We all have our challenges and Emma is making sure that we experience some together.
Week 1 Challenge- being a new mom
Week 2 " "- inconsistent sleeping begins
Week 3 " "- Thrush
Thrush is an infection of the mouth. There are white spots that form on the tongue (not just flat white from the formula) as well as cheeks, lips, throat, roof..all that good stuff. It can be sore and can prevent a baby from eating because the sucking motion hurts. It can also be the cause of a fever. Luckily, Emma has been a real trooper. She is more fussy at times than normal but otherwise she has been eating normal, which is a huge relief! We got some medicine that we give her 4x a day and she takes it well. Even after just a couple doses the spots on her tongue have really cleared up..although we are far from being done (and I have been instructed by a very smart pharmacist that I need to continue giving it to her for 2 days after it is gone :)
In my last post I mentioned Colic- I have been doing some research and reading because I want to get Emma more on a schedule, which can help colicy babies. I am not looking to become a hyper-scheduler or only feeding her at certain times (to go around my schedule) but I want to become consistent and get her on a pattern. Now, some of you may be saying, "DUH, you need a schedule." Some things have been scheduled like her night time routine, but throughout the day it was a bit more relaxed then it is going to be. I have read a couple books but my favorite so far is "On Becoming Babywise" by Gary Ezzo. This book has been criticized because some think that you should ONLY feed your baby at certain times (ex; every 3 hours). This is not the case, he recommends a specific schedule but always says- if your baby is hungry feed her! I have learned some great things and, to be honest, I am not sure that she has colic but instead showing symptoms of other things related to inconsistency. We are trying out a new schedule so we will see how it goes!
Cereal- I found "cereal" nipples and, of course, this has solved my issue of a nipple either getting clogged or drowning her. Love them!
Other than Emma- our lives are pretty boring. She keeps us busy and on our toes! I can't believe that she will be a month old next Wednesday- time really does go by fast!
Crazy, the things you now think about now that you have a baby, right?
ReplyDeleteJust to let you know, my babies have gone 6 months without any kind of 'solid' (i.e. cereal, fruits, veggies) so... if you are thinking cereal to help her sleep better... it might not be the case. Formula should do the trick for now. I am curious to know why (not that you have to convince me... just pure curiosity) you give her cereal so early... I've always been told that their bodies aren't ready for it. I often think our little ones are fussy as the days go on... like from 6pm-9pm... and it doesn't last long (first couple months.
We've also battled thrush. With.Each.Kid. No fun. Finally, with Gia, I just decided to see what happens if I didn't medicate. And guess what, after a couple of months, it went away on its own. Never did I notice a baby not eat because of it, or bleeding... I think those are extreme cases. But either way, its no fun. Good luck on the meds, hopefully they will wipe it clean!
Gentian Violet works also... for thrush. You can get it at any pharmacy and its like $1 a bottle. The thrush is gone before the day is done!
Congrats again on the sweet baby!!
That is great to know (about Gentian Violet)!!!
ReplyDeleteWe chose to feed her cereal to help fill her up (not necessarily have her sleep more at night..and it really hasn't helped her sleep more either). She was eating so much at night and it just seemed like she wasn't getting enough to eat.