Sorry for the lack of posting lately, but we've had our hands full (literally!) with a very unhappy baby as of late... A trip to the pediatrician earlier this week confirmed that poor Greta has not only been dealing with an ear infection, but most likely also infant reflux, as she's pretty much a poster child for the symptoms - irritability/fussiness, resisting eating even when hungry, arching back during and after eating, chronic sinus congestion, gagging, and frequent hiccups. She rarely spits up, so has been diagnosed with "silent reflux" - basically stomach acid travels up her throat, but she swallows it back down rather than spitting it up. Since ear infections are extremely rare in breastfed babies of this age, Greta's infection is probably also due to the reflux (yet another symptom) and her doctor has her on an antibiotic to treat it. Since we've already been doing most of the non-medicinal stuff suggested to help ease reflux (keeping baby upright for awhile after feedings, carrying her in a wrap frequently, watching my diet to see if there's any specific things in it that seem to especially irritate her, etc.), she's also been started on Zantac in an attempt to ease some of her discomfort. We're only a few days in, and it's hard to tell if Greta's somewhat better mood is due to her ear healing or the reflux being controlled, but she is definitely sleeping more soundly and eating MUCH better. This makes me feel a whole lot better, too, since it's been awful to have nursing lead to screaming and misery rather than the comfort and contentment it's supposed to bring babies! Also on the plus side, Greta's weight gain - she was at 9.5 pounds as of Wednesday - has been good, so even at her worst she's been getting enough nutrition. Greta is still a long ways from what I'd call a "happy baby" and who knows if the prescription will fix everything (it may not be entirely effective or she could just be a higher needs baby on top of any issues), but at least we now think we know what's been going on and are attempting to fix it! So that's what's been happening in the house of Klauser; I promise the next post will be shorter on words and longer on pictures :0) -Amelia