Ahhh. It's officially my first ever Mother's Day. MJ is sleeping peacefully, and Mike is watching Gladiator. I'm thinking I should be asleep too. I now understand why mothers deserve their very own holiday.
It's been a tough couple of days.
It seemed like Machaela was adjusting to her Babywise schedule. She would wake up between 7 and 8 in the morning, and then eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours, just like she was supposed to. Suddenly, it seemed like her vomiting was increasing in frequency. I'm not talking about the spit-ups that are part and parcel of babyhood; I'm talking about those projectile vomits, the ones that are now legend (and becoming much more projectile as well . . . eesh). Not only was she vomiting more, she was sleeping less during the day. Her naps were decreasing in length and frequency. Clearly, this was unacceptable.
Between yesterday and today, MJ took a grand total of three naps. They each lasted no longer than 40 minutes. One actually only lasted 15.
Not okay.
Tonight, after a very long day of a screaming, non-napping 9-week old, I called her pediatrician's office. Closed, of course, but fortunately her wonderful pediatrician was the one on call. We had already switched her to soy formula, which only made the vomiting worse, and had tried the Sensitive Stomach type for two days, which didn't help. After explaining what we'd been going through since Friday morning, Dr. Jacob had a hunch.
Machaela has reflux.
Ay yi yi.
So, following her instructions, I sent my wonderful husband to our neighborhood CVS to pick up a bottle of cherry flavored Maalox. Dr. Jacob specifically noted that we should not get the mint flavor, since babies are not fans of mint. I suppose they do not appreciate the value of fresh breath. She said we could either get the regular strength or the extra-strength, but should avoid the maximum strength-24 hour version of said medicine. We should then call again on Monday to get an appointment, after which she'd probably prescribe something stronger for her to take long-term.
Meanwhile, I went ahead and began MJ's bedtime ritual, beginning with her bath. Favorite. She, as usual, loved it, and grinned through its administration. As soon as it was over, she predictably began to cry. Usually, this crying lasts only as long as it takes to get her dressed and swaddled, because she knows that yummy rice bottle is coming next.
Tonight was a little different.
She screamed. And screamed. Ohmygoodness. Was I pinching her without realizing it? Was there a piece of plastic or a corner of velcro sticking into her skin? Nothing; I checked.
It got worse. And loud. And screechy. It's actually hard to describe the sounds that were coming from her mouth, because they were like nothing I've ever heard before. Her lips were actually quivering, and her little tongue was raised and shaking inside her mouth. Her eyes were squeezed shut. Oh wow. I finally picked her up once she was dressed and ready for bed, then snuggled her close to me to calm her down. This usually works, but she just got louder. I tried to pop a pacifier in her mouth, but she just ignored my attempts. She screamed like this for a full fifteen minutes. I'm not even sure she was inhaling between screams. Finally, she accepted the pacifier, and began breathing in short little gasps, sniffling and snorting, and eventually calmed. This is about the time Mike returned from the store.
With mint-flavored 24-hour Maalox.
Really?
I had him make her a rice bottle and sent him back to the store. I am very proud of myself for not letting my head spin around and pop off my neck. I tried to bite my tongue. I had to bite really hard.
He came back when she was halfway done, so I burped her and squirted the quarter-teaspoon of medicine into her cheek. Clearly, she's not a fan of cherry either, because she pushed it right back out with her tongue. Great. I tried to scoop it back into her mouth with my thumb, and I think she maybe swallowed half of what I'd originally given her. Sigh. We'll see how she does tomorrow.
Maybe her Mother's Day gift to me will be a full recovery from infant reflux, so that she can nap, and I can pack. After all, we have only one week and four days until Moving Day.
Gah.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies. You're amazing. Especially mine. (Love you, Mom.)
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The pediatrician told us to use the cherry Maalox too, it really helped Caleb. Hopefully it will help MJ as well! He also did better if I basically sat him straight up while feeding him and for a little while afterward. Not so difficult with a bottle, but for breast feeding I found the football hold was the best way to be able to nurse him while he sat up. Hope both of you start feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteAlso, kudos for not flipping out on Mike. You're a better woman than me, there would have likely been screaming and/or tears had I been in your shoes.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I am so glad we finally diagnosed this issue. She was a totally different baby today!! She took all her naps, and really cried very little, if at all. She maybe spit up just a bit, and seemed so much happier in general. I wish I had realized what was making her so miserable earlier. Poor baby was trying to tell me her little tummy was hurting. Did Caleb's pediatrician prescribe anything or did you just keep using the Maalox? I'm going to call tomorrow and see what she wants us to do. She really had such a great day!
ReplyDeleteI have to say...I laughed when you said what he came back with. Happy Mothers Day!
ReplyDeleteWe just used the Maalox and that was enough for us. He too was SO much happier, and so was I! I had been getting a lot of "He's crying because he's hungry, you're starving him, you need to supplement him." There were lots of tears all around, then we figured out he was not, in fact, still hungry after eating, but in pain. It's so horrible when they can't tell you what's wrong.
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