Friday, September 8, 2006

M&M's and Babies

I don't know exactly what happened yesterday but I'm blaming it on the M&M's I ate in the late afternoon. I'd kind of been taking it easy on chocolate---a brownie a day is easy for me and when you have RP's caramel brownies you'll understand that I was really trying hard to take it easy. Anyway, yesterday I had a regular size bag of m&m's and I think they made a little girl living in our house VERY HYPER.

Starting around 7, Cora woke up and wanted to eat. So, I fed her. About an hour later, she acted like she was ready to eat again, crying like mad all at the same time. This cycle went on until Geron finally said "Honey, she's NOT hungry. She CAN'T be hungry after eating every hour." I'd been told by all the lactation nurses and books that when a baby shows hunger signs, offer them "food". So, I was just doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing. Finally, Geron took her off my hands and tried to see if he could calm her down. We were up til midnight, at least, with a very fussy, angry baby. At midnight, I took her and we went on a walk through the house. Sometimes this works to console her-- It wasn't working last night. We ended up in the nursery and I sat down in the rocker with her, worn out (Mommy, that is). Cora continued to yell for about 3 minutes and suddenly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. We didn't hear a peep out of her between one and 7:15 this morning.

Normally, we have a very calm little girl who sleeps about two to three hours between feedings and only fusses if she's waited too long to eat, is having gas or poopoo problems or has a wet diaper. (for some reason the poopoo ones don't bother her, its just getting it out) I think the m&m's had to have gotten to her last night. So, while they happen to be one of my FAVORITE candies, I believe I will lay off them for now. PRAY HARD, PEOPLE.

10 comments:

Tooz said...

I wonder if Cora is like you and has problems tolerating milk and chocolate together. You might call a lactation person there in Chattanooga--you probably have a number in your stuff somewhere--and tell her about last night. She would have more current advice than what I have. It's also nice to talk with another mama. Love you.

Suze said...

it's possible she's sensitive to chocolate, lydia. many babies are. (mine's not, which is good because i can eat chocolate, but it's bad because i DO eat chocolate...). but how old is cora? babies often hit a growth spurt at about 10 days - 2 weeks. daniel certainly did, and i was nursing so much i rented the first season of "desperate housewives" so i at least had some entertainment.

Jenn-Jenn, the Mother Hen said...

It's usually best to avoid chocolate and other typically-allergenic foods (peanuts, etc) while you're nursing. The enzymes can get in the breast milk and cause sensitivity. And the hyperactivity is bad too! (chocolate has caffeine, too. Caffeine and newborn babies is a bad mixture!)

Anyway, praying hard for you guys, and I hope little Miss Thang settles down today.

Love ya bunches!

Becca said...

One cardinal rule about babies--once you think you have them figured out, they change the game on you! It's part of their rudimentary senses of humor. Good advice above, and good luck!

I almost forgot--avoid onions. They can cause gas for breastfeeding babies.

Tooz said...

Tell you what, it really didn't seem to matter that much what I ate when you and your sissy were little. The only problem I noticed was when Ann would get diarrhea from vegetable soup. Love you still.

Suze said...

lyida, i just read your comment on my blog. when daniel hits growth spurts he'll nurse as often as every hour. when he was a newborn like your darling little cora, he would often spit up a lot, too. don't worry about it. it's so totally normal for little ones to spit up a lot, and even if it looks like none of it is staying down, trust me, plenty is! I wouldn't worry about that unless she's losing weight.
also, don't worry about feeding her too often. the first few weeks can be frustrating because it feels like you've got this little baby-shaped barnacle attached to your chest all the time, but babies know when they're hungry. it's best not to force a feeding schedule on her. besides, as soon as you think you're settling into a routine, something changes anyway.

also, do you have lactation consultants available to you? like la leche league? professional lactation consultants are God-sends. They know everything there is to know about breastfeeding, and they know all the stuff that's not true, too. believe me, there's a lot of bad information out there.

lastly, i know that there are women out there who love every minute of breastfeeding. i am not one of them. i love it sometimes, but there are also times when i can't wait to stop leaking, for my body to stop being on demand all the time, for a time to come when i don't have to choose between being home for bedtime or pumping (which i thoroughly detest). breastfeeding is not always blissful, and it's okay to admit that! the first few weeks, though, you just gotta hunker down and do it and don't feel guilty about watching lots of tv and renting movies to keep yourself from dying of boredom, because it's also THE best thing you can do for your daughter right now, bar none.

get my own blog, right?

hang in there, and i know things will get better!

Suze said...

p.s. (as if that last comment wasn't long enough!) i also wanted to mention that it sometimes takes a day or two for your milk production to catch up with your baby's needs in a growth spurt.
before daniel was born we read "happiest baby on the block" by harvey karp, a pediatrician. newborn babies sometimes have a hard time adjusting to life outside the womb, and this book has a method of calming a baby that absolutely works. i would recommend that every new parent read it!

Suze said...

just this one more thing, i promise! it also sounds like cora is "cluster feeding" which is very common in the evenings. basically, she's tanking up for the night! this can happen any time, growth spurt or not!

Anonymous said...

I have a nine month old little boy and up until he was three months old he had colic (It does not sound like Cora has colic). But my doctor gave me the best DVD EVER!! It saved mine and my husbands life when our son was crying in the middle of the night. You saying that you take a walk around the house about midnight brings back memories. The DVD was the best thing and most accurate thing we ever watched. The Doctor on it said that every newborn has a calming reflex. You should consider the first three months of your babys life like a fourth trimester. They are still adjusting to life outside of mommy. The video said to swaddle the baby and place them in your lap and rock your knees back and forth so their little head can wiggle just a little. This re-creates what is was like for them when you were walking around during the day. The motion puts them to sleep. I will look up the dvd and tell you what it is. It is WORTH watching.

Anonymous said...

ok the DVD is called "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and it is by Dr. Harvey Karp. He has appeared on Dr. Phil, Oprah, The Today Show, etc.. You can go to the website www.thehappiestbaby.com
As a new mom myelf this is DVD is a MUST!! EVERYTHING he says WORKS!! Our pediatrician sent us home with the video.