If you are a mommy… or a daddy, or read articles about parenting things, or sometimes think about reading articles about parenting things… then I have some questions for you:
1. Charlotte seems a tad constipated since we have been giving her tastes of various foods. I knew this was coming because my pediatrician warned us that her frequency may decrease as purees were introduced. Before purees, she was a ‘business every day’ kind of baby;Β very regular. But now her ‘business’ is very infrequent and she has been a grumpy baby the past few days. Is there anything I can do to give her some relief? She has only been eating green beans and sweet potatoes so far {and less than a 1/2 ounce each night, really she just gets a taste}. Tonight I gave her some pureed prunes {which she gobbled right up} so we will see if anything is different in the morning. I tried a high fiber cereal but she was not interested {have you ever tasted that stuff? Nasty!}. Just wondering if there is anything I can do to help her; I want my happy baby back! And will she always be constipated? Or is her tummy just getting used to digesting something new?
2. We have a little piranha on our hands. Her toothy smile is super cute, but she is starting to bite while nursing! At first it was very infrequent, but the past 2 days she has chomped down nearly every single time she nurses and it is KILLING me! I swear today she chomped down because I wasn’t paying attention to her; as soon as I looked down at her she unlatched and gave me a big ‘ol grin. Am I making that up? She is teething as well, so I would then give her a teething ring thinking she just wanted to chew on something but she would refuse it and act like she was hungry. Is there anything I can do? Or just grin and bear it? How long does this last?
3. Charlotte will roll over in her sleep now; we will find her on her tummy more often than not. I have read extensively about the risk factors for SIDS and we have done as many preventative measures as we know to do. Should I try to turn her over to her back again? I am afraid of waking her. She actually sleeps so much more solidly when she is on her tummy. She has fairly good head control {I think, though I don’t have anything to compare her to} I’m just paranoid and starting to lose sleep over it!
I will be calling the pediatrician regarding all of these things as well, but was just curious what other moms and dads had to say about it.Β Sheesh, month 5 sure does bring on quite a few curveballs!
I’m not an expert, but I’m now on my 4th baby. The constipation issue is usually dealt with by finding a balance. Try to mix solids into her diet that help with moving things along, like the prunes, along with other things. Juice helps with things also. The key thing is to make sure she stays well hydrated. You can also try mixing a bit of fruit or juice in with the cereal to make it sweeter to see if that helps.
The good news about the rolling over is, that usually by the time babies are old enough roll themselves over they have a much lower chance of SIDS. It’s still important to make sure that there isn’t anything she can get caught up in or against in the area she is sleeping in, such as pillows, heavy blankets or stuffed toys.
It’s only natural to worry over things. I still worry just as much for my new son as I did when his older siblings were younger. Things we are told to do have changed so much since then, that sometimes I have to ask the doctor myself what to do. (seeing as there is almost a 20 year age difference between my oldest and youngest child)
Sometimes we make mistakes, but we can learn from them, and hopefully we do things better the next time because of it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice when you need it. One of the biggest mistakes I have made is trying to do too much on my own. I was a single parent to my older kids for a long time, and hubby seems to keep having to remind me that I’m not anymore, and I don’t have to do it all alone now. It’s still hard for me to remember that sometimes, but when I actually take a deep breath and let him help it does make my life a lot easier. If someone trustworthy in your family offers to help, or babysit, please take advantage once in awhile.
That’s all the advice I can offer for now, but feel free to ask questions again if you’d like. I’m not sure what my advice and opinions are worth, but I will help if I can.
Hi Ashley π I have LOVED reading your Blog and seeing all the beautiful pictures of Sweet Charlotte π
As for the constipation — adding foods will change things a bit, especially the cereal. Rice cereal “binds” babies up really bad; the whole grain varieties still have the bind possibility, but not nearly as bad. Once Charlotte is on a regular puree diet, things will start to balance out. Anytime you introduce a new type of food, however, be prepared to see a change. Once she is eating finger foods, they generally pass through easier (especially corn, and yes, it will come out whole, ha!). Breast milk causes loose bowel movements; adding food, though, tends to firm things up a bit sometimes resulting in constipation. You can try mixing the cereal with breast milk, in my experience that has definitely worked well π
As for the biting — this product is a MUST: http://www.diapers.com/p/medela-tendercare-lanolin-nipple-cream-2-oz-309669 …. it won’t prevent her from biting, but it will at least help heal. Sometimes it is an attention thing… BUT she has her teeth at a young age, and she is starting to eat foods… sometimes this is just a babies reaction to exploring the world around them –their mouth is the first place of exploration. There are several tips on this site that I love, although it’s for older babies it can definitely be modified -> http://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/biting/
And lastly, the rolling over — if Charlotte is able to roll over on her own, then the risk of SIDS decreases immensely! Once she has achieved this milestone on her own, you cannot keep her from becoming a tummy sleeper. It is important that you still put her to bed on her back, but after that your sweet baby girl will begin to find her own sleep position which many times is at the opposite end of the crib and may be on her tummy. Turn up the monitor volume/turn-on the video monitor and take advantage of the peaceful sleep π
Sending love and prayers your way… π
I agree with all the other comments. She eventually will get accustomed to the new foods and things will level off. My little guy was constipated at first too. I just made sure not to combine foods that are known to cause constipation like rice cereal, bananas, applesauce and too much potatoes. I also fed prunes to help him out and it worked pretty well. Also you have to make sure, your baby is still getting enough fluids. Now my little guy is like clock-work, pooing twice in the morning and once at night.
As for the rolling over and sleeping on tummy, I think it should be fine at this point. My little one started doing that as soon as he learned to roll over. His pediatrician said that if he has the strength to roll over, SIDS risk falls dramatically.
Hope this helps,
-Elza-