(Un)Happy Easter

If you're reading my blog for only happy stories and smiling baby pics, stop here. This ain't gonna be pretty.

I've heard several people say things like "she's always smiling, she's such a happy baby, I have a hard time believing she's a fussy baby." Here's your proof.

All I post is happy smiling baby pics because no one wants to see crying baby pics. But this is the reality of my life right now. She fusses. She screams. She cries. A LOT. For hours and hours on end. Friday we went through a NINE HOUR SPAN of eat/spit up/fuss and cry....eat/spit up/fuss and cry. Yes, nine hours. From noon until she finally went to bed for the night at 9 pm.

This is clearly an eating issue. And we have seen FOUR doctors thus far, and none of them have been any help whatsoever. The first doctor, our primary pediatrician, wasn't really concerned at all. Her attitude was 'well she's gaining weight so she's fine, it's not a problem.' I guess she thinks as long as the child isn't dying and in need of urgent hospitalization it's ok, but I refuse to accept that. The second doctor, another pediatrician in the same office said 'looks like reflux, here's some medicine.' Two weeks on that medicine (Zantac) and no improvement at all. I demanded to see a specialist, and finally brought her to see a pediatric gastroentologist. He said it's either reflux or colic, here's a different medicine. Two weeks on that medicine (Prilosec) and no improvement at all. The pediatric GI referred us to another doctor in his office. This fourth doctor said it's colic, despite my vehement insistence that this is an eating issue. I'm no brain surgeon, but the basic symptoms of colic are inexplainable (as in, no underlying medical issue) crying for several hours, usually in the late afternoons and evenings. Her crying spells occur ONLY after eating, usually accompanied with a copious amount of spit up and/or projectile vomiting, and it happens at any and all hours of the day. 

Since the doctors have been no help whatsoever I've been reading and researching and trying every different formula known to man. If the one she's on now doesn't show any signs of improvement, the only one left to try is amino-acid-based, milk-and-soy-free hospital grade formula that has to be special ordered and is of course outrageously expensive. $40 PER CAN. And we go through about 2 cans per week right now, which will only increase as she gets older and eats more. 

Some days are ok....perhaps the spit up/fussing cycle doesn't start until late afternoon, or mid-morning. Today it started bright and early with the 5 am feeding, and we've been at it ever since.  I was so eagerly looking forward to our first Easter...fancy dresses, Eater bonnets, pictures of us as a family at church, Easter basket, the whole nine yards. Instead I got the screaming infant. I was all dressed- did the full hair and makeup, which is a big deal when you've spent 8 weeks in sweatpants barely showered. We were 15 minutes from leaving to go to church and she busted out with an epic screaming fit. Face-turning-red, can-hardly-breathe screaming fit. The only things that will calm her down are baths and movement (the car, the stroller). Looks like she's about to spend the next 8 hours in the tub till she turns into a little prune. 


HAPPY EASTER.