Friday, January 28, 2011
Whine beats Whine
Violet has been inexplicably fussy the past few evenings. Her mood’s even-keeled all day, but when the sun goes down, it shifts. Full belly, dry diaper, a good burp – her needs are met, and still she fusses. She’s not in meltdown, but she’s not happy. Walking with her face-out, sitting up against my stomach will keep her calm for a bit, but it’s a temporary fix. Linda did some reading today, and it could be reflux, or it could be something Linda ate. The book said breastfeeding mothers should avoid dairy and wheat – with Linda being vegan/gluten-free that’s no problem - but she should also steer clear of soy, beans, cabbage-type vegetables, broccoli, chocolate, tomatoes, onions, and spices. That’s a good chunk of what we eat, but to ease her mind, Linda told me to hide the chocolate (there is no bigger sign that Linda loves Violet than her willingness to forego chocolate). I’m skeptical of the reflux theory because it’s just after as I type this, and Violet is sleeping next to me on the couch, nestled in pillow and blanket. The dust buster settled her tonight and last night; the loud drone of its motor soothes her like nothing else. Could the noise take her attention away from the pain of reflux? Seems unlikely. Still, I feel like a cheater using it. Some part of me feels that we should figure this out without a mechanical crutch. The rest of me already has the dust buster on the charger, making sure it’s juiced up for tomorrow night.
69 days old
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Macie used to do the same thing. We chalked it up to her starting to recognize the sleepy feeling and not liking it! Like, happy happy happy oh god why do I feel so lethargic? The phase passed quickly, though an overly-sleepy kiddo is never fun.
ReplyDeleteOf course, then there's the wisdom of our super-calm neighbor who is from Germany and has four daughters of her own: Sometimes, babies just cry.
I don't know why we didn't think of that!
PS. Yeah, cabbage was no good when I was nursing. Same with apple cider and anything spicy. But I ate chocolate. :) Oh, and Macie liked watching the water run in the sink. We still sometimes do that to calm her down.
Those evening hours can be interesting...
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to forego the mechanical crutch too, but when we finally plopped a kid in the swing after fuss, fuss, fussing, we were all a little happier! :)
I like to think it has something to do with the isolation we live in as compared to the hustle bustle stimulation and distraction of a village. How's that for 'crunchy'?
Our children used to get fussy in the evenings too, that transition from quiet day to husband home from work, dinner cooking, adult chatter and focusing on other things. It was just a phase, and we did a lot of bouncy-chair-bouncing. Some friends of ours had a baby who loved venetian blinds. They called the blinds "the babysitter." I think babies need to cry - what other exercise do they get? A.
ReplyDeleteLots of Amy advice above! :)
ReplyDeleteMine is: swing, bouncy chair, Snugli (face-in carrier), and always more nursing if none of the above work.
Thank you so much for the advice everyone! We're muddling through...Today we discovered that when she's fussy, Violet likes to sit on my lap while I rock vigorously in our rocker. I get nauseous, but it calms her right down.
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