It feels like it's been a really long week. Owen came down sick exactly a week ago, and he's finally feeling his normal self today. Lets just say we spent a lot of time stuck inside, a lot of time watching TV, a lot of time sleeping, and a lot of fussiness- from both of us. For a few days I thought I was going to go crazy because Owen was so cranky and he wasn't getting better, but somehow we survived!
Owen's stomach virus seemed to pass after two days, and last Friday and Saturday I thought he was better. But then Sunday he threw up again and still had diarrhea. He was so lethargic and would just lay on the floor, he wouldn't eat anything (he's super skinny now!), and he was super bloated too. I kept thinking something else must be wrong, but Josh thought it was a normal part of his virus and would just pass. When each new day came and he seemed almost worse than the day before, I knew something must be up but didn't know what. Because he wasn't eating I kept pushing fluids so he wouldn't get dehydrated. The thing he drank most willingly was milk. Little did I know that I was encouraging the problem this way!
Because he was so bloated I started giving him gas drops to see if it would help, and decided to decrease his milk too. Then Josh realized that what Owen had probably developed was lactose intolerance, which explained all his symptoms. He said sometimes viruses irritate the bowels so much that they can't digest milk temporarily (a week to a few months). Yesterday I switched him to lactose-free milk and it seemed to make a difference immediately! No more fussiness and he actually started playing again. He still got bloated, so today we stopped milk altogether and he seems fine. Well, except for the fact that we "ruined" him while he was sick by holding him so much that he still wants to be held all the time. But at least he's eating again and his happy. That makes the rest of us happy!!!
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3 comments:
There is nothing worse than to have a sick baby .. it's so hard and you feel so helpless! So sorry! I feel like that is one thing I was surprised about when I became a mom - sickness is around a lot more than I could have ever imagined. And they just don't act themselves when they don't feel good, which makes it hard to be a good, patient mommy! Yay that he is feeling better!
So glad he is feeling better! I hope the lactose thing goes away! I hope you have a better week!!!
what a bummer of a week! I'm so glad you two were able to figure out how to help Owen feel better. Hopefully things get better and better at your place soon.
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