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My baby is going to be the death of me
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Anonymous
| I am incredibly stressed out taking care of my 7 month old to the point it's causing health problems. A few days ago I had chest pains and today I am having a sharp pain in the side of my ribs. I know I need to have the babysitter come tomorrow but what can I do to help my stress go down tomorrow. My husband is great but he works long hours. He's out of town for another week. I've been doing this solo for 12 days now. Our baby is hard. He cries often and he demands to be held. I have been letting him cry it out instead of holding him but that's hard too. I got ear plugs today. Tia. |
Anonymous
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Sorry you are going through this. Some babies definitely are more demanding than others! When you say "cry it out" does that mean you're letting him cry himself to sleep or letting him cry during the day when you can't hold him (usually that term refers to the former). During the day, I would try either putting him in a carrier or taking him out for long walks in the stroller somewhere. My DD gets cranky and bored if we are home alone together but loves to go out and see other things/people (doesn't have to be outside if the weather is bad the mall or stores in general will do. Just out of the house). If you haven't yet, I'd also take him to the pediatrician to rule out anything medical; usually by 7 months the colic stage is done and there may be something else going on (or he may just be high needs; my brother was like that).
For yourself, I would try to do whatever relaxes you most when you have the sitter. Is that alone time? Time with a friend? Exercise? Going to a movie alone? Whatever it is, do it, and try not to think about the whole situation with baby at all. Then when you get home, try some new things with him (I'm sure other people on this thread will have suggestions). Good luck! |
Anonymous
| One other thing--if you have friends with babies/kids, go over to their house with your baby--he'll probably be happily distracted, as will you! With both my kids, I've found that spending time with friends this way can really help on a number of levels. |
Anonymous
| Get a nanny. Seriously. You are headed for a breakdown. |
Anonymous
|
I have a pretty chill easy baby and I truly could not do 12 days in a row! And then dreading another week alone? I'd lose it and have an anxiety/panic attack.... saying this so you know you're not alone or crazy in your thinking.
Anyway. You need a sitter so you can get out and have time to yourself. Are you SAHM or WOHM? Either way you need downtime for yourself. Take care of yourself and things will Be better PleS |
Anonymous
| What makes you feel less stressed? Figure out how you relax. Is it a yoga class, long bath, a walk, a nap, hanging out with friends? Figure it out and make a point to do those things. My DH used to travel for months at a time so I get it. I had to have a lot of strategies to deal. |
Anonymous
I am a stay at mom who does free Lance work part time ( while baby naps). I need to stop working or at least get a babysitter when I work. It's hard for me to slow down and relax. |
Anonymous
Believe me, I understand. We had twins who were difficult at times. Our only saving grace was that we both took maternity/paternity leave so that we could take shifts, but when the partner was sleeping, we were on full time. You need to have breaks built in. As you can see, it can be very difficult to do this without breaks and infants generally don't give you breaks until they finally STTN. While your husband is out of town, you need to schedule a babysitter for at least a few hours every couple of days. Maybe 4 hours every other day so that you can take a quick shower and sleep for 3 hours. If you don't need sleep, then shower and head out to wherever you need to go to relax. Even if it is just to the corner Starbucks or Panera to sick over a cup of coffee and read DCUM. It's hard, but you should be close to the end. Most babies will start to STTN by 6-10 months. The colic/reflux/baby fits should finally subside by around 12 months, so you have only a few months until things finally start to ease up. You just have to make it there. Good luck. I hope that you can find a way to reduce the stress for the next few months. |
Anonymous
In all seriousness, you probably have an undiagnosed and unmedicated anxiety disorder. It's been probably manageable until now, but your kid is the straw that broke the camel's back. Talk to your GP at least about an antidepressant. |
Anonymous
I think you're on to something but I am not ok with antidepressants. I have a few friends who are addicted to them and it has caused lots of health problems. I have to look into other options. I used to practice Kundalini yoga. I am going to try this again. |
Anonymous
Antidepressants are not addictive. Anxiolytics (for anxiety) are - is that what you're thinking of? I also think you should consider being screened for post partum depression based on your post. I'm sorry things are so tough, you'll get through this! |
Anonymous
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Call in all reforcements. Fly in grandparents, siblings , call your BFF to come over.
Don't become so distraught that you can't manage. Order take out, forget the laundry and try to sleep when the baby naps. Good luck. |
Anonymous
| Come on. -all this is a part of beibng a mom |
Anonymous
| I was in this situation and was diagnosed with a heart condition right after my daughter's first birthday. I could have typed your post to the word- I felt like I was really stuck and wasn't going to get through it and that my body was breaking down. People told me it was anxiety or PPD and I even got checked by a doctor who didn't think Meds were appropriate for my symptoms. It took an ER visit and hospital admission for the heart diagnosis, and I had a really scary stretch before I was properly medicated and recovered. I'll have surgery soon. After the diagnosis I got a mother's helper for a couple times per week, but I haven't found the perfect solution for intermittently being "on" 24/7 while DH is away for long stretches. Please check your physical health at the same time you check your mental health! |
Anonymous
I'm so sorry op. What is the heart condition ? |