This past week has been a week of figuring out (or trying to) Sam's patterns - of sleep, eating, playtime, etc - and also some of the causes of her fussiness. We have figured out that she mostly wants to sleep from Noon on until she goes to bed at night....although this is good during that time, it makes the mornings tough...we are working through that though!! During the night, she sleeps anywhere from 2-4 hours (and once almost 6 hours)! We haven't put her on a sleep schedule yet, because we think she's too young and we just want her to sleep when she can.
Her favorite spot now is on the couch...although we know and have read in books that this isn't the best spot for certain reasons...it works for her and we closely watch her. For some reason she won't sleep in the pack and play, and we haven't introduced her crib yet....but hey, our couch is magical and works wonders with getting her to sleep, so I'm all for that!!
She is really blossoming now...she smiles when she first sees us in the morning, and also smiles and coos at objects (in her play mat, the couch pillows, or anything with color!). She's also able to follow our voices when we talk, if we're not right in front of her. It really is amazing to see this transformation from when we first brought her home. Now that I've received the OK to exercise from my doctor, Sam and I take regular walks around the neighborhood, usually in the morning time. I love it, and hope she does. She is so alert when we are walking...soaking in all of the nature around us I think. It does wonders for me to get out to stretch and do some cardio, as it takes away some of the tension from not getting a lot of sleep. I also joined a newborn support group through Wake Med Hospital....I've been to one class with my friend Kristi...it seems like a good place to learn more about our babies and to compare notes. I ended up having to hold Sam most of the class..she's not a big fan of the car seat carrier if she's not sleeping :-) My biggest struggle is managing her fussiness in the morning between 9:30-11. For some reason she will not go down for a nap even though she's tired...so she becomes overtired...which is never good for a baby. Of course this class falls within this time frame, so it may get interesting for those in the class...ha! I have to bring out all my crying distractions for her :-)
We also think she may have silent reflux, which we are treating with "baby Zantac" liquid. I'm not sure if this helps or not yet...it's been a week, and we still see some of the symptoms, but things are a tad better. Reflux causes a lot of extra fussiness around feeding time (like crying while eating) and then after feeding (crying while lying down, or in other different positions). Apparently a lot of infants have this, but it's just now being diagnosed more (I think years ago, babies with this were probably labeled "colicky"). However, even though the infants affected are fussy, once on meds, this goes away. So hopefully this is the case for Sam! Fingers crossed that she outgrows this. If you want to learn more on infant silent reflux, here is a good site for symptoms, etc: http://www.pollywogbaby.com/refluxandcolic/silent-reflux-infant.html
She is definitely not a serious case, so I think that the zantac will help her. There are many other treatment options that are more serious....but we would rather not go that route, and just wait for her to out grow this (i.e. have the stomach muscle get stronger).
On another note, I spend a lot of time at the house these days...especially when Sam is sleeping. I think the best sleep is when she's resting at home and not in the car seat, stroller, etc. Because of this, I have now become addicted to a few shows that I must watch now....what will I do when I go back to work!! The first two will make Phil gag...."Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood", and then "The Real Housewives of New Jersey". They are fascinating to me for some reason, and do help pass a few hours away :-) Since I can't nap, why not watch these??!! The rest of the time, I end up having one of the three types of Law and Order shows on...I should really be cleaning, but with Sam sleeping on the couch, I really need to watch her (ok, this is my excuse :-)
We broke down and hired a maid to come in and do some deep cleaning of the house. I'm excited about this, because we just don't have the energy or time to do this. If anyone local is looking for a recommendation, let me know and I would be happy to pass along her info!
And last, but not least.....Phil and I have been married for four years today (together for six) - Happy Anniversary Fee!!! I look back and can't believe all of the things that we have done together, and also look ahead at to what is in store with out little Samantha in our lives now. Sam is now 6 weeks old today, and time has flown. Even during the toughest of newborn times, I don't want to wish any of it away, as I know we will look back on it all with a big smile on our faces.
Have a wonderful day!
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