Allergies?

dudes. when you have a baby, there is constantly something for you to worry about. and you are obsessed with poop. for instance, baby poo at this stage (and up until he starts eating solids) is supposed to be mustardy yellow. max's poo was yellow for about a week and a half or so. and then it turned green. and then he started to get little bumps on his face. at first i thought it was no big deal. babies usually get a little bit of infant acne, and it clears up on its own. but then the bumps started to spread. all over his little face. and then under his chin and jaw. and then to the back of his neck and shoulders. holy crap. and then there's the stuffy nose and his red little bottom. i called the doctor about his stuffy nose a week ago when it first appeared. they told me that as long he's not running a fever and he's eating well, it's nothing to worry about. i just have to keep suctioning the snot out when it starts to bother him. but wait. it gets better. last week there were days when no matter i did, i could not make max stop crying. i just had to hold him and rock him while he cried until he finally fell asleep. he was extremely fussy for two days, and i had no idea why. he's usually so chill about everything. but for a few days i could not put him down because the instant i did he started howling.

so i started reading everything i could get my hands on to explain the rash. and the fussing. and the green poop. and i found my answer in the nursing mother's companion. an answer that encompassed ALL of max's symptoms - the poop, the rash, the fussing, and even the stuffy nose and red bottom. a food sensitivity or allergy causing lower belly discomfort. meaning something i'm eating is seriously disagreeing with him. the most common culprits? chocolate, dairy products, citrus fruits, and certain vegetables. tomatoes, nuts, and acidic fruits also upset some babies' tummies. so i started to think about what i've eaten over the last week or two that i did not eat for the first week or two of max's life. only two things come to mind - chocolate and nuts/peanut butter. so on friday i decided to stop eating these things. max is still very rashy and his poop is still very green. but he is slightly less fussy (he's fallen asleep on his own in his bouncer twice this morning, and he is sleeping there right now). so maybe there is improvement.

i called his doctor's office this morning and spoke to a nurse anyway. i told her of my suspicion that it might be a food allergy. she asked lots of questions to rule out other causes for the rash and asked me about other symptoms max may have (are his eyes crusty - yes, a little. has he been coughing a lot - occasionally). i told her the foods i've been avoiding for a couple of days. she said that if he starts to cough a lot (this could mean that the allergen is itching his throat and possibly causing it to swell) or if his face and/or eyes start to swell, i need to bring him in to see the doctor that day. if he pretty much stays the same, i can wait until his regular check-up appointment on friday. so we'll see how it goes, and hopefully the little guy will get better. it looks to me like the bumps on his forehead are clearing up, but they're still pretty prominent everywhere else.

here's hoping my kid doesn't develop serious food allergies.