spit up
Bad Stomach Leads to House of Horrors
5:30 seemed to strike a little earlier than usual this morning – but Maddie was in high spirits. I think were both looking forward to a good day with a nice long walk, but it was still a little bit early to get carried away making too many plans. After breakfast and a little bit of playtime, Maddie and I thought we might catch a little 7am catnap.
But just twenty minutes later, we were immersed in a Texas-sized Maddie meltdown of biblical proportions that would plague us well into the afternoon. It turns out that I used a batch of mother’s milk that did not agree with baby’s digestive system. (Information that would not be uncovered until later that day)
For those who know Maddie, it’s safe to say that when the baby is unhappy, she’s not terribly shy about sharing those feelings of discontent. So when the screaming started, I had no idea what was going on. Strike One!
I changed her diaper and that only seemed to make mattes worse! When her anger and screaming intensified, the only option I had left was to try and feed her an hour early. (At this point, I still have no idea that her stomach is torn up) So when I offered Maddie the bottle, she went right after it. Suddenly all was quiet, the anger faded into the morning light and all was seemingly forgotten and forgiven. But our success was far too short-lived
Moments later when I put Maddie on her tummy to get a burp, there were multiple eruptions from various exit points including burps, gaseous emissions, poops and copious amounts of spit-up. Houston, We have a PROBLEM!
For the next three tear-filled hours, I think both of us might have been crying, we went through 5 diapers, 4 bibs, 3 Motrin tablets (for PaPa) and two swaddle blankets. I held, rocked and soothed Maddie through the morning, but it was tough going for my little girl.
I was in the process of the 6th diaper change and I saw the shift right away, from the ashes of sickness arose the smile of a little girl who was feeling MUCH better. Maddie’s expression said it all; she had purged the morning stomach demons and was once again ready take on the world. I love a happy ending!
Evil Quaker Oats Guy Comes for PaPa
I’m not a huge oatmeal eater, but every once in a while I’ll grab a bowl or two. But I learned a very serious lesson this morning; never eat oatmeal before you feed the baby! –NEVER-
As you might have guessed, I did have a nice big bowl of oatmeal this morning right before I fed Madeleine. Just like the baby, eating is one of my favorite past times too. So when I gobbled down breakfast, I didn’t have a care in the world.
Just as I finished up breakfast, Maddie had sent up her first signal flare that it was time to share the love and feed her as well. The bottle was heated and ready to go and the baby and I settled right in.
The feeding was going very well – we were getting burps using our new Aussie method and the finish line was well within reach. I picked Maddie up from for her last little bit of food when she unleashed a downpour of high grade, toasty warm spit up onto my chest and stomach.
Normally, this is no big deal at all – trust me when I say I have endured much worse at the hands of my little girl, but something about this batch of spit-up was eerily reminiscent of the oatmeal I had just eaten. A flash of nausea swept over me as the smell curdled into my nostrils. Whoa buddy, let’s not barf on the baby!
I laughed it off, but as her juicy discharge started to penetrate my clothes, the bad feeling hit again. Surely we are not going to be sick on the baby, are we? I fought down the queasiness with images of Quaker Oats guy break-dancing on my stomach.
I looked at my innocent little girl and realized we were on the brink of disaster!
Somehow, we made it through the feeding and Maddie was spared a little bit of payback from PaPa – but it was touch and go for a while. I don’t know if I will ever eat oatmeal again, but it sure as heck won’t be anywhere near feeding time for the baby!
Stay Home PaPa 