So we have this tiny human who lives in our house now. He weighs 12 pounds 11.6 ounces. And he is over 25 inches long (holla tall people!). And he has given us a run for our money for 9 weeks. But, friends, finally (I know, 9 weeks doesn't seem long, but, friends, 9 weeks with our troubled babe was long), we have started to figure out our long, skinny friend.
This post is dedicated to anyone who has said a prayer for us over the last 9 weeks. You know who you are. The ones who received an SOS text from yours truly. The ones who received emails, texts, and calls from my mom eliciting prayers. The ones who listened to me bawl over the phone or skype (you know exactly who you are). And the ones who prayed every day and hoped with us that we would eventually figure something out.
Thank you. Your prayers made the mountains we were trying to cross with little B turn into molehills. Your prayers gave me peace when I was literally about to lose my mind. And your prayers comforted me during countless challenging feedings.
So here's what works for our slender bundle of happiness:
- I nurse only at night - middle of the night once and first feeding of the day
- Bster takes a bottle of breastmilk every other feeding
- We still give Benji-pants 3 doses of Zantac every day
And here are factors that made this all come to be:
- We think the B-man has some reflux - we tried different nursing positions, gripe water (even the Canadian stuff - thanks, Sarah!!), gas drops, and finally Zantac
- I was highly stressed when his feeding started to go downhill - this resulted in a drop in my supply which meant that my babe was likely not getting as much as he needed for a few weeks. The stress turned into anxiety which became so awful that I went to see my doctor (more about this in another post when I'm a bit more removed from it all).
- Benny-boo-bear is slightly collicky. Apparently some collicky babies are comforted by nursing...not our BBB
- Daytime feedings got so rotten that he was sometimes going 6 hours during the day without eating. And during these 6 hours, we would pace with him, sit on our porch swing, try (often unsuccessfully) to get him to fall asleep, and do The Happiest Baby on the Block so many times it wasn't even comical.
So we said, screw it all, we're trying the bottle. And, what do you know, he took it like a champ. On Monday DaddyDan questioned who switched our baby in the night. He really is like a brand new baby and all three of us are ridiculously thankful. We recognize we may not be out of the woods yet. BUT we finally feel like we've had enough victories to get us through.
Our baby is healthy.
Our baby is growing.
And our baby is finally happy.
Serious PTL.
Oh goodness! He's adorable and love that photo of him sleeping on his daddy! Glad you guys were able to figure out something because man, those times of an upset baby can be so hard! Maeva had reflux when she was a newborn as well. Glad he takes the bottle so well. You just gotta do what you gotta do so everybody survives (and doesn't cry) sometimes! Congrats on being a mama!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kassie! We still feel like we have no idea what we're doing (ha!) but he's growing, so I suppose we're doing something right!!!
DeleteLook at that smile- adorable! I'm glad you guys have found some answers! And I think it's encouraging out there to know that tough times do end at some point. All moms and future moms should hear this. that's at least what I think in my never-been-a-mom brain. Sounds like you have and awesome community and lots of support!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sarah! We are so thankful to finally have some answers!! And yes, so encouraging that tough times do come to a close. Although, had someone told me when he was born that we would have 9 weeks of a screaming babe, I would have not been too pumped, ha! Truly thankful for our community that has totally surrounded us and blessed us in multiple ways. Rest assured that when you become a mom, if you have troubling days, I will totally understand. :)
DeleteOh Carlson Clan....you are so awesome! I'm ecstatic that little man is adjusting to life...that you and dad are able to enjoy more and problem-solve less. What perseverance you have!! And what a great, GREAT job you have done putting your public face as such a positive one. Even at his young age, you have protected Emmett's character!!! He is adorable and sweet...and you have celebrated those good parts publicly. I respect that. Thankful for you and for a rubber nipple!
ReplyDeleteFound your blog while bouncing from blog to blog to blog while trying to stay awake with my 9 week old during feedings. My first baby (now 3) and I took our sweet time getting to know each other and I needed a bit of medical help to balance myself out so I could be the best mom for her, let go of the guilt from truly believing I had starved her and was ruining her life. It took a lot of time for me to recover from that and I'm probably still a bit rattled if something triggers those memories. We made it through and did what worked best in OUR house. She's now 3 and perfectly healthy and very attached to me. Hang in there, these little people are wonderful, priceless and yes, challenging. I've learned more about grace in my time as a parent than at any other point in my life. Remember to be kind to YOU in this journey.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lora! It's always so interesting to me that what works for one baby completely doesn't work for another. I've never heard of anyone doing what we're doing (bottle feeding during the day and nursing at night), but it works for us, so we're loving it. This parenting gig is certainly challenging, but what a joy (most of the time ;)).
Delete