Follow Your Instincts
By Sarah DiCello
Before my first daughter was born I tended to be a pretty passive person. Nothing overly excited me or got me to stand on my soapbox and shout, “You must listen to me world!” That all changed with the birth of Ava. She was a very tough baby to care for because, as the doctors put it, she had “colic.” What the heck is colic anyway? I’d ask myself this question night after night while passing her back and forth between my husband and me because we just needed a break between fits. One weekend she screamed for hours. I’m not sure she slept at all. She was dropping weight and started to look like one of those fake rubber chickens you get from the dollar store.
I’d had it. We’d been to the doctor and on the phone with this doctor and that doctor only to be told there was nothing we could do. Neighbors and family were asking why we weren’t bringing her over to see them. When we put her in her car seat she’d scream bloody murder. My husband was ready to commit me when found me in the backyard one day rocking back and forth in tears. I couldn’t take it anymore.
After three weeks, I finally picked up the phone and said to the nurse, “I am coming in with my daughter today. What’s the next appointment you have?” She responded, “What seems to be the problem?” I wasn’t about to answer the same question I’d been answering for the first weeks of Ava’s life only to be shut out again. I got my mad face on and replied, “It doesn’t really matter because you’ll tell me she’s colicky but no one seems to understand exactly what that is. Something is wrong and I’m coming in.” She complied and after seeing a doctor we had never seen before, Ava was diagnosed with acid reflux. The poor thing was in serious pain from eating for weeks until I finally put my foot down and stood up for my daughter.
Now, I follow my instincts. I’ve learned to stand on my soapbox and declare, “You must listen to me world!”
Sarah DiCello is the mother of two daughters, Ava (7) and Juliana (4). Her debut novel, As I Close My Eyes, launched this past summer with the sequel coming out Christmas 2012. You can find Sarah on her blog, Facebook and on twitter.
Congratulations on your book Sarah! And thank you for sharing your wisdom with TheMommyhood.com!
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