A couple of weeks ago, I felt it prudent to check in with my boss about my coming back to work. You know, because it's the professional thing to do and all. Before I went on maternity leave, I was clear that I would not be interested in coming back full time, but I did leave the door open for some part time or consulting work. So I gave her a ring and we chatted about it. Long story short, I told her that I wanted something part time, from home, and she said that "we should be able to work something out."
The minute I hung up with her, I immediately felt a dread in the pit of my stomach. What the hell did I just do? I'm all kinds of conflicted about my work situation as a whole, but I'll save that for another post. I figured that if going back to work was even a remote possibility, I'd better start taking a look at some nanny prospects. I'm aware that there are nanny placement agencies. I'm also aware that they charge fees that are too steep for our budget, so I headed for the nanny websites and did a cursory search just to see what was out there.
Holy hell, this is going to be a toughie.
I'm only going to need a nanny part time. That's already going to make one more difficult to find, I'm aware. Apparently, some of my other requirements might make it difficult as well...
If you cannot spell, you cannot be my child's nanny. The fact that you cannot spell to be begin with just irks me to no end (shame on the public school system for allowing that), but the fact that you cannot even use spell check to check your lousy spelling just indicates a lack of motivation, or even just pure laziness. It's a button, people. If you can't spell on your own, at least push the damn button.
If you cannot use proper grammar and/or punctuation, you cannot be my child's nanny. Reading your endless run on sentences is about as much fun as a pap smear, and double negatives have no place in Ava's vocabulary.
If you type in ALL CAPS FOR YOUR ENTIRE POSTING, you cannot be my child's nanny. There's no need to yell.
If you need sponsorship, you cannot be my child's nanny. I used to handle visa issues at work; I sure as hell don't want to handle them at home as well.
If you have your MySpace photo on your nanny profile, you know, the one where you are posing seductively for your webcam, or showing me your hot pink tongue stud, you cannot be my child's nanny.
If you don't have transportation to my house, you cannot be my child's nanny. We don't exactly have a stellar public transport system here in the Houston suburbs, and having to load up my kiddo to drive you to and from my home kind of negates the convenience of working from home and having a nanny, don't you think?
I think it's great that you are a stay at home mom looking to make some extra money. Very admirable. However, I'm not running a day care, so no, you cannot bring your own child to your nanny gig at my house. I am amazed at the number of these kinds of postings. If my furniture gets scuffed, or my walls get marked on, it should be my kid doing it, not yours. Besides, can you really tell me that your kid won't get more attention than mine? I would love to help you out, but I just can't see paying you to hang out with your kid at my house.
Yeah, so finding a nanny isn't going to be easy. I keep thinking that perhaps I'm being too picky, but really, I can't see being okay with any of the scenarios above.
This might be a loooong search.
Update on Ava's sleeping habits: I decided to focus on night sleep for now, and we will tackle naps later. She had a few rough nights getting used to not being swaddled at night, but she is sleeping much better now. We moved her bedtime up to between 7:30 or 8:00, and we have a nice little bedtime routine. Pretty soon, we'll tackle the daytime nap situation again. Not looking forward to that.
Showing posts with label Avalicious. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Avalicious. Show all posts
Friday, September 19, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Sleep Training is Not for the Weak
When Ava was a newborn, she had no problems sleeping. She slept great at night. She napped well during the day, anywhere, and through anything. Then, somewhere around eight weeks, the naps dwindled, and then several weeks later, she went from sleeping 12 hours a night to sleeping 9 or 10. You see the pattern here: less sleep = grumpy baby.
Fast forward to today. Ava is 15 weeks old, and daytime naps are still few and far between. She may take two or three a day, if she happens to feel like it, but they never last more than 30 minutes. Never. 30 minutes to the minute. She is still only sleeping ten hours at night. This is having an effect on her disposition, and it's one that is causing me to run for the wine bottle.
