Colic/Gassy Or Just Fussy

Hi T.. All babies become more and more fussy and difficult to soothe from their due date up through their 6th week. Week 6 can be pretty tough! After that 6 weeks, about 80% of babies will begin to settle down. The other 20% will be fussy and difficult to manage until 3 to 4 months old. These types of babies (the 20%) are usually called "colicky infants," even though it has nothing to do with stomach or medical issues. Assuming there are no other medical issues, symptoms or concerns, I would give your baby a couple more weeks (when she turns 7 weeks old) to see what happens.

All babies (well I should say most) have a fussy time during the day. And for most it is during the dinner hour. A gassy or colicky baby will become uncomfortable and fussy after feedings.

Fussy babies during forst 3 months are not atypical. If fussiness is more on the evening and night hours than colic is most likely culprit. I put my daughter on soy based formula dn my son I used carnation good start. But if formula is not an option then the great wonder trick was placing something warm over baby's tummy. I had a baby warmong bottle and I used a wide ribbon to keep it tied to my kids stomachs. Not too tight. During day I would take clothe diaper and wrap around tummy after I placed diaper and then the onesie over that ( you can use gauze tape to secure cloth diaper)

This is what worked for me. Good Luck and God Bless you and your family

My daughter was fussy and I had some people tell me she had gas. "It's gas" is a standard response for everything sometimes. But she never refued to eat, which some gassy babies will do, and she did not mostly complain after eating. A fussy baby could just be trying to tell you they don't like whatever it is you are doing or they are tired, etc. If the baby tends to cry more after eating or stretches the legs out as if in pain, then there is a good chance it is gas. Also, sometimes the tummy gets a little more firm when a baby is gassy. You will also have a lot harder time calming the baby down, changing scerey or pposition will not work.

Hi T.-
I can only tell you that my baby (six weeks only tomorrow) is clearly colicky and you can tell between fussy and colic once you have a baby with colic. This kid moans and groans and grunts or just plain cries about 70% of the day and night. I breastfeed exclusively and I've noticed that whenever I eat more whole grains (which I have increased in my diet over the last year) he is way more miserable than normal. I eat very little bread now and also give him Mylicon at every feeding... he STILL passes gas constantly (mostly while eating) but he is much better overall. I've tried reducing dairy, but that doesn't seem to help for us. I also try to keep him upright a lot and constantly burp him - he loves the baby bjorn and gets the most sleep with it. Good luck!!

With my experience (and I b-fed too) was that the cranky time of the day was around 4p-7p, and I heard that from many friends too. If you think she is gassy, then you can try eliminating dairy from the diet to see if that helps. Eggs can also cause gas too (it did with mine). Also a tummy massage to soothe her, start at R Hip bone and work clockwise, that is the flow of the digestive track, if she starts letting a few out, then you know it is gas, but if anything, it will help relax her too. Dr. Sears says colicky babies who are b-fed, mom would need to eliminate both dairy and wheat to help relieve symptoms in the baby.

Best Wishes and Happy Turkey Day.
J.