It's amazing how much worrying you do as a mother. Normally it ends up being first-time-mommy-paranoia, but every now and then I've found that I really need to trust my gut.
So, Hannah has a couple of new issues that I'd like to share with you moms out there to see if you have any expert opinions. Here we go...
NAPPING
Hannah was taking her two naps a day like a good little girl until about two months ago. I figured she was starting to drop that morning nap since she was almost a year so I pretty much forced it on her because we have to be out of the house for nursery duty two days a week anyways. It was a difficult adjustment, but after about a week I had it down to a science. I had to put her down at one o'clock every day, no earlier and no later. Well, last week she decided to take a 2 hour nap in the morning and a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. It didn't really concern me because she had gone to bed late a few nights in a row and maybe she was hitting a growth spurt.
Once Hannah actually turned one she was doing pretty good on her afternoon nap. I was a little doubtful that she was getting enough sleep though, because her afternoon nap would only be 1-1.5 hours and most kids nap at least 2 when they're down to one nap a day. I tried not to worry about it and figured she'd adjust.
Then we went camping and Hannah decided to sleep during the day instead of at night. Since then, she awakes crying nearly every night at 3am and also in the morning she wakes up crying. She used to be a happy waker, greeting me with giggles and smiles when she woke up. Now she's an emotional disaster until her next nap. I've tried just leaving her in there, hoping she'll cry herself back to sleep, but it doesn't work. Once she's up, she's up. So, my question is what's going on? Why the sudden change?
MILK
I started dreaming up all of the typical theories that us moms have heard about. Maybe she's going to hit a milestone? Maybe she's just changing? Maybe she's getting more teeth? Maybe she's having nightmares? Maybe, maybe, maybe?
Now I'm staring to think maybe it has to do with her transition from formula to whole milk. She hasn't been having any kind of reactions such as rashes, etc., but she has been exceptionally crabby and her sleeping is really off. For example, last night we put her down at 7:30 for bed, she woke at 4, I gave her another bottle because I couldn't figure out what was wrong, and then she slept until 9:30! I rolled over in bed, thinking it was 7:00 or so and when I saw the clock I freaked out and ran into her room to make sure she was breathing. I decided to wake her up because I wanted her to go down this afternoon for a nap. Well, she didn't last that long...she went down at 11:00!
I'm thinking that the whole milk isn't filling her up like the formula did for her nighttime bottle and she's going to bed hungry every time I put her down. She's not a great eater and I'm worried that the formula was her main source of nutrition. Now that she's on whole milk, but not eating much, will she be OK?
Another thing is that I don't think she likes the coldness of the milk. She never took her formula warm, just room temperature, but she's really not fond of the cold milk. Do I warm it up for her then? That's really a habit I don't want to start. But, I want her to have a full tummy before night-night!
ADVICE
So, I'd love to hear what you all think I should do. I mixed some formula in with her milk again last night and I'm going to try again tonight to see what happens. I guess you could say I'm testing my hunger theory. In a few days I'll definitely give the doctor a call, but I'm sure you know how that is. You don't want to sound like a paranoid mom and the usual response you get is that every child is different and it's probably just a phase. But, my instincts are telling me that something else is going on (most likely related to the whole milk). I want my Hannah back! Thanks for "listening".
Monday, October 6, 2008
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2 comments:
Hi Kara! First of all, I wanted to say that Dan and I think Hannah is absolutely adorable. She is so cute!
As far as advice goes, my first instinct would be to call your pediatrician for advice. He or she probably would have a guess as to what's going on, and some pretty good suggestions. From working in healthcare, I know that there really are no stupid questions. When I was pregnant (and even after I gave birth!) I called my OB all the time for little things, and I know they didn't care that I called. Your pediatrician would probably just admire and respect you as a wonderful mom for consulting him or her. !
Hi Kara! I think our little girls are a lot alike in terms of personality and energy. Emily just turned 9 nine months old, and she's already starting to fight taking two naps a day. Most days she'll take two naps each 1 - 1.5 hours, but sometimes she won't fall asleep until 11 or so for her first nap and then will stay awake when I put her down for her afternoon nap, talking to herself or crying for up to 45 minutes when I finally rescue her. Then she crashes at 7 or so. Yikes! But, this isn't about me (or Emily). I think your hunger theory sounds good, and I don't see much harm in giving Hannah formula at bedtime until she becomes a less picky eater and takes in more calories/nutrients from other foods. Our doc said the bottle and formula needed to be gone by age one too, but I know PLENTY of other babies who still get a bottle at bedtime way past the first birthday. Trust your gut - and let us know how it turns out! I'll be praying for you - I know cranky little girls aren't fun! :-)
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