[Juliana13]

Originally Posted by dg8268

Thank you so much! Everyone gave me that advice as well about the crying. My sister says that no baby ever got hurt from crying. I feel like she is too young to let her cry though. How old are your children? Where did you adopt from?

My children are now almost 6 and 3. They both came from here - domestic. Our daughter was from Washington, where we lived, and our son was born out of state. We got them at 2 and 3 days old. I agree with the too young to just let them cry thing. I never did let my children just cry - like cry themselves to sleep, or whatever. But it was lifesaving when I felt frustrated, or desperately needed a quick break. Colic was SOOOO hard for me! (Okay, probably not so fun for my daughter, either - but she doesn't remember it!) She would sometimes cry for 8 or 9 hours (started at about 4 weeks old). And nothing I did would help. I tried all the tricks. People who knew they could "fix" it would come over to try out whatever their proven method was, and no improvement. My husband had a job that caused him to be away a lot (he has since gotten a new job) and I was at my wits end. It lasted for 2 months (two eternally long months). And stopped on her 3rd month mark. Just like the books said it might. I remember holding her that night, when she turned 3 months old and crying. I told her she had to stop, because I couldn't do anymore. And the next day she was fine. No colic. Done. (Of course, the sleep deprivation and other struggles continued, so it is still hard, even without colic.)

Okay, enough of my sob tale... But seriously, your post is bringing back memories of the "dark time" And I am now sitting here thinking, are we sure we want a third??? Are we brave enough to do another newborn?? Yikes!!

Okay, back to you... I agree with you that I wouldn't advocate just "letting her cry" on a regular basis - but if you are at the end of your rope, then it helps to know that it is okay to put her down and walk away. Babies can feel our stress and frustration, and sometimes it helps to put her down and step outside for a breath before going back in to hold her again. (Just don't lock yourself out!!)

Being a mom, especially a new mom of a newborn is SOO much work!! It is not always the blissful, peaceful, beautiful time that one sometimes envisions. And it may all end up as a blur in your memories. These new little ones need a lot of care, and keep needing it. And keep needing it. And you keep giving it. Just make sure you are taking care of you. Your baby needs her mom to be in good shape emotionally. Wish I was there to help more... Hang in there!