Over the weekend, we made some more changes in another attempt to give Sweet Pea some relief.

We started using Dr. Brown’s bottles which are supposed to be the best for limiting air that is swallowed. The only downfall so far with these bottles is that they have 6 parts to wash for each bottle! That adds up when you are washing 7-8 bottles per day! But, that is a small price to pay if it saves Sweet Pea from even one spell a day.

We have Sweet Pea on the pre-mixed Similac Allimentum formula (instead of powder). We will give this a try for a while and see if there are any improvements.

And…

We gave Sweet Pea her first dose of Zantac on Friday.

But you know what?

Overall, we are doing okay. I think we’ve learned how to manage the spells and we are doing okay.

That right there is a HUGE sigh of relief!

Normally this happens: Sweet Pea eats (every 3 hours from 8am to 11pm). After eating she is awake. And most of the time we have to FORCE her to have some awake time! Then the tummy troubles begin usually around the time she is ready to go down for a nap. Her “comfort position” is on my chest, upright, swaddled. I pat her back and give her the paci, if she wants. I can literally feel her body relax when the spell is over. By the feel of her body I know if I can lay her down, or if she still needs to be upright with her tummy pressed against me. If I can lay her down she typically sleeps until next feeding time or until another spell hits.

She sometimes has a spell that lasts until her next feed. On those times, we just hold her while she fitfully sleeps.

Sweet Pea will be 6 weeks old tomorrow! In the grand scheme of things…time is already flying again! September is flying by. We have our first post-placement visit (before Sweet Pea’s adoption can be finalized) next week. We have a zoo trip planned! We let our passes expire in May because we knew with the summer heat and having a newborn, we would not go to the zoo during the summer. I am looking forward to renewing our membership this fall. Last week, we had some fall-like weather. Today? Not so much. I packed everyone up in a double stroller a friend is letting me borrow after naptime this afternoon and we were not halfway down our street when I knew I had made a big mistake. It was way too hot. We went anyway and enjoyed the park despite the heat. At least there was a nice breeze. But, fall is coming soon! I love fall. It is my favorite season. If I can manage it somehow, I plan to pull out my fall decorations soon!

Speaking of double strollers…I think I have made a decision! More on that later.

I think I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

It's a beautiful sight.

- Elaine