Gloria's 2 Month Appointment

Yesterday was Gloria's 2 month appointment. Actually, she is 11 weeks old so her appointment was closer to 3 months. Either way, things are ok. I had several questions for the doctor. My main concern was the possibility that Gloria has reflux (similar to heartburn in adults). She was demonstrating several signs, spitting up quite a bit, crying and arching her back, being extremely uncomfortable when she is lying flat, as well as other telling signals. Sure enough, she does. Poor girl! She was colicky from around 4 to 8 weeks and now she is struggling with the reflux. Both of these problems make for a very unhappy baby!

I won't lie, its been a challenge. Having a colicky baby is no easy task. She would cry inconsolably from about 4/5pm until bedtime. That makes for a very exhausting evening for both her and us! She seems to be better as far as the colic goes but with the reflux, she is still uncomfortable. The Doctor prescribed reflux medication which will hopefully fix things for her. We also have to make sure she stays elevated about 20 to 30 minutes after she eats. We've had to incline her crib mattress so she can be more comfortable when she sleeps. This is a challenge because our wiggle worm tends to spin herself around at night so we had to keep adjusting her into the correct position.

Another sign of reflux is a decrease in weight gain. Gloria has only gained a pound total since she was 1 month old (she weighs 9 lbs, 13 oz). The Doctor felt that she really should weigh more at this point. To help with weight gain, the doctor said to start giving Gloria a little bit of rice cereal mixed with breastmilk in her bottle. We only give her a bottle 1 or 2 times a day right now so she won't be getting a ton of cereal but hopefully the little bit will help. I also have to feed her more frequently but for shorter periods of time so that she isn't filling her belly too much all at once.

Other than all of that, which is a lot, Gloria is doing well. We have to go for another ultrasound for her hips because there is still some clicking(we had to take her for an ultrasound when she was 5 weeks old). They just want to make sure that they are developing ok. Overall though, she is healthy and happy! She is able to hold her head up really well and she is getting more interested in toys and grabbing things. She loves to talk and smile! She is truly a happy girl when she isn't struggling with reflux.

We go back to see the Doctor on Monday to check her weight again. We'll see what our next steps are after that.