So we decided to try sleep training. I have a book, a stupid, useless, talk in circles book that has been of little to no help to me, in the sense that none of the ideas presented in it are working. I'm afraid we've created a monster by letting her nap in her bouncy chair so much, but the vibrations were the only thing that would calm her down at times. Because of that, she rarely will take naps in her crib. We just finished up 30 minutes of crying in her crib and now she is continuing the fit in my lap and in the bouncy chair. I have no idea what to do. It's like I am being punished for trying to do the right thing for her. Try to help her learn to sleep, and it results in such massive fits at times that I'm afraid she is going to make herself throw up. She fussed constantly last night, to the point where I wheeled her travel crib (where she still sleeps at night) into the front bedroom with me, so M could get some sleep, because I sure as hell wasn't getting any. Miracle of miracles,she actually took a small nap in her crib this morning, so silly me, I tried to put her down for her second nap in the crib and I am now being rewarded with a fit that has now lasted 45 minutes and counting.
As we've been trying the sleep training, we've also decided to unswaddle. In fact, the unswaddling really came first, and necessitated the need for the sleep training. She's days away from rolling over, and once she is rolling over, I don't want to swaddle her. Well, the unswaddling thing has fucked her world up. She has an even harder time now. This sucks. I feel like maybe we aren't doing something right, or that we made a mistake in swaddling her for so long, or rocking her to sleep, or having her in our room, or any of the other things that we've been doing. It's so obvious that she is tired and not getting nearly enough sleep, but I'm not sure what else we should be doing. I just feel so bad for her, and for us. But shit, what are we supposed to do? They don't make swaddle blankets cool enough for the college set. So I figure at some point, she has to settle into a groove with the no swaddle thing, I just wonder how very tired we are all going to be before that finally happens.
She just now went to sleep. In that stupid vibrating bouncy chair that I am a slave to. I caved.
Fast forward to today. Ava is 15 weeks old, and daytime naps are still few and far between. She may take two or three a day, if she happens to feel like it, but they never last more than 30 minutes. Never. 30 minutes to the minute. She is still only sleeping ten hours at night. This is having an effect on her disposition, and it's one that is causing me to run for the wine bottle.
So we decided to try sleep training. I have a book, a stupid, useless, talk in circles book that has been of little to no help to me, in the sense that none of the ideas presented in it are working. I'm afraid we've created a monster by letting her nap in her bouncy chair so much, but the vibrations were the only thing that would calm her down at times. Because of that, she rarely will take naps in her crib. We just finished up 30 minutes of crying in her crib and now she is continuing the fit in my lap and in the bouncy chair. I have no idea what to do. It's like I am being punished for trying to do the right thing for her. Try to help her learn to sleep, and it results in such massive fits at times that I'm afraid she is going to make herself throw up. She fussed constantly last night, to the point where I wheeled her travel crib (where she still sleeps at night) into the front bedroom with me, so M could get some sleep, because I sure as hell wasn't getting any. Miracle of miracles,she actually took a small nap in her crib this morning, so silly me, I tried to put her down for her second nap in the crib and I am now being rewarded with a fit that has now lasted 45 minutes and counting.
As we've been trying the sleep training, we've also decided to unswaddle. In fact, the unswaddling really came first, and necessitated the need for the sleep training. She's days away from rolling over, and once she is rolling over, I don't want to swaddle her. Well, the unswaddling thing has fucked her world up. She has an even harder time now. This sucks. I feel like maybe we aren't doing something right, or that we made a mistake in swaddling her for so long, or rocking her to sleep, or having her in our room, or any of the other things that we've been doing. It's so obvious that she is tired and not getting nearly enough sleep, but I'm not sure what else we should be doing. I just feel so bad for her, and for us. But shit, what are we supposed to do? They don't make swaddle blankets cool enough for the college set. So I figure at some point, she has to settle into a groove with the no swaddle thing, I just wonder how very tired we are all going to be before that finally happens.
She just now went to sleep. In that stupid vibrating bouncy chair that I am a slave to. I caved.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Becoming Crunchy
Staying in Austin has been great. We would live here if only there was ANY oil and gas industry to speak of. But, since there isn't, we will probably have to live in Houston indefinitely. Ack.
