I want to tell you how the past couple of days have been, but I don’t know how much detail you want about my daughter’s poop.

Let’s just say that we’ve tried three new, different formulas. One of them seems to have helped. We had one good day, and then it all went to hell yesterday afternoon and evening. We think it’s one of the formulas that upset her stomach, so we’re back to the one we used on the day she seemed better. Wouldn’t you know, it’s the one that is twice as expensive as all the other formulas on the market. Forget saving for college! We need to feed her first.

We’ve changed several things in her routine, however, so we aren’t sure which variable is working. I was probably overdoing interaction with her. She seemed hyper-alert and to fight sleeping — a sign that she was overtired. Karen very kindly shared her wisdom via phone, and she made the point that simple consciousness is quite a lot of stimulation for babies. So we’ve spent the past few days mostly in her room. We feed her there, play with her a little, and rock her to sleep, and often sit for hours while she sleeps on us. Sometimes we put her in the crib and she’ll stay asleep for an hour or two. Other times she wakes within five minutes. We’ve taken her out on one errand and on a walk, but we’re trying to control the environment a bit more. She is, after all, only five weeks old.

I tried the Moby Wrap with her, but she’s having none of that! At least, not at this age. Maybe once she can support her head it will work. The Miracle Blanket (swaddle) has helped some, but unless she’s really exhausted and stressed, she kicks her legs out. This child is just so changeable, it’s difficult to know what will work. What helps one day doesn’t the next, or even within the same day.

Everyone’s comments on the last post have been most helpful, especially the reassurance from those who have walked this path before.