Garrett did really well during the "witching hours" this morning.  He didn't sleep soundly but he wasn't too fussy.

I have noticed that he sleeps well when it is noisy!  He sleeps soundly when I am drying my hair, but wakes up as soon as I turn the dryer off.  And he also slept right through my husband vacuuming!

I ended up using Evenflo bottles with Riley.  We tried to use the Dr. Brown's exclusively, but they were so expensive and I wasn't sure whether they were making a difference.  Today I went to buy more for Garrett.  He was really having a hard time with the Evenflo bottles - there was just so much air and he was collapsing the nipple.  I tried the Dr. Brown's with him and I really noticed a difference.  There was virtually no air in the bottle.

Garrett had a good night.  He slept from 12:40 AM to 4:15 AM.  But then it was hell again at 5 AM.

I could tell that Garrett was really straining to have a BM this morning so I gave him some Colace.  He had a BM this morning that was really firm.  By the evening he had another one and the consistency was ok.

Garrett only slept today when being held.  He screamed and cried all afternoon.  I am not a proponent of "crying it out", but I tried everything to make him comfortable to no avail.  So I just had to put him in his crib and turn his musical mobile on and leave the room for five minutes.  Sometimes you just have to put them in a safe place, get away from the screaming and clear your head for just a second!

He was really fussy after his 2 AM feeding.

Garrett is still troubled today and not sleeping without being held.  We tried to put him to sleep in the bassinette this afternoon, but he wouldn't stay asleep.  Finally we put him on his stomach and he slept without trouble for a good while. 

I watched him like a hawk the whole time.  But I knew then that if I could determine that he would always sleep better on his stomach that I would ask the doctor about an apnea monitor so he could continue to sleep on his stomach.

He still seems to have pain from gas or is constipated, so I am going to start giving him Gaviscon tomorrow.  The Mylicon drops aren't doing anything - surprise, surprise!

Garrett was a little restless in the middle of the night, but did well otherwise.  He had a good morning.  We went to the park today and Garrett slept the whole time.  He was in his infant carrier and seemed to enjoy the fresh air.

He was extremely fussy in the evening.  I started giving him .4-.6 ml of Gaviscon every other feeding today.  He had 2 BM's at midnight.

He is now getting about 3.5 ounces of breast milk/formula every 2.5 hours.

Garrett ate at 5:15 AM this morning and then slept until 8 AM.  That was nice!

Garrett is spitting up more every day and more frequently.

I decided to start giving Garrett the Zantac today in case it helped.  He will get 1/2 ml, two times a day.  He has been really comfortable all day.

Garrett did OK during the night.  Had one fussy period.

Garrett woke up this morning screaming at the top of his lungs  I could tell he was straining to have a BM.  He was in so much pain.  I tried to massage him and move his legs but nothing was helping.  Finally I used a glycerin suppository and he had a BM - a really significant one too.  He was much more comfortable afterwards.

At this point I am wondering if he doesn't have reflux after all - that maybe the spitting up is in relation to his straining.  Riley would spit up and then scream.  Garrett strains, cries and then spits up.

I did not want to keep giving him Zantac if he didn't actually have reflux, so I decided we needed to touch base with the doctor again.

Garrett weighed 9 lbs. 5 oz.!  He is certainly thriving in spite of all his troubles.  The doctor decided to switch his formula from Enfamil LIPIL to Nutramigen to see if it would help him with his BM's.  Oh boy, here we go again!  Back to the days of $8/can formula.  Just like big brother.  But this was a welcomed change.  She also decided to put him on Prilosec.  Yeah!  I asked her about a monitor and she said no.  She didn't want him on his stomach, even if he was on a monitor.  This was disappointing.  I'm beginning to think now that the only reason Riley got one was because he was a preemie.

So I was pleased with the visit other than the monitor.  I then spent over two hours trying to get the prescription for Prilosec filled.  My friend's father is no longer working at a pharmacy near me, so I was debating on where to take the prescription.  I also really wanted the Prilosec in ChocoBase, but knew it had to be ordered, so I had decided to get it in a plain suspension and just add Hershey's syrup like the good 'ole days. 

I tried taking the prescription to my nearest grocery store pharmacy.  Well, they couldn't compound the Prilosec for an infant, and directed me to another independent pharmacy nearby. 

The independent pharmacy could fill the prescription, so they sent it through insurance first to make sure they would pay for it.  Well, it was rejected.  So then I had to call the insurance company and they said it had to have pre-authorization.  So then I called the doctor's office and the nurse said she would work on it, but couldn't guarantee that it would be completed by COB.  She said she would call when she knew something.  Blah, blah, blah, finally that evening it was all resolved and I was able to get the prescription filled.

And to my absolute delight - this pharmacy had ChocoBase on hand!  So I was able to get the Prilosec in ChocoBase.  I started it tonight, so we will see how it goes...  I loved the look on his face when I first gave it to him - like, "Hey!  What's this and why doesn't my formula taste like this??"  Another one bites the chocolate dust....

We also started him on the Nutramigen tonight.  I don't think he was too crazy about the way it tasted, but he drank it anyways.  To me, it smells like instant potato flakes!  I don't dare try it - isn't it awful what we give our kids but we won't even try ourselves??

Garrett had a really good day today.  He DID sleep in my grandmother's arms for most of the day, but it was a good day for him nonetheless.

He went to bed fine, but woke up screaming in the middle of the night after having a BM.  I don't know if it hurt him or if he was just so irritated at having a dirty diaper!

He was extremely fussy after his 5 AM feeding as usual.

Garrett is having a quiet day again today.  Maybe the Nutramigen and Prilosec are kicking in???  Only time will tell.  Of course, today he spent most of his time in his Daddy's arms...  Lots of holding could be the key.

He had a BM at 8:30 PM tonight.  Finally.  He was pretty fussy in the evening.  I had to help him by massaging his tummy and working his legs.  He was so comfortable after that.

Garrett had a really good night.  He would wake up, eat great and go right back to sleep.  I am really thinking that his comfort revolves around his BM's.  He had another one at 5:30 AM.

He seemed to do ok during the day.  He spent most of the day in his infant carrier.