The Daily Scream

Routines. Everyone says babies need and love routines. But what does that look like for a newborn?

I first have to give props to the kindle app. In our first few weeks of parenthood I realized I had no clue what I was doing. Despite the fact that, professionally, I teach kids with autism by troubleshooting schedules and behavioral challenges on a regular basis, I had not the slightest clue what to do with a newborn. But the kindle app allowed me to download books that hopefully would guide me in the right direction. So by the light of my dimmed iPhone as I rocked my little Snarf Baby for many hours in the dark, I was able to try to get a handle on this whole newborn thing.

So far the most helpful books have been:

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
By Tracey Hogg

The Happiest Baby on the Block
By Harvey Karp, M.D.

and

The 90-Minute Baby Sleep Program: Follow Your Child’s Natural Sleep Rhythms for Better Nights and Naps
By Polly Moore, PH.D

There is not a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to kids. But I found that these books have helped me to figure out what works for our little snarf baby.

So here’s what worked for us so far:

Once he wakes up we give him a few moments to get himself together. He’s not a get up and go kinda guy. He gets that from his dad. Then we change the diaper and play a bit at changing time. Then, if he’s hungry he eats. If not then we play first. During play time we try to get some tummy time in. He hates it but seems to do better if we put a mirror up so he can look at himself. Then about an hour and fifteen minutes from the time he woke up he starts to get fussy. So we check / change the diaper, swaddle, sing and rock the little Snarf to sleep. We use a pacifier to get him to sleep but he usually spits it out soon after dozing off. If he doesn’t, we can gently remove it.

Daytime naps usually last about 30 to 45 minutes. Just recently, at almost three months old, he has begun to nap in his crib or pack & play.

His bed time routine is pretty simple at this point. He gets a bath which he loves, takes his medicine and has a bedtime feeding. Then it’s swaddle, song and rock him to sleep. While doing this we turn on the Cloud b Sleep Sheep – Four Soothing Sounds From Nature for white noise and the Cloud b Twilight Constellation Night Light, Turtle for ambiance.

He has always, for the most part, been a good night sleeper. Usually sleeping in 3 to 5 hour stretches. Occasionally he has bad nights and wakes every hour and a half to two hours. But, at night, he just eats and goes back to sleep.

Well that’s where we are at this point. We’ll keep ya posted as things change.

Ok, so part of me was worried that I jumped the gun on this reflux thing. I was sort of hoping that when he was diagnosed at 5 weeks old that I was so terribly wrong. I thought maybe he was sleep deprived, causing the incessant screaming.

I hated putting him on Prilosec / Omeprazole. He hates taking it because it tastes terrible. We know because we tried it; It’s pretty awful. Not to mention, it’s expensive, even with insurance. Mostly the cost is because it’s compounded into a nasty liquid.

So I spoke with Dr. Cindy and she said that we should try these solutabs. It’s a similar medicine. It’s also cheaper. So we tried it. Well it seemed like it should be easier. He loves the taste and we don’t have to keep it refrigerated. But… you have to hold the tablet in his mouth till it dissolves. Once it’s dissolved the medicine, in the form of tiny granules, ends up all over his face and hands. I was worried it would get in his eyes. So I read that we could dissolve it in some water in a syringe and then administer it that way. Great in theory, but all the medicine granules got stuck in the syringe. So… we tried it for about a week and then yesterday he got super screamy again. It was like going back in time.

I don’t know if it was the medicine change or the borderline ear infection that he’s been fighting off for a week but it was very disheartening. He’s also back on his nursing strike!

Needless to say, starting last night at bedtime, we’re back on the Omeprazole. Last night he did nurse two times and woke up being the sweet baby we were getting to know. So as of now it’s pretty unanimous in our house, “Yep, it’s reflux!”