Just Us Girls

Just Us Girls

...one SMC's adventures in single motherhood.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Mama test #1

We had a rough night last night. I mean, rough. Let's just put it this way: tears were not just shed by the little one. I am quite sure that K is battling some gassy issues, which surprises me since she is exclusively breastfed. But I know it happens. She cried for hours, and nothing I tried to soothe her worked. It's one of the most helpless feelings there is--knowing your child is in pain and not being able to fix it and make it better. It was also the quality of the cry...it wasn't a cry I'd ever heard from her before, and it scared the daylights out of me. Her whole little body went rigid, and she nearly screamed when I unknowingly held her in certain (uncomfortable) positions. I was five minutes away from a) calling my aunt to help at 3 am, b) taking her to urgent care, or c) taking her straight to the emergency room. In the end I did none of the above, since I was pretty sure of what it was, and she finally fell asleep on my shoulder at 3:30 am. Mylicon definitely seemed to help, and today I'm planning on buying some gripe water as well. We spent most of today snuggling and catching up on sleep...in all honesty, a great way to spend my last day of maternity leave! I'm gonna miss this little one tomorrow while I'm at work!

The worst part, aside from no sleep for Mom, was the fact that today was supposed to be her first day with her caregiver. I had been asked to attend a district-level meeting to help with curriculum development (basically optional, when it comes right down to it), and everything was in place for her first day with M, a good friend of mine who will be her caregiver for the next six weeks followed by the next school year. But I wasn't sure if we'd see a repeat performance with her next feeding, and I didn't feel comfortable with someone else possibly encountering the same scenario as last night. So since I didn't exactly *have* to be there today, I called M and explained, so we'll try again tomorrow when I have to go back to school for real. K seems fine today, but we'll see tonight, which is when she seems to have most of her gas bubble issues. I'm hoping that perhaps using the Mylicon or gripe water in advance will help. Our next pediatrician appointment is on May 5th, and I'm not sure whether I should wait that long to talk with Dr. D. about it. We'll see how tonight goes.

On a different note, K's baptism took place the night before Easter Sunday, and it was sooo special! A ton of family was there, including my parents who were more than happy to fly in again, and it was such a whirlwind of a weekend, backed up to Easter such as it was. It was an emotional ceremony for me, and suffice it to say that my faith has been greatly strengthened by the arrival of this little one in my life, not to mention her chaotic delivery. We sang a wonderful hymn towards the end of the service, "Borning Cry", and it's a tough one to get through without tears. My uncle sang it to both of his daughters at their respective weddings, and he was definitely teary, as was my dad. It was just...very special, and lots of memories I won't ever forget. Here are a few pictures...

3 comments:

  1. Hi Mama!!

    O also spent the last week with some major gas issues! I feel your/her pain! I spoke to a nurse and around 6 weeks is when the poop reflex we are all born with (ie pooping automatically after nursing) wains, and the baby basically has to "learn" neurologically and from sensations to poop on his/her own. Some babies find this very distressing (mine has) and scream and wail. I spent several nights similarly with O, and finally it's like he "learned" to push out the gas...also, the one thing that really soothed him when he seemed inconsolable was to put him in the baby bjorn--something about being upright against the body. I slept for several nights with him on my chest. I also tried some infant massage! I'm not sure what helped the most, perhaps all perhaps none, but it seems like time is the major thing...I haven't tried gripe water yet. I hope something helps and that it's a passing phase, as her digestive system matures. Hang in there----good luck at work!!

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  2. K is so beautiful! I hope last night was a little better--especially with it being your first "school" night back to work. I hope you have a great (and sleep filled) weekend together!

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  3. @Jo - Wow, thanks for the tips! What you've written certainly makes complete sense to me. Last night was *much* better...K only cried for an hour, on and off, and so far, she's doing okay tonight, knock on wood!

    @hopeful - Thanks! I am SO looking forward to a fun and peaceful weekend together! Having a baby has given me a new appreciation for weekends off, I think! :)

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