For the first few days of her life, Harper went from eating to sleeping without much fuss. As she has become more aware of the world, she has occasional fussy evenings, and the even more rare fussy day. When she first began to squirm and cry - for no apparent reason - we figured it had to be something in my diet that was making her upset when she breastfed. Come to find out, both McKay and I were very unhappy babies whenever our moms ate chocolate. So, much to my dismay, I decided to cut out chocolate and see how Harper did. Fortunately this discovery was made after Halloween, so I did get to enjoy my unhealthy share of Reese's candies.
For over a week I didn't have any chocolate. I watched as McKay and his dad devoured a plate of delicious looking pumpkin chocolate chip muffins a friend had brought by, and passed up brownies from a neighbor. Harper was doing great so I figured it was bye-bye to chocolate for the next year. But then she had a couple of really fussy days and I got thinking that maybe this was just normal baby fussiness. So, this past Wednesday I had some hot cocoa and a halloween remnant as an experiment. The result? Harper was happy as a clam the next day! No fussiness for almost 24 hours from the time I ate the forbidden substance.
I was so excited! With the holidays coming up, I was dreading having to pass up on all the delicious and festive holiday chocolate goodness.
Ever had this stuff? We call it crack around the Thomas house and there's always an endless supply of it at my in-laws' (with whom we'll be spending a lot of time this Christmas!).
There's also my mom's famous . . .
and these gems (which stuffed our stockings last year)
Oh yes, and there's chocolate making NIGHT at the Thomases which equals all kinds of delightful barks, and chocolate covered nuts.
Add in some of this and that . . .
and you have a recipe for a very merry - and chocolatey - Christmas!
Well, now I'm having second thoughts. I had a bit more chocolate yesterday than I care to admit, and Harper was not a happy camper - even in the middle of eating she would start crying - making me think that she was uncomfortable, not just being a baby.
So now I can't tell if its chocolate, normal baby fussiness, or some other unknown culprit that is causing my little one distress.
Thoughts?
Goodness, all those chocolate pictures are making my mouth water. I haven't had chocolate since Tommy was born, over 4 months now. All babies are so different, but I'll share a few of my experiences, and hopefully that will help. I've stayed away from flowery veggies for the most part, as I've heard that broccoli and cauliflower cause gas. There was a little while there where Tommy would pull away from me while eating, and I figured it was gas, so I would burp him and put him back on. We also bought some baby gas drops, and those seemed to work pretty well.
ReplyDeleteTommy just got his first two teeth this last month, (which is several months earlier than most babies) and he has been extra fussy, especially while feeding. I have heard that the teeth can protrude, and then recede, which I think happened with him for a while, with several fussy days, and then happy days, and then repeat. I sincerely hope that Harper is not teething yet, for your sake. :)
If I was you, I would really limit my diet, chocolate included, and then add stuff back in, maybe one thing a week, and then you'll get a good idea of what might be hurting her tummy.
Good luck!!
I agree with the comment above. Katie didn't deal with dairy products well at first but something changed a little, maybe her digestive system, but I love dairy products so much that I just stopped being careful about what I ate and she's doing much better.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, many ladies in my ward basically don't eat anything that might hurt their babies and their babies apparently aren't fussy because of food/milk problems so that's good. I've also heard that slowly adding foods back in works really well too. Good luck! Sorry I have no good advice. But goodness, Harper is super cute!
I haven't been able to eat any dairy (and I mean ANY) with any of my three kids from about 4-6 weeks til 6-8 months. I was told that each of my kids had reflux and colic. Wrong on both counts, luckily! Eat dairy=babies scream and fuss. No dairy=babies slept through the night and were contented angels. If you're this attentive, I'm sure you'll figure out what the problem is! Just try lots of things. (Generally you have to cut something for 3 days, and then eat it in huge quantities. That will be the fastest for sure.) If, on the off chance, it ends up being dairy, talk to me. I have lists of recipes, meal ideas, and food suggestions. :)
ReplyDeleteChocolate bothered Conrad and too many vegetables of any kind would bother Karina and Alexander is just perfect. I am grateful for my perfect baby. Have you tried gas drops? They worked very well for Karina. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteyou just made my mouth water! I love chocolate!
ReplyDeleteDairy. Broccoli. It could be many things really.
ReplyDeleteHere is something that seriously SAVE ME. Took Brodrick to the pediatrician for screaming thinking it was an ear infection and was told he was bloated, that you can give a nursing baby acidophilus, and that I should give some to Brodrick for his stomach fussiness. (It is in all infant formula now.) So every day, I break a chewable acidophilus in half, put it in a little medicine measuring cup, put in a few ml's of water, and let it set till the acidophilus is also liquid. Then I suck it up in a syringe and give it to Brodrick. Totally got rid of his colic and helps him with his digesting.
When he gets super fussy, I realize he hasn't been given his acidophilus yet. So give it a try! You'll thank me later. :)
"Crack," as you call it, is one of my all-time favorite treats. I love Christmas candy almost as much as Easter candy. Actually I think they are even, because Easter is home to Cadbury mini-eggs and peanut butter m&m eggs (divine), but Christmas has peppermint candies galore, which I cannot pass up. Oh, and I have absolutely no advice for the babe situation. Rub her tummy?
ReplyDelete