Saturday, November 08, 2008

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...

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh dear. This is NOT good at all. I am so very sorry. Oh what I would give to be able to send in reinforcements or come and help.

Mya cried and cried, starting at about 6 weeks- I do think it was indicative of her personality as well as my diet though. Is it still considered colic if she has a milk allergy? I wonder if there is some list online of dairy foods to steer away from while nursing? Hoping you get into the doctor soon. Hang tight.

michelle said...

Oh my. How I wish I could come and hold her and rock her so that you could shower, nap, clean, or just get out. Drat.

I hope you and Fiona both get some relief soon.

paws said...

Hmm...I just had this thought: My sister Diana had this problem with Sophie and our "witch doctor" concluded that she lacked the digestive enzymes necessary to digest milk proteins. It helped when Diana took the enzymes, but I can't remember the dosage or frequency. You can get them from the Utah Valley Health Clinic at 801-374-5677. Check out this link: http://www.uvmag.com/janfeb07/images/pdf/086.pdf

paws said...

Julie Davis is the "witch doctor."

Serin said...

Have you gotten in the bath w/ her? That never failed to calm down Brayden.

Jill said...

Colic was my worst nightmare, and luckily did not come to pass for me. Of course, I had the hell of living with my parents when Whitney was born so the Lord obviously knew I couldn't handle both things, ha.

I feel so sorry for you and Fiona. My blood pressure rises when I hear a baby cry, whether it's my baby or not. Do you have earplugs?

Denise said...

Oh dee. Wish I could take turn with Michelle and let you have a nap, shower, etc. Those pictures are pretty sad, for sure.

Kathy B. said...

I hope you don't mind advise from a perfect stranger. I am Denise's sister-in-law...aka "lurker". (You can check my references!) Anyhow, my last baby was soooo colicky. He screamed for months until I took him to a chiropractor. We live in Canada and so chiropractic work on babies is free, but it would have been worth any amount charged. He just did gentle adjustments on him and within two sessions, he was a happy little baby again. I just know how horrible the crying can be. Good luck!

Kathy B. said...

Oh dear... a "lurker" and in need of spell-check. It's advice, not advise!

Anonymous said...

Funny- I was just coming on to say that Linc's cousin took her baby into the chiropractor with her and he was really colicky and the doctor asked if he could check him out and after one quick adjustment he was good. Apparently I am not the only one who has heard of this!

The Happiest Baby, Inc. said...

Dear Jessie,

Having a baby cry and cry is one of the toughest experiences of being a parent. But there is a simple approach that has helped calm countless fussy babies. I strongly recommend you watch "The Happiest Baby" DVD by Dr. Harvey Karp, America's most read pediatrician. Dr. Karp discovered that all babies are born with a "calming reflex" which is a virtual 'off switch' for crying (and on switch for sleep) for fussy babies.

The DVD teaches simple but amazing techniques that can calm 95% of colicky babies in minutes or less, and add 1-3 hours to their sleep! This common sense approach has been applauded by millions of parents, pediatricians, even the US Surgeon General!

Dr. Karp also strongly recommends combining the snug swaddling (as taught in his DVD and book) with special white noise during fussy periods, naps and throughout the night. His "Super Soothing" Sleep Sounds CD has specially engineered sounds that are the most effective white noise for calming the 'fussies' and instantly boosting sleep. You can also use the CD in the car and on trips to grandma's.

Real help is at hand! To learn more, please visit www.thehappiestbaby.com.

All best wishes,
Suzana
Suzana@thehappiestbaby.com
www.thehappiestbaby.com

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