Thursday, February 4, 2010

Just what you need, when you need it

One might think that with four children, I would be accustomed to babies that spit up.

But my first three kids really weren't big spitters as babies. So, #4 has taught me new lessons about spit, puke and other forms of regurgitation.

To say this girl spits up really doesn't properly explain the situation. She often spits cups full of milk right after nursing and then continues to spit up for the next hour. We are way beyond using burp cloths around here. She needs burp blankets, burp towels, and lots of them.

As you might imagine, this doesn't make for a very happy baby. The spitting increased significantly when she reached the 6-week-old mark, so my hopes for the end of the newborn fussy stage were dashed. Instead, she grew much more fussy as she got older.

She would basically wake up from a nap, nurse and then have 5 minutes of happy. After that, she would fuss and cry, sometimes as if in great pain, for the next 40 minutes. Then, she would be ready for a nap. (Now you should have an even greater appreciation for those photos I've posted of her smiling! Those have been hard to get!)

At baby's 2-month check-up, the doctor prescribed her Zantac. You know, the heartburn medicine: "Strong fast, lasting relief with a minty cool flavor."

Well, the minty cool flavor is a baby's worst nightmare. But it does seem to be working.

I've also been letting her drink less milk, but nursing her a little more frequently. And I've cut way back on my consumption of milk and chocolate, to see if that helps. My diet of chocolate pudding has quickly come to an end.

I'm not sure if it's the Zantac or something else, but it seems to be working.

Baby has been much happier. She spits up less. She goes to sleep without fussing so much. And she doesn't cry nearly as long.

We're seeing much more of this:



As Zantac says, "Just what you need, when you need it."

And as the old saying goes: "When baby's happy, mama's happy. And when mama's happy, everybody's happy."




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7 comments:

JoLyn said...

All of my babies were spitter-uppers. I feel your pain, especially when your baby's in pain.

I remember one Sunday at Church I was walking the hall with a fussy baby and had him up over my shoulder. I turned around and there was a trail of spit-up globs all the way down the hall.

Anonymous said...

One relative described Jordan as a "shake machine" becuase she was a master of spitting up. The other two, not so much.
:)Lynn

Anonymous said...

I was lucky neither of my babies were spitter-uppers... I do remember having to watch how much chocolate I ate tho cuz it did bother their tummies a bit...
I love that picture of her smiling! Hope that continues with the Zantac! Also hope you can squeeze in a little chocolate for yourself:) It IS one of the food groups you know;)
Have a great Friday!
Laurel

Holly said...

Glad she and momma are a bit happier...hope the improvement continues!

And, hey, I've got a 13 pounder that is just perfect for her! Sure, he drools and fills up his own pants right now, and he is pretty much bald, but he has great potential. I'm thinking we introduce them about 2032 and see what happens...

Blessings,
Holly

everydayMOM said...

Thanks, y'all. I hope her improvement continues, too! And that I can resume my chocolate pudding consumption.

Holly, she is definitely looking for baldness in her baby friends right now. It's just not fair for a girl to hang out with boy babies with more hair than she has!! I hope she gets to meet Mikey some day!

Bonnie said...

My 2 yo was diagnosed with reflux at 6 weeks old after lots of spitty days and nights and 48 hous of not eating. they originally gave him zantac but he refused because of the taste and it made the throwing up worse; there is an alternative called AXID.. same purpose same great results... you might want to ask for that

everydayMOM said...

Bonnie, believe it or not, she is starting to be OK with the Zantac. She still puckers her lips, unsure of that strange taste, but she gets it down! Thanks for the recommendation, though, in case this doesn't work.

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