So...this is a question you would hear a lot in our home (and in the homes of many new parents). We have asked each other and to no one in particular this multiple times a day. Here are a few scenarios...
Hannah just nursed. She's crying. She burped. Is she having tummy troubles? Is she still hungry? Did she get enough? Should we give her a bottle? Should we wait a few minutes and see? What if we're not giving her enough? What if we're giving her too much and she throws it all up? What should we do?
The swaddle. She likes to be swaddled. She's been swaddled every night since the day she was born. If we swaddled her she'd be asleep within a minute. But then it'll delay the inevitable. She needs to learn to sleep without it. Maybe we should try just her arms out. She doesn't seem to like that at all. She's been screaming for an hour. Ok, let's swaddle her...just for tonight. Maybe we should just go "cold turkey" - no swaddle. Won't she eventually fall asleep? Should we wait and try it again tomorrow night? Should we just start without the swaddle during her nap times? She must learn to settle herself. What should we do?
She has skin issues. The pediatrician has recommended several courses of action - nothing that seems to be making a difference. Hydrocortizon cream, Lubriderm lotion, Eucerin cream...On our 4-month well check we didn't get to see our doctor, but another one. Try olive oil all over her body twice a day. Switch to hypoallergenic formula. Change soap. Use this. Don't use that. Again, no significant change. Two weeks later. Back to the doctor. Try Cetaphil sensitive lotion. Use Nystatin cream. Referral to a dermatologist...Advice from friends. Advice from doctors and PAs. Advice from friends who are doctors and PAs. What should we do?
Thankfully, most of our "What should we do?" moments resolve quickly. For example, the swaddle-weaning took only a couple of nights and Hannah was sleeping just fine again. The skin issues have not been resolved, but we did have an appointment with the dermatologist this morning and now have prescriptions to try. (Great, more prescriptions.) Still, moments of uncertainty are all part of the parenting game.
We have certainly learned the value of a great mom-dad team. We appreciate each other and respect each other's opinions and suggestions. And...I am sure that we will look back on these times and smile.
