Colic

Bean had colic.

Bean got 2.5ml Dentinox in his EBM twice daily, one with his afternoon and evening feed respectively.

Problem solved.

But, alas.

No coffee and spicy food (rendang, tom yum or red and green curries) for Hampshire Mummy. 

Sigh...

 

That said, avoiding spicy food is still better than our colic experience with The Little Girl. Back then in 2010, The Other Half and I were first time parents and we did not know how to deal with it.

 

The Little Girl fed at about 4 pm at Day 22 and soon after, she started crying non-stop. Settled only when I carried her koala style. She could burp and pass gas but just would not settle. When I put her down, she started crying non-stop.

 

After 4 hours of that drama, I knew something was off. The Other Half came home from work (we were living at The House then), and we rushed her to her paed at SJMC after getting permission from The Grandparents.

 

She was as quiet as a mouse during the medical examination so Dr. Sofiah Ali advised that we admitted the young lady for observation. The downside was that all the wards were fully occupied that night so the 3 of us had to be bunked into an examination room in the observation hall with just a miserable examination bed and chair. It was very uncomfortable indeed!

 

The Other Half went back to The House to pack what we needed for the night and we all slept poorly that night. Whenever I was about to fall asleep after a feed, the nurse would come along for routine checks that left me hanging on to my last nerve. Sleep deprivation did not (and still does not) suit me one bit.

 

The following morning, I carried the then 23 day old newborn to the X-ray room. Her intestines were found to be slightly long and gas would have taken quite a long time to pass. We were so thankful that other than that, there was nothing wrong with her.

 

What followed after that admission/discharge for colic is what I would now look back and be able to call myself naïve and too easily fooled.

 

Firstly, my MIL told me to cuddle The Little Girl to ease her wind. The young lady then grew to enjoy the heartbeat and warmth too much to go down to her bed and I slept holding her for the following 4 months, could not sleep train her till today (age 3.5 years old!!). Grrr.

 

Secondly, my MIL had wondered if feeding her exclusively on breastmilk had caused wind/gas. I was under pressure to give her formula at night to "help her sleep better". My caving in to the pressure was an expensive mistake. The Little Girl eventually suffered an eczema outbreak which led to a RM700++ blood test to screen for allergens. The culprits were confirmed to be cow milk protein and egg white. Grrr.

 

The well-meaning MIL then backed off after seeing confirmation of allergens via blood test, but The Other Half and I were left to pick up the pieces. Expensive trial and error skin care, my having to avoid the allergens in my diet and fending off comments from "people" soon followed us until The Little Girl outgrew her allergies at 30 months old.

 

The moral of the story is, if it is colic, just treat the colic and do not push formula down the baby's throat! Caveat as usual: Formula is not for every baby. Allah s.w.t. had designed the best milk for human baby in the form of breastmilk. If you are not able to breastfeed for some reason, do not despair - formula of all kinds are out there for you to try, just be sure to ask your paed first! 

 

Conclusion: I love and respect my MIL but I do not follow every word she says now without first thinking, researching and daring to stand my ground. I pray to Allah s.w.t. to forgive me my shortcomings as a DIL always. Amin!