2.29.12 ~ Fussy Bear

It's funny how we still don't really know who Nora is. When I was pregnant we really didn't know anything except that she's a girl. Now that she's a part of the outside world, we have some more clues - like what she looks like, that she needs a lot of sleep, and has a really high pitched scream - but a lot about her is still a mystery. And, she's becoming more and more mysterious as we seem to be headed down a path of colic or acid reflux or general infant fussiness. 

Our sweet, easy, regular, little newborn sleeper has slowly become more and more fussy. Some of the signs (like crying while and after eating, writhing when her stomach makes gurgly sounds, and spitting up and then gasping and gagging and swallowing it) seem to point to acid reflux. Other signs seem to indicate it's more just infant neurology: that her fussiness starts up around 5:30 or 6 and then she cries in a way that makes her seem in pain and where its not possible to get her back to sleep until sometime between 9pm and 10pm. At that point she conks out and sleeps for about 2 hours. Usually - though, not always - the night goes alright after that, with her only waking up to eat and then going back to sleep after each feeding. But we have had a hand full of nights now where she wakes up and then we struggle to keep her quiet and to get her back to sleep after she eats. She's also suffering from a stuffy, dry nose and an umbilical cord stump that refuses to fall off. So, I have unending theories as to what is bothering her. When she gets worked up she has the loudest and most high pitched cry I have ever heard come from such a small creature. Once Liam is in bed, Jason and I have  been spending the last few evenings going to heroic lengths to try and soothe her.  

I talked to the pediatrician yesterday and she gave me some tips to try between now and our next appointment with her. So, keep your fingers crossed for us. We're hoping to keep our sanity over here!