Our little girl - the drama has begun! Farts, gas and RSV.

I texted my husband earlier today since he is at work letting him know the status of our daughter's 6-month well-check that was earlier today. Turns out, the little cold that I thought was causing her nose to water and chest to be slightly congested is actually Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes infection of the lungs and breathing passages and a major cause of respiratory illness in young children which can lead to more serious illness, especially in children under 2 years old.  

I sent him the above pictures. The first, taken during her well-check up and the second one, as I was giving her the treatment through a nebulizer (which might I add, was a whole other story trying to figure out and use- inspiring me to write this post since the way I learned to use the nebulizer was through a mom's you-tube instruction blog video. Kudos to all of the moms who create such helpful things!

Now, my two sons who were in day-care from 12 and 6 weeks old respectively, have never had RSV (at least, they were never diagnosed), but our daughter who has never been in regular daycare - does.  I'm sure she contracted it from one or both of her brothers whom had coughs and colds last week (which was probably RSV- ooops!).  In any case,, I found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed by what I needed to do to help treat this virus and in awe, yet again of how much I, as a caregiver, need to be aware of with young children.

Onto the drama part. (mind you-by drama, I don't mean it in a negative way, merely, that drama is more "active" and engaging - requiring, more reaction from those around her --- if that makes it sound any better)
 So, other "issues" we've experienced with her that we never did (with our two boys, thank God), include:
- Eczema
- Colic
- Acid Reflux
- Gas/farts that smell like poop explosions!!!

Now these may not be BIG things at all, and we are so blessed that her health is for the most part, excellent, but we really took for granted just how blessed we were with our boys as neither of them experienced any of the above health issues. Also, having worked with families with special needs children, I am even more aware and inspired by the strength of parents and caregivers whom nurture and accomodate health issues which are much more severe than anything I have experienced.  I feel embarrased for even writing a post about all of this knowing how this "drama is only but a fraction- if that" of that experienced in the daily lives of many others.  Parenting is hard enough as it is, having to throw in health issues adds a whole other dimension of what it means to be self-less. (at least that's how I see it). 

Nevertheless, I will carry on with the post.

Now, The first month with our daughter was somewhat of a blur due to the way she cried --- constantly -- and all of the spit up that we had to be aware of, clean up and nurture.  I had heard of "colicky babies" and others with feeding issues and mothers whom had to really restrict their diets due to the effect on her milk --- and to be honest, I had always thought "it couldn't be as bad as people say it to be"... and maybe it isn't all that bad but after enduring weeks of lots of crying due to collic, reflux and who knows what else,  I can say that I am glad that she is much better.  At around four months old, she stopped spitting up as much and became somewhat of a little angel baby.  She has always been "joyful" even despite any discomfort, and she has been an excellent sleeper since around 5 weeks old but the "gas" and reflux in her tummy I believe is now "under control" and for that, we are so ever grateful.  I definitely don't miss the first several nights in which both David and I took turns, I was nearly in tears, handing her over to him in pure exhaustion and frustration as to what the problem could be.  In our minds, we were doing everything right, baby was nursing and latching-on perfectly, drinking and growing great -- but in between the feedings was just--gas, spit-up, uneasiness, discomfort-inconsolable crying.  Our beautiful baby girl was a drama-baby and David and I were heart-broken at the fact that we felt helpless - all we could do was hold her, kiss her and show her love, rub her tummy, give her massages and give her the treatment basically, while also making time for our other boys who needed us. 
Thank you Jesus that those days are over.

The Eczema on the other hand, took us for a loop.  I had no idea what was happening. Why was our baby's skin so rough? What are all these red patches? In my life, I have never seen anybody with eczema, I didn't know what a patch looked like and believed for the first few days that they were mosquito bites, or heat rash or allergies.  It didn't seem to bother her much and she was/is quite the trooper. It wasn't until her 2-month well-check appointment when her pediatrician remarked "oooh, I see she has eczema!", upon walking in the door and seeing her that we realized what the "skin-drama" was all about.  Once we knew exactly and realized how severe eczema can get, we researched lots of articles and educational websites listing all of the many treatments and ways to prevent spreading and outbreaks.
 Having to wash her clothes all over again, wash her skin with special no-dye, eczema special formulas, not being able to put my favorite Johnson & Johnson baby lotion on her (oooh, how I love that smell) and the constant rubbing of coconut oil and Aquafor on her skin and scalp
 --- it is definitely a good amount of "drama".  Again, I had no idea just how sucky eczema is and feel grateful that we didn't have to experience it with our boys.

Now, onto the farts! Boy oh Boy! I'm sure this has something to do with the reflux in her tummy, but boy!!!! The nastiest smells I have ever experienced from any of our 3-children and I could argue--from anywhere,  have come from our beautiful infant baby girl's bottom.  When she farts, we swear that it is a huge poop explosion because of the scent and explosive
sound... but nope! It is just a fart. I've tried to clear my diet of excess processed foods and keep a balanced diet so that my milk could be the best for her and on days when all i've eaten were veggies and whole foods, the farts remain the same so I'm still not sure what it could be.  Still though, even though her farts are wicked --- she is the most beautiful girl I've ever laid my eyes on.

So despite the issues that we have experienced with our princess, we have come to the conclusion that truly, girls are just "more drama" than boys. Either that, or the 3rd baby really is a charm.  Let me not forget that at 6-months, she sleeps 9-10 hours STRAIGHT each night for us and is very content now with playing in her jumper and on the floor various toys, she is also quite a "rough one" and can carry her own when it comes to her big brothers.  Girl Power! She truly is our little gem, our Alegria Jubilee "Joyous Celebration" with her firecracker farts and all!