"High Needs" Baby
Most of you probably don't know this, but Kian is what is lovingly called a "high-need" baby. It pretty much means he's a very fussy little man. I just ordered Dr. Sear's book called The Baby Book and I have been reading the Fussy/Colicky chapter when I can. Last night I read that Kian is what is defined as an Supersensative. When I read the description, I thought immediately of Kian. In a nut shell is says that Supersensative babies are very aware of their environment and are easily bothered by changes in their secure and predictable environment and don't accept alternatives. They startle easily during the day (totally Kian!) and settle poorly at night (he is definitely fussy from 7PM on). They also form deep attachments to their caregivers which causes problems when they have sitters (lovely!) . One positive thing is that when these children are older, they are more capable of forming deeper and more intimate relationships.
Kian is getting a bit better with his Supersensativity, but I really wonder if it will ever fully go away. When we go to my Mom's class he cries pretty much the entire time. It wasn't until we bought the DVD The Happiest Baby on the Block and did the techniques from it that Jamie and I were given any peace from his cries - which were worse and non-stop in public.
When Kian and I went to class on Wednesday, he actually had a period where he was talking to me! I was actually shocked - and to be honest some of the Moms at group were too! Later on he needed me to calm him down but at least he's showing signs of getting better.
Naps - Kian hasn't figured them out yet
That's right, he will only nap for 20 minutes at a time. Talk about maddening for a Mommy with a High- Needs child! Kian's schedule goes pretty much like this: nurse, awake for a period (sometimes I can put him somewhere for other entertainment - but not too long to avoid overstimulation), he gets fussy from being tired, I swaddle him and rock him while giggling him, shushing him, and rocking him while he sucks on his pacifier, I lay him down as soon as I think he's really asleep, then he's up 20 minutes later and here we go again.
I bought another book called The No-Cry Sleep Solution and I am hoping to put some of that into practice during the day when he won't sleep well. The book is written by a mom who has four children and she wanted to lovingly put them to sleep. She did a lot of research and tried them out on her children as well as a lot of other parents in many different life situations to see who things were working. It was amazing to see that it working within a month or a month and a half of trying her suggestions and finding out what works best for your baby.
The only thing I am concerned about it messing him up in terms of him sleeping through the night - right now he sleeps for a 6 hour stretch and I really don't want him to revert back to getting up every 2-3 hours. I am so thankful for that 6 hour stretch though!
I have emailed the author of the book for some guidance as the book is mainly for parents whose babies don't sleep through the night at all. She has some suggestions for kids who nap about 20 minutes, but I'm not sure if he's too young or will respond with shorter night sleeping. We will have to see what she says :)
No Milk Products for Mommy
Last weekend I discovered that little Kian is lactose intolerent just like his Daddy (something I was praying he wouldn't inherit). Last weekend I decided to have a bowl of ice cream with caramel topping (since chocolate is something Kian proved to me he didn't like a few days earlier). The next day Kian was having a lot of gas pain. Since the ice cream was the only thing I really did differently, I have put a hold on a lot of dairy products. It's not worth having our little man in so much pain. Thank God for Milicon drops! They really helped him out a lot. One good thing about living in California is that there is a frozen yogurt place that has yogurt that is lactose free - Yippee! I am thinking we might have to go there this weekend for a try :)
Don't Get Me Wrong - I Love My Little Man
I know that this post has mainly been negative about our little guy...Despite his fussiness and not being able to eat certain foods for the next 1o months or so, I love our little man. He definitely is a joy in my life and I don't know what I would do without him. It's honestly hard to imagine him not being here just a few months ago! I live to see every smile he has and all his cooing :) God sure did plan things out right to help the sleepless nights and the demand of a little baby be enjoyable for those precious moments.
I was just thinking today about how he's growing up so fast. He's starting to wear some of his 3-6 month clothing already! It's exciting to see the little person that he's becoming, but it's sad to see his smallness leave - I cherish every moment that I have rocking him and holding him (well, almost every ;) I sure do love him a lot!
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