Complain Much?

If humans someday evolve to the point where infants can actually communicate their discomforts there will be some very happy mamas and daddys out there.  It's a win/win situation, so what's the hold up?

We've dealt with more than our fair share of fussiness over the past couple of months.  As I noted here and here we were under the impression that MJ might have an aversion to dairy.  We also suspected that her reflux was causing burning in her esophagus.  Through much trial and error we finally came to the conclusion that dairy played no part in this whole drama and if she was in fact experiencing any burning the Zantac the doctor prescribed must be working.

I've read so many times what works for one baby may not work for another.  Let me throw my favorable vote in on that statement.  While I was depriving myself dairy - the nectar of the gods, in my opinion - all MJ was trying to tell us what that she was tired.  Through out the day I would rotate her from her bouncer to the swing, just like I did with Evan (of course nothing worked for him so he may not be a great comparison).  She would nod off here and there, but while she was awake she was very unhappy.  Her unhappiness would get worse as the day progressed and she would really let loose at night, right before bedtime.  We were thrilled though when she started sleeping 9+ hours each night.  I also mentioned her two worst episodes were when we were visiting family over Thanksgiving and then family over Christmas.

To sum up this ordeal, I started laying Mattie down every two hours or so, whenever I noticed she was getting sleepy.  And lo and behold, we finally had a winner.  She now wakes up cooing and smiling and seems content in her swing and her chair until its time to lay down again.  We realized that we were forcing her to stay awake by not laying her down because she doesn't seem to sleep well, if at all, in the swing or chair.  For weeks she was so exhausted by night time that she would be screaming from exhaustion - so no wonder she slept almost 10 hours every night (she's back to sleeping about 6).    And our trips to Florida and Tennessee?  Imagine the additional stimulation she received from all the extra people and going from place to place.  She must have been off the charts exhausted.  How silly do I feel for not figuring this out sooner?  I thought about not even admitting it, that's how silly.

But just when you think you've rounded that corner...

Breastfeeding. 

As if it's not hard enough.

Mattie's reflux causes her to spit up in massive amounts after every feeding.  If they made a perfume that was "barf" scented I would no doubt be the spokesperson.  I have been covered in the stuff for quite some time now.  It's reached the point where I don't even use a burp cloth any more.  Unless they decide to make one poncho style there is no way to avoid the barf shower.  But I accepted all of this long ago.  As long as she was gaining weight I could deal with it.

In an effort to alleviate this issue our doctor suggested feeding her a bottle and adding cereal to the breastmilk.  She claimed the combination would sit heavier on Mattie's stomach preventing it to come back up.  I, of course, was willing to try it, but in doing so meant I would have to pump and feed rather than feed straight from the breast.  In other words, my life would revolve around breastmilk. 

Currently, my life revolves around breastmilk.  The cereal works like a charm.  I receive a little burp action on my shoulder every now and then, but for the most part, each meal stays down.  While this is all great I'm beginning to feel burned out from having to devote so much time to feeding.  Not to mention, I feel like Mattie is wanting more milk.  Going from 4 oz to 6 oz at this point would be normal, but I'm not able to pump more than 4 oz. every 3 - 4 hours.  All you expert, breastfeeding moms out there - suggestions?

And while all of this is already a struggle, Mattie has decided to start teething.  Back to crying we've gone.

Is someone playing a small violin yet?