Breastfeeding is not Plug-n-Chug!

(With all of the talk about breastfeeding I thought I might throw in my two cents.)

Breastfeeding can be a complete and utter bitch! At first. By no means is the process conducive to baby + boob= plug-n-chug. There are so many speed bumps on the road to enjoying breast-feeding that it can seem near impossible. In fact at three 1/2 months into breastfeeding, I cannot really say I thoroughly enjoy it. I'm just happy I can do it now without it totally sucking. (Pun intended!)

Thankfully my son latched right on about 20 minutes after birth. Unfortunately his latch and my technique were not so great at first.  By day three my nipples looked and felt like they had been through a meat grinder. Thanks to “cooling gel pads” I was able to power through those first days, no actually weeks, of beat up boobies.  Seriously, if you don’t own gel pads and you are in pain GO BUY THEM! Lansinoh and Medela make them. I personally prefer the Medela ones, but both will return your nipples and areola to working condition in 24 Hours!

For me the first 8 weeks were just awful!  Breastfeeding became nature’s cruel joke on me. It was nothing but painful, frustrating and the constant work at keeping my supply up was beyond overwhelming. Without my husbands coaching and cheerleading I would have probably given up.

Having a low milk supply, especially for a mother intent on not supplementing with formula, is terrifying.  I rented a hospital grade breast pump, The Medela Symphony for $78 a month, to help keep my supply up. For the first 8-10 weeks I was constantly having to feed and then pump for ten minutes afterwards to help increase my supply, or if nothing else just maintain it. Now I don’t go more than 5 hours without nursing or pumping to keep my supply optimal. Yes, even at night and the wee hours of morning.

Because of all the hard work I take so much pride in saying my son has been exclusively breastfeed.  Now that both my son and I have got the hang of it, the process is finally Plug-n-Chug. What’s more, we have gone from 45 minute to an hour of feeding to now only 20-30 minutes at a time.  I try to enjoy the time down time while nursing, meditate and relax. It’s not like I can get up and do anything until he is finished, so no reason to worry about what else I could be doing.

Make no mistake about it, breastfeeding is a full time job at first. Still, decades of studies prove that the benefits COMPLETELY outweigh the trouble, pain and difficulty. If you want to breastfeed then set your mind to it. Rent a hospital pump and work at it, be patient it takes on average 3-4 weeks to get the hang of it, and then another 2-3 months to achieve the plug-n-chug status.  I am so incredibly proud of myself for sticking with it, powering through the pain, tears and sleepless nights. I have created a great foundation of health and wellness for my son that will last his lifetime. If you can do it, do it! Your child deserves the best chance at life possible.

Happy Mothers day!!

Yay, it's my first mothers day! I'm so excited to get to join the mothers of the world today. I truly feel so very blessed!

Happy mothers day to all of you beautiful super hero mothers around the world. I hope that you are showered with love and super spoiled today!

Unemployed with a new baby

Yesterday was my 34th birthday!  I was also informed by my boss that my magazine was no longer going to be published.  Our last issue will be printed and distributed on Friday May 11, 2012. So Yeah, I got laid off on my friggin birthday!  I did kind of see it coming, but certainly not ending so abruptly. Shit!  Please don’t feel sorry for me, I hated that fuckin’ job!

The only thing that has me worried is making sure I can provide well for my son and keep him, myself and husband insured while we weather the storm. My husband has just received his Green Card and is looking for a job, and now I am going to be joining him in the search. This should be interesting in the current crappy job market.

Last night instead of crying I sat down and took a long hard look at our budget, and what being out of work was really going to mean for my family. I would advise using some sort of budget planner to tackle this. As long as we cut some corners, 3 meals out a week, frivolous shopping and cut out our family holiday this summer we will be just fine.  Again, I hated that fuckin’ job, so I really see this as a blessing in disguise.  I also believe everything happens for a reason, so really, the sky is the limit!

Since we are in the market for a house we do have a bit of money put away, but none that I really want to use.  I am of course going to file for Unemployment benefits and see how horrible COBRA insurance will be.  I have met all of my health insurance deductibles for the year.  I should be enjoying the rest of this year free of the fear of any more doctor bills, so getting new healthcare will suck. 

At this point, Oliver only cost me diapers, wipes, and onesies. Since I breastfeed there is no formula cost (THANK GOD!) I am going to just have to watch every penny, and truly live on a safe comfortable budget while my husband and I are unemployed.  

I would be lying if I said I was not scared, but I am more hopeful than anything at the moment.  I am really only sharing this information because I expect my husband and I both being unemployed is really going to affect our lives and will come out in this blog.  Plus, I expect the job search and juggling a baby will make for a few interesting stories and hopefully more laughs than tears!

