I typed up this post a couple of nights ago. Maya and I have been camped out in the guest room because Wes and Finn are both sick with a terrible stomach bug, and us girls are trying not to get it (fingers crossed). So I have had ample time to devote solely to Maya's sleeping routine and habits.
*****
I want a take-back. If at any time I said or implied that Maya is a fantastic sleeper, I take it alllllll back. I take it back as I sit here blogging at midnight too tired to do anything productive, but too worked up from helping Maya settle down. I know... I am being a tad melodramatic (but what fun is life without a little dose of healthy drama?). Woe is me...blah blah. Wes puts up with this all the time. What a good sport.(OK. Back to the task at hand.)
Maya was a pretty good sleeper for a newborn, once I found out about The Happiest Baby on the Block (which, by the way, if you are a new mom, or mom-to-be, buy this video posthaste). But in the last 3 weeks I've seen a change brewing just under that happy little pink surface. I think I see some monsterish green itching to get out (as she smiles one of her sneaky new smiles at me, luring me in to her innocent and irresistible babyness). About 4 days out of the week, starting around 7pm, Maya starts to get fussy. And fussier. And FUSSIER... There is a lot of loud shrieking going on, and some pouty-lipped all-out newborn crying, loads of spitting up, some refusing to nurse, wriggling and writhing, and lots of red-faced frustration (on my part, too). This goes on until about midnight, when she finally passes out, exhausted, hanging over my shoulder as I pat her to sleep. I think it's the only thing in the end that helps her tummy. And I know she is only sleeping because she has lost the will or energy to fight it any more. Otherwise, I'm telling you—Fuss Fest All Nighter! She'd try it—don't put it past her.
Happiest Baby DOES work. Any time other than 7pm-midnight. I can do all the swaddling, side-positioning, shushing, swinging I want. I would let her suck whenever she feels the need, if it would help. There is no having it. This girl has something funky going on, and this Momma is not able to help her out, poor little dear. Mylecon drops? They laugh in my face. Papasan swing? Bah!! Is there a hint of colic going on? A nudge? I know Dr. Karp of Happiest Baby insists that even colic can be calmed with his method (and really kind of writes off colic in the video...hmmmm). But I am going to disagree. (Gasp!) I have disagreed with medical professionals before (see last December's posts about Finn's EX pediatrician), and I am doing it again. I truly think colic is real, and sometimes the 5 S's just aren't going to cut it (Harvey, if you want to come to my house and demonstrate your 20+ years of experience on Maya, I am sure it would work a skosh better for you...). And I don't even think Maya has full-blown colic (she does take a few breaks to smile at me during a diaper change, filling me with false hope for a quiet evening). Colic Moms out there, I feel for you! If this was an every day occurrence, or went on for more than the few hours on-and-off that I deal with it, I would go insane.
I don't want any sympathy. I am not blogging about this so that people will feel sorry for me. I told Wes today when Maya sleeps too long I can't wait for her to wake up and nurse so I can snuggle her. I completely understand that this is all part of the new baby deal. I was fully prepared to deal with whatever came with baby # 2. I have my Supermom armor on (it might be losing a teensy bit of its luster and has a few dents). I need to document all of this so that I can draw from it for Maya's future dating games. It's great material for mortification ("You should have seen her projectile when she would spit up! And those chubby little thighs, SO CUTE! "). Of course, any seasoned mom advice is always well-taken (said in desperate tones).
Little Hulk-ette is sleeping soundly in her swing right now (was that a peep...how did she know I just typed that?!). I'm off to say my fervent prayers that she will stay that way for the next 3-5 hours. :) She usually delivers a good dose of sleep for me once she's out. I've got to be thankful for that!
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i believe in colic.
four kids' worth.
it's rough.
then they grow up.
Lyndsay - I feel for you. I too had several with colic - hang on to that sanity! You may want to try baby massage - worked for a couple of mine.....
Sorry Lyndz, I'm fresh out of advice. The 5 S's worked for both boys, although Gavin was a bit tougher to sooth than Luke was. My neighbor had a baby with colic and NOTHING worked. He is just a high strung kid. Good Luck!
She is so cute:).
I love Karp's methods too- but there were times they didn't work for Peyton either.
Have you tried the miracle blanket? Supposedly that swaddling blanket wraps them a little better around their mid section which may help a fussy tummy.
Good luck! I hope she outgrows this soon for you.
Hi,
I've had four kids, the first two didn't have colic, but the next two did. There isn't much you can do for them, but the good news is, it goes away at about 8-9 weeks. It's tough for the first two months, but think positively and know, it's just for a little while more.
She's beautiful.
CK
If you haven't already... record what you are eating and how she is acting for a week or so. I know, what new mom has time for that! But seriously, it could be that your favorite lunch or go-to granola bar is not agreeing with her and causing those rough nights.