Austin must be rubbing off on me. I have suspected that there was a hippy, crunchy baby momma in me trying to get out, and staying in Austin has just facilitated the inevitable. For example...
...I breastfeed in public. Granted, I use a blanket, but that's still a big deal for me. Truth be told, I really only use the blanket so that others are not uncomfortable, not for me. I really could care less. Once Ava is latched on, it's not like you can really see anything anyway. I wonder if that's a bad thing, that my boobs have become totally nonsexual for me? I know that for some people breastfeeding in public isn't a big deal, but for me, it is. This week I've breastfed at the Alamo Drafthouse, in my car countless times, and at a restaurant. I have to say, I'm proud of myself. I've found that my attitude is "This is my right, so just try to stop me." I never thought I'd really even have an opinion about breastfeeding in public, much less actually do it.
...I desperately want to wear Ava. Sadly, I'm just not sure if it's going to be possible. Before she was born, I bought a Peanut Shell and a Baby Bjorn. Every time I put her in the Peanut Shell, she screams her head off. She's quite dramatic about the whole thing. Same thing with the Bjorn. Okay, so already, that's $140 down the drain. Ugh. So, we headed down to Austin Baby this weekend to look for a Moby Wrap. I've heard raves about it, so I thought that before I buy it, we'd try it out first. No need to make the same mistake a THIRD time. We popped her in it in the store, and she loved it. Thought it was great. So I pull out my wallet and plunk down the $40. We get home and try it. She cries. So I tried another hold yesterday. She loved it and fell asleep in it within 60 seconds. Oh, this is great, I thought. Finally, we've found something that she likes, so I can wear her and still get things done around the house. So, this morning, I put her in it again. She cried. Sigh...Shit. There's an Austin Babywearing Society that would probably be really helpful, except that we don't live in Austin, MUCH TO MY DISDAIN. Can you tell that I really want to move to Austin?
...I am considering cloth diapers. I had no idea the progress that has been made with cloth diapers. At Austin Baby, they had BumGenius, FuzziBunz, all those. They are adorable and look so comfy. I have to admit though, that my motivation really has nothing to do with not contributing 70 disposable diapers a week to landfills. That's a nice benefit and all, but my main motivation is money. Think of all the money we would save! I'll have to really consider this though. My daughter has truly explosive diapers. I know all parents say that, but seriously - when there is more poop on the onesie than in the diaper, you start to wonder. Combine that with a husband that gags and wretches over poop diapers, and it's not pretty. We are going to have to get M a barf can to put by the changing table. Once she starts on solid food, it's all over. There will be guaranteed vomit. Everyone has something that makes them sick. For M, that Thing is Poop.
...I would buy a co-sleeper if they weren't $80. I am not keen on having her in the actual bed with us, it makes me too nervous, but I would love to have one of those co-sleepers that attaches to the side of our bed. We have a travel crib that we use instead. I'm glad we bought a travel crib instead of a bassinet. We get far more use out of the travel crib, plus, she can stay in it so much longer. I am in no hurry to move her out of our room, and I will probably need to be sedated when we finally do it. If I have my way, that won't be for quite a while. I don't think M is in that same camp, however. I'll have to work on that.
As relatively granola as I think I'm becoming, I do draw the line somewhere. I'm only planning on breastfeeding until Ava is a year old, max. When she's old enough to walk up to me and ask for the boob, then it's time to consider the benefits of homemade baby food.
Austin must be rubbing off on me. I have suspected that there was a hippy, crunchy baby momma in me trying to get out, and staying in Austin has just facilitated the inevitable. For example...
...I breastfeed in public. Granted, I use a blanket, but that's still a big deal for me. Truth be told, I really only use the blanket so that others are not uncomfortable, not for me. I really could care less. Once Ava is latched on, it's not like you can really see anything anyway. I wonder if that's a bad thing, that my boobs have become totally nonsexual for me? I know that for some people breastfeeding in public isn't a big deal, but for me, it is. This week I've breastfed at the Alamo Drafthouse, in my car countless times, and at a restaurant. I have to say, I'm proud of myself. I've found that my attitude is "This is my right, so just try to stop me." I never thought I'd really even have an opinion about breastfeeding in public, much less actually do it.
