GERD

Whew. So there's finally a reason why Natalie has been acting so grumpy lately.

She had been cluster feeding earlier this week (from her 2-to-3-week growth spurt) and we just figured that was the reason she was fussier than normal. She was also spitting up more than she usually does, but again, we just thought it was because she was eating more due to cluster feeding.

But almost every time we tried to burp her, she'd have a fit. She wasn't crying her normal baby cries - these sounded like she was in physical pain. It was really heartbreaking.

And it was scary when she'd go completely rigid, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She'd plant her feet on our lap, stand straight up, arch her back, and let out some pretty gnarly cries. When she wasn't crying, she was making this horrible hacking sound. We felt so helpless, not being able to comfort her.

I finally called the nurses' line for our pediatrician and she suggested I bring Natalie in for a checkup. I described what was happening to her doctor and she said acid reflux was the most likely cause.

So now we have some medicine to give her twice a day for six months. After six months, babies' digestive systems have usually matured enough to where they don't need the reflux medicine anymore. But even if she still needs it after six months, who cares?

We haven't perfected the art of giving her medicine, but we're getting better. In a few more days, we should be pros.

Already we can see a difference in her. I fed her this morning and she burped afterwards without any crying. Our sweet baby is coming back!!