Hazel is the sweetest little girl. She hardly ever cries. And she still sleeps a lot. But the biggest challenge with her is that she has reflux. After she eats she will spit up--a lot. I'm not talking about small dribbles. She will heave like she's vomiting between 1 and 5 times. Milk just gushes out of her like a waterfall. I feel bad for her. She doesn't seem like it bothers her though. She just heaves it all out and then goes back to being completely content. But then I'm left with a huge mess. I usually have to change her clothes and mine. Sometimes I have to give her a bath because she's so sticky with milk. And I usually have to wash the floor, carpet, or chair as well. The couch spot that I sit on to nurse gets scrubbed once every other day or so. And often times she spits up so much that it runs through the back of the couch and drips on the carpet. It is completely exhausting to have to clean up these messes all the time. I talked to Hazel's pediatrician about it, but she said the medicine for reflux only helps with the pain, it doesn't stop them from spitting up. Often babies sphincters in their throats are underdeveloped and they get reflux. So after I feed Hazel I have to keep her propped up for at least 30 minutes. I can't move her much or put her in her car seat or she will spit up. I have found that if she tips down at all, she will get hiccups and spit up. She gets hiccups and spits up when I change her diaper because her legs are raised above her belly button. The worst part is the night feedings because she nurses fairly quickly, but I have to sit and hold her up for another 30 minutes before I can set her down. But I'm starting to recognize the things that will trigger her to spit up and if I'm really careful then I can usually keep it to 1 major spit up a day. It's also scary because I don't know if she's getting enough food. Should I feed her again after she spits up? Did she spit up everything or just part of her feed? It sure looks like a lot, but I have no idea how much she's getting. But at her 2 month check-up she weighed 12 lbs 13 oz (83%), so the doctor wasn't concerned she wasn't getting enough to eat.
The other exhausting thing about having a baby is the other 3 kids. I've really been struggling with Sophie, Aspen, and Luke. Sophie is 8 years old, so you'd think she would be easy and super helpful. Nope. Sophie has been sooooo dramatic and cries all the time. She's a sensitive girl, but she also seems to be exerting her independence and wants to make her own decisions, so she doesn't like being told what to do. I try to let her do things on her own time, but things like getting ready for school and bed need to be done at specific times. I also have to tell her to do her homework a million times. All these things lead to fights and her crying.
Aspen has been really good lately. She likes to hold Hazel and helps a lot with her. She wakes up in the morning and gets ready all by herself. Then she eats her breakfast quickly. After school she comes home and does her homework immediately so she can play. She has been the easiest kid right now.
And Luke is a 3 year old boy. He's loud, destructive, and very energetic. I have been struggling with him because I am just trying to snuggle and care for my new baby, and he runs around like a wild man. As I'm nursing he will be jumping off the couch, running head first and dive-bombing the couch, and constantly makes noise. If he isn't asking me completely annoying questions, he is making some sort of annoying sound. I just want some peace and quiet. But I feel bad for him too because he was used to having Aspen around to play with, so he's bored without her. He wants me to play with him, but I'm busy taking care of Hazel. And the second I finally get her sleep and can play with him, Luke will go poke Hazel in the face or something and wake her up. It's really frustrating.
Hazel has such a serious face. I'm trying to copy her.
I mostly just feel guilty that Hazel doesn't have a nice, peaceful existence like Sophie did. She's constantly being woken up by one of her siblings. Or I have to wake her to put her in the car seat to go drop someone off or pick someone up. And she's so much more neglected than the others. I have 4 kids that constantly need me. I wish I could just hold Hazel all the time, but I have too many people pulling me in too many directions. And it's a full time job to protect her from overzealous siblings. I think the thing I say the most often is "Leave Her Alone". I'm exhausted.
But Hazel is seriously so sweet and wonderful. She is smiling a lot more now and is such a happy baby. She's had a few stuffy noses and I'm trying to keep her healthy, but it's hard with older siblings constantly touching her and coughing in her face. Hazel has also gotten better at sleeping at night. She isn't wake for hours at a time anymore, and I usually only have to feed her once or twice a night. I sure love this little girl.
Massive blowout. You can see the yellow from her poop spreading up on top of her pants.
No comments:
Post a Comment