If you know any good publishers, editors or freelance writing jobs PLEASE EMAIL ME!!! firsttimemomanddad@gmail.com Shameless I know, but I have a new baby, I’ll be putting my feelers out EVERYWHERE!  ;)

Sleeping for Two

( A Guest Blogger, Katie Moore, is writing the post today. Enjoy!)

Probably the most sought-after commodity in a family that includes a newborn is sleep. With feedings and diaper changes being round-the-clock phenomena, babies do not necessarily adhere to the sleep schedules their parents had previously gotten used to. There are some things that new parents can do, however, to make the transition easier for everyone.

Prior to baby’s arrival, becoming educated on what is worrying an expectant mother the most is the best way to help her feel more confident and rest easier at night. It is helpful to obtain and read materials that explain whatever issues may be a concern, such as milestones to expect during and after pregnancy, infant car seat choices, cord blood banking and its applications in various medical treatments, even looking ahead to preschool options; regardless of the issue, being informed is the best defense against worry induced sleeplessness.

Once baby has arrived, if at all possible, Mommy can try to sleep when baby is sleeping. Newborns will generally sleep up to 18 hours in a 24-hour period. This just comes in snatches of anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours at a time. Moms who are able to settle in and catch a few winks while the baby is napping will have an easier time getting by with a little less sleep at night.

Another helpful tip is to keep the light low when up for midnight feedings and or diaper changes. Bright lights signal the brain that it is time to wake up. In order to keep this to a minimum, using low lights in areas where light is necessary to see, and keeping main lights turned off during night time tasks, can help when mommy and baby are ready to get back to sleep.

Developing bedtime routines will also help to get mom and baby into a positive rhythm with regard to sleep schedules. Moms may find it helpful to give baby a sponge-bath and smooth on a little baby lotion, dim the lights and have some quiet time, and just generally set a soothing stage for bedtime. The best time to start such a routine can be determined by the baby’s eating schedule. Since babies are often lulled by the sucking motion, the bedtime nursing or bottle can be the perfect sendoff to sleep. If baby is bottle-fed, anticipating the feeding time and having the bottle all warmed and ready to go can also help to avoid baby getting upset and worked up after just getting calmed down. It’s also a good idea to have the diaper changing essentials close by and in a dimly lit area, just in case one more diaper change is necessary.

Though sleep patterns may change quite a bit with a newborn in the house, being well-rested does not have to be just a fond memory. As with other challenges that come with parenthood, getting enough rest is an important component of life that is attainable with some planning and adjustment.

"This article was written by Katie Moore. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this niche. If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie please contact by visiting her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter @moorekm26."

This too Shall Pass

I love my son more than anything.  More than I ever thought possible, and still everyday my love manages to grow even more.  However, I do not love some of the issues, habits, and behaviors he exhibits. For most of the annoying, upsetting, frustrating and down right shitty things I tell myself to be patient and somehow enjoy these times. But when that doesn't work, 85% of the time, I find solace in telling myself...

Eventually he will...

1. Enjoy being docked in the same docking station for more than three minutes!  What is that?  My baby can stare at the ceiling fan for a good half hour but for some reason he needs to change his vantage point frequently.  Does his butt and back get sore? I don't get it!  I move him from swing, to play mat, to bumbo seat, to vibrating chair because he is fussing, yet he never takes his eyes off the TV or fan the whole time. 

2. Be able to answer me when I ask him, “What’s Wrong?!?!?!?”  I do it, I know you do too, when the baby is screaming and crying for no apparent reason, diaper changed, belly full, fresh from a nap and the tears are rolling, the tongue is pushing out a blood curdling scream and no answer comes out of his mouth or to mind.  Dammit answer me!  What’s wrong?  Pleeeeease stop crying!  Yep, that’s another of my favorites, I beg my three-month-old baby,  “Please honey stop crying and tell mommy what’s wrong.”  Yeah, the day that happens I will probably start screaming and crying in excitement myself. 

3. Hold up his little neck so I can get the quickly growing mold and yeast colony out of his layers of baby chub.  I bathe this boy every night, but still somehow he manages to get milk, goo, fuzz, my hair, the cats hair and God knows what else packed in every crack and crease of his body!

4. Stop screaming out when he can't figure out how to push out a fart. Nothing pisses me off more than when I finally get the little guy to sleep and the evil bastard fart gets bad directions out of his ass, causes a traffic jam so my little man has to wake up and scream it out.  Dammit that sucks!