...I desperately want to wear Ava. Sadly, I'm just not sure if it's going to be possible. Before she was born, I bought a Peanut Shell and a Baby Bjorn. Every time I put her in the Peanut Shell, she screams her head off. She's quite dramatic about the whole thing. Same thing with the Bjorn. Okay, so already, that's $140 down the drain. Ugh. So, we headed down to Austin Baby this weekend to look for a Moby Wrap. I've heard raves about it, so I thought that before I buy it, we'd try it out first. No need to make the same mistake a THIRD time. We popped her in it in the store, and she loved it. Thought it was great. So I pull out my wallet and plunk down the $40. We get home and try it. She cries. So I tried another hold yesterday. She loved it and fell asleep in it within 60 seconds. Oh, this is great, I thought. Finally, we've found something that she likes, so I can wear her and still get things done around the house. So, this morning, I put her in it again. She cried. Sigh...Shit. There's an Austin Babywearing Society that would probably be really helpful, except that we don't live in Austin, MUCH TO MY DISDAIN. Can you tell that I really want to move to Austin?
...I am considering cloth diapers. I had no idea the progress that has been made with cloth diapers. At Austin Baby, they had BumGenius, FuzziBunz, all those. They are adorable and look so comfy. I have to admit though, that my motivation really has nothing to do with not contributing 70 disposable diapers a week to landfills. That's a nice benefit and all, but my main motivation is money. Think of all the money we would save! I'll have to really consider this though. My daughter has truly explosive diapers. I know all parents say that, but seriously - when there is more poop on the onesie than in the diaper, you start to wonder. Combine that with a husband that gags and wretches over poop diapers, and it's not pretty. We are going to have to get M a barf can to put by the changing table. Once she starts on solid food, it's all over. There will be guaranteed vomit. Everyone has something that makes them sick. For M, that Thing is Poop.
...I would buy a co-sleeper if they weren't $80. I am not keen on having her in the actual bed with us, it makes me too nervous, but I would love to have one of those co-sleepers that attaches to the side of our bed. We have a travel crib that we use instead. I'm glad we bought a travel crib instead of a bassinet. We get far more use out of the travel crib, plus, she can stay in it so much longer. I am in no hurry to move her out of our room, and I will probably need to be sedated when we finally do it. If I have my way, that won't be for quite a while. I don't think M is in that same camp, however. I'll have to work on that.
As relatively granola as I think I'm becoming, I do draw the line somewhere. I'm only planning on breastfeeding until Ava is a year old, max. When she's old enough to walk up to me and ask for the boob, then it's time to consider the benefits of homemade baby food.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Baby Day
Yesterday, Ava and I went to the movies. There is an Alamo Drafthouse near my sister's house, and since we are staying with her while we are homeless, it was a quick trip down the road to enjoy an adult outing.
I love Alamo Drafthouse. The concept is great, and even better, the first matinee on Tuesdays is designated for babies and their parents. Since we just got Ava's shots last week, we are just now beginning to take her into (possibly) crowded places, like malls, restaurants, and now, movie theaters. She's a bit unpredictable in public, which is why I am so loving the Baby Day idea.
I saw Stepbrothers. Eh. Disappointing. Regardless, it was really nice to get out of the house. When I first stepped into the theater, I was the only one with a baby, and I was worried about how noisy we might be. I mean, I know it's Baby Day and all, but I didn't want to have the ONLY baby in there. Luckily, another woman brought her baby in, and he was noisier than Ava, so that was a relief. Ava did really well. She got a little fussy, but I just popped her on a boob, and that took care of it. I didn't realize until she was done nursing, however, that at some point she spit up while she was nursing and the entire right side of my shirt was cold and wet. So I just sat there and hoped that while the air conditioning was making little boob juice icicles on my shirt, that maybe it was drying it a bit. She slept for the rest of the movie, and I was proud of us for going on our little adventure.
