The chiropractor didn't work. We went back today for one more visit, but I'm convinced it's a waste of money in the grunting department. The spots that were adjusted last week were all tight again today (I could even feel a big difference before and after), but Isaiah has been as grunty as ever after both appointments, so I don't think that's what's making him grunty in the first place.
Isaiah is now in his own room, unfortunately. This is not very restful for me. His grunting is SO LOUD. It's the same volume as if he were screaming from hunger. Actually, I think it's actually louder. So I can hear all of it over the monitor, except the quieter, normal-volume newborn grunts, and since he's not in my room I have to actually go across the hall to see if he's awake or not. It's definitely not an ideal situation, but when he's in my room I can't get ANY sleep.
I seriously never know whether he's awake or asleep. He grunts SO MUCH. All the time. And it gets worse as the night goes on. Both Justin (who sleeps like a rock) and I were awake from pretty much 4:30am onward because the scream-grunts were incessant.
I just ordered a friggin expensive video monitor. At least that will save me from the many trips to his room in the middle of the night to figure out if he's awake or not.
The only patterns I notice are:
-The grunting is worse when it's been many hours since his last poop. I think this is why it's so much worse at night - he's usually not pooping at night anymore.
-It seems to be at its worst when he's lying on his back and swaddled. Unfortunately if he's not swaddled he doesn't sleep more than 10 minutes. He's not as grunty if he's sleeping in someone's arms or if he's lying on our chests.
I don't think there's anything I can do except wait it out. Today I'm attempting to go dairy-free, though. I really think it's a long shot in our particular situation, especially since I don't have a lot of dairy to begin with. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep it up, considering I'm not convinced that it's going to help. He doesn't have any other signs of a dairy sensitivity. But I'm sleep deprived and desperate. So I'll try it.
Because this picture makes me laugh.
