Post by Happy Dad on Apr 12, 2014 20:09:12 GMT -5
I'm coming back on here to share the good news that all things pass. Even the worst colic.
Our son had severe, severe colic from day 1, to the point where he would not sleep for more than 2 hours straight, ever. Putting him back to bed was a minimum 45 minute ordeal of singing, dancing, pacing, rocking, etc. He would cry, scream, arch his back, and struggle almost every waking minute. We tried everything to soothe him with some minor and temporary successes, but mostly frustration. After a couple of months, I had to stop working so that I could be at home helping full-time, otherwise my wife might have gone insane and done something dangerous (and I'm not exaggerating). We both became very physically and emotionally unhealthy and completely exhausted. We could not look at other babies because it seemed like they all could lie on their backs quietly and relax for hours, and our son couldn't do that for even a moment. My wife developed abnormal growths in her uterus due to stress and it complicated the situation more. We took turns eating meals and with everything else because our son would cry much worse if we weren't holding him and rocking him. Our marriage was extremely strained and we were both extremely unhappy, and I often felt that life would never be enjoyable again. In the end, after 7 months of hell, we got on a plane and moved in with my wife's parents in the hope of getting some help and rest. It was a huge help to have that support from two other adults. It took us almost a year after that to recover our health, sanity, emotional stability, and bond together.
If you search for "sad dad," you can find a post I did during that time.
Our son is 21 months old now and though I wouldn't say parenting is easy, it's nothing like it was during our first year. Our son is healthy, happy, and usually a lot of fun to be with. My wife comments that she finally feels like a mother. He only wakes up a couple of times a night and takes an afternoon nap every day. I also think he has some unique strengths and talents that I don't see in any other kids his age. He is very sensitive to other people's feelings, he is extremely musically talented and his verbal and motor skills are off the charts for his age. I'm amazed by him every day.
Basically, colic wrecked our lives for more than a year. There's no sugar coating it. At 7 months, our son started showing signs of calming down. At a year old, he was still very difficult, but he started to be happy in his own skin and I would no longer have called him colicky, just cranky, stubborn, and challenging. His being able to walk and talk helped more than anything.
We are still in the healing process, and some days when he's having a bad day, we still feel overwhelmed. However, nothing can ever compare to what we went through. Neither of us is ready to think about having another child because we simply can't imagine enduring that again. The good news is that the three of us are happy now, enjoy life, and feel blessed to be together. We've come a very long way!
Wishing all of you out there rest, relaxation, relief, and comfort for your babies. You will get through it!
Our son had severe, severe colic from day 1, to the point where he would not sleep for more than 2 hours straight, ever. Putting him back to bed was a minimum 45 minute ordeal of singing, dancing, pacing, rocking, etc. He would cry, scream, arch his back, and struggle almost every waking minute. We tried everything to soothe him with some minor and temporary successes, but mostly frustration. After a couple of months, I had to stop working so that I could be at home helping full-time, otherwise my wife might have gone insane and done something dangerous (and I'm not exaggerating). We both became very physically and emotionally unhealthy and completely exhausted. We could not look at other babies because it seemed like they all could lie on their backs quietly and relax for hours, and our son couldn't do that for even a moment. My wife developed abnormal growths in her uterus due to stress and it complicated the situation more. We took turns eating meals and with everything else because our son would cry much worse if we weren't holding him and rocking him. Our marriage was extremely strained and we were both extremely unhappy, and I often felt that life would never be enjoyable again. In the end, after 7 months of hell, we got on a plane and moved in with my wife's parents in the hope of getting some help and rest. It was a huge help to have that support from two other adults. It took us almost a year after that to recover our health, sanity, emotional stability, and bond together.
If you search for "sad dad," you can find a post I did during that time.
Our son is 21 months old now and though I wouldn't say parenting is easy, it's nothing like it was during our first year. Our son is healthy, happy, and usually a lot of fun to be with. My wife comments that she finally feels like a mother. He only wakes up a couple of times a night and takes an afternoon nap every day. I also think he has some unique strengths and talents that I don't see in any other kids his age. He is very sensitive to other people's feelings, he is extremely musically talented and his verbal and motor skills are off the charts for his age. I'm amazed by him every day.
Basically, colic wrecked our lives for more than a year. There's no sugar coating it. At 7 months, our son started showing signs of calming down. At a year old, he was still very difficult, but he started to be happy in his own skin and I would no longer have called him colicky, just cranky, stubborn, and challenging. His being able to walk and talk helped more than anything.
We are still in the healing process, and some days when he's having a bad day, we still feel overwhelmed. However, nothing can ever compare to what we went through. Neither of us is ready to think about having another child because we simply can't imagine enduring that again. The good news is that the three of us are happy now, enjoy life, and feel blessed to be together. We've come a very long way!
Wishing all of you out there rest, relaxation, relief, and comfort for your babies. You will get through it!