Wednesday, December 2, 2009

a couple updates

Jonah slept through the night! He had been getting up three to four times a night here lately, so the sleeping all the way through was a very welcome change. However, now we are down a feeding, so I'm praying he'll compensate during the day.

He's still been eating very well, usually averaging between 25 to 30 ounces. Thanksgiving Day he ate horribly, but it was partially my fault. I realized the next day that I had been inadvertently using level one nipples part of the time. Debbie had bought some new bottles for us, and I wasn't even thinking about it when I dried them and put them together that, even though they are eight ounce bottles, they come with level one nipples. He does and has been using level three nipples for a very long time, and as much junk as we add to his bottles, I'm sure he was completely frustrated that nothing was coming out. I felt terrible when I realized it. I had meant to change the nipples out for ones I had brought from home.

That may have had something to do with making his lip worse, but it had blistered several days before, so I knew it was just a matter of time before that skin sloughed off, which it did on Friday. And unfortunately most of the photos you saw in the Thanksgiving post were taken before it got so bad. It is still very bad, bleeding with every bottle and many times when he puts a toy to his mouth. Then it will re-scab, but it happens again and again. I'm trying to keep Aquaphor on it, but I'm at a loss since I can't use my ever loved Polysporin/Desitin combo. It's hard when his lip is in such bad shape, because you can't use anything on it that's bad to ingest.

Off to attempt our first feeding of the day, but just wanted to give those couple updates. Continued prayer for his lip (which is proving impossible to heal) would be appreciated.

Thanks :)

24 comments:

trooppetrie said...

isn't it amazing what one good night of sleep can do for a person. i wish i had a suggestion on his lip.

Nora Lee said...

So glad you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Praying for little Jonut's lip.

Unknown said...

Have you tried using Lanolin on his lips? Maybe it would provide more protection than the aquaphor. It's really thick and doesn't come off easily. I know it's safe to ingest since it's main use is for breastfeeding.

Thomas and Jamie said...

You're doing great Patrice! Keep up the good work!

Tricia said...

Thanking God that Jonah is sleeping and eating well. Praying that his lip and other sores will heal. Praying for grace for you as you live your life. Blessings.

M J said...

I'm not sure what the difference would be between aquaphor and Lansinoh, but it might be something to try. We use it on our chapped skin around here, and it works great! I also used it on my oldest, who got yucky bloody diaper rashes and was allergic to desitin, and it got rid of the rashes in a hurry! :)

KB said...

I too was going to suggest Lansinoh - didn't know if you could use it on him or not. I use it on my own lips when I get cold sores (mostly the aftermath of cold sores!) and find it's WONDERFUL when I have cracks in my fingers too!

Lucy and Ethel said...

If you have a Vitamin E capsule lying around(!), you might try puncturing one end with a pin and dabbing a tiny bit on Jonah's lips (or anywhere) as often as necessary. It works great for healing.

Cod liver oil would probably help with healing, too.

Yum, yum.

'Lucy'

Darcy said...

Thanks for the update, keeping you guys in our prayers. Lots of love from ND.

Unknown said...

I also thought of using Lansinoh. I hope his little lip heals quickly! I am so glad to hear that he is still eating well.

Krystal said...

Don't know if you've tried this or if it's bad... I use plain ole petroleum jelly on my lips a lot. Granted, I know not to lick my lips or gnaw on them.

Yay for some good sleep!

♥Jess♥ said...

We'll be praying that it heals up soon! Sounds like a viscous cycle! Poor thing!

Glad he slept through the night... even that one night is better than never! Hopefully the trend continues more and more often!

The Stells! said...

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Anonymous said...

Hey girl! That sleeping through the night is a wonderful thing. It is amazing how much better you feel. I just wanted to tell you that we really miss you guys and hopefully we can catch up some time. I am glad he is doing well, he is always in our prayers.

Y Mama said...

HI Patrice,
Try Burts Bees medicated (with clove) or pomegranate (the regular will sting bc of the mint). They are 100% natural and safe for ingesting. Beware of all the products that say natural and aren't!! There are SEVERAL! You don't want anything with Petrolatun, Mineral oil, or Paraffins. Or any type of Paraben. Be careful not all breastfeeding lotions are natural. I know crazy, huh! Good luck! Jennifer

Mish Meow said...

God Bless.

Katherine @ Grass Stains said...

YEA, JONAH!!!! I'm so happy he slept through the night! Way to go, buddy.

Stacey said...

I use Carmex on my sons lips. They chap and bleed all the time. It is for cold sores and dry chapped lips. His lips are better within hours of using it. You can get it at the pharmacy.

Millicent said...

how awesome for the wonderful sleep!!!!
I'm so sorry about his lip :(
Have you looked into trying gentian violet or colloidal silver?

Laura A said...

Woo-hoo on sleeping through the night!! So sorry about his sweet lip. The Lansinoh sounds like a good suggestion, though - maybe that will work?

Hope he has another successful (and restful!) night!

Love,
Laura

The Girl from Ipanema said...

Patrice, I've never left a comment before, but I wanted to mention Vitamin E pills can be punctured and the oil inside salved onto Jonah's lip (it won't hurt him, and is even good for him, to ingest it). It is good for healing skin. Try to get it from a natural foods store if possible. Their brands are typically more potent than those you get at Target or Walmart.
Also, for places other than his lip, have you ever tried tea tree oil? If not, I encourage you to give it a shot. It is a very effective antiseptic/healant and is available at natural foods stores as well.

Unknown said...

Oh, sweet Jonah I hope that your lip heals quickly!

The vitamin E and Lansinoh sound like good options. Or possibly olive oil? Some people swear by it is a moisturizer.

alexandrea said...

glad to hear you are doing good, sorry to hear about Jonah and his lips

Tonight while watchin t, they had a show on doscovery that were talking about kids with a genetic things, Show was called truth be told, on this was a your girl named Samantha who has eb. Reading you post, I have always known it is hard for you, but watching her mom dealing with this just really make it hit home what you go through. I can't imagine. . You are a very special person, and may god bless you.

Sara said...

Prayers for Jonah's poor lips! Bless his heart! I get cold sores sometimes, and I know how painful those are, especially when they open up and bleed (yuck!). I have no suggestions, only prayers.

xoxox~