Prayers for ZuZu

I haven't mentioned anything about ZuZu's health here lately-- mostly because I haven't had much time to blog and really explain what has been going on, but also because I recognize that there are so many worse things going on in other people's lives. But if you think about it, please pray that God heals ZuZu's digestive system-- and QUICKLY.

For the past four weeks (that's 2/3 of her life), we've been dealing with diarrhea, green stools, foamy stools, and now blood in her stools- at least 8 times since Thursday. At first I thought it was an oversupply problem (if you don't like to hear about breastfeeding, stop reading now!). I produce WAY too much milk-- about 60 ounces a day. When that happens, the baby gets too much of the foremilk (the milk that comes at the beginning of the feeding) and not enough hindmilk (the rich, calorie-filled milk that comes later in the feeding). I adjusted the way I feed her and we were seeing some progress.

Then the blood started. It's not a lot by any means, but enough to really shake a mommy (and a daddy) up. I immediately suspected a dairy allergy, because other moms on a listserv I am on mentinoed it. So since Friday I have had NO dairy. (And for an idea of how hard that diet is, just check out a few labels on foods in your kitchen! Everything has milk, casein, or whey in it...).

But no immediate improvement (I guess it can take diary 2-3 weeks to get out of my system). So we took her to the pediatrician this morning to make sure there wasn't anything else wrong. (By the way, she is only 6 weeks and weighed in at 11 pounds, 10 oz! At least we know she is eating enough!)

The pediatrician confirmed my dairy suspicion. BUT, she wants ZuZu on formula for a MONTH so her digestive system can heal! The thought of that just breaks my heart. I was unable to nurse Moses, so instead I pumped for 3 hours a day in order for him to have breastmilk. We (and I do mean we-- K has been such a supporter through this) have already come through so much with ZuZu to get where we are-- including feeding tubes, formula in the hospital, mastitis, latch issues, oversupply, etc. It's been a rough road (I was tempted to give up so many times), and things were just starting to get comfortable.

I've contacted some other breastfeeding moms, and they agree that the month-long suggestion is crazy. She would never nurse again.

But I just don't know who to trust/believe. Everyone has a different opinion. And would she heal more quickly if I put her on forumla? On the other hand, what if formula doesn't work either, since most forumlas contain milk protein? And am I doing this (breastfeeding) for her, or for me? If formula IS better for her, why can't I be okay with that?

On top of everything, I started back to work part-time today. Now, I DO work from home. But it is still emotional. I no longer have every minute of the day free for Moses and ZuZu.

So if you think about it, just pray that God heals ZuZu QUICKLY, so that we don't have any decisions to make. And pray for me, too-- I am at my emotional wits end...