I'm going again next week. All of the Baby Days in Houston are far away from where we live, so I want to enjoy it as much as I can while we are in Austin. I really want to see Pineapple Express. Would it be wrong to take a 2 month old to a movie where they are stoned the entire time?
I love Alamo Drafthouse. The concept is great, and even better, the first matinee on Tuesdays is designated for babies and their parents. Since we just got Ava's shots last week, we are just now beginning to take her into (possibly) crowded places, like malls, restaurants, and now, movie theaters. She's a bit unpredictable in public, which is why I am so loving the Baby Day idea.
I saw Stepbrothers. Eh. Disappointing. Regardless, it was really nice to get out of the house. When I first stepped into the theater, I was the only one with a baby, and I was worried about how noisy we might be. I mean, I know it's Baby Day and all, but I didn't want to have the ONLY baby in there. Luckily, another woman brought her baby in, and he was noisier than Ava, so that was a relief. Ava did really well. She got a little fussy, but I just popped her on a boob, and that took care of it. I didn't realize until she was done nursing, however, that at some point she spit up while she was nursing and the entire right side of my shirt was cold and wet. So I just sat there and hoped that while the air conditioning was making little boob juice icicles on my shirt, that maybe it was drying it a bit. She slept for the rest of the movie, and I was proud of us for going on our little adventure.
I'm going again next week. All of the Baby Days in Houston are far away from where we live, so I want to enjoy it as much as I can while we are in Austin. I really want to see Pineapple Express. Would it be wrong to take a 2 month old to a movie where they are stoned the entire time?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
It Had to Happen Sometime
When someone's child is throwing a fit in on an airplane/in a restaurant/in a store/etc., I've never been one of those people who throws them dirty looks and wonders why they can't make their kid be quiet. I usually just feel sorry for them. I was naive enough to think that maybe that would buy me just a little good karma. Just a little tiny bit of luck.
Nope.
I had a doctor's appointment the other day and, of course, I had to take Ava with me. I tried to get a morning appointment, but all they had were afternoon spots available, so I went ahead and just accepted one of those...even though I knew I was tempting fate. Afternoons are unpredictable around here. Five minutes after we arrived, I saw the writing on the wall. She started squirming in her stroller, and I knew what was coming. My daughter proceeded to throw a huge fit in the middle of the very crowded, CONCRETE waiting room. It's a very nice stained concrete sort of room, but still...the acoustics made every cry ECHO.
I tried everything. We walked. We bounced. We tried the binky. No go. I set her down in her stroller to check her diaper - that really pissed her off. I couldn't check it very well since she stiffens up like a board when she is in the midst of a major fit, but it looked clean. I was even going to try nursing her, but about that time, some guy came over and sat down right in my section. I'm normally not one for whipping out a boob in public (okay, except for that ONE time), but I was getting desperate. The entire waiting room was staring at us. Seriously, I had no idea how totally inadequate I would feel. I felt like all these women were thinking "Why hasn't she tried ____?" That's what I would do. She must be new at this mom thing." I think though, that their pity made me more self conscious than any anger or irritation that may have been coming from them. It felt condescending, like "Poor thing, she doesn't have a clue what she is doing!"
I finally went out in the hallway and paced the floor with her there. More screaming ensued. After about twenty minutes, I finally got her to take her binky and lay in the stroller. I pushed her up and down the hall until they called me back into the exam room. She eventually calmed down and dozed for the rest of the appointment.
But the worst part? After we got home, I picked up my sleepy girl and went to change her diaper. She had a dirty diaper, and it had obviously been dirty for a bit because it was sort of dried/stuck to her hiney. So...I felt like a terrible mommy. It's not the end of the world that she had dirty pants for a bit, but I felt awful that she was obviously trying to tell me that during her 30 minute screamfest, and I didn't look close enough when I checked her in the waiting room. The truth is, she was screaming so loud, and she was so stiff, that I just took a quick peek so as to shorten the duration of the blood curdling screams that she emits when you set her down mid-fit. So she was upset because I wanted to avoid further embarrassment, basically.
