Colic Baby - Loudonville,OH

My second son was a colicky baby. Like you we tried everything and nothing seemed to work. My children's father was an extremely warm person and the one thing that seemed to help was for him to lay down flat and put the baby on his stomach and then cover them both with a blanket. The body constant warmth and the cover seemed to calm him. My grandmother suggested warming blankets in the oven and then laying the baby on the baby on the blanket. Now there are things that you can warm in the microwave that might help. I am not suggesting hot but warm seemed to help with my son.

Been there...my mom helped me. She is an RN and a mom of 5 kids (me being the youngest) so I didnt know what to do. She told me to take the babys temp in the butt and 'gently' wiggle it around....she said it stimulates a bowel movement and helps the baby pass gas. IT WORKED for me... I ended up having to do it 2 times per day in the beginning (after she was 3 weeks old) and then about 1 time per day for a couple more days. once she was 2 months old, it was better. I wish you luck...but I am telling you this did work for me (and my friends too) :)
My mom said colic is just another way of saying 'gas pains'.

Not to be rude, but I absolutely hate the word "colic". It's basically a vague "diagnosis" when dr's don't know why a baby is crying. The "c" word is a bad word in my house. There is a reason baby's cry. My YDS was orignally diagnosed with colic by his former pedi. She didn't even listen to anything beyond "he cries all the time and spits up a lot" before saying he was colicky. At first I thought it was just something we'd have to deal with. But I knew something was wrong. I changed drs (since I had other issues with their former pedi, too) and he was diagnosed with acid reflux. He was put on medication, and once we found the right one for him, he was a completely different baby! I cried the first time he sat and played happily at 5 months old. I wasn't sure that day would ever come. He's now outgrown the reflux and is med free:D But the first few months were hell. No other way to put it. Untreated (or even undertreated) reflux can cause a lot of damage. I strongly encourage you to do your own research and try to find out why your LO is so miserable. There's no reason for our baby's to suffer, no matter what the cause. Your LO may not have reflux, but I'm just letting you know my LO's story.

Here are a couple of great resources to check out.

http://www.marci-kids.com/
http://www.refluxrebels.com/

I agree that a great carrier is going to be your best friend. I have a Kozy carrier (a mai tei style wrap) and a woven wrap (mine is from www.wearababy.com). A Moby is great up to 15 lbs (stretchy wraps are only good for smaller babes). Other great carriers are Ergo, Beco, and BabyHawk. All these carriers (except for Moby) are good up to ~35 lbs.

For our son we used a baby carrier and "danced" around the living room. We found that for him he needed more forceful movements. For example, the swing itself did not calm him down but if we swung it by ourselves, faster it would calm him down. And just walking around with him did not work, but rather bouncing him a little as we walked around. Good luck it is hard, but it does get better.

We swore by Happiest Baby on the Block. I think we ended up borrowing it from the library because we were on a crazy tight budget, and it only took a few weeks to internalize most of it. Even though it sounds like you're doing some of the things from the book, have you actually read it and done his "start from the top and do all 5 in quick succession" suggestion? I found that sometimes 1 of the s's wasn't enough, sometimes he'd need 2, 3, or even all 5 at the same time to calm down.

I layed my son on his belly across my legs and swayed him back and forward. He also had a little reflux so my doctor had me place a small wedge under the crib mattress to keep his head slightly elevated. Hope this helps. I know it's very trying when they cry and you can't soothe them.

the best trick for all three of my colicky babies was to hold them facing out with my arm pushing on their tummy and bounce on an exercise ball till they burp.

I am so sorry - I would pass up wining the lottery if I was forced to go back to the colic days. The gripe water helped a little, as well as tea made from boiling fennel. My husband also used to wear a carrier into a warm shower with my son. The warm steam would help calm him sometimes. Endless driving in the car helped. Baby Bjorn was a lifesaver. As another poster stated, our son also liked the extreme movement of being in the carrier. I am sure that we were in the unfortunate group, but I swear the colic stage lasted a good 8 months. Aside from trying to get the baby happy, don't forget about YOU. You also need sleep and rest because the whole experience can be very frustrating.
Good luck,
C.

