Updates

Well, on the Fiona/colic front, things are kind of grim. The last two nights have included 3 hours of inconsolable, continuous screaming and crying. She is in such obvious pain and discomfort and writhes and flails without relief. I try Milicon, Gripe Water, and Zantac. Holding her on my shoulder, across my lap, in the football hold, on my knee. Rocking, swaying, bouncing,walking. Inside, outside. In my arms, the swing, the bouncer. Bottle, breast. Light, dark. Quiet, white noise, tv. Burping, farting, spitting up. We've done and tried it all. To no avail.

It is frustrating, maddening, and sad. I can't fault her for it, and although it drives me to the brink of tears and insanity, I am still sorrier for her than me. I turns out, dairy is in everything. Everything worth eating anyway. I was seeing big improvements even though milk proteins stay in your body for up to 2 weeks. Then 2 days ago I had a McDonald's ice cream cone. Over the years I have had numerous unverified sources tell me that they were non-dairy. It sounds asinine, I know, but how could so many unrelated people be wrong about such a little thing? Well they are. My first tip off was her extreme reaction of screaming and crying in severe pain for 3 hours. It was sudden, abrupt, and 4-6 hours after I ate the ice cream. I did a little research online, and it turns out the cone is just plain old reduced-fat vanilla ice cream. (Sorry, dad.) The next night gave a similar reaction, if a little less severe. The last two nights she has slept cradled in my arm, in bed with us. Today she has been fairly fussy all day, needing to be held and fed often, repeating all the aforementioned techniques. I feel like I've taken a huge backslide on the productivity scale, as in the newborn sleep-deprived walking zombie stage. I'm either busy trying to console and soothe all hours of the day and night, or exhausted from doing so. This definitely has a bit of the depression starting to close in on me. I am isolated, tired, an ineffective parent and covered in milk and spit-up. Once again I know it is a phase, but one that threatens to last at least another 1-2 months if it follows the typical colic pattern, as it has thus far. I can't believe I once said that I thought colic was merely an indication of personality... not so. My sweet baby girl is transformed into a screaming, writhing creature of pain, incapable of relief while I impotently try to console her. I'm making a Dr's appointment next week, continue to dose her with 3 different supplements and medication, and imposing stricter limitations on my own diet.
Bella updates to come...