Ashleigh Update

Some of you may know that since Ashleigh has born she has had quite a few problems. Problems that range from digestive problems to skin irritations. I am now happy to tell you that she is now on the mend. 

From the day she was born she had problems keeping any feeds down (or up). We then found out that she was lactose intolerant and had to go on lactose free formula. She was still having problems wit that though so it was suggested that she may be allergic to the milk protein. The doctor agreed and so we changed her over to soy formula. She was STILL having problems when I found out she had reflux. She seemed to outgrow the reflux at around 12 weeks but was still having digestive problems. The doctor put her on a prescription hypo-allergenic formula (costing $90.00 a week!!). This formula was so thin and watery though that her reflux started again and she was never full. This is when I really started to struggle. She was waking 8 times a night before finally waking at 6.00am and screaming in pain until 10.00am until she was so exhausted that she would fall asleep. I didn't really know what to do but I just knew we couldn't go on like that. I knew that this formula was doing more harm that good but I also knew that the soy formula wasn't really helping either.

That Sunday we were at church and Ashleigh cried the entire way through the service. There was absolutely nothing I could do to console her. I was exhausted both physically and emotionally. Thank goodness for a Bishop that is in tune with The Spirit. He gave me a great big hug and some invaluable advice. He said, "I've got 6 kids and if there is one thing I've learnt is that a mother's intuition is usually right. You have been trusted with this child and your Heavenly Father wouldn't leave you without the means to know how to take care of her." 

That small piece of advice gave me the confidence put into action what I thought was best for her. I KNEW this formula wasn't working so I put her back on the soy. She was better on the soy but she was still having stomach problems. I got on the internet and did some research. I found that the symptoms of reflux were similar to the symptoms of a milk protein allergy. Had I mistaken her reflux for the protein allergy? Since she had outgrown the reflux, the only way to find out was to put her back on the lactose free formula. I was still unsure until I also researched the side-effects of soy formula......wind, vomiting, intestinal discomfort - all of the things that were bothering her on the soy formula. So I did it, I put her back on the lactose free formula. And.......a happy, healthy, content baby!!!

The next obstacle was her skin. One of the signs that made me think she had a milk allergy was a rash she had developed. By this stage it was covering her entire body and scalp and she was constantly scratching like crazy. The itching alone would wake her up in the night. The rash didn't improve on the soy formula either, so I took her to see a dermatologist. The source of the rash and cradle cap was a severe dermatitis. She is ow on a regime of steroid cream, moisturisers and oils but it has cleared it up. We are hoping that is something that will improve as she gets older and her skin thickens, but we'll have to wait and see with that one.    

Even though having a body has been pretty rough on Ashleigh's sweet little spirit, through it all she has still been so happy. It warms my heart whenever she flashes me her great big gummy smile. We couldn't love her any more if we tried.  

Picture of the Day

I LOVE this gorgeous girl!!! It occurred to me today that she only has 2 more days before she turns 2. She is just growing up too quickly.

Is That My Child?

Julianna just always seems to do something every day that just cracks us up. Yesterday when she woke up she said to me, "Mum, it's stuck." When I asked her what was stuck she pointed to her pyjamas and sure enough something was stuck. During the night she had gotten up and shoved toys down her pyjamas.

This morning she didn't fail to deliver either but this was one I could have done without. After having her breakfast she came in to me while I was loading the dishwasher and she was completely stark naked. She had taken her pyjamas off including her nappy. She handed me her nappy and announced to me it had poos in it. Sure enough there were. Then she reached between her bum cheeks, pulled out another nugget, handed it to me and said, "there" and then went back to the table to finish her breakfast.    

Easy Come, Easy Go

Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to our sweet little puppy. When we got him the breeder forgot to mention how incredibly territorial Dingoes are. Dingoes only ever have one mate for life (or in the case of a domestic Dingo - one master for life) and they only ever have one territory for life ie only one backyard. Which means, with a Dingo you can never move house, go on holiday and leave them with someone else or put them in a boarding kennel. Apparently the experience of a new master or new backyard changes a Dingo so much that they often end up getting put down. When I enrolled him in puppy class the trainer said that she had worked with a lot of Dingoes who had moved house and it isn't always successful. So, after a lot of heartache we took our little Indy back. We just can't make the commitment to him that he needs and would hate for the worst to happen further down the track. It's been a pretty sad last couple of days in our house, so the hunt is on for another puppy.