5. Not need to be fed EVERY THREE FREAKING HOURS! I am so incredibly sick and tired of the three-hour feedings.  If it were not for my absolute faith in "this too shall pass" I would be in a padded room by now!  I love this baby boy so very much but the constant feeling of being tethered to him is over the top! Even if I pump a bottle for dad, I have to pump out the milk within four or five hours or I have a milkfall of breast milk flowing from my chest.  Awesomeness let me tell you on a hot day walking down the street.  I keep waiting for the alley cats to jump out and pounce on me!

6. Not wake up at 5 am ready to throw a party in his crib!  This one kills me. I will feed him at four and am woken up at 5am by his cooing.  I just want to cry!  It's not time to wake up!  What shits me the most is I walk into his room and the second he sees me he smiles, coos and flails his arms and feet.  What am I supposed to do with that?  He is so freaking cute all I can do is dry my tears, kiss his fat adorable face and bring him back to bed with me so he can flail in bed next to me.  

7. SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!  I know I don’t have to go into detail here.  If I do I will cry, and probably so will you since you are most likely waiting for the same damn miracle!  

There are so many more things that I have to constantly remind myself will change as he gets older. I also try to constantly remind myself how much he has already grown and how quickly the time has gone by.  Still in the wee hours of morning or when I have a pounding bleeding eardrum, mind f*#king myself into believing at any moment this too shall pass, is by far the best, and only way to not loose my freaking mind!

Rice Cereal Follow-up

What a crock of shit that rice cereal is!  It did not make any difference at all.  If anything it made my poor guy even hungrier! 

The first day I gave him one tablespoon in his 5-½-ounce bottle mid day. It did appear to keep him full for about six hours, which was amazing! I had really high hopes!

The following night I decided to give him another tablespoon in his late night bottle, again 5 ½ ounces of breast milk.   I settled in to bed thinking, sweet ass I’m going to get some sleep tonight!  WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! Every three hours he was up like clock work.  I couldn’t believe it!  He usually would sleep 4-5 hours during that stretch on breast milk alone, WTF?

The next morning I called my sister, pissed that not only had the rice cereal failed to give me and Oliver a good night sleep, it seemed like it didn’t really fill him up either?  She said to give him more because there is no real exact amount for all babies.  I wasn’t so sure about this so I called another friend and then consulted Dr. Google.  I heard and read that it may take some time so I gave him another bottle with a tablespoon the following night.  Still up every three hours!

I talked to another friend who said that rice cereal didn’t do anything for he son either and at six months was still not “sleeping through the night.”  Devastated was me. I NEED SOME FREAKING SLEEP!

I called another girlfriend whose daughter is a week behind Oliver, and asked her how Chloe was doing.  She said, “Fine, she is sleeping through the night.”  At that point I asked the million-dollar question, “When you say ‘sleeping through the night,’ what does that mean exactly.”  She told me she puts her to sleep at 11pm at night and she wakes up between 6-8am. Ah HA!  I know what’s going on kind of… Oliver goes to sleep between 7 and 8pm and wakes up for his first feeding between 1-2am.  This is basically the same amount of sleep Chloe gets, “sleeping through the night.” Oliver just sleeps through the evening so to speak. 

It comes down to, for a 3 month old baby, is the routine set for going to sleep early or late.  Do I want a little down time and peace and quiet at night, or do I want a longer stretch of sleep?  I’ll take the down time since I am breastfeeding and have to pump every few hours anyway. 

The bottom line: Rice cereal did NOT help Oliver to sleep better at all. Nor did it seem to make a huge difference in his being full for a longer period of time.  We go see the doctor in 3 weeks for a check-up at which time I plan to further discuss solid food and more rice cereal.  My son is growing well, is super cuddly and very happy, for now that is good enough for me.  Eventually I will get 6 hours of sleep, but it certainly is not going to happen feeding him rice cereal.

Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11 step program first!

(I wish I could take credit for this, but a good mommy friend emailed it to me on Friday.  I thought what better way to start the week than with a laugh!  Happy Monday Everyone!  Oh and I will post the rice cereal follow up tomorrow.  I need another day of experimenting and a chat with the doctor.)
Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home .
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breast feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

Giving baby rice cereal & Sleeping through the night

The time has come.  Oliver is a eating machine that needs more than nursing, so...  At 3 months and one day I gave my son a tablespoon of rice cereal in his breast milk bottle.  I know that most doctors say wait until 4 months to allow the digetive tract to develop. BUT Oliver is a fast growing eating machine, I really think he needs more than I am giving him through nursing! 

