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I haven't had much desire to blog lately. Probably because I haven't had any time to blog lately. I'm hoping this changes-I miss my online outlet for random thoughts and reflections.
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I was given the secret to life by my friend Alisha the other day. Seriously. Life changing stuff. And I'm going to share it with you.
Don't buy your ribbed tanks from the women's section-buy from the men's! Because men don't like having their chest exposed (and modest women don't either!), the shirts are cut higher. (I actually bought medium in little boys.) Goodbye cleavage line! Hello cheap clothes that I can cut up and turn into nursing tanks!
You're welcome.
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Hannah rolled over! She's been getting onto her side for about two weeks now and this morning she took the plunge! Ted and I were in the kitchen eating breakfast and both got to share in the excitement! Obviously she was very upset because she hates being on her tummy. But her parents were thrilled!
In case you're wondering-she'll be four months old on Tuesday.
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Alright, you know I'm desperate if I'm turning to my blog for help. We need to find a better sleep solution and fast. She actually sleeps through the night-about 12 hours. But we do not. I know it's her tummy. I can hear it gurgling and it causes her to squirm and whimper and cry. The only thing that comforts her is nursing. No pacifier, no daddy, just the breast. (and this is the girl that hated to nurse for the first three months of her life!) There are still one or two times a night that she actually needs to nurse to eat which I am obviously fine with. But the constant need to nurse just to be comfortable has got to end. I'm up with her about every half hour. Last night the longest she went was an hour and a half.
Things we've tried: letting her sleep in her swing so she's upright. Fail. Co-sleeping so I can pat her/shush her/give her a paci. Fail. Side-lying nursing so I can sleep while she comforts herself. Fail. (I just can't get it to work-it would work if it were possible.) We can't do the miracle blanket anymore because she can get her feet out and then the fabric scoots up and gets wrapped around her neck. We've moved to a lighter swaddle blanket and she can get one arm out of but that is definitely not the problem because we just made this change two days ago.
I have no trouble getting her to fall asleep initially and no trouble breaking her latch and putting her back down. It just doesn't last and a half hour later I'm back to doing the same thing.
Why would her tummy suddenly be so upset? Can food sensitivities develop around 3 months (it's been going on for about three weeks now). She was gassy as a newborn but it resolved after a few weeks. I haven't been able to trace it to anything I've eaten because it's been going on so long and my diet has been pretty much the same as it was before.
I think she's too young to let her "cry-it-out". Especially because she's crying because she's hurting. How can I help her sleep??
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Ted passed his thesis defense on Wednesday! Such a stud. I'm so, so proud of him. We celebrated with good steaks, great friends, and Bud Light.
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I love summer food. Fresh peaches from a roadside stand. Lettuce and onions from a neighbor's garden. Farmer's market tomorrow morning. Ahh summer.
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Hannah's first Cardinal's game is set! A friend invited us to the box seats they got for a pre-wedding celebration. I'm so excited to dress her in her Cardinal's onesie and take her to the stadium! I'm even more excited that we'll be able to watch the game in air conditioning!
Happy Weekend!
Oh, the family picture of you guys is so beautiful! What a precious family the 3 of you are!!! I don't have any suggestions for the sleep issues, but hopefully it gets better soon. Karey wrote a bunch of stuff about sleep issues earlier this week, maybe there is something on there that could help. Have a great weekend and way to go Ted!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a friend of Wheelbarrow Rider and found many of these blogs through hers. I don't comment much (mostly because I feel silly since I don't have a blog of my own) but I thought I'd share something that worked for me recently. My almost 3 month-old daughter was waking about every 3 hours at night and would only sleep about 30 minutes at a time during the day. She would wake up crying and obviously in pain. I knew she had gas pain and had started giving her Mylicon with every feeding. The doctor suggested I give up dairy and nuts. I did and it helped some, but not completely. I know this sounds a little out there, but on the suggestion of my sister-in-law I took her to the chiropractor. The Dr. is one that my husband and I go to and she specializes in children. The day I took her, my little girl took a 2 1/2 hour nap and slept 10 hours at night without waking up. She has slept 7-8 hours at night without waking up in the nights since. The chiropractor also suggested giving up wheat which I have done, but I'm not sure that's what caused the drastic change. Another thing she mentioned is that digestive issues sometimes occur when a baby is teething. 3 months is pretty early for teething, but it's possible. I got my first tooth at 4 months. She suggested Chamomile and homeopathic teething tablets. My pediatrician actually suggested the Chamomile as well so I trust it is safe for babies. Chamomile has a calming effect. Just some thoughts. I hope it helps!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Ted, and Hannah!!
ReplyDeleteYay summer food!
