The second day in the hospital, the nurses came to take Eleanor for her hearing test as well as other things. I was happy to let them take her so I could try to get some rest. While I was attempting to sleep, I heard a baby screaming. First thing I thought was "Aww, someone just had a baby", as if it were a coming out of the womb type scream. And then it hit me. That could be MY baby. And I just knew it was. Sure enough, the nurse came back, I asked how she did (meaning on the hearing test), and all the nurse said was, "Well, she screamed." Yep, that's my girl. A screamer from the very beginning. Even at our first appointment 2 days after we got home from the hospital, she immediately established a reputation with the pediatrician. The next time we came in, they heard her cry and said "Oh, I remember you!".
I know babies cry a lot. I know and accept that. But when one day Spencer asked if she had any moments of no crying when she was awake and not eating, I began to question if she had colic or something else that was wrong. I felt like we were always actively trying to soothe her when she was awake. And luckily she could be soothed, but it wasn't always easy. I decided to try some different things to see if anything would help. Not only because we hated hearing her cry so much, but because I knew she had to be in pain or uncomfortable all the time.
I bought gas drops and gripe water. Neither really seemed to do anything magical. They sometimes helped her go to sleep, so I guess that was good. But she still seemed to have gas issues.
We took her to the chiropractor. While I didn't really notice a difference in her crying, she did sleep 7 hours straight for the first time after she got adjusted. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.
I made a better effort to burp her after every feeding. And to make sure a burp came out every time. Even if it took 15+ minutes. This actually made a big difference. It took a lot of extra time, but it definitely had a positive effect on her crying.
Then I had one of those moments. I have had a few of them before, and while they are rare, they are amazing. I was doing some research online and found a website where a lady was describing her baby. It was as if she knew me and Eleanor and was describing our exact situation. Fussy, gassy(and she even described her gas. I think she explained it as what you might hear in a comedy. I once explained E's as belonging to a middle aged overweight man who just drank a few beers. Doesn't matter what end it comes out), green poop, and crazy spraying milk(TMI?). The more I read the more I knew this was the problem, and I was excited for the solution! The diagnosis was hyperactive letdown. Pretty much just means my milk was coming out really fast, and she couldn't quite keep up. Because of this, she was swallowing a lot of air. It also meant she was getting full on the watery milk and wasn't getting enough of the hind milk (hence the green poop). Anyways, I made a few changes to how I nursed her, and her crying got even better.
There were literally times when I have thought that she was just a more serious/intense baby than others. I would see other babies around ages 6mo-1 year and see how calm they were. I had to tell myself that E would NOT be a cry baby her whole life, even though it felt like she would. I knew it would get better, but I just wanted to know WHEN. I got really annoyed when one of my apps on my phone told me she definitely should be able to laugh out loud by now, but she hadn't (I've now heard her laugh twice). I sometimes hate reading all those expectations.
I didn't intentionally mean to write all of these details, but then I figured maybe someone else might benefit from it.
Now that she is a little bit older and her digestive system is more mature, she is becoming such a sweet little baby. It seems she is always an angel when we go in public(thank goodness). But I just wanted to remember the times of screaming and crying and feeling completely helpless.
And lastly, I feel that every mother should know this information. I just saw it a few days ago, and E is almost 3 months, but already I have heard her use these specific cries, and it is such good information!
http://ww.asseenontvvideo.com/512022/Dunstan-Baby-Language-as-seen-on-Oprah.html
4 comments:
Got to love those high maintenance babies. They are always the cutest little ones though (I speak from experience). Sounds like you are an awesome mommy. I commend your patience and diligence. Matt needed constant attention when he was that little. I was always rocking him or bouncing him to keep him from crying. However, the biggest stress was night. Around 6 weeks he would cry from 11pm to 3am. The crying does stop and luckily they are soo darn cute at that age it's so easy to forgive them. I read two articles on facebook recently and maybe you have too. Thought you might be interested in them.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false
and
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/to-the-mother-with-only-one-child
So was showing the pictures to lacey (watching her today bc she was sick yesterday). I said that's your cousin. Lacey: Really??? She sounds like a monkey.
My mom always has told me through all the hard times that when your in it, it feels like it will never end, but the stages pass by. One thing I have learned is that the good stages pass quicker. Being a mama is extreemly hard. You are doing a great job hang in there!
So grateful for this post! My newborns were NOT easy. The most stressful and hardest times in my life by far. So bad I could write a book! But even though this never happened to me it is good to know just in case for next time. Awesome job finding the solution!
Sounds very similar to my girls! Ella was the worse. I actually asked the Dr. if she could have some type of syndrome where she hurts every time we touch her. She has outgrown this and now is the easiest child ALIVE!
Eleanor is beautiful. I LOVE seeing new pictures.
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