Thoughts on Pacifiers

I always thought that there was nothing wrong with pacifiers for infants to use them.  Well after Kelsey, I was wrong!  Since she has colic...one of the things is she ALWAYS needs to suck on something.  In a way I am glad she isn't using my boobs for a pacifier and she has a pacifier to suck on, but on the other hand when it causes her to wake up screaming in the middle of the night or anytime she sleeps I am not happy.  Someone should invent a contraption to hold pacifiers just slightly away from their mouth if they spit it out, but then allowing them to grab it again on their own.  I wish she could know how to put it back in her mouth if it falls out, but she is way to young to be able to do that.  She tries sucking at her fist but realizes...nope I don't want that!  I try not giving it back to her but all she does is scream at the top of her lungs.  then she will not go back to sleep until she gets it (majority of the time).  


If there is a next child I think I will try no pacifier at all...

Colic

How do you picture what your child will be like when they born?  Thoughts that cross the mind is he/she going to look more like mommy or daddy?  Is he/she going to have anything physically wrong with them or would they have to have a surgery?  You know that as newborns they do 3 things...eat, cry, and poop.  I just never thought the crying part would be so difficult.

When babies are born and take their first breath, doctors check their color and their if they are making a lot of noise.  Kelsey had both great color and was very active and vocal.  She was crying (with a little fluid in the lungs which is normal) and it was a little raspy and loud but that fixed itself over the next day.  We brought her home and she would cry normally when she needed something, like all babies.

Around 4 to 5 weeks, things started to change.  Around 4 or 5 pm every day she would become fussy and crying and it would last for quite a few hours.  Nothing seemed to help.  Tried changing her diaper, taking her clothes off because she was hot since she is a warm baby, tried feeding, burping, rocking, walking around...etc.  Then she was crying so much that her face was turning red, couldn't catch her breath, and cries were turning into high pitch screams.  Decided to take her into the doctor to see if anything was wrong because it sure seemed like it!  No infections or problems...she had 3 things going against her: 1.she has a gassy tummy (she is hard to burp) 2. signs of colic (the crying at night every night, cries during feeding sometimes and then afterwards, spits up, swallows it causing upset stomach, hiccups, tummy makes lots of noises!) and 3. I guess babies peek time that they cry more is from 5-8 weeks.

So...we just have to deal with this and make it through it. I've decided trying to get her to fall asleep on her own/set up a sleep system will have to wait till her colic isn't bad. I have to keep her upright after feeding, even if she's asleep on my or else she spits up, chokes on it, causing upset stomach and hiccups, as mentioned earlier.  We are working on no pacifier to aid in falling asleep because she was using that but then would wake up when it would fall out of her mouth.

I do feel sorry for those parents who have colic issues worse or for longer than 3 months.  We are hoping our will end by 3 months. I've heard a story of lasting 7-8 months 24-7...we sometimes have issues during the day but not nearly as bad as the evening/night time.  This definitely makes me contemplate having another child.  Can I get a guarantee next one won't have colic or just not a high pitch scream? 

Welcoming our Wiggle Worm (Delivery):  

  Our journey started back in May 2011 when I found out I was pregnant.  I do have to say it is interesting trying to teach a class of 2nd graders and having to pee all the time.  I of course told my co worker in the classroom next to me, just in case if I had to run to the bathroom during class.  Thankfully the classrooms were adjoining and all you had to do was open the sliding wall.  

  In January 2012, Matt's and my life changed!  On Thursday, January 12 I was supposed to have my last check up appointment before my due date of the 17th with the doctor and instead my water broke while getting ready for it at 8am.  I was always doubting whether or not I would know if my water breaks, if I was one of the few that break before you go into the hospital.  Let me just tell you, YOU KNOW!  There literally was a pop and then water just gushing out.  It makes it very hard to move around to call the doctor, your husband, and to get your last minute things together before going to the hospital!  At the hospital we were put into this small room for the morning and afternoon of Thursday.  There was the bed,monitors, chair, sink and bathroom w/very little space to move around for Matt if the nurse was in the room.  Matt thought it was like a closet, feeling claustrophobic, with no window.  We sat around waiting for her to come and walked the halls.  It was kind of funny because we would do 1 lap and get to this one spot and I would get a painful contraction.  It was so bad I had to lean up against a wall or Matt.  It would be the same thing at the same spot every lap.  Then I got moved to the next room, the labor & delivery room a little before 8pm.  That is when I asked when was a good time for an epidural because I was ready!  I thought it was worth it even though I wasn't a fan of it going in.  I will keep in mind to make sure I move in the bed instead of staying to one side so one leg isn't completely useless like it was that night.  On the plus side it allowed me to take a nap that night before I delivered to give me a break rom the contractions earlier in the day.  After 1am I told the nurse I'm thinking I'm ready to start pushing soon...which by 2am I was ready and Kelsey was born at 3:39 (just over 1 1/2 hrs of pushing).  It was funny because earlier in the day I asked my doctor how much she thought Kelsey would weigh.  Her response was 7-7 1/2 lbs...when Kelsey came out the doctor looked at her andsaid we all should guess how much she actually weighs.  Kelsey was born at 8 lbs 15 oz, 21 inches, and head was 14 inches around.    
  People ask would I have another child after giving birth to our daughter...my response is yes I would.  Overall, my pregnancy was not bad at all and the delivery really wasn't that bad either.  The recovery afterwards was quicker than I thought too.  When we do have our second child I would want to have an epidural again, be at a hospital that has private rooms (after delivery), and hopefully our second won't be bigger like how people say it happens.