I asked around and most everyone I spoke to said, either they gave their baby rice cereal well before 4 months or that they wish they did.  My mothers’ generation was getting rice cereal and bananas by 2-3 months.  I have a friend who was told to give her daughter cereal in her bottle at one month! I know I should have consulted my doctor first, but I didn’t.

I had been toying with the idea of giving him cereal for the past two weeks.  He seems like he is constantly in a growth spurt and never full.  He has been eating upto 5 ½ ounces in his pumped bottles since 2 months old, and he still screams for food every three hours. I know he is growing and developing both physically and mentally right on track of not a little ahead. He is getting what he needs, it just seems like he is not getting enough of what he wants! 

I was warned that the first time I give him the rice cereal to do it early to mid-day, and NO MORE than a tablespoon to start. This way if he has any adverse reaction I can conact the doctor. Plus, cereal can cause bad gas and I certainly didn't to be up all night with a gassy ass.

I started with a warm 5 ½ ounce bottle added the cereal stirred it gently until it all dissolved. I fed him the bottle at 11am and he drank it down with no issue. He was visibly happy and full when he was finished. He smiled and cooed for about an hour afterward. He went to sleep easily for his nap, (according to dad) and was not hungry again until 3pm.  That’s still only 4 hours but he was also not ravenous at all the rest of the day.

I will not feed him the cereal again for the late bottle because I want to give him a full 24 hours to digest the cereal. The idea of satiating the machine brings tears to my eyes and relief to my over worked milk factories! Plus, I NEED SOME SLEEP! I know that rice cereal does not guarantee that he will sleep through the night, but here is hoping!

UPDATE Tomorrow!

The Routine and houseguest... Not so much.

The Routine.

I am a first time mom, I really have very little idea what I am doing when it comes to my son.  Of course I know the basics, feeding, bathing, loving… it’s the structuring part that I find difficult and more or less a process of trial and error. I want nothing but the very best for my baby and most of all I want him to be happy and smiling all of the time.  I am quickly learning that is so far from impossible, unless I want to be a crazed neurotic mess 24/7.

Over the last 3 weeks I have had houseguest 12 of the 21 days, and have family in town for another 2 weeks.  It is wonderful having family here, but trying to accommodate their schedule and needs is super difficult with a 3 month old.  Basically my son, in order to be a happy chappy, needs to take frequent naps throughout the day, eat every three hours, be in the bath by 7pm and in his crib by 8pm.  THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GUEST! 

I know this to be true because I have tried my ass off and failed miserably. The very first thing I learned was the fine line between keeping Oliver on his schedule and keeping Oliver from the family.  During the day my baby likes to eat, play then sleep.  This cycle goes just like that every three hours.  If I skip more than one cycle without a short nap, then Ollie becomes a cranky mess. While I am at work daddy is in charge. This means no schedule is kept and by the time I come home Oliver is a screaming, over stimulated, exhausted mess. NO FUN!

After 4 days in a row of this crazy behavior, I stayed home from work to be a neurotic over protective mom.  It worked!  That night Oliver was a happy chappy after spending the day on his routine. I called my sister crying trying to find a way to enforce his Routine and not be a total bitch.  My sister said, “Unfortunately ONLY you and Oliver understand how important the routine is.  Making daddy stick to it like clock work is just not going to happen, especially with his family in town.” Needless to say she did not make me feel any better.  She did at least open my eyes to the reality of killing myself to keep Ollie on the routine is pointless. 

The bottom line is that I know how incredibly important the routine is for my son.  I am going to do my very best to keep him as close to it as possible without being a huge neurotic bitch. I have faith that over time an easier Routine will develop, one that both dad and I can stick to.  

It is official, EVERYTHING is covered in spew!

When I say EVERYTHING is covered in baby Spew... I MEAN EVERYTHING!! It's nuts how much this boy can spit up compared to what he takes in!  YES! I am burping this baby regularly! The major difference is that since having houseguest,  Oliver is getting about an average of three pumped bottles a day, opposed to his usual one at the most. Don’t get me wrong, before the extra bottles he would spit up. It just seems like lately it is every damn feeding I get an ounce or more shot back out at me!

 Of course he doesn't always yack on my face, but when he does he makes a show of it! In the past week and a half he has covered me, the gliding chair, the couch, my bed, Dad, the floor, the crib, the changing table, he even hit the cat! Sometimes I wonder why I even put a burp cloth on my shoulder, he never hits it. In fact once he picked it up and spit up under it. Of course I look at him and said, “no way!" he thought it was funny and smiled. Yes, at 3 months old this baby already has the humor of his father!

I am so sick of the spit up I am trying to take drastic measures. Well, I'm trying EVERYTHING I have been told and read to stop this little man from covering the ENTIRE house in baby spew.

