I often call this the "Silent Monster". I think it was probably the most stressful thing I have ever encountered with my newborn. It started off as just gas became this "Silent Monster" that would only come out after bottles or at night. It was horrible to see my child screaming after every burp. I started to think there had to be an answer. So, I contacted the pediatrician and he suggested Infant Zantac. I don't know about you but I hate medicine and especially for my newborn. But, against my personal reservations I proceeded and filled the prescription. After 5 days of usage, I saw no improvement.
Please keep in mind every baby is different, so what may not work for me may very well work for you.
So, as always I began to consult the Google doctor :). I found post after post suggesting switch formula and potentially adding rice cereal. I thought to myself 6 weeks might be a tad to early for cereal so I tried the switch. I switch from Enfamil to Similac and landed on Similac's Alimentium (since my newborn is milk protein intolerant). I tried that for about 2 weeks and saw some improvement, but still had the issue of vomiting.
I finally gave in and added the cereal. To my surprise it worked. Adding 1/2 tsp for every 2 oz of formula. After 2 days I noticed constipation developing, I then became concerned. I began asking around to fellow mom's and discovered that Oatmeal cereal may be a better option. So, I gave it a whirl. Sure enough we were in business. The vomiting stopped. The frantic feedings stopped and the screams after every burp stopped. It was a complete Godsend.
My Advice: If your baby is having issues give this a try. Pick up a box of Gerber's Oatmeal or Rice cereal. Add 1/2 tsp per 2 oz of Breastmilk or Formula, this helps with thickening the formula.
I have tried many diapers from Luvs, Huggies and even Pampers Swaddlers. My newborn outgrew the Newborn Swaddlers provided by the hospital so it was time to transition her to size 1's. I wasn't sure which diaper I wanted to transition to, so I sought the advice of all the fellow mothers I knew.
I first tried Luvs. I didn't really have a complaint, but generally wasn't a fan of the texture. I felt they were a tad to "cottony", as if an any moment a leak could pour straight through the diaper.
My next option was Huggies. Huggies are well known and quite popular. I honestly have to say they may be among the worst diapers on the market. They are overaly plastic and quite harsh in texture. The are just as absorbent as every other diaper on the market, but they caused deep creases in my newborns legs.
Lastly, Pampers Baby Dry diapers. These diapers are advertised as diapers with 3 layers of absorbency with 12 hours of protection. I was quite intrigued by this notion of a diaper that basically could stay dry for 12 hours. Although, I must admit I would never leave my infant in a diaper for 12 hours, I still was pretty amazed. So, I gave these diapers a try and was pleasantly surprised.
As with every product I use, I do my fair share of research from product websites to just generally Google'ing. After reading nearly 100 reviews I was convinced these might be the worst diapers on the market. Review after review had the same message, "leaky", "horrible", "waste of money". This made me wonder could the diapers be that bad and still sit on the shelves of Target??
So, I proceeded and give them a whirl. The first night (5 hours) I checked on my newborn and found no leakage. The next night (7 hours) same result. Then I moved to using them during the day. This is where I became amazed. My newborn no longer cried from a wet diaper after being in that diaper for nearly 10 hours. I would never leave my newborn in a diaper for that long, but I wanted to test the product message. The following day I return to my normal regiment of changing the diaper with every bottle (every 3-4 hours). My newborn's skin would be nearly dry. I noticed no deep creasing of the skin or redness from the plastic of the diaper.
It has now been 2 weeks and I still use Pamper's Baby Dry diapers all day and night. These are great diapers when used in everyday usage. I concluded that the issue is not that the diapers are poorly made, but they unfortunately are falsely advertised. Mother's who leave their children in the diaper for more than 8 hours run the risk of leakage.
My advice: Use them, they are great, but just change them often.
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