No Dairy and What you can do with Press and Seal.....

(This long post will tell you why I got behind in my posts)
When Mikey was less than a month old he started to have Super dark green stools that smelled Fishy (I know TMI, but I'm a mom now.) I was worried about him but after asking around and calling the nurse every day for two weeks I wasn't sure if I was crazy or everyone telling me that it was normal was crazy. On Feb. 22 I was talking to a friend in my ward and she said that it sounded like Mikey and a Milk Protein allergy. So I went off of all Dairy that day. (not just milk I'm talking anything that had any dairy in it, and for those of you who know me this was HARD!) By the next day Mikey's stool was already turning more of a yellow color and had more of the "sweet" smell that I had expected. I hated to do all of this without consulting his pediatrician so I went to an appt. where she urged me to continue to avoid all dairy. His symptoms of green stool, congested nose, skin rash, and painful gas seemed to be eliminated or decrease within the week. Although I was sad to give up dairy I was happy to see my little baby become a happier baby once I made these changes. But as those symptoms left I spotted blood in his stool. (Yes, please all mothers gasp with me and grab your phone and call the nurse for the 100th time.) At first the doctor assumed it was the dairy still getting out as it takes at least 2 weeks to work it's way out. But Blood was still showing up 3 and now 4 weeks later. The blood was not in every diaper and was not alot, but it was very concerning and frusterating for me. I didn't want to stop breastfeeding as I worked so hard to be able to do it in the first place and we had finally gotten into our "groove" of feeding. So the doctor told me I needed stool samples from Mikey for her, and she told me to slowly start using dairy again. Well, if you have ever tried to get a non contaminated stool sample from a 10 week old you will know that it is next to impossbile. The lab told me that the stool cannot touch the diaper and cannot have urine in it. They advised me to put Plastic wrap in his diaper....
Lets just say plastic wrap + Diaper + Explosive bowel movements = the biggest mess ever along with NO stool left on the plastic wrap. So trying to be smart I whipped out the PRESS AND SEAL WRAP! Yes please say "NO, you didn't!" But this desperate poo stained clothing scrubbing mother DID Press And Seal her babies bum. (No I did not actually put the sticky part on his skin that was on the diaper.) But it worked FAR better than plastic wrap and in only a few dirtied clothes, blankets, etc. I was able to get the samples the lab requested. During this time I realized I had entered the "your a mom" realm when I was using a plastic spoon to get the stool from a press and seal'ed diaper into a lab tube. (What a mother want do for their child.)
To say the least I don't wish my worst enemy to have to get a stool sample from their infant. On top of that my doctor decided we had to do a blood test. So I had to take my tiny little sweet heart boy to the lab set him on a huge table where I laid by him while they shoved a needle in his arm to get blood out and he screamed bloody murder and looked at me with eyes that asked "WHY?". Yes I wanted to cry along with him but I was brave and he was amazingly brave.
To say the least the lab has confirmed that there is blood in his stool (yes it is amazing that we have to pay for a test to tell us what we already know). The Blood test confirmed that he is NOT anemic (which is great and we hope no more blood tests are needed.) And I'm waiting for the next two stool tests. As for the dairy I have been enjoying moderate doses of daily dairy and other than possibly increased Gas Mikey has had no adverse reaction to my consumption of it (so you ask what about that dark green fish smelling stool? I have no idea.) My Doctor is heading to Hawaii for a week and has told me to watch Mikey very carefully, but she is optimistic and feels that nothing serious is wrong. I'm just hoping all of this testing and trying comes to a conclusion and end sooner than later.
And so for the near month I went cold turkey off dairy I had to take this picture and ask...



"GOT MILK?"