Category Archives: crying

Dealing With Colic

Ever since my son was born, the C word loomed in the back of my mind, and we were all too terrified to breathe it. After having my daughter, who turned out to be a complete little angel, I was sure I would be paying for it with my son. There was no way I could get away with having two little blessings who hardly ever cried, and were content practically all the time, sleeping through the night at merely a few months of age.
I had heard all the stories about children with colic. I have friends who suffered through months of prolonged, unabated crying. These babies were inconsolable. For me the worst part is not the crying in itself, but the pang a mother feels when she sees her little one so distressed and cannot do anything to soothe them. This was my biggest fear.
All the books say that colic usually commences around the third week, and I waited, practically holding my breath when the time came. Last night, as my son turned six weeks, I exhaled. He certainly cries more than my daughter ever did, but it is a far cry from colic.
For all those parents out there who are not so lucky, hang in there. You are doing great, and it will pass. I know that is easy for me to say, not having gone through it, but having witnessed it with others, I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if you cannot see it yet.
Did your baby have colic? What did you do?

Crying It Out At Bedtime

It is one in the morning. My daughter is in bed. She is not asleep. She is screaming her little head off, and we are letting her. My husband and I tried everything. She does not want to sleep. She wants to come out and hang out with us. We want to go to sleep. My husband has work in the morning, and I have a two week old who will be waking up in a matter of minutes for his nightly feedings. Our daughter needs to go back to sleep.
We are letting her cry it out. We have never done it to this extent. We have let her cry for a few minutes in the past, testing to see if maybe she will calm herself down, but usually we give in and go back in her room. Not this time. There is no consoling her, not after this many hours. We have no choice.
I am sitting up in bed nursing my son, listening to my daughter’s shrieks and screams coming from the other room, and it is hard. I feel inadequate, and hearing her saddens me. I know it is for her own good in the long run, but what is a mother to do?
She has been acting up at bedtime ever since her baby brother arrived a few weeks ago, and it is getting worse and worse every night. She needs to learn that bedtime is bedtime. She cannot continue to get away with prolonging it to all hours. Thankfully after about fifteen minutes the crying subsides. She finally falls asleep. But is she asleep? Or is she just lying there quietly because she feels abandoned? I know better than to go into her room as that would ensure another round of screaming. I hope she is asleep.
Did you ever have to let your child cry it out? What did you do?