If you think you've finally gotten the hang of motherhood–your little one is sleeping better, you've settled into a manageable routine, you can decipher your kiddo's cries–don't let yourself get too excited. Okay, you can get excited, but keep in mind that babies are unpredictable and ever-changing, just when you think you have everything figured out, something is likely to pop up and throw everything out of whack. Plus, a lot of issues are exacerbated in the first year since your little one is still too young to tell you what's going on. But that doesn't mean you have to resign yourself to being helpless. Your plan of action should be to anticipate your child's needs and figure out how to meet them with as little stress as possible. Here are a few issues you're bound to encounter within the first year and some suggestions for coping:
1. Immunizations. Since most babies get their first round of immunizations at 2 months old, you'll likely have to figure this one out first. Some babies will have no side effects at all, while others will spike fevers, become extremely fussy and cranky and/or be excessively groggy for a couple of days. Effects will vary from child to child and with each new set of vaccines.
The solution: It can be confusing and overwhelming when your child seemed perfectly normal a couple of hours ago, but is now a screaming mess, and in fact, the onset of the side effects can be so sudden, you won't even know what hit. As long as it's okay with your pediatrician, try giving your baby an appropriate dose of infant acetaminophen if he becomes cranky or sore. Just be sure to keep a close eye on your baby in case other symptoms pop up that could be unrelated to the immunizations, and report ANY side effects to your pediatrician.
2. Growth spurts. Infants go through about five growth spurts in the first year, and your baby's sudden need to eat around the clock may render both of you exhausted and cranky.
The solution: Growth spurts generally occur between 1 and 3 weeks, between 6 and 8 weeks and again at 3 months, 6 months and 9 months and last for two or three days. Your child may hit his or hers a couple of weeks earlier or later, making it hard to prepare yourself ahead of time. The trick is to be on the lookout for signs pretty much at all times and to pay particular attention to the weeks surrounding the estimated ages. When you think one has hit, either nurse on demand or offer your baby formula more frequently. If you want to continue nursing on a schedule, remember that you may need to shorten the length of time between feedings and if your baby stops sleeping through the night, offer milk during the nightwakings for a few days and then resume whatever sleep methods you usually use.
3. Teething. Whether your baby starts cutting his first teeth at four months or at nine, it's bound to happen sooner or later, and with it you'll likely notice at least a few symptoms. Lots of babies will become cranky and clingy and some will even suffer from a fever, runny nose, diarrhea and of course, sleeplessness.
The solution: Once the top of the tooth breaks through the skin–a process that can take a few days–you'll be over the worst of it. In the meantime, treat your child with infant acetaminophen and lots of extra snuggles. Clinginess and whining can be frustrating, but it's caused by pain and you are your baby's primary source of comfort. Focus on loving on him as much as you can for the next few days and don't worry about resuming normalcy until he's feeling better.
Bonus tip: These and just about every other hiccup you'll face in your child's first year of life are all perfectly normal and temporary issues. They will pass, and before long you won't even remember how challenging they were. So try to relax and just go with the flow.
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