So there's my confession for the day. I promised her that I would do better next time, but I still feel like a total novice.
Nope.
I had a doctor's appointment the other day and, of course, I had to take Ava with me. I tried to get a morning appointment, but all they had were afternoon spots available, so I went ahead and just accepted one of those...even though I knew I was tempting fate. Afternoons are unpredictable around here. Five minutes after we arrived, I saw the writing on the wall. She started squirming in her stroller, and I knew what was coming. My daughter proceeded to throw a huge fit in the middle of the very crowded, CONCRETE waiting room. It's a very nice stained concrete sort of room, but still...the acoustics made every cry ECHO.
I tried everything. We walked. We bounced. We tried the binky. No go. I set her down in her stroller to check her diaper - that really pissed her off. I couldn't check it very well since she stiffens up like a board when she is in the midst of a major fit, but it looked clean. I was even going to try nursing her, but about that time, some guy came over and sat down right in my section. I'm normally not one for whipping out a boob in public (okay, except for that ONE time), but I was getting desperate. The entire waiting room was staring at us. Seriously, I had no idea how totally inadequate I would feel. I felt like all these women were thinking "Why hasn't she tried ____?" That's what I would do. She must be new at this mom thing." I think though, that their pity made me more self conscious than any anger or irritation that may have been coming from them. It felt condescending, like "Poor thing, she doesn't have a clue what she is doing!"
I finally went out in the hallway and paced the floor with her there. More screaming ensued. After about twenty minutes, I finally got her to take her binky and lay in the stroller. I pushed her up and down the hall until they called me back into the exam room. She eventually calmed down and dozed for the rest of the appointment.
But the worst part? After we got home, I picked up my sleepy girl and went to change her diaper. She had a dirty diaper, and it had obviously been dirty for a bit because it was sort of dried/stuck to her hiney. So...I felt like a terrible mommy. It's not the end of the world that she had dirty pants for a bit, but I felt awful that she was obviously trying to tell me that during her 30 minute screamfest, and I didn't look close enough when I checked her in the waiting room. The truth is, she was screaming so loud, and she was so stiff, that I just took a quick peek so as to shorten the duration of the blood curdling screams that she emits when you set her down mid-fit. So she was upset because I wanted to avoid further embarrassment, basically.
So there's my confession for the day. I promised her that I would do better next time, but I still feel like a total novice.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Update
Just an update on GruntWatch 2008...it seems that the other night was just a one night reprieve, as Miss Ava is back to her grunty ways. Oh well, at least it's not as bad as it used to be.
Triad #2 is going to bring her fan when she comes to visit next week, so we can experiment and see if her fan truly does have magical powers.
Triad #2 is going to bring her fan when she comes to visit next week, so we can experiment and see if her fan truly does have magical powers.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Recreating the Magic
We have a grunter. A loud, can't figure out why she does it all night long grunter. And did I mention loud?
Ever since we brought Ava home from the hospital, she has grunted throughout the night. She grunts in her sleep. It's not the kind of grunting that is particularly concerning, like she's having a hard time breathing or anything, it's simply LOUD. Throw in a few squeaks, squicks, and acks, and it makes for a rather poor night's sleep for us.
We have tried everything to figure out why she does it. Is it because she is swaddled too tight? Too loose? Does she want out of her swaddle? Does she want a different swaddle blanket? Is it a symptom of her reflux? Is it gas? Is she too cold? Too hot? Is she pooping? Am I a little OCD about this? So many questions...
Since we couldn't figure out what was causing it, we've tried several different things to get her to sleep more quietly at night. The problem is not that she is not a good sleeper - she is, to the extent that I would expect at seven weeks. She usually wakes up twice a night to eat. So the issue is not hers, it's ours. The grunting certainly doesn't seem to be bothering her. Just us.