Sleep regression around 4 mo is very common, I would keep working on the side-lying ~ it has been a god-send for us.
I LOVE the family picture. I remember the picture you took of the first night that you realized little Hannah was growing inside the womb. Hope you get to put those two "family pics" side by side.
ReplyDeleteSounds EXACTLY like my son. SHe may be teething? He started at around 4 months.
ReplyDeleteWell, as far as sleep goes no baby is ever old enough to cry it out ;)
ReplyDelete4 months is a common time for the sleep to regress as un-fun as that is, but if you know it's her tummy, then you really need to do a food elimination. I can tell ya as much as i did NOT want to eliminate dairy with Tripp nor did I want to eliminate tomatoes with Charlie...it's worth it. The food sensitivities can wax and wane, but if in her short 4 months has had more tummy trouble days than not, then i'd be willing to bet that something is up with her digestion. Looking back, the elims were really not that big of deal that I made them to be initially. :) I hope something works!!
Also, a good book is "no cry sleep solution" it helped me more than anything with my difficult sleeper (Tripp) who only wanted the breast. And I don't think any solution will be immediate, but I hope you get some sleep soon!!
What about acid reflux or some sort of lactose intolerance?
ReplyDeleteAnd you're welcome, too.
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely continue to work on side-lying. I don't really have any sleep advice since K is younger and still is nursed to sleep.
ReplyDeleteDominic had the same sleep regression issue when he hit four months. So at least it's common! I know, that's not comforting.
ReplyDeleteI also love the no cry sleep solution book. I don't like letting them cry it out so this book is helpful with that.
Hmmm, other suggestions. Have you tried probiotics for babies? I've heard those are very helpful but haven't tried them.
Giving up dairy might help too. That's about the age I gave it up with Dominic and he did get much much calmer as a result. But it's TOUGH! I'm a dairy lover so it was really tough for me.
Otherwise, she's at an age where she's really starting to understand where she's sleeping and what's going on around her, so just try to stay consistent with her sleeping habits and know that this will pass. I remember it with Dominic though and it's so difficult! Praying for you!
Congratulations to Ted! And what a wonderful picture of your family! :)
ReplyDeleteI never comment on blogs-especially people I don;t know, but I randomly found your blog through a friend of a friend! This is the first post I read and I feel your pain about your little baby not sleeping through the night with tummy problems. My Little boy is 16 months old and we went through the same thing. He nursed for 2 hours one night and we slept sitting up in a rocking chair for weeks. he would sleep maybe 4 to 6 hours in a day/night. We were exhausted as was he. We finally went to the doctor and he suggested we try a probiotic. It was miracle! I would pump a little milk and mix it in. He started sleeping much better after that. We used Laxtinax (i think that is how it is spelled) at first. It is over the counter, but refrigerated so you have to ask the pharamist. Then we switched to Cultrelle for kids. I tried elimiting many things from my diet and nothing worked. he didn't take a pacifier either.
ReplyDeleteMaybe ask your doctor and see what he/she says. There are some research articles about it that our dr gave us and we were desperate so we tried it! Good Luck!
How exciting that Hannah is rolling!
ReplyDeleteGus was just the same with sleeping--at around 4 months he would toss and turn with what sounded like an uncomfortable tummy for a couple of hours every morning (like 4-6 am). He stayed asleep, but I was awake the whole time! He basically grew out of it after a few weeks. And / or I learned to sleep through it. That's not very helpful, except in a solidarity kind if way :/ And re the side-lying, I found it really difficult at first, but as he got bigger and more mobile, he was able to actually reach my breast without me having to lie in really awkward positions. Now we use it all the time!
And yay for babies and baseball! Although a Cubs game would probably be a better option ;)
Oh man Kaitlin, I am feeling you on the sleeping thing. Miriam went through the same thing where she was waking up (not really awake, but you know what I mean) every half hour. It was awful. For a long time I just hoped she'd grow out of it, especially when I heard how common the four month fussies were. Not to scare you, but she didn't. Two and a half months later, and my husband finally insisted that we let her cry. I did read the no-cry sleep solution and it sounded good, but by the time I was ready to implement it my husband wasn't ready to wait 10 days to see if it worked :-/ All that to say, I would suggest being proactive now - but I would also suggest never taking my advice on sleeping! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, but the side-lying? It's great. You don't have to have a huge chest to do it. It was definitely worth the effort to figure it out. I think that's the reason I lasted so long with her constant night-waking, because I never really had to wake up!
Sorry to write so much - it just is nice to know other people are in the same boat as us :) Please do let me know if you figure anything out - at this point I would even be willing to change my diet :)
And congrats on the rolling and Ted's thesis! Great family pic!
ADORABLE, cute, precious beyond words.
ReplyDelete