On Saturday, Greta's umbilical cord fell off after only 6 days and she had beautiful little belly button hiding underneath. Docs say most cords fall off between 7 and 10 days. So , she's slightly ahead of the curve on one thing...We had a sleepless nite last nite, all of our tricks worked in the past to get poor Greta to stop crying did not work - she had a 2 + hour crying jag from about 10pm until Midnite and then she was wide awake and would not eat and cried periodically throughout the nite, like she was getting waves of tummy aches. It's a truly helpless feeling when you cannot find a way to console your child. :(
If anyone has any hints to help us with Greta's colicy moments -we would be very grateful.
Here's a list of things we have tried:
- Rocking and swaddling;
- Burping her is sitting up position for 20 minutes at a time;
- Whispering gently in her ear;
- Placing her tummy side down on our knees and rubbing/patting her back;
- Lying her on her back and pushing her legs up towards her belly to relieve gas pressure;
- Mylicon drops a few times a day - had been working well for her the past few days;
- ColicCalm - a homeopathic form of gripe water (we have only used this once so will give another shot).
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8 comments:
Oh no. Poor Greta. Poor Mom and Dad. I sent the blog to a friend who dealt with the same thing; maybe she'll have some advice. As for me, I can only offer comfort and support. Hang in there. Let me know if you need anything. What day does G-ma Skaggs arrive?
Thanks a ton Susan! I am relived that she is finally up for eating - it's been about 6 hours. G-mah Skaggs arrives Thursday nite.
Btw, your casserole is already halfway gone - we LOVE it. I had seconds and Derek had thirds!! I'll need to get that recipe from you soon.
Jenn,
Remember, what you eat, she eats! Try going on a VERY bland diet to see if that helps. Too many veggies, onions/garlic, spicy foods, etc. can really upset and "gas-up" a baby's new stomach.(Little tid-bit here---a newborn's stomach is only the size of a walnut---so it does not take much to fill it and make it gassy). A friend of mine cut out dairy for a while---I know this would severely cut into your ice cream cravings :) however it might be something to think about.
Also, try a warm bath. Not too warm but just enough to relax her stomach muscles and get a 'toot' out of her!
Keep your chin up. As you know, I have been through this with both of my boys. It is a terrible and exhausting feeling, but we all seem to survive it. Keep up with the Mylicon too. I loved that stuff.
Do not hesitate to call if you need to vent OR cry!! :)
Karen
This may sounds crazy, but it sometimes worked for Eli. Put a radio on static (in between the stations) and turn it on loud enough to match the volume of her crying. It supposedly mimics the constant swishing sound in the womb. It may calm her enough to lull her back to sleep.
Have you tried giving her Mylicon for gas?
If the crying/uncomfortableness continues to happen often, she may have acid reflux. Eli went to Children's Hospital at 2 months old and had an upper GI. He was then put on Prevacid until he was a year old for it. It really helped him.
Duh....I just reread about the Mylicon. Sorry!
Hi Jenn:
This is Susan's friend, Dawn. Our second daughter had horrible crying jags - even in the car when most babies sleep! You are already doing just about everything we tried and honestly nothing worked consistently until she was 14 weeks old when it just stopped like magic. If you are up for reading try the Happiest Baby on the Block by Karp - he says doing the many of the things you are trying in a particular order and with great effort - this worked for us about 70% of the time. My doctor had me go off dairy and soy for 2 weeks and we tried the acid reflux meds for 3 days - neither helped, but it helped me to rule out things. Finally, I cried a lot while my daughter cried and thankfully my sister and mother in law could take it for 20-30 minutes (not my hubby) so I got 2-4 breaks a week. One horrible night when I was alone I used ear plugs, while rocking her in the dark - in that moment it was all I could do to keep my sanity. My best wishes and we'll add you to our prayers. Oh, yeah, colic ups a mom's chance of post-partum depression so keep a close eye on how you are feeling...or ask your family to :)
All of your advice is greatly appreciated...
Dawn - as painful as your experience was, thank you for sharing it. It helps put things into perspective - it proves that parenthood does make you stronger. It's so amazing how these little babies can make your heartache when they are crying in a way that looks like they are in so much pain.
Karen - I am going off caffeine and only using a touch dairy in my coffee. What if I switch to lactose free milk?
Cassie - I've heard the vaccum cleaner works well too. Though not exactly neighbor-friendly in the wee hours of the nite:)
Did youy little one's also show a big sign of relief after passing gas or making a poo only to start crying again?
Please keep sharing it helps so much to know you are all still sane and aweome parents after going thru this... Btw, I really do love my little girl and even though it's tough now - I would not trade her for anything...
Hey mama!
Greta is sooo beautiful!!! You and Derek should be so proud! Congrats!
As for the colic; what do you feed her? That might be the cause...also, how does she do in the bouncer? I find that I have to bounce little Lily pretty hard sometimes, in order to make her happy...it's kind of strange actually, b/c she looks like she is about to fly out of the rocker, but it really calms her down... something to think about...
Good Luck and WE MISS YOU!!!
Take Care-
-Christie :)
P.S. Are you thinking of bringing her in at some point? If so, I definitely would love to meet her!
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