New Baby, New Mama

As some of you know Bethany has been somewhat of a cranky/fussy baby. I even went as far as to label her as a "high needs" baby.  I knew she cried a lot, and didn't really nap all that well but what I didn't realize is that she really was on the extreme side of fussy. I honestly just thought that some babies were just a little harder than others we ended up with the former. It wasn't until I read something about how a "baby may take a 45 minute catnap in the evening" that I realized I had a problem baby. This totally caught me by surprise because a 45 minute nap for our Bethany was far from a catnap. In fact it may very well have been one of her longest naps. If I was lucky she would take one 30 minute to 45 minute nap during the day. "Catnaps" to me were her 5-10 minute naps. This information along with comments about how much Bethany cried made me realize that this was an issue I should probably bring up at her 4 month check up.

At her check up I was telling Mirna, our nurse practitioner, about how Bethany cries all the time and doesn't nap, and how Tom and I were pretty much going crazy. I can't remember if I mentioned that Tom actually made the comment in utter frustration one night, "I don't know if we can have another baby, I can't handle all this crying." After discussing everything with Mirna she suggested that possibly Bethany could have acid reflux and that we could try putting her on zantac. Now, Mirna knows that I'm typically a little skeptical about just jumping to a medication as a first line option, so she didn't really push it. However, I think she realized my desperation when I jumped at the option with almost no hesitation. What can I say, desperate times call for desperate measures. :)

In addition to prescribing zantac, Mirna also suggested I read the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child which someone had just happened to lend me earlier that week! Armed with a medication and new knowledge I was hopeful that we could transform this cranky child. I found the book to be extremely helpful and nonjudgmental. I feel like it gives parents more suggestions and options and less absolutes than some other books I have read. :)

The results . . . a baby that takes two sometimes 3 naps a day! It gets better, the morning and early afternoon naps are usaually 1 1/2 to 2 hours long. Not only is this mama more rested but the house is clean, the laundry is folded, and dinner is almost always ready on time, AND we have a happy baby who cries a lot less! All in time for her to start cutting teeth . . .