Sunday, November 21, 2010

Gratitude and Colic

My sweet Chloe has colic.

Or is it colicy.

Or is it, has the colic?

Whatev's.

Basically, she cries all the time.

It takes another person, or a few dozen, to tell me this before I actually accept it.  I tell myself, like with Cohen, that she's just sleepy.  Or she's just hungry.  Or she's just bored.  But when it comes down to it, something is wrong.

Colic is so hard.  Ironically, I stay calm when I have a colicy baby.  It's ironic because I'm not a calm person.  I tend to get all uppity and grumpy and easily frustrated and over stimulated.  So far, I've been able to keep my crazy to a minimum

But that doesn't make it any easier.  I suffer because I know she's hurting.  I struggle because I feel helpless in helping my own baby.  Her screams shout to me in the middle of the night, just make it better.  And I can't.

I see Brett suffering from the same lack of anything to do.  It's probably harder for him because he's a man, and is therefore a fixer of all things broken.  And not broken.  Until he breaks them trying to fix them.

He even tried to make a home made remedy.  "What?  It's just a little clove and anise seed in a tea bag."

I draw the line here.

And today, I'm grateful that he listened.  And that she's sleeping.

Oh, I'm also grateful for Auntie's who keep her calm during Sunday dinner.

And aunts and uncles who visit with us while she screams.

And cousins who make us laugh.

And little baby cousins who play with our little babies.

And food.

Mostly food.

Good night  (hopefully!)

Kelly Out

4 comments:

The Finlinsons said...

Sorry that the baby is crying so much. It really is sad and frustrating. But glad that there are still things to be grateful for even when things are tough. Good luck!

Kimberly said...

There is absolutely nothing worse than colic. Nothing.
If you feel overwhelmed know that it is perfectly ok to put her in the crib and walk away. I had to so many times with Chunky. It was so difficult.
Have you tried swaddling with a blanket just out of the dryer?
White noise?
Grip Water?
Shot of whiskey...for you?
Keeping bedtime rituals the same?
Massaging I LOVE YOU on her belly?
Doing manual bicycle motions with her legs...pumps out gas big time/

We tried many things. It does get better I promise. That one night when she finally sleeps soundly, you'll lay wide awake worrying if something is wrong with her. Gah...I hated colic.
Let me know if you need any ideas. I've got plenty.

hugs,Me
PS. Do you think this is their payback for enduring the irritable uterus. Damn uterus.

genderist said...

Our baby cried for about two hours every night from about 5 weeks until 4-5 months. We'd just take turns walking around swooshing her. It was terrible and I know we didn't have a hard-core colicy baby.

Our one fail-safe was standing in a dark corner, rocking and swooshing, and singing "This Little Light of Mine" over and over and over and over and over. (But if you think about that I'd strongly suggest a different song because that one just killed me. :) Go for one with different words and not the same tune over and over. Trust me.)

Praying for you.

Anonymous said...

Matt and I took turns sitting up in a recliner...all night long with #3. After 6 weeks I was finally fed up...when the doc suggested a colic formula...I gave breast feeding and tried it. It wasn't pure powdered magic, but it took the edge off, it was easier for him to digest, and he would actually SLEEP at night for 2-3 hours at a stretch. Burping was imperative...but even then...it was just colic. Some people swear by cutting out all dairy from their diet, and all veggies...but, I'm just not that disciplined...plus, I hate nursing.
Good luck my love!

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