After leaving NICU, our family of 4 was able to enjoy a few days of calm before the storm.
Mac has been going through A LOT. Perhaps too much for a two month old baby.
We said goodbye to breastmilk…🍼
We had a night nurse who came over for a few nights. She was great and literally helped us recognize the discomfort that Mac was having.
Mac would be staying up, crying and arching his back throughout the night. Feeding him was tough because every drop of milk that went in would hurt his belly and he would scream. Our night nurse told Moni that Mac maybe having dairy intolerance that is in breastmilk.
Moni stopped eating dairy, soy, nuts and uncooked vegetables. We were joking that Moni could only chew ice cubes and drink water. Moni was trying her best to ensure Mac is healthy and happy but her mental health was declining. She was diagnosed with postpartum depression.
We had a long discussion and finally made the decision to give Mac 100% formula. It was a very difficult decision. The guilt of not being able to nurture Mac with breastmilk was there for Moni. However, it was going to be good for both Mac and Moni after all.
The pediatrician recommended Nutramigen because of 2 reasons.
Mac having dairy intolerance
Indigestion due to premature development
The hunt for Nutramigen began
Holy cow! There was zero Nutramigen available where we live! We, then, asked for help from our family and friends to help us look for the formula. Cans of formula were shipped from all over the states. We are forever grateful for everyone who helped us! We now have enough formula for a few months to get by! 🎉
September 13…We rushed to the doctor!
Moni got Mac up at 9 AM on September 13. Diaper change turned into a nightmare. Moni saw blood in Mac’s diaper and said, more like scream, to Michael — “We have to take Mac to the doctor NOW.”
Michael called our pediatrician office and told them we were going to be there. We got super lucky that Mac’s Pediatrician was there and they took us in almost immediately.
Lab results came back — positive for Salmonella. 🦠
Michael and I were both not sure what exactly we were dealing with. The doctor mentioned that since Mac was over 2 months old (2 months and 2 days), he could take antibiotics or else he would have to be admitted. Well, the doctor prescribed Azitromycin for Mac to take for 10 days. We saw improvements after day 6 of taking the antibiotics.
We thought it was over...
Oh NO! Not again!
On September 25th, 2 days after the last dose of Azithromycin, we found blood in Mac’s stool again. This time there was more blood. We took him to the doctor the next day. This time, lab results came back with Salmonella with Rotavirus. The doctor believes that Rotavirus was found because Mac just had his 2 month vaccines. Thus, this could mean Azithromycin didn’t do its job or we’re dealing with a new strain of Salmonella.
The pediatrician decided not to do another round of antibiotics because he just finished taking Azithromycin. So all we could do is to let this little body work and kill the bacteria itself. And we were supposed to discuss next steps after the pediatrician consult with GI specialist. We were waiting to hear back…
We were just busy thinking about Mac without paying attention to the hurricane. Thankfully, it was just very windy and very rainy where we live. We had power the whole time!
However, when there’s a bad weather, doctor’s offices and everything usually close which then delayed the communication between us and Mac’s pediatrician. We had to reach out to our friends who are doctors in the states and in Thailand.
We were consulting with the doctors in Thailand because we were getting ready for Moni and Mac to travel to Thailand and get Mac taken care of over there. Through the consultation with Thai doctor, we learned that Amoxicillin is commonly known as a treatment for this kind of bacteria. Moreover, if antibiotics resistance is found, the next step is to culture the bacteria with different types of antibiotics to find which antibiotics is the right one. The Thai doctor also told us to not panic and no need to fly to Thailand. She reassured that there are ways, just need to do it right and timely.
Our friends who are doctors in the states told us that we needed to see Infectious Disease specialist. However, to see any specialist would either take days if not weeks to be seen even with referral, unless we take Mac to emergency department at the Children’s Hospital.
Emergency Department Visit
On October 1st, Michael took Mac to Children’s hospital emergency department per pediatrician's recommendation. Yes, they finally called us back after 3 days of zero communication.
Luckily, the emergency department was not so busy that day. The doctor and staff were great. We got to see one of the same doctors Mac had in NICU. The doctor consulted with Infectious Disease specialist about Mac’s situation. They prescribed Amoxicillin for Mac to take for 7 days. Because his white blood cell count was normal and no sign of the bacteria in his blood or attacking his brain, they decided not to admit Mac.
Today is Day 3 of taking Amoxicillin for Mac. His stool still has blood but we are seeing improvements. Less blood in his diaper and Mac is happier!
In the meantime, we are sanitizing every inch around the house and making sure we are extra clean around Mona Vie. We can’t have another sick baby!
We are hoping that Amoxicillin will work the Salmonella out off Mac’s little body. Our little man has gone through so much since birth. As parents, we feel so helpless and wish we could do more. We are exhausted but we are staying strong for Mac and Mona, our whole world ❤️
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