Hey y'all!
Well i had Mr Red weighed yesterday and at 4 weeks of age he weighs 10lbs 3 oz, so that is just under two pounds gained from birth! Ruby was a slower gainer at first and only put on 12oz in her first 4 weeks so i am proud of my chubby man!! He is outgrowing his newborn size clothes, but this is mainly because he is a very long baby, with very long legs!!
We are however visiting the doctor tomorrow as i am now sure he has reflux, and needs some medication for it. As much as i try to help him through this without the meds he just seems to be in a lot of pain for a lot of the time. He has all the typical signs: He starts to look uncomfortable and cry after having some milk, he cries, pulls off the breast, wants it again, cries, pulls of the breast, etc. He spits up a lot, and seems to be in pain with it, he has wet frequent hiccups, painful burping, he is fussy during and after feeding and is difficult to get to sleep, even though i am doing everything i can, he is falling asleep then waking in pain and this can happen up to 6 times per nap so consequently i spend a lot of time trying to get him to sleep :roll: He also seems to sound very congested all the time which i understand to be a sign of reflux.
BJ, i agree with Amy, Red hates being swaddled but he cannot sleep with out it. When it was very hot here i just had him in a onesie, and i swaddle him in a flat crib sheet, i use a large one so that he cannot escape. He likes this so much more than with a blanket, and it is easier to swaddle with.
Here is our nap wind-down and it seems to be working well so far. At exactly 45 mins from the time he woke up (i time it, i do look for yawns too, but going on the clock is more reliable!!) I swaddle him, pick him up and hold him so his head is on my shoulder. I then pat his bottom and shush until he calms down and goes into the 'glazed stare'. He will fight me and takes up to 10 mins just to be still, but i think a lot of this is reflux related. Once he is in the trance i place him down in his crib, i then continue to shush and pat lightly his arm/ side (i prefer not to put him on his side), if he is well settled i will just place my arm and hand on him as not to overstimulate him, as the patting can do. I keep on gooing until i think i can leave. Note, this is not the first time he shuts his eyes, as he goes through some 'jolts' and wakes himself up completely and often i have to start patting and shushing again. Once i have put him down i try not to pick him up as i think this overstimualtes him even more.
Kayna, i think with two, we have to do the best we can. I am really working on naps especially when dh is not at work (he is a nurse so does shifts), but i have to allow for Ruby as well. If i cannot get him down (or more often the probelm is that he wakes after a short nap) then in the sling he goes. I figure it is a compromise that works for all :wink: Do you think that Avery might need to go down before the first yawn rather than after it? Might she not be settling because she is already overtired by that stage? That is what Red is like and so i go by the clock and not by the yawns!
Anyones elses babe hate the car seat/ stroller? I feel trapped, what with working on naps and him yelling his head off if we go out i feel like if we leave the house i leave my comfort zone!!
