Lindsey Fry is a speech language pathologist in Grayslake, Il and works with babies through the local Early Intervention Program. Today she shares a story about little Lauren and her mother, Jen.
My baby is ALWAYS hungry!" This is what I heard
from Lauren's mom, Jen, the first time we met. Lauren was a
"difficult" baby from the start and mom was struggling with being a
new parent. Jen was constantly receiving advice from (well meaning) others and
was feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to make her new daughter happy.
I was connected with this family through the state's Early
Intervention program. When I met Lauren and her mom, she was about 3 months
old. Jen had chosen from the beginning not to breastfeed and was using
formula.
Jen reported, "Lauren is not
happy unless she is sleeping or eating." At this point Lauren was having a
bottle every hour to hour and half during the day and about every 2-3 hours at
night. She would frequently spit up after feedings and never wanted to be put
down. Jen was at her wits’ end and stated, “I just feel like I am doing
everything wrong and I’m not a good mom.”
I worked with the family on a weekly
basis, educating them on all the principles of the H.U.G. Your Baby program
during our sessions. Jen was excited to learn about the different “Zones”
Lauren was in and how to best support and soothe her throughout the day. Jen
learned to read her baby’s SOS cues and respond appropriately to support
Lauren’s growth and development.
Within one month Lauren was a
different baby and Jen reported, “I just love spending time with my baby now.”
Lauren would go 3-4 hours between feedings and Jen was now able to calm her
baby in other ways, rather than resorting to the bottle to soothe her each
time.