Totally agree with the response on Nutramigen formula - made a world of difference. Gripe water didn't make a difference for us.

Hi B.,

Breast milk doesn't normally cause colic but when breastfeeding can't be done, then you have to "punt." Formulas have many added ingredients, any one of which can be causing the problem. My niece with her 2 month old, with colic and horrible spit up, just moved in with us and we switched her to goat's milk and changed the bottles to Playtex with liners and the "colic" and spitup went away immediately. Goat's milk is closest to breast milk in it's makeup. Some moms add nutitional green powder to give it a little more nutrition.

My two cents!

M.

Try rice water. boil some rice when it's done let it cool use the water add a little corn syrup to give it a bit of a sweet flavor. or try an herb called (manzanella) it's a spanish word, they sell it at the grocery stores. Boil it use the water mix it with some baby water so it won't be too strong and add a little corn syrup. it helped me with my baby.

I swear by the 5s from the Happiest Baby on the block. What worked best for my little one was a paci to suck on, shing in her ear, rocking/swaying, and swaddling. http://www.babyslumber.com/happiestbaby.html

Yes, gripe water did work on my middle child when he was a colicky baby. I believe it is the gripe water that helped my memory of him be a calm and good baby instead of the colicky baby he started as.

When my baby was little he had colic and I gave him "Chamomile". It's in the spices section at the grocery store where you find cinnamon sticks in the little clear bags. I would buy 1 bag and boil it in water and once it boiled I would let it cool off until it was warm and put it in a bottle for him and it would soothe him. Also, what I was once told, is that you can lay your baby on his back on your legs with his feet touching your stomach and it releases any gas that they may have. It worked for me.... Good Luck!!

There are so many reasons for colic - it's hard. Soy is not always easy to digest as some folks don't tolerate it. Could try another formula. Our saving grace was Nutramigen (mine had a milk protien intolerance). Or the suggestion one had of holding him on your forearm, face down, puts some pressure on the belly and helps releive the pain (if that's the issue). Probiotics are great for all of us, and can help w/ digestive issues as well. I'd talk to your pediatrician about changing formula or other adivce. Trial and error is the only way to go. If it's any consolation, my son is now 2.5 and grew out of it around 14 weeks... and is the most laid back easy goign little guy - even at this age. Hang in there... this too shall pass!

B., I SOOOO know what you are going through. My first son had colic that gradually "petered out" between 3-4 mos. What were the odds of our 2nd son having colic? Well, he did. But, his colic suddenly stopped (W/ exception of one evening)~3.5 mos.old. All of the comments below are good, but I would not give corn syrup, which is chemically extracted & therefore worse than sugar for everyone (Sorry Norma). Check this site for a good video clip of a mom doing the "colic hold": www.fci.org/baby/colic.html. (The hold helped us the most). Also, google COLIC & check a variety of detailed sites. Some babies/people are allergic to soy. Goats milk (ck your local healthfood stores and/ or google goat's milk,your area, Ohio.) is often best, when not breastfeeding. Heres why: The size of the protein molecules in goat's milk are closer to the protein size in human breast milk. So, babies do well on it. The protein in cow's milk based formula are very large; Just look how big a cow is in size, compared to humans. This is why cow's milk proteins are large. Humans, especially babies can have trouble digesting the large proteins in cow's milk. (Not to mention lactose intolerance and that cow's milk produces mucous in the human body, which exacerbates colds, ear infections...) Anyway, try these things, and consider going to a D.O. (Osteopathic Doctor): They look for CAUSES, And have a lot of nutritional, allergy training. They treat the body as a whole, and have MORE training than M.D.'s (Osteo sounds like a bone M.D.; They aren't.) Amazingly, most M.D.'s including Pediatricians have very little nutritional training. I breast fed, & still had colicky babies because I overproduced milk & it shot out like a fire hose. We tried mylicon, constant holding, showering, driving, ...and just when we thought something "cured" the colic, it would start up again. (DO try different things. It gives you a small sense of being in control, and you may just find your solution.) It is very difficult, and you need someone to take over so you get a break. This is a good time to reassure your older kids; Tell them honestly that we still don't know why some babies are colicky, but it WILL eventually stop, and you & your baby will be fine. (You will need a vacation w/o kids!) This is the hardest & most important time to somehow find a sense of humor, if possible. Colic redefines the saying "Take it one day at a time"; Each day, my Husband used to say "Just write this day off. Every day is one day closer to life being better." I PROMISE you, it is. A D.O. will find a treatable underlying problem, or, your baby boy WILL outgrow the "colic" and you will emerge from the trenches, tired but stronger. Remind yourself: You are not to blame.