When I explain to people what she does, they just nod their head knowingly. But they don't know. They really don't. This isn't the occasional little squeak, or a poop grunt. There have been nights where it's gone on for hours on end. Grunt. Gruuuuunt. Squiiiick. GRRRRRRRRUNT.
So, after several weeks of trial and error, we headed up to Triad #2's house for the Fourth of July weekend. And wouldn't you know it? She didn't make a grunty peep for three nights. She also slept for eight hours straight one night, and six hours another.
Why? How? We were on a quest. When we got home on Sunday, we began trying to recreate the environment she slept in those three days. Aha! We finally figured it must be the fan. My sister has an oscillating fan in her bedroom. The white noise must have soothed Ava or something. So I went in search of the exact same fan that my sister has. Of course, I couldn't find it but bought a similar one at Target. We tried it Sunday night. There was grunting. Not full out, all night long grunting, but still. We tried it again the next night, and it was worse. We despaired and figured that we might have to move in with Triad #2 and her magical fan. But we persevered. Last night I ventured off to the dreaded Wal Mart in search of a louder fan. (This trip to Wal Mart reminded me why I have not set foot in a Wal Mart in years.) I bought a bigger fan and came home with high hopes.
Drum roll...
There was no grunting last night! And...Ava slept from 10:30 until 5am, then went back down until 8:30! This was major for me, since I don't sleep in the Bose noise cancelling headphones when she grunts (like someone who shall remain nameless does) and so I normally hear Every. Little. Noise.
I wonder if it was a just a coincidence or if we have finally stumbled upon the way to a peaceful night for all?
Ever since we brought Ava home from the hospital, she has grunted throughout the night. She grunts in her sleep. It's not the kind of grunting that is particularly concerning, like she's having a hard time breathing or anything, it's simply LOUD. Throw in a few squeaks, squicks, and acks, and it makes for a rather poor night's sleep for us.
We have tried everything to figure out why she does it. Is it because she is swaddled too tight? Too loose? Does she want out of her swaddle? Does she want a different swaddle blanket? Is it a symptom of her reflux? Is it gas? Is she too cold? Too hot? Is she pooping? Am I a little OCD about this? So many questions...
Since we couldn't figure out what was causing it, we've tried several different things to get her to sleep more quietly at night. The problem is not that she is not a good sleeper - she is, to the extent that I would expect at seven weeks. She usually wakes up twice a night to eat. So the issue is not hers, it's ours. The grunting certainly doesn't seem to be bothering her. Just us.
When I explain to people what she does, they just nod their head knowingly. But they don't know. They really don't. This isn't the occasional little squeak, or a poop grunt. There have been nights where it's gone on for hours on end. Grunt. Gruuuuunt. Squiiiick. GRRRRRRRRUNT.
So, after several weeks of trial and error, we headed up to Triad #2's house for the Fourth of July weekend. And wouldn't you know it? She didn't make a grunty peep for three nights. She also slept for eight hours straight one night, and six hours another.
Why? How? We were on a quest. When we got home on Sunday, we began trying to recreate the environment she slept in those three days. Aha! We finally figured it must be the fan. My sister has an oscillating fan in her bedroom. The white noise must have soothed Ava or something. So I went in search of the exact same fan that my sister has. Of course, I couldn't find it but bought a similar one at Target. We tried it Sunday night. There was grunting. Not full out, all night long grunting, but still. We tried it again the next night, and it was worse. We despaired and figured that we might have to move in with Triad #2 and her magical fan. But we persevered. Last night I ventured off to the dreaded Wal Mart in search of a louder fan. (This trip to Wal Mart reminded me why I have not set foot in a Wal Mart in years.) I bought a bigger fan and came home with high hopes.
Drum roll...
There was no grunting last night! And...Ava slept from 10:30 until 5am, then went back down until 8:30! This was major for me, since I don't sleep in the Bose noise cancelling headphones when she grunts (like someone who shall remain nameless does) and so I normally hear Every. Little. Noise.
I wonder if it was a just a coincidence or if we have finally stumbled upon the way to a peaceful night for all?
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