July 25th - 1 Month Old

I realize this post comes two weeks late and in full disclosure, the pictures were taken at about 4 and a half weeks of age.

Mack (and Jon & I) made it to a month as a family! Not that we were anticipating breaking up or anything but it's still a milestone.

A lot of my friends tried to prepare me for motherhood by gently reminding me that the first few weeks are hard. It was so nice of them to lie to me. What they should have told me is the truth - that it will be life altering and agonizing - the epitome of hard. That your butt will hurt from sitting in the same spot on the couch nursing for hours on end. That you will forgo meals, showers, brushing of the teeth and hair for any small amount of sleep available. That you will cry when you baby cries when you can't calm him. The first few weeks really are hard.

The other day I began to wonder what exactly a "few" was - 4 weeks? 6 weeks? 8? gulp, 12?? See, Mack hasn't been happy unless he's nursing or sleeping. For those of you not in the know most babies are on a natural 3 hour schedule:
Eat - usually about 10 minutes on each side or maybe 15 total for a bottle
Play or look at you lovingly, maybe throw you up a smile or coo
Sleep
Repeat 3 hours later from the beginning of the eating time.

Mack's schedule has been more like this:
Nurse for 45 minutes or so
Wail, spit out pacifer, nurse again until he falls asleep (about about 30-45 min)
Sleep for 35-40 minutes.

For those who can tell time, Mack has been on about a 2 hour schedule. That whole sleep when the baby sleeps thing is a lie! By the time he would fall asleep and I would eat and pee, he would be up again. There have literally been times when I have crawled into bed, closed my eyes and the crying started up. And yes, that is times plural. Not just one time where you could tell the story a month later and laugh about the perils of first time parenthood but times.

We concluded, after much input from the grandparents and google, that Mack was just colicky. There's a bit on the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Show where people call in and tell the listening audience why it sucks to be them. I think Jon & I win because it sucks to be the parents of a colicky baby. If I owned a radio other than the one in my car I would listen to the show & call in during that time. Kidd Kraddick would have to end the bit for eternity because nothing sucks harder than having a colicky baby.

In addition to the crying, screaming, constant nursing (did I mention I have also had low supply issues, so he was also getting some formula), Mack wasn't doing so hot in the poopy diaper department. At first he was pooping like a pro (he IS a Burns) but around week 4 there was a long lull between poops. And then it got even longer. He finally pooped a small, green clay ball and according to all the mom message boards and google - that is not good.

I finally called the pediatrician, admitting defeat. When I explained our situation to the nurse she spoke these words to me: "That ain't good." Yikes - I should've called sooner. Turns out, the formula that Mack was getting about 30% of the day wasn't agreeing so well with his tummy. A switch to the hypoallergenic one (and pricier one) as well as trying to nurse as much as possible has made all the difference.

He's still fussy but not like before. Fussier than most 6 week old babies? Yes - but we'll take it. Not like we wouldn't take it if he just stayed super fussy for another 6 weeks, but still.

I can't believe we've already been parents for 6 whole weeks. So what have we learned? Basically that we know nothing. And that's okay. You learn as you go, I guess. Mack's not just any baby, he's our baby. So we will always do what is best for him, even if it takes trial and error. I think that's a great first lesson to learn as a parent - never ever give up.