Super-Duper... Pooper

So, in the never-ending saga of Chloe's intestines (please see this post if you are behind) there are updates.  Let's talk about the medicine first and then I'll bring you up to date... here is how it went:

Week 1: Medicine given every 4 hours, happiness descends upon the Castrucci household.  Chloe's gas comes without scrunchy red face and frog legs.  Bowel movements are every once in a while instead of every time she passes gas.

Week 2: Medicine given every 4 hours.  Bowel movements become something of a topic in the Castrucci house (Chloe's bowel movements) since they are becoming rare.  She moves to once a day with lots of straining and seemingly pain for that one movement.

Week 3: Mommy learns from Dr. Google that one of the side effects of the medicine can be constipation so she moves from every 4 hours to more of an as needed basis.  Slowly Chloe's painful gas seems to return and then disappear.  Passing gas is less, bowel movements are more.

Week 4: Chloe's grandparents (my parents) come to visit.  Mommy spends time showing them how cute Chloe's Buddha belly is and Maga (also known as grandma - or na-na to Monkey at the moment), after exclaiming it is cute, wonders if the Buddha belly is in fact a distended stomach.  Mommy, feeling supremely guilty that she has been thinking the distended belly was so cute, realizes it has been over 24 hours since Chloe has had a bowel movement and calls the pediatrician (which has two physicians, one we like and one we don't).  Of course, the one we don't like calls back and basically wonders why she is being bothered for a baby with gas.  Mommy is breastfeeding so Daddy performs an English-to-English translation so that Mommy can be part of the conversation.  The pediatrician is not concerned about the distension because it comes and goes (along with the gas) and says that babies can go 24-48 hours without a bowel movement.  However, she says if we are concerned we can:

• Put Vaseline on our finger and gently insert it into her anus (pediatrician assured Daddy she meant the pinkie finger and Mommy assured Daddy that most people's pinkies are MUCH smaller than his), or
• Put Vaseline on a Q-tip and gently insert that into her anus, and
• If she still doesn't have a movement within the next day to get glycerin suppositories and use those every 12 hours until she has a bowel movement.

(As an aside, I did read all of that on Dr. Google so maybe it isn't so useless).  Anyway... after dithering for some time (and yes, I did just use the word "dithering".... maybe we should bring it back to everyday language) and talking to the grandparents, we decided to try the Q-tip.

It just so happens that Grandpa is also a physician so Mommy asked Grandpa to be the bearer of the Q-tip.  After Mommy apologized profusely, Grandpa did the deed and Chloe didn't even blink.  Nothing happened (not that I thought something would happen right away) so we gave Chloe her medicine and I fed her.  She actually slept through last night (which of course meant I was up at least 3 times making sure she wasn't dead) until I finally woke her at 6:15 AM because my breasts couldn't take it any longer.

There was still no bowel movement so on the way to the airport Mommy stopped at Walgreen's and purchased the glycerin suppositories.  Mommy dropped Maga and Grandpa off at the airport and went home.  At home, Chloe went to her swing so she could watch some TV (I know, fabulous parenting) while Mommy did a few things.  While she was watching TV Chloe made a pooping face (come on, even if you don't have children you know what I'm talking about), but Mommy didn't count on it being anything but an attempt.

Chloe got a little fussy in her swing so Mommy decided she would feed her and then put her down for a nap.  She picked Chloe up from the swing and wondered why Chloe's bottom felt so cold.  She then wondered why it felt squishy as well and she looked down at the swing.  The swing was covered (well one area was covered) with baby poop and so was Chloe.  Mommy took Chloe upstairs, laid 3 blankets on the changing table and put Chloe on top of them.  She peeled off Chloe's onesie and rolled it up to get it over Chloe's head without getting any mess on her face (yes, ewww).  Mommy then had to perform an archaeological dig to search for the missing diaper tabs before she could take off the diaper.  And because of the sheer volume, Mommy just gave up and wiped Chloe down with one of her blankets.  Mommy filled the tub and scrubbed down her little girl.  Meanwhile, Chloe smiled through the entire process.  Then Mommy fed Chloe and now she is sleeping.

So, here are the morals of this story:

1. Dr. Google can be just as informative as your pediatrician (and sometimes nicer).
2. If your baby needs to poop, use a Q-tip with Vaseline or go ahead and buy suppositories - I'm not sure which one did it.
3. If you can get someone else to insert the Q-tip... do so.
4. Into each mother's life poop must come... and come... and come... so get used to it.

And because I know why you really read my blog (it's to get at the pictures, just admit it, I'm okay with it) here is a photo we (my, Maga, and Grandpa) took today:

(Chloe hadn't yet pooped and I think Evan was just confused because I took a picture with my mom's phone, my camera, and Grandpa was taking pictures as well)