing mom.
( I did, however, keep 24 ounces just in case. Not sure what that ” just in case” is for, probably just my need for planning and being preparing shining through.)
Finally, in a conversation with one of my closest friends today, the word surrender came up. It’s such a contradictory word. While to surrender sounds like such a weak thing to have to do, it requires such a great deal of strength to actually do. During times of hardships, it’s that letting go, surrendering, that allows our faith and strength to grow. With that being said, we surrender a little bit more, smiling on…

Donating Breastmilk

While I am still going to give it a few more days, I have started to research how to donate breast milk.   I have 228 ounces still in my freezer pumped between May 20-June 12. TJ’s skin is on day 4 of being so much better and much less itchy.   It has also been 4 mornings in a row that I did not give a bottle of breast milk.   I still find it so crazy that such a small amount of coconut could be affecting his skin.   And by small amount I mean that I only used a serving of coconut creamer in my morning cup of coffee.   It amazes me that even after my body metabolizes it, it can still be irritating his skin through my breast milk.   Coconut was considered his lowest allergy and thought to not even be a true allergy by both allergists before his food challenge of it.   In fact, Allergist #2 told us that we could try coconut at home without a doctor.

Unless there was something else in my milk that I had been eating that he is allergic to that wasn’t tested.  I don’t even know what that would or could be… cinnamon? tomato? Regardless, I will probably be donating these 228 ounces of milk soon so I looked up some organizations and Facebook pages. If TJ can’t use this, then I definitely want another baby to be able to so we smile on..  

Two of the websites I found are:

http://www.hm4hb.net/

http://www.nationalmilkbank.org/

“Before” Allergies

RECAP: May 2014 -November 2014

Since his birth last May, my son had eczema, spit up frequently, and had loose stool. All I was told by our pediatrician was that it was just part of being a baby. I had mentioned to my pediatrician that I had read that often eczema is a sign that there may be food allergies because it is often a triad: eczema, food allergies and asthma.   However, she reassured me that most babies are not tested before one year of age because the testing is not so accurate before then. So, I stopped worrying… for a hot second…

Then, in October 2014, he got his first ” random ” hive outbreak on his face. It lasted about an hour. I remember the day clearly because it was also the same day that I received the flu shot. After calling the pediatrician and bringing him in to be seen, we were informed that it was just a virus. Since I was still not back at work, this unfortunately would be the first of many viruses once he was at daycare.

These random hive episodes continued to happen throughout November maybe once a week. While it wasn’t every Saturday morning, it did seem to happen more on Saturday mornings.   We would spend the next hour distracting him so that he would not scratch at his face.

Was it our dog?

Was it my husband’s unshaven face?

Was it just that he had very sensitive skin since my husband does as well?

It wasn’t until another mother at my breastfeeding support group said something to me about food allergies that made me even consider the thought again.   During that week, my son’s skin and eczema seemed to be getting better actually as he just had some red marks in his creases like under his knees and armpits.   However, she beyond nicely asked me if I had taken him to see an allergist because her own daughter had eczema much like my son’s and turned out to have several food allergies.   Of course, I came home and told my husband, who is not the worrying type.  (They do say…opposites attract.) So, he told me that I shouldn’t worry about it because of what the pediatrician had told us. However, I pushed further and  asked her again if we could have him seen by an allergist.  She agreed to send us.

I brought him to our first of many trips to the allergist.  That original allergist said it was probably just sensitive skin.

(Relief! I could breath again!)

He did a skin sensitivity test and it showed that he had hyper-sensitive skin.  I was reassured again…

… until December 13, 2014 rolled around.

Throughout it all, I stressed but he just continued to smile on…