1. Feed him before he gets hungry.
2. Keep him slightly upright while feeding.
3. Burp every couple of ounces.
4. Don't give him to daddy right after a feeding... Daddy runs off with him for "super fun time." It's when dad turns up 80's dance beats and the two of them the flail their arms and legs until one pukes or passes out. Ollie is usually the first to puke, daddy is the first to pass out.

Another big puke inducing activity is putting him in his car seat right after a feeding. It never fails that he spits up all over his nice clean outfit. I've been using those disposable bibs that have a fold at the bottom to create a food/spew catching ditch. Works wonders!

It really is amazing how much it looks like he's chucking up after a feed. It seriously looks like half the bottle, but my doctor assures me it's not that much and it's completely normal! Changing my clothes and Oliver’s a couple of times a day, IS NOT FREAKING NORMAL... DAMMIT SHIT!

I will now leave you with a list of my favorite (NOT) spew moments...

1. I was walking out the door for work, dad just finished giving Oliver a bottle, I lean in for a kiss... Hair, face, clothes, HOSED! I just took off my shoes and headed for my SECOND shower.
2. Standing in the nursery burping before bed, doing a little dance holding him, he shoots over my shoulder and before I know it my dance step takes me right into it, sure enough he shoots again and my next step, my other foot, right into it. Have I mentioned how much I hate wet socks? Well I hate wet spew covered socks more!
3. Dressed and ready for Easter brunch in his Easter best, as soon as he's strapped into his car seat... I can't even say it without wanting to cry. Dammit I'm still not over it!
4. Fully fed, rocked to sleep, I bring him up to my face for a kiss before setting him down in his crib. HOSED with a smile!  All I could do was laugh.
5. I finally got smart and put a bib on him. He got smarter and learned to yack well past it.

Baby Gas! How to relieve the discomfort.

I suppose the only way to follow my husbands "Shit Wars" blog is to talk about the evil beast that precedes it, Gas!  I was told that a baby usually only cries for three reasons, Hungry, Tired or Wet. WRONG! Well, I guess if we are going to be technical about it, Oliver doesn't cry from gas, he SCREAMS!

My poor little guy has gas that rivals my pregnancy gas, massive and constant. (Thank God it doesn't rival the smell!  How bad would that gas karma suck?) The real issue is that, according to my doctor, babies don’t know what to do with gas. They tend to fight the sensation to let it pass. So, like with all other pains, the babe scream until it is alliveated.

Oliver is clearly scared to let it pass, so true to form, he grunts and fights it every step of the way. It usually plays out like this, Ollie is lying there minding his own business, happy and cooing, then out of nowhere, a blood-curdling scream comes out of his little mouth.  Then he alternates screaming and crying until he passes the gas.  It is so incredibly sad.

There are only a couple of ways that I know of, to sooth an infants gas issues. 

1. Bicycle the legs-My doctor said this is the best method to pass the gas or at least alleviate the pain quickly.

2. Hold him straight up and down-Rub his back trying to let the gas fall out so to speak.

3. Massage his little tummy- I personally don’t find this to help me. I don’t really know what I’m doing so I leave this to daddy, the gas king!

4. Put him on his belly and pushing his little booty up and down-to encourage him to pass the gas. My sister swears by this.

5. Gas Drops! Gas drops are great, I give him his necessary dosage and within minutes he is noticeably better, he's not screaming anymore! Gripe Water is also another medication like option. However, I personally prefer Gas drops for Gas problems.

Lately the poor guy has been having the worst time with gas.  I also have been giving him more bottles a day.  When we have houseguest it is easier for me to just give him a pumped bottle and then pump a little later when it's more convenient for me.  I know most mothers put a few gas drops in every bottle they give their bub.  I usually give Oliver his bottle, burping every couple ounces, and then when we are finished, all chances of projectile spewing are over, I give him a few drops with the dropper.

So next time your baby screams out, and you know she/ he is NOT wet, hungry or tired, think the Fifth Beatle, GAS!   I cannot tell you how many times the hubs and I have scratched our heads in confusion over why Ollie was crying after checking the three usual culprits.  Now that we know gas is a major cry stimulator to look for we are all are getting through these colic like screaming bouts better.  We usually try to go through all of the home remedies before the gas drops.  But, I'll admit since he has been having so much trouble lately with the bottles, I just give him the drops immediately then bicycle his legs.  My doctor said the poor littler guy will eventually realize what he is feeling, and let the gas out. Thank God, because we all know evil gas is so much better out than in!

Oh and remember...A bottle should always be stirred never shaken! (air bubbles get in the shaken bottle causing MORE gas!)