The joys and the shock of a first time mom

[newmom2nate]

Wow,

I didn't realize what I was in for. I've always wanted to be a mother and couldn't wait until my baby was born. I didn't realize how hard it would be though.

My baby is apparently (as I'm told by other Mom's who hold him) a very "fussy" baby. I can only conclude he Must be colicky then.

I would say these first few months of his life have been a Nightmare (along with spurts of Joy). Maybe someone might say that's weird to say about a baby, but that's the cold hard truth. Let me explain: I am used to working Graveyard shifts at the Hospital, so being up all night is not an issue. But when its 2am and you've tried Everything you can to calm him (i.e. Make sure he's been Fed, Burped, Diaper Change, Bathed, Swaddled and Shushed, gently rocked, played with toys, turned on and off lights, White Noise, Singing to name a few) and my Newborn Baby is approaching 13 hours of being awake & crying & Screaming.....you finally take him to the Emergency room (for the 3rd time in his life) while crying yourself out of desperation because you don't know what is wrong.

After we visited the emergency room with a couple of x-rays they told us he had a lot of gas in his tummy and he must be colicky.

At about 2weeks old we figured out he had Acid Reflux. After the Pediatrician Prescribed Mylanta, and Pepcid AC, it was Prevacid that finally seemed to make his crying Less Intense and after a week he had quit Arching his back in pain (trying to get away from the tummy acids).

I've searched the Internet over and over again along with picking the brains of Moms I know for advice and have finally decided to join this website out of hope to find someone who's had a baby with the same symptoms.

My baby Nate is now 2 1/2 months old ( 10 wks) and it is getting better (cross my fingers). For instance for the 3rd time in his life he slept through the night last night with exception of waking up to feed & diaper change then back to sleep. Example: Fed 11:30pm, Sleep 12 am, Awoke 1am and shushed back to sleep with White Noise, then awoke 4am to feed (so that was 4 1/2 hrs. without feeding) diaper change and sleep by 4:15 am, Awoke again 7:35 am to feed diaper change and stay awake for 2hrs. But Boy did I feel rested after getting 4 and then 3 hrs. of sleep in a row! Its amazing how Cute he looks after I've gotten sleep.

Well thanks for reading my "Journal" entry. I don't have much time before he wakes up so I better go. I'd love to make new friends on this site and share tips and tricks of new motherhood.

~Jess and Baby Nate Jr.

[jade1530]

Feb. 1, 2007 at 2:38 PM Hang in there. Being a new mom will always bring challenges but u will get thru and so will he.  Msg me sometime to talk

[sarahis22sweet]

Feb. 1, 2007 at 2:39 PM for a colicy baby, i have found that Gripe water. Yes it is called gripe water. It is all natural but it help with calic and controlls the gasses i the babys stomach. You can get gripe water at any drug store. just a thought

[coloradomommy77]

Feb. 1, 2007 at 2:44 PM My son who is almost 6 months now has the same problem and to make it worse he has a birth defact that makes the reflux worse and makes it hard for him to breath. I went through the same thing for a few months with him and I als o have a 2 year old and that made the not getting any sleep worse for me. But i know the joy yuo feel when you figure out what is wrong and find something tha starts to help make it better. Hang in there you are doing a GREAT job if you have made it 10 weeks and still have some of your mind left even if you have not kept it all.

[gacgbaker]

Feb. 1, 2007 at 2:45 PM So sorry that things have been so rough! Some things that I have heard that work, are feeding him small amounts, and frequently. Don't give him food right before a nap. Letting him sleep upright in the swing might help too... also I have heard that elevating one side of the crib (just prop up the mattress) can help alot too... the side that his head is on. Breast-feeding is best for babies with this, but if you can't do that... then try switching the formula, sometimes that helps! Good luck!

[nikkijon083006]

Feb. 1, 2007 at 2:48 PM

Hi!!! My son does have gastric reflux as well....we had that emergancy visit cause he was vomiting just about everything we have him, at every feeding unless he fell asleep right after....he was diagnosed at 5 weeks old....his dr put him on Nutramagen lipil formula and he is taking meds for it as well...i did for his first 4 weeks breastfeed but he is allergic....and thats why he is on nutramagen....its a formula that is already broken down so his stomach doesnt need to do a lot of work and holds down better,....less fussy as well.... also we were told by his dr to try putting rice cereal in his bottles as well....he is doing much better......he is now 5 months old and still on his meds but is holding a lot more of his food down and me less worried.....this is my first baby as well and that really scared me when i didnt know what was going wrong with him and i am just so happy to kno that he will grow out of it....this web site has helped me alot as well....advice is a good thing.....

 

<3 nikki 

[nurseterri79]

Feb. 8, 2007 at 10:40 AM

Hi, my name is Terri.  My daughter Emmy has reflux as well....and reading your post sounded like I was reading my life story.  She is now 6 weeks old (well tomorrow she will be), and I haven't slept more than 2 hours in a row (with the exception of one night) since she came home.  I am so sleep deprived it is unbelievable.  She used to scream and scream and scream, and for the most part since we have her on Pepcid now she has stopped.  However, last night she screamed again the whole night, we almost took her to the emergency room. I am a NICU nurse, so I feel guilty for not knowing what to do with her.  I feel like I should know, but I guess it's different when it's your own.  I too am used to working night shift, however I am not used to being up all night, and then being up all day too, and after 6 weeks of this I feel like I'm gonna have a break down.  It is encouraging to know that you are about 4 weeks ahead of me, and things are getting better. I hope they get better for us as well.  My husband tries to help, but he works, so he can't be up all night, which means I am up every night, almost all night, and every day all day.  Anyway, write me some time if you'd like to talk, sounds like we are going through the same thing.