Baby girl has got to be my most high maintenance, fussy baby yet. She struggles with napping (but we're getting better). She had what I think was collic for the first 3 months after she was born. There's a list of foods I can't eat because they hurt her little tummy and baby girl wants to be held all the time. Oh and she can't stand the car seat.....like not even a little bit.
A friend asked me recently if I minded having a fussy baby and this was my reply....
No.
I don't mind at all.
Yes she struggles with napping, but hey she's only three months old. She's still learning and I'm learning how to help her. We're in this together.
Yes she cried most evenings during those first few months. Once 5 o'clock came around, I firmly planted my bum on the couch and would nurse or rock her. That was what helped her the most. I got a lot of cuddle time in.
Yes I have a list of foods I can't eat, most of them being sugar related and that's ok. She's helping me stay healthy. I want to give her the best I can. I know that nursing is a gift not every mama is able to have. I'm thankful I get to provide my little sweet pea with all the nourishment she needs.
And yes she still loves to be held all of the time, but I don't blame her. For nine months she was safely cuddled in the womb. She needed that same love and comfort on the other side. I prayed for years to get to hold another sweet babe. I would kneel and weep. I cried for the baby that miscarriage took away too soon and I cried for the dream of being able to add more babies to our brood.
I've waited so long to snuggle this sweet babe, I certainly never mind when she wants to be held. Yes it means other plans go on the back burner. Yes it meant waiting months to dye my hair, spending some days in yoga pants because she wouldn't let me put her down to get changed, not planning stuff in the evening, or missing out on road trips and I'm OK with that because I get to be with this sweet answer to a prayer.
We've hit the three month mark and I can see things are starting to get easier. She's playing more, kicking more, and smiling a ton. Those first three months were a challenge, I'm not going to lie....but man they were filled with so much unbelievable joy.
I love my fussy baby and the sweet miracle that she is :) We've waited a long time to become a family of five.
XO Danielle
My 2nd one was fussy and colicy and I could never narrow down what it was. Tried food elimination and like yours, she didn't like the car seat or the swing. She did like a dark room with her pacifier and would usually sleep after 5 minutes of fussing in a dark room. God was gracious and made her a good sleeper at night - 11 hours at 5 weeks!! A definite miracle but she was a terrible napper. And then at 4 months it disappeared - the fussiness!! I hope the same for you!! Great job not letting it stress you out!! Now that this child of mine is 19 I would look back over her life and say that it was probably her nervous system developping and not her tummy having issues. In general I feel like she was overly aware of "stimuli" whether that was light, sound, her tummy being bunched up, etc. . .
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about the over aware of stimuli. Sometimes it is like she just can't stop taking everything in. It has been getting better. I now feed her in my room, where it is quiet and she isn't distracted by the older kids. It's been helping a ton. Her mood has greatly improved.
DeleteMy Pediatrician diagnosed my daughter with "stimulation overload". She couldn't handle being exposed to a lot of noise or "commotion". The best thing for her was to just remove her to a quieter location. As you know, every baby is different in temperament, and she may just be telling you "Calgon take me away mama". I think it might also be kn own as "sensory overload". Good luck,
ReplyDeleteI think Tallia has something similar. I started going into a quiet room to feed her and get her ready for naps. She has been doing so much better since. It is like she gets too distracted and then gets frustrated.
DeleteI had a preemie that was 2 pounds 9 oz..I had toxemia and issues with my heart. I was unable to breast feed except the first few day I pumped for hours my milk never really came in because I was 3 months early and had issues that needed medication. She fed every 2-3 hours for months. I was so very happy that hubby was able to help bottle feed though but I did really want to breast feed for longer but after she had the bottle she didn't want to breast feed :(.Family looking good..glad you guys got back together as a military wife it really sucks when you are apart..Happy holidays
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. Your sweet baby definitely had a rough start. I'm so happy everything turned out ok. Those sweet babies truly are so worth everything we go through :)
DeleteYou are awesome!!! It is very refreshing to hear someone say "of course it's ok, they're only 3 months old!" my baby is 15 months and people still ask questions of her sleeping (which i know is normal, but since she isn't sleeping through the night yet it's getting annoying). Anyway, my point is i'm so happy for you that you had Talia! and that you are content with how life is even though it may be hard. the first few months for us were rough!
ReplyDeleteIt totally is ok, no matter the age, they're babies and they're learning and so are we. I think we can learn a lot just by watching their clues.
DeleteCertainly love to hear all about your sweet baby. I live in Henderson, and I had always hoped to run into you at Winco. I look forward to your postings.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been cool to run into one another :) I LOVE meeting readers!
DeleteSo glad to see that the comment option is back. :) I feel for you having a fussy baby. My first was my fussiest baby. He's 19 now. The other two are 8 & 10. They were a breeze as babies compared to the first. Some babies are just higher need compared to others. It does get better. I'm sure that Talia will settle in to a sleep schedule. She may never nap properly...my first one didn't. I think he was afraid he would miss out on something. LOL But he was a good night sleeper thankfully. Hopefully Talia will begin to sleep better soon. Have you tried white noise? Maybe sounds of rain or the ocean? Or maybe a fan in the background or something like that to help drown out other sounds.
ReplyDeleteWe have the fan on. I started putting it on a higher setting and that seems to be helping a lot. Thank you :)
DeleteYou might have luck with mylicon drops or gripe water if its tummy troubles for her. I found they both helped immensely with my fussy baby.
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely keep that in mind. Thankfully her tummy is getting better, but if it keeps up I may have to try the drops out.
DeleteWhen my second baby had colic overstimulation was definitly a cause. It also helped if I got probiotics in my diet like yogurt or kefir or acidophilis capsules.
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