That said, this helped, but did not completely fix the problem for us. But I do know other people for whom it made all the difference.
For my son, we eventually landed on "reflux" as a diagnosis... which made a difference in the "spitting up" portion of the fussing.
I hope she outgrows it quickly - whatever it is!
Don't diet! Too many mommies can't wait to get the baby weight off. You need rich milk and that comes from eating. Be chubby a little longer with a happy baby..
Our son was just like that! We spent hours sitting on our exercise ball, bouncing him around, swaddling, shushing, swinging, pacifier, nursing...nothing helped until we used Gripe Water. It's all natural, and some of them are organic. Here's some info on the one we used: http://www.wellements.com/gripewater.asp
Our grocery store even carries it. Totally worth every penny! We'd wait until he was really fussy just to make sure that we couldn't do anything about it, then gave him the drops - he'd let out a huge burp or have a major diaper blow...then off to la-la land.
I had totally forgotten about the exercise ball! I did that with Finn and it helped him to sleep. He always spit up the gripe water, so I never got in the habit of buying it. But I am going to try some with Maya. I just had another long evening of a very unhappy Maya, so I will try it. And thanks or helping me remember the exercise ball, Damion's Mama! And Anonymous, no worries with the dieting!! Ha. I have cut out the things that make Maya especially unhappy, but there is definitely a lot of good, comfort food being consumed, as well.
Wellements Gripe Water has done the trick for us. Our Olivia is almost 5 months and SO fussy in the evenings and at night. Screaming for no reason not easy to console, etc. We gave her gripe water and we saw a new baby in a few days. Now she is happy and sleeps well! Its AMAZING stuff!
Thanks for the dose of reality with a new baby. Just what I needed...ha!
Hope the new advice you get helps quickly. Keeping fingers crossed for happy Maya from 7 - midnight soon.
I know you don't want sympathy but you've got it! New babies are so wonderful and so hard! I think sometimes there really is nothing you can do to make them stop crying, they just have to do it. And it can be almost unbearable at times- particularly the middle of the night when you want to just lay down right on the floor and sleep. I feel your pain- I vaugely remember being there... I hope she gets past this soon, and I hope Wes and Finn make speedy recoveries too!
PS- she is so cute!
Hey Lyndsay - long time no chat! Congrats on your little Maya!!! I came across your blog today and guess what - our little man had colic. The ONLY way through it was with A)Prilosec and B) "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" (which is the Bible of good sleep for children newborn to teenage years). "Happiest Baby on the Block" only helped for a few weeks, then none of those tactics worked. "Healthy Sleep..." is a little confusing the way it is put together - but read it at least through chapter 6 and chapter 4 first (that is the fussy baby chapter). Our pediatrician swears by it as well and when I started doing everything he said, Cole improved. It doesn't take it away but it prevents a huge amount of lack of sleep from building up. Not all colic is related to acid reflux but Cole's was - you can usually hear it in their throat and they spit up more than normal sometimes. If you need more info or just need to chat with someone who just got through it (he's 6 months), feel free to email. (P.S. The book is written by Dr. Marc Weissbluth who has a great website if you need direct answers or other stories of children just like yours)
My sons were both colic-free and generally very laid back but around 6-8 weeks they both went through this phase where they were inconsolable from 7 - 11 at night. Although frustrating at the time I knew not to worry because my husband, the pediatrician, said it was very common at 6-8 weeks for newborns to go through a crying-for-hours stage. And then it magically went away after a couple of weeks. Also, I found out accidentally that my second son as a baby would only go to sleep if I wasn't holding or rocking him or pacing up and down the halls with him. I had to put him down to tend to my older son and 2 minutes later realized he had fallen asleep on his own. Where as with the first I would rock and rock him to sleep, the second preferred that I just lay him down and leave him be! Good luck and know that you are definitely not alone!
lyndsay,
is maya eating ok? could it be a case of reflux?
someone else commented about the miracle blanket, this was a life saver for us. adali was very partial to it over any other swaddle blanket. thinking of you and hoping your nights are filled with less cries and more sleep.
lyndsay, this is rachel carmona, louie's wife. this story sounded all too familiar, so i thought i'd tell you what helped my kids...all 3 of them. number four is WAY better in the colic dept. three of my kids had nonstop colic, face rashes and it really wasn't fun. our problem: dairy. once i researched and found out it was any dairy i was consuming (even in breads, crackers, etc), i eliminated dairy with #4. no colic. no ecsema rashes. no mom wanting to scream at the top of her lungs. and a happy baby. i wish someone had told me this with my first baby. it's very hard to eliminate all dairy and i don't know if this will work for you, but i definitely feel your pain. and your lack of sleep. good luck.
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