Life with Jackson

The transition from two to three kids has been both easy and really hard.  

Jackson has been, hands down, our hardest baby.  We had a rocky start with his low blood sugar and extreme "breastmilk jaundice" that lasted six weeks. 

A typical scene

About a month ago, Jackson stopped pooping on his own, was incredibly gassy and just in, seemingly, constant discomfort.  We resorted to pear juice in bottles of breastmilk, suppositories every night and infant gas relief drops non-stop.  Nothing was working and we didn't like having to give our infant all that "stuff" - especially since it didn't seem to be helping!

My mom convinced me to take him to her (upper cervival) chiropractor last week.  I was skeptical but desperate.  The idea is that if the upper vertabrae are aligned properly there will be no pressure on the nerves running from the brain to the rest of the body.  When the spine is not aligned and there is pressure on those nerves, the body can get mixed signals from the brain causing problems.  Ok, makes sense.

He checked him out by hanging him upside down, by his hips, and watching how his head moved.  It only went one way.  He asked me if he had trouble nursing/favored one side.  I told him he prefers the left and has issues latching well on the right.  The chiropractor told me that one side of his neck was stuck/stiff.  He gave him an adjustment and we went on our way.  A few hours later Jackson pooped - on his own.  Two more days went by with nothing and now he is back to pooping, daily, on his own. 

He's been re-checked and adjusted once since then and we go back in a month for another alignment check.  He is, all around, a happier little guy this past week than he has been in a long time.  He actually lifts his head up during tummy time, he grunts and groans less and can latch properly on both sides while nursing.  

Maybe it's the chiropractic care or maybe it's the fact that he is also on reflux medication now.  Maybe it's a combination of both.  All I know is that he is happier and feels better :)

We still can't get him into even a loose routine of eating and sleeping.  Every day is a new adventure.  There is no "norm" with him.  The late nights are straining mine and Jason's relationship heavily.  We are stressed out, tired and we point fingers at each other constantly.  I know this will all pass.  He will eventually sleep but right now it is just hard.

I returned to work two days ago and I'm hoping that some time out of the house will benefit me.  The family can get back into the routine of hanging with dad in the morning and mom at night - during the week.  

Despite all the struggles - I get to snuggle and enjoy this little guy so it's all good!