What a week!

Well, that week's been, ummm, interesting!

On Saturday night, we went out to a friend's silver wedding celebrations, and had a marvellous time. We had a lovely meal, although even though the restaurant knew our dietary issues in advance, every course had to be sent back at least twice for things to be changed! I'm not sure if we ate something that we shouldn't have - we tried so hard.

On Sunday, Niblet started to refuse all feeds and on Monday refused both feeds and solids. When we took him to our normal weekly baby clinic, he had lost 5ox. That morning, we also got blood in a stool from him. Our health visitor told us to take him to the hospital to get checked over, so we did. We waited so long in casualty, it was awful. Thankfully my friend and her 6 month old baby came with us to keep us company. Eventually they decided to admit him again, to keep an eye on what was going on. Then the consultant on duty came to see us. She wasn't one we had met before, although she was lovely, and she decided to send us home, s they weren't going to do anything overnight anyway.

We went home, and on Tuesday, he ate one feed. Not much, but an improvement. Each day he is taking more breast feeds, and more solids. Today he did well, he still hasn't taken many daytime feeds, but at three pancakes for breakfast, a hot dog and some veggies for lunch (a yummy, rare breed one, which was free from...) and then THREE bowls of pasta with creamy veggie and bacon sauce. To top that off, he then ate 1 1/2 flapjacks too... talk about a change!

And the experts say....

Well, to be honest, they don't say much. Our paediatrician is lovely, but realistically has no idea what is going on, and just keeps trying to reassure me that he is fine, and will grow out of it. I don't know when I should start believing that. We went for his 6 week check up today, and he IS actually plodding along, better than I expected. He is still between the 25th and 50th centile for weight, on the 75th for height and on the 91st for head circumference.

Developmentally, he is doing well. He is just about walking (can do about 4 paces on his own), is cruising round furniture, has a good pincer grip and babbles, like he is discussing things with you! I'm relieved about that, at least.

She is happy to refer us to Bristol Children's Hopsital, for a second opinion, although doesn't think they will suggest anything new. We still have no diagnosis, just a suggestion from St Thomas' that it is EGID. The Gastro-consultant in Exeter said he thinks it is a 'non-IGE mediated food sensitive enteropathy.' Catchy, huh?!

From what I can understand, that just means things get worse when he eats something he reacts to.... to me, that sounds less a diagnosis, and more a description....

Anyway, she wants us to hold off trying to re-introduce any of the foods that we have cut out until after his 1st birthday, and to increase his anti-histamine medication (Alimemazine), to try to reduce allergic reactions, and to try to help him sleep better at night. I don't mind that he still wakes and feeds. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a full night's sleep, but if he needs to wake and feed, then he needs to. I'm really worried that making him sleep more will mean he eats less, and then stops gaining so much weight. Only time will tell, I guess.

We've given it a try tonight - double the previous dose, but still half what the gastro-idiot consultant wanted to give him (when he suggested sedating him overnight, and tube feeding him Neocate....) At least he has gone to bed on a nice big tea, so he should have the energy he needs to see him through most of the night.

Fridge Tidy Pasta

In our house, this is known as fridge tidy pasta, or 'If It's Pasta' meaning 'If It's in the fridge, we'll use it up!'

For two adults and one baby with a big appetite!

200g gluten free pasta
2 cloves garlic, minced / crushed
1 white onion, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
3 rashers bacon, in pieces
(I really want to do 4 of something now!)
1 aubergine, diced
1 courgette, diced
(And any other veg that need using up, like peas, broccoli is nice here too, in small florets)
Water
Dried tarragon and dried basil, ground black pepper
1 tbsp oat cream
1 tbsp rice flour

Fry the garlic, onion and celery until it starts to soften. Add the bacon, and fry until cooked. Add the rest of the vegetables, and fry off for a few minutes.

Put the pasta on to boil. Put a timer on. Don't do what I did and end up with overcooked pasta.

Add a slosh of water to the vegetables, to help them cook properly. When the veg are softened, take a stick blender, and blend about 1/4 sauce. This will help thicken it. Add the dried herbs and the black pepper. Cook for a minute or two (depending on how long your pasta has left!)

Mix the rice flour with some water to make a paste, and pour this into the boiling sauce, stirring all the time to avoid lumps. When this has boiled and thickened, add the oat cream.

Your timer should be going off about now. If you forgot to set it, try your pasta. If you can smear it across the worktop, it is overcooked. If it is still crunchy, it needs longer. If it is about right, drain it.

Add the drained pasta to the sauce, stir well and serve.

If you are making this for grown ups only, and no babies, you might want to add some salt to the pasta water, and to the sauce.