COLIC

After a few weeks of feeling like Kate was fussier than just regular newborn fussiness and trying to figure it out, we had her 1 month doctor's appointment. Dr. Z was pretty sure that she had colic, which is basically defined as "a condition in which an otherwise healthy baby, cries or screams frequently and for extended periods without any discernible reason."

I define it as:

Crazy

Obnoxious, Overwhelming

Loud

Irritating, Incessant, Inconsolable

Crying

There are no tests to determine if your infant has colic or if the crying is due to other things, so we started the process of eliminating things. Here is a short list of the things we tried or considered:

* My diet - went on an elimination diet. Nothing made a difference.

* Gas - massage, Mylecon, etc.

* Reflux - prescription medication

* Exercise ball

* Happiest Baby on the Block

* Colic massage pad

* Swaddling

* Colic Calm - homeopathic medicine

Most of those things made no difference. There was no solution to the colic - just some things to help console her. The two things that helped us the most were the exercise ball (thanks Laurie!) and some techniques like swaddling that we learned from The Happiest Baby on the Block. Some days I bounced her on that darn exercise ball on and off for hours. That really helped her a lot. And now if I want to get her asleep pretty quickly, I just start bouncing.

Kate did not have a specific time that she cried. Some days it was pretty much all day long. Some days just an hour or two. Sometimes she could be consoled - other times she just screamed. They were some of the toughest, most emotionally draining, days of my life.

I had started taking Zoloft at her birth since I had postpartum depression with Sam on the recommendation of my peeps (both medical and personal peeps). I know now that was just one of the ways that God equipped me for this period of time. Typically noise is one of my anxiety triggers and without the help I get from the medication, I don't know how I could have survived. It is a pretty helpless feeling and at times demoralizing when you, as a mother, can't console your baby.

I waited to post about this because I didn't want to be too negative, but now as I read what I am writing, I don't feel that I am able to describe the impact that it had on us. The first few months are supposed to be joyful and relatively peaceful since babies sleep so much at first. But most days that joy was overshadowed and it was all we could do just to get through the day. We definitely were on survival mode.

One way that God really blessed us during this time is with Sam. Not once, and we are talking at least a hundred hours of listening to Kate crying and screaming, did he complain, get frustrated, or even get agitated. He is so calm and was always so sweet when he would talk to her. He doesn't even get upset when she is screaming in the car for an hour - in fact a lot of times he still falls asleep. I don't know how I could've handled it if he got upset with the crying. Below he is just hamming it up while she screams away.

She has only had a couple of episodes in the past few weeks, so we appear to be over the hump. But when they happen now, it is harder to deal with emotionally. Last night she had one and I had to leave my bible study early. It was frustrating.

She still continues to cry/scream in the car most of the time. That makes it very hard to want to get out of the house and do anything, but somedays we try. It may be that she just hates the car and won't calm down until she is big enough to face forward. I pray that isn't the case, but am trying to emotionally prepare myself if it is. She also hates the stroller. I saved up for one of those double strollers so I could get out and walk once I had her. Ha! The best laid plans...

God taught us a lot during this time. I am thankful for all the help and support I received from my friends and family, whether it be just a listening ear or help bouncing her. I know that God has not only grown us through this time, but will also use it to help others down the road.

So if any of you ever have a colicky baby, you now know who to call for help, advice, or just sympathy!