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Update: Week of March 8

This Week’s Hot Topic
Did everyone watch Rachael Ray Thursday morning?! I have to say that I’m very pleased that they edited out a few of my more stupid comments but I probably would have preferred that they also not include me falling off the stage. It’s pretty weird seeing yourself on television (especially HD!) but overall I think it went pretty well. Please don’t tell me if you disagree. For those of you who missed it, I will do my best to get a tape and put the footage up on my website, so just hang on! As for the rest of what I wanted to talk about this week, I’m going to continue with last week’s sad tale of Zoe’s woefully bad attitude.

Of course, she’s not angry all the time. In the morning, she’s delightful and sweet. And some evenings aren’t all that bad. But then there are those nights when she seems to be completely possessed. I didn’t know a baby could cry that loud or turn that purple. Anyway, I know you’ve got the point. I won’t beat a dead horse and I certainly am not complaining. Instead, I thought I would pass along some of the things we’ve done at our house to make a screaming infant slightly less irritating. We’ve received lots of suggestions, ranging from chamomile tea to special blankets to earplugs. I really shy away from giving my kids medications or other ingestables that I don’t think will be helpful so we’ve not gone down that road. I’m also scared to use many scents or oils on them because their skin is so delicate and I had such bad eczema as a baby. However, a really great suggestion was to switch Zoe’s bath time to the evening since water seems to really calm her down. So now, as soon as the witches sneak through the front door and send her screaming (anytime from 4 to 6pm), into the tub she goes. I’ve left her in there for as long as 20 minutes although I coated her little body in Aquaphor as soon as she came out so I wouldn’t dry her poor little skin up. Some nights the bath just calms her temporarily but other nights it seems to really help her find her center and stay happy.

**Word of advice: babies have a very strong gastrocolic reflex. This is the need to poop immediately after eating. If you have a baby who is so fussy she can barely eat and you try to feed her while she’s sitting calmly in the tub, she may poop. Then when you clean it out and refill the tub and put her back, she might poop a second time. Just a thought.**

Since Zoe likes water so much, we also found that just running the tap while she’s lying on a blanket on the counter next to the sink will often quiet her down as well. Of course I’m always standing right next to her so she doesn’t plunge to the floor. And yes, I do feel guilty about wasting water, but I try to keep it on as slow a trickle as will do the trick and soak the dishes at the same time. One more thing is a different room. Just walking into another space with different lighting and a slightly different temperature seems will occasionally work although the effect is often fleeting. Naturally, all these tricks I’m am doing in addition to swaddling, binky, loud ssshhhing in the ear, swinging and jiggling.

Finally, when all else fails, get another person involved if at all possible. I know not everyone has a neighbor, Grandma or babysitter experienced in colicky infants at their disposal, but if you can rope someone into helping you, go for it and don’t feel guilty for a second! I once flew to Boston to give my friend a hand with her colicky baby for the weekend and it seemed to help all of them turn the corner. Often a third party will be calmer themselves and less frustrated and they may find it easier to calm a screaming infant than a tired and stressed parent can. I had someone come in the other evening to give us time to eat dinner and when the sitter arrived, my husband and I ran to our bedroom, closed the door and sat on the floor laughing. (House rule is Zoe gets the living room. If you want the TV, you take the baby) We were able to get a meal into our mouths, using both our hands, (I cut my own meat!!) and have a half hour to regroup and refresh. Crying babies can suck the life out of you so if you are unfortunate enough to have a fussy little one, don’t think twice about taking time to make sure you can hear your own thoughts. If you can’t find anyone to help you and you feel as if you are really at the end of your rope, leave the baby in the other room and go hide in the bathroom for 5 minutes. She won’t die from crying and as long as you can hear her, you know she’s breathing! And remember that it won’t last forever. I promise. I know this week is a particularly long-winded message but if you have a fussy baby or know someone who does, I really want you to know that you aren’t alone and it will be okay.

Tales of The Truly Advanced Infant
My brother-in-law was watching my 10 month-old niece the other day and handed her his cell phone to keep her entertained while he did the dishes. The house phone rang and the caller ID said it was his cell. He answered and was greeting by his screaming daughter who had apparently speed dialed the house and was letting her father know that she was none too happy about playing alone on the floor in the other room.

Dr. Lara Zibners, Mar 11, 2010

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