Although mostly very good and in happy spirits, Abby has her moments. She spent a few fussy days very upset. Mom and Dad are new at this game and have been experimenting with what makes this girl settle down. The first experience was one where mom kept feeding her on demand, as many of the books say. After feeding every hour on the hour, mom had some tears at 2:00 a.m., and dad discovered the glorious pacifier. A minute with that in her mouth, she fell right to sleep for 4 1/2 hours. It's a learning experience, but this girl is a sucker, and we found the benefits of not waiting until the 4 week mark (as recommended) to stick that pacifier in her mouth. She is most content when in loud places and passed around to other people. She calms when mom or dad bounces her on the exercise ball. We think she's having some digestive problems which is causing the stomach aches and
colic-like behavior. I have trouble saying it is
colic because I've heard of other women's stories. We have a baby who goes days without a fuss and sleeps well, but will have a day or a couple days in a row of being
inconsolable. Many of the books say to feed on demand, but after a second trial with that, we talked to our pediatrician, and he said that overfeeding is probably adding to the colic behavior because it's all related to digestive problems, and she would have a hard time processing all she was taking in. She also wasn't taking on the quality milk with the frequent feedings. So, we're learning. There's a lot to learn...patience is number one. Really, we have nothing to complain about. This girl is a sweetheart (no bias included), and I'm convinced the smiles aren't just gas (as the books say).
