It won't Always Be Like This - Let Me Explain:
Just for the record, I am a schedule momma. It is a fact that children need a schedule and actually tend to put themselves on their own schedule. Also, knowing my child's next move is a MUST as a mom on the road with a ministry to run. So, this may come as a shock to some of you who know me.
Micaiah has a "personal fussy time", except his is not like the normal, around dinner time fussiness. It could last for hours or he could go a whole day without a screaming spell. But with Micaiah, it's not just fussy, he down-right SCREAMS. Josh and I have totally racked our brains trying to think of anything and everything that will calm our screaming baby. We swaddle, un-swaddle, we give a paci, we burp, we've already given a full feeding, more wake time, less wake time, he hates the swing, the bouncy seat...
We've tried to just let him cry-it-out knowing from past experience that sometimes it just takes a good cry for some babies to get into a comfortable sleep, but Micaiah is a slow learner in this department=) and he would go all night long if we would let him I'm afraid.
There IS one thing that he LOVES. He loves to be held. He is a cuddler and by that I mean after a good 10 min. of crying if we go in there and pick him up he is asleep in our arms within 1 min., no exaggeration.
So, after all the normal doubts that a mother has when her child is crying I have come to a realization...it won't always be like this.
Not only will my little boy grow out of this fussy stage but he will grow up and no longer WANT to be held all the time. That realization opened my eyes to the fact that I can either get frustrated during this stage and question my ability to be the mother God created me to be...
OR...
although still seeing the importance of teaching our children healthy sleeping habits and continuing to slowly teach these to Micaiah, I can also see the importance of picking up my sweet little boy and holding him in my arms, because, like I said,
it won't always be like this...
***After I wrote this post I had to take Micaiah to the Dr. because he had an eye infection. I described these screaming episodes to our pediatrician and she said that he is textbook colic. It explained so much. I have done a lot of research now about colic and, although it doesn't make the screaming episodes any easier, it helps to know that he will outgrow it and that we are doing exactly what he needs during this time=)***
8 comments:
Awe, Tash - I am sorry about the colic, but it helps to have an answer!! You are a GREAT Mommy, and don't you ever doubt that!! So for now, do what you can, and cuddle that little boy :)
aaahh!! we're just coming to the end of James' "textbook colic" ... i wasn't going to say anything until i read the end of your post, but i kept thinking... sounds like James, sounds like James :) and for him - same thing - all we could do was bounce him on our shoulder until he'd finally fall asleep. it really is excruciating when they scream, though ... poor little guy
Halfway through your post, I was thinking to myself that it's sounds just like colic:) Abby had colic and we were in the same boat as you guys ... trying everything and nothing seeming to work. The amazing thing is that it left just as fast as it came! One day she was screaming and the next all smiles:)
on a side note~ I can't wait to hold that sweet baby boy.... hopefully we'll catch up with you guys real soon:)
Oh, I'm so sorry Tasha! ...Thankfully, Joshua was our "colic" baby-- I can't imagine how much harder it would be if it was the third! He was SO HARD to train to fall asleep on his own; I remember reading Baby Wise, asking other moms, and trying everything to get him to fall asleep...and like you said-- it isn't always that way. He was great at sleeping on his own by 3 months! ...Another thing that I'm sure you've already tried: the ONLY time Caleb gets fussy "for no reason" or has trouble sleeping is when I've had caffeine. That REALLY stinks for us coffee girls, but it's worth going decaf to have a happy baby.
I'm a schedule mama too but have been a little more relaxed this time with Lily just making sure to feed her on a schedule. It's been fun to enjoy cuddling her and not worry about the schedule as much which has actually made me more intuitive to what she needs at the moment!
So sad to hear of your little guys colic! Have you heard of Hylands colic tablets? I loved their teething tablets so maybe the colic ones would help even a little??
I'd think it was the ice cream or the caffeine too except that I pump at different times of the day and give him bottles mostly during the evening fussy times because he fights breastfeeding so badly at that time. He gets different milk from different times in the day and it effects him the same way and at the same times. Today he had a bottle from the first week after he was born and I hadn't even ventured into eating that much dairy or tried any caffeine yet and he still got colicky at the same time.
Still, good points to consider...thanks!=)
What you describe sounds just like my son. They first told me colic, but his turned out to be an allergy to chocolate, which he later outgrew. It took a long time to figure out, and until we figured it out, they tried all kinds of medications, etc. but during his worst spells, the doctor said we could give him children's mylanta and tylenol. That worked better than anything we tried. (Yes, I gave up chocolate once I figured it out.) Anyway, I hope he outgrows it soon.
Jackson was just like that. After 8 weeks of breastfeeding, we had to go to sensitive formula because he cried way more than 2 hours a day (the doctor said 2 hours a day of crying was normal). I thought he breastfed fine and we had no real issues. My doctor told me unless I ate perfectly, to give up breastfeeding.
After two years of having issues with Jackson we finally discovered that he had a very short frenulum and was tongue tied. That is why breastfeeding was not successful! Craziness. I went to many different breastfeeding ladies and was at the doctor daily with Jackson and I could not believe no one figured it out. He had surgery this past March to loosen his tongue.
Anyway, we also found the Happiest Baby on the Block dvd very helpful. You can go here to see my post on the summary of that dvd: http://emilyewallace.blogspot.com/2006/11/jacksons-new-schedule-at-11-weeks.html
Love you blog it is always so helpful for me. You are such a exemplary mom. Thanks for sharing what works for you and your family.
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