Sleep-Feed-Poop-Repeat
Viaan just turned one month. A typical dining table conversation these days sounds like this.
Me: the broccoli tastes good. Did you see the last poop? Beautiful form.
My wife: yes, pooped after 8 hours. Really happy with the quantity of the poop. The broccoli does taste good.
For any new parents, the sun is shining brighter and it feels like spring when your baby poops like clockwork. As per our paediatrician, the frequency of poop could vary between 0-10 poops a day or 1 poop in 10 days. We came to know about this figure after having already gone through an initial scare when Viaan had had 0 poops in two days. It was Christmas when he pooped the third day. I do not recall a time when I was so happy to see poop in front of my eyes (other than the time when my dog got potty trained and pooped outside the house for the first time – that’s a close second). I smelled it too. My wife’s ‘cool water’ from Davidoff paled in comparison. Don’t cringe. If you have come this far, either you have done it too or you are about to!
When we got discharged from the hospital, we got a set of instructions: Feed every two hours – preferably mother’s feed, wake the baby to feed if necessary, expect baby rashes, vaccination as per the chart provided, AND ‘you will figure out the rest.’ Hmm…sure. I will just call my younger sister who does past life regression and pick up the thread from there. Thank you very much.
Feed every two hours. Mother’s feed. Wake the baby to feed.
Are you able to read the insanity layered in the above statements? When you follow the aforementioned recommendation to a T, what you get is 2 zombies walking around looking after a tiny creature who is probably already living in complete bewilderment owing to his brand new existence. Needless to say, 3 of us, in this continued state of existence is a recipe for disaster.
So I explored. Called up friends, researched the internet, asked colleagues at work, family members, whosoever I could think could offer me a modicum of sensible advice. Eventually, my wife and I settled down to feeding the baby as per ‘standards of sanity.’ Feed the baby every 2 hours during the day. Every 3 hours during the night. Unless demanded otherwise (by the baby of course). Mother’s feed for most part and ‘top feed’ (that’s what they call the supplement) once or twice at night so that the mother lives to see the baby growing up and does not disappear into abyss.
Additionally, the following seems to be working well for us. In order to feel participative, the husbands can help with the supplementary chores – sterilizing the bottles, changing diapers and walking the floor when the baby is crying – ‘with the baby in your arms’ for better effect. Don’t worry. You will get the opportunity to walk solo as well. You should do that outside the house to catch a break – much needed for both mom and dad every now and then. Also, whenever possible, you could try to ‘top feed’ the baby on your own in the night so that the mother can get some more rest. She would be able to get through the day much easily if this were an option presented to her. In case the baby cries, post feed, you could try walking the floor with the baby in the adjacent room (if that is an option) so that the mother has a sound sleep.
The Wailing Baby
Do not try to figure out why. Whenever the baby starts to wail, first check the diaper. If that’s all good and dry, then check the feed cycle. If it aint time yet and you don’t think that there is a medical reason why the baby may be crying (you are on your own here to figure this out), start walking the floor with the baby. Pick up a song and start humming. Even if you are the worst singer, if you sing softly in a tone that is a distant cousin of melody, the baby will take to it. In my experience, limited one at that (please feel free to do your own research), I noticed that my baby likes consistency. So the tune that struck a chord with him was ‘Do-Re-Mi’ from the movie ‘Sound of music.’ It seems to work most times. At other times, I just pace up and down hoping that he would stop wailing anytime now. While doing that, I try and steer clear of walking close to any windows (it’s a high-rise building). It’s not a Vertigo thing, although I do have it. It’s just…umm…how should I put it without scaring you – well, let try this – I do not want my body to follow my mind when my mind is processing thoughts which could be termed as – well – self destructive. A wailing baby at odd hours in the night, night after night, without respite, can alter the chemicals in your brain. I do not kid you. So lock all windows and remember the feeling that you are about to get when the baby DOES finally fall asleep in your arms. Priceless!