Are your baby’s symptoms normal? Part I
Colic, eczema, gas, constipation, mucusy poop, cradle cap, reflux. Are these symptoms normal, nothing to worry about? Or are they just COMMON and not NORMAL?
Often, doctors brush us off, tell us baby will grow out of it, leaving mom feeling confused and defeated.
How do you know if your baby’s discomfort really is just normal baby stuff that will pass or is something you should spend some time getting to the bottom of?
I’m always reminding moms that baby is growing and developing very rapidly.
Their digestive system is going through major changes.
They are learning how to live outside of the womb, it’s cold and not as cozy!
They are learning how to move and burp and fart and poop.
The way their poop looks changes. Their day to day temperament changes. Whenever you think you have them “figured out” they change.
To top it all off, their only way of communicating is by crying. It’s pretty rough.
The key, as their mom, is to be able to trust your gut and know when it’s just normal baby stuff and when it’s something worth exploring a bit deeper. This can be even harder when you have doctors or other people in your life brushing off your baby’s symptoms.
It’s a really fine line between paying attention and trusting your gut while being careful not to get stuck in a spiral of anxiety and constant questioning and overwhelm.
The first thing I want you to think about if your baby is generally unhappy is are they going through a developmental growth period which they will move through on their own?
Two great resources are Wonder Weeks and PURPLE Crying.
It’s also important to get familiar with your baby’s hunger and tired queues. Are you nursing them frequently enough, are they getting enough rest?
Ok, let’s pause for a second. I know that sometimes it feels like you have no idea what you are doing, but guess what? You have a super power. You are a mom and you have that all powerful mother’s intuition. You really do! It’s so so easy to lose it and feel like you are caught in the weeds, always questioning and feeling like you have no idea what you are doing. That’s totally normal. But you can do this. I know that because you were made to be YOUR baby’s mom. Here are some steps to work on getting in touch with your intuition.
Now that we have some things to ask ourselves when baby is unhappy, keep reading HERE to go through each symptom and what may be “normal” vs. what should be explored a bit deeper.