reflux

So, after much internet research and talking to other moms, I am pretty sure that Levi's eating problems are due to reflux. When he was about 6 weeks old I thought the same thing, but after giving him a dose of Zantac that the doctor had prescribed he was too sleepy to eat so I didn't continue giving him the medication. Now that he is older I think he would do better on it, especially since he was generally a VERY sleepy newborn. I called the doctor and he gave me a prescription, so later this morning I will go get the medication (it is not Zantac this time but Axid). I hope to not have to give it to him for very long and I hope that this is the solution to his eating problems. Poor little guy!

nursing strike going on 7 days

I am sitting here with a pump attached to my breast wondering if I will ever be out of this prison. Every since Levi was born he has had trouble nursing. First, with latching on (he lost a pound in his first week of birth and I had a lactation consultant come help). Once that resolved itself the fussiness began. Every few weeks he will go through a week or two of fussiness when nursing and I can't figure out what the problem is. Every time I have gone to the doctor to rule out any medical causes, and there have been none. So now it is the end of day 6 of this particulary period of "strike" I guess you can call it. I haven't gone to the doctor because I assume that it is just as before. The only thing I can think of is that he nees more milk and isn't getting enough because he will try to eat and within a minute the crying and fussing begins. I have done what they tell you not to do and have given him a bottle with either pumped milk or formula or both, because I just can't stand for my baby to be hungry and I can't take any more of being home alone all day long dealing with it. I am too tired. The question is, how long is long enough before I give up? Is it really worth it to keep nursing him if we are both unhappy? Can I deal with the guilt and the(perhaps unwarranted) shame that I know I will feel if I give it up? Can I even afford to buy that ridiculously expensive formula? For now, I guess I will just keep trying to feed him any way that I can. I know this is personal stuff but I just had to get it down and wanted record of it for the future. I'm off to bed where I will finally get relief from the feelings of anxiety, worthlessness, inadequacy, sadness, and guilt.

5 for 5

Levi is 5 months old (UNBELIEVABLE)!

1. He is now eating his second solid food- applesauce! He absolutely loves it (who wouldn't?). Of course, the rice cereals is a lot less enticing now that he has that yummy, sweet applesauce to eat but he is doing a good job of eating both. We got him a highchair that straps on to a chair so he sits in it at the table like a big boy and eats his dinner.

2. Levi loves to grab his feet and pull them towards his mouth (EVERYTHING goes in his mouth, so I have to be extra careful these days).

3. He has learned to roll from his back to his tummy. Once he started, he won't stop! Sometimes he gets his arm stuck under him once he has rolled over and gets upset. He has rolled from his tummy to his back a few times (the first time was at 2 months but refuses to do it now).

4. He is sleeping at night from 7 p.m. until anywhere between 5 and 6 in the morning (AMAZING for mommy and daddy because we get alone time before bed and can get a babysitter and go out after he goes to bed if we want)!!!! Yes, I am very excited about this. Getting to sleep until 7 a.m. would be heaven.

5. Levi reaches out and grabs toys. He LOVES to play and loves music.


Basically, I just have the best baby in the world ( I can't help but brag). He is content almost all of the time and giggles a lot; which is so infectious! When he is sleeping he kind of sings this little song to get himself to sleep. He sleeps with his little bunny (which is wonderful "aunt" Lindsay bought for him before he was even born). He loves his bunny and snuggles with him to get to sleep. Levi also loves to smile. He is very alert and loves people. Oh how I love my little boy (who is not so little anymore).

first solid food and baby bootcamp

On Monday, May 31st Levi tried his first solid food (rice cereal)! He actually seemed to like it and did pretty well swallowing it although quite a bit ended up on his body. He kept sucking his fingers and getting the cereal all over his hands! He did even better the second day I fed him the cereal, so I am going to keep on with it at dinnertime and then add breakfast in a little bit and later lunch. I guess I will start giving him fruit and veggies somtime soon, but since he is so young the cereal is good for now. I decided to give him rice cereal because he has been so hungry lately and it seemed like I didn't have enough to give him. He also seemed interested in our food. I also was just too anxious to wait! It's hard to believe how fast he has come since the day of his birth.



We have also started to work on having Levi sleep through the night. He had been doing well (sleeping at least 8 hrs. at night) but seemed to regress and started waking up after like 6 or 7 hours. I have decided to do a little bit of baby bootcamp and last night I decided that I would not go feed him until 5:30 a.m. (he goes to bed at 8). I didn't even turn on the monitor last night, and I didn't hear him until a little after 5. I waited until 5:30 and then got him up and fed him! I think that was the best night's sleep I have had since he was born because it was uninterrupted sleep. I hope that he doesn't cry too much the next few nights because it will be so hard for me to stick to my guns if he does. After a couple of weeks I will stretch the time to 5:45 and so on until hopefully a decent time like 7 in a couple of months. I know it sounds cruel sometimes to let a baby cry but I know he is completely healthy and capable of sleeping that long. He just likes to use me as a pacifier to get back to sleep when he wakes up at night! I am excited for a complete night's sleep from here on out!