Inconsolable

My patience has been wearing thin recently. Vera seems to be getting more and more inconsolable. Last evening, she woke up from deep sleep howling, as if something had frightened her. She cried for the next 5 hours.

There was nothing we could do to pacify her. No amount of patting, carrying, cuddling or singing. And when we started to feed her, it just got progressively worse.

Of course, as with every crying feed, it takes FOREVER to go down the syringe, and after you’ve finally got the last ml done after 1 hour, vomiting is the end result. She swallows too much air and it just has to come out.

The persistent crying really gets to me. I experience it maybe once a day and already I’m on the end of my tether. Imagine Ian, handling such feeds 3 times on one day last week, (Disaster Day he calls it), all alone.

I’ve been asking myself, “How long more can I do this? This tube feeding thing? This tape replacement thing? This vomiting/cleaning/washing thing?”

Ian’s answer? “Just do it.”

Sorry, but I’m so far from attaining that mentality. I feel like giving up more often these days, feeling like just having a BREAK from this endless cycle. Yet I know I’m in no position to complain because Ian goes through it 24/7. And he’s not once lost his temper.

Sigh….this bringing-up-baby role. The toughest thing I’ve ever had to undertake in my life.