6 Weeks Can Suck It

Poppy turned 6 weeks old on Tuesday and with it hit a growth/development spurt. What does this mean for mom and dad?

Fussiness. Screaming. Clinginess. The works.

So far, we’ve had good/bay days in an every other day pattern. Sunday was bad. Monday was pretty good. Tuesday was horrible. Today was great. Unfortunately, I was home alone with her on Tuesday and it was probably her worst afternoon yet. If she wasn’t sleeping (which was pretty much all day), she was screeching at the top of her lungs. And they were those high-pitched girly screeches that only a baby this size can do. They will fray anybody‘s nerves, I promise you.

I walked. I bounced. We tried the vibrating chair. I laid in bed with her on my chest. I danced around the apartment with her singing her favorite songs. I changed her diaper, checking for wetness every 20 damn minutes (just in case!). I swaddled. I warmed her up. I cooled her down. I tried to nurse her, but she wouldn’t have it.

And I nearly lost my mind.

I finally got her to calm down around 4 p.m. with the Moby wrap, but the problem with babywearing is that she doesn’t often like it while indoors; I think she gets overheated easily since she and I both apparently run at about 150 degrees. So we went for a walk.

We stopped by the post office to get stamps for the birth announcements/holiday cards and on our way to Dunkin Donuts to get a cup of coffee, my back spasmed. Hard.

Dammit.

So since last night, I’ve been hobbling around the apartment like Quasimodo, trying to figure out what hurts the least — standing up, sitting down, or laying flat. In the meantime, I’m doing all I can to avoid picking up my 10.5 pounds of adorable, chubby baby but that’s hard to do when the munchkin is in a fussy stage and demanding to be held. All the time. Vertically.

*sigh*

This morning, when T was getting ready for work, I was a mess. Visions of yesterday played in my head as I lay in bed with her on my chest and my lower back in a knot. How the hell am I going to handle this handful of baby if I can’t even stand up straight?!

T offered to stay home from work, help out, do whatever he could do, but he had an important meeting at work this morning and I was an emotional disaster so I told him to go. I could do this. I didn’t need him. So there.

So he went to work and I laid in bed, on the verge of tears, waiting for the storm to begin.

Around 9:30, P fussed herself awake and made milk faces, so I laid her down next to me, she latched on and nursed like a champ. Victory 1. 20 minutes later, she passed out cold next to me. Victory 2. An hour later… still asleep. Victory 3. what’s going on here? I got up to reheat my breakfast and chow… and she didn’t wake up to interrupt me. I put on a movie, she woke up, I changed her diaper, and she ate again without trouble. Then fell back asleep.

T called a time or two throughout the morning to check on me, but his first call was early enough that I was still a woman on the edge. I was short on the phone, hung up as quickly as I could, and with that, he made the decision to take sick time for the afternoon and come home, no matter how I protested.

And I spent the rest of the morning staring at my sweet sleeping cherub and wondering whether someone switched babies on me overnight because this child was NOTHING like yesterday’s terror.

Of course, when T got home around 1, Poppy was passed out on the bed, sound asleep. And, of course, she spent the rest of the afternoon in a perfect state. She was awake, alert, and adorable. She ate without resistance (something she hasn’t been so good at recently). She napped soundly and in long stretches. She messed several diapers, but didn’t seem much to care.

And she made mommy look like an absolute crazy woman.

Thanks, kid.

Fussing or not, though, my back still hurts and it seems to only be getting worse. This isn’t the first time I’ve had this happen and knowing that the last ache lasted nearly a week, I called a chiropractor first thing this morning and made an appointment for tomorrow. In the past, I’ve always just dealt with it until it went away, but I don’t have that luxury at the moment.

If recent days are any predictor, I’m going to have a wailing infant attached to my chest all day tomorrow.

Wish me luck!