I used warm pepper mint water melt the peppermint in it. I used swaddling and soy formula and mylacon drops. mine had it bad and was allergic to his formula

omg i went through this with my daughter. Nutramigen formula, dr browns bottles and gripe water = best friends. hers was gone in NO time when i switched her formula, its def not cheap but it works wonders and wic also covers it as long as you have a prescription with you.

Probiotics worked VERY well, for my sister. It helps regulate the gut and digestive tract. The best probiotics are at natural food stores, with refrigerated vitamins.

Colic Calm (http://www.coliccalm.com/) worked to take the edge off, as did the Hyland's remedies (Chamomilla, but I'd recommend getting the whole Hyland's Kids Kit --http://www.hylands.com/products/kidskit.php--for childhood illnesses...)

Swaddling, baby-wearing (with a Moby style wrap, those are great!) and lots of nursing and cuddling. It will pass, but I know how hard it is!

If you are at all near Centerville, you might take the babe to April Dunnington, who is a chiropractor and VERY good with infants and children. I recommend her highly. Sometimes gentle adjustment can help. Here's her contact info:
http://www.superpages.com/bp/Dayton-OH/Dunnington-Family-...

I will suggest babies magic tea to soothe your child from colic. It's organic and safe for even first day baby.

My two oldest both had colic. It is the most helpless feeling in the world for a mother. Here are a few things that seemed to work for me. Peppermint herbal tea. I would make a weak batch and feed the baby about 2 ounces. It seemed to soothe their tummies. Acidophilus. I breast fed so I would take refrigerated acidophilus pills and the baby would get it through the milk. I suppose you could add it to formula. This worked an absolute miracle on my second daughter. Her crying fits were more than cut in half.

Good Luck

Gripe water work wonders for some colicy babies. My favorite brand is Wellements Organic Gripe Water and I believe they're now carrying it at Walgreen's. I've found it to work better than the Little Remedies and Baby's Bliss Organic brands. Gas drops, like Mylicon, can also help a lot. Some babies are calmed in swings or vibrating chairs. The last thing in my Fussy Baby Bag of Tricks is a Happi Tummi wrap (http://www.happitummi.com/) which Babies R Us carries. It's an herbal pack you heat in the microwave which goes in a fuzzy wrap you velcro somewhat tightly around the baby's tummy. Some babies really like being bound up tight, so I've put the Happi Tummi over a tight swaddle. When in doubt, try everything all at once! Good luck!

My 8 yr old was a colicy baby for the first 3 months of his life. Screamed 24/7, rarely slept. Very short cat naps when he did. My husband and I tried everything including the gripe water which helped a little. My mom suggested a hot water bottle, not filled up too much- just enough, then a towel laid on top of it and him on top of the towel. I do have to say, that was the best advice anyone ever gave me. My husband and I were finally able to get a couple hours of sleep at a time. Also my aunt taught me a different hold to comfort their tummy, it's hard to explain but basicly holding the baby facing downward while his head is on the side of your arm, stomach supported by your forearm. That worked wonders too when the water bottle didn't do it.