Colicky Baby

I read a detailed article about one very possible cause of colic. When a baby is born, especially if it is a difficult birth, the nerves in the back of the head/neck may become pinched. These nerves lead directly to the diaphragm and stomach, causing terrible pain. A very gentle chiropractor (pediatric chiro. especially) can take even a very tiny infant and massage him very gently in all the right areas to relieve the pinch. I'm so very sorry for the poor, innocent little one that suffers needlessly and we clueless parents try so hard to do all the right things!!......Best to you, Zo

I had a really colicky baby, too. I am sooo sorry! I know this sounds like a lot but what I did was when the crying started (3pm and on...)I would run a warm bath in the bath tub for the both of us. I would do this in the evening and it seemed to really help and sooth her. I have no idea why, but at least is was some time of peace. Good luck!

E.,
My 13yr old daughter had collic and I would juice carrot juice in my juicer and put 1oz of carrot juice to 7 oz of water. this did seem to sooth her stomach for 8hrs so I could get some sleep.
As she has gotten older we discover a lactose intolerance, switched her to soy and she is doing great today.
Hope this helps.
Smiles,
K.

Colic is easy to fix. Just go to your local European or Arab delicatessen (or call around) and ask for "Gripe Water". This is a dill-based solution that has Dill and sugar (i don't know what else) which is AMAZING at wiping out colic. My mother-in-law is from Lebanon and knew about it. I have Canadian friends, and the British use it as well.

Good luck, I hope you find it.

We used Hylands Colic tablets for our little one and I made sure that I ate milder foods along with limiting my sugar intake. A mild chamomile tea (do not sweeten it)also helps. You should talk to a pediatric naturopath in your area. They can be very helpful with things like this!
Colic is so hard on mamas and babies... hang in there, they do grow out of it!
Best of luck to you!

Try a Sheet Ride -

Place baby on his/her tummy on an old sheet, and slowly drag her around your floor with low lights and soft music (or loud music, to hear oover Baby!). The sheet ride provides a full-front massage without the stimulation of Mom or Dad in Baby's space. The motion is soothing and the tummy on the floor provides lots of other benefits, too. Worked for us!

-K. (www.jitterbugdanceww.com)

Hey E.,
My baby was very colicky too and it affected her so much she would cry when trying to burp or pass wind. We tried everything but nothing helped. She had a permanent frown and I nick-named her "Grumps" because she was so grumpy, grouchy and sensitive - she'd cry if you so much as twitched after she settled into a position while carrying her! I switched to a Soy based formula and it was like magic. We started the formula at her then 2pm feed and by her 7am feed the following day, she was cooing AND smiled for the first time! Her symptoms disappeared. She was 4 and a half weeks old.
You may want to aske your pediatrician about switching to a soy-based formula. I know they say the babies outgrow the colic but I could not imagine putting my baby through that pain and discomfort till she was 12 or 13 weeks old, which is when they say the symptoms disappear.

I took my daughter to the chiropractor and he did a few adjustments and no more colic. It was great my cousin took her daughter and the same thing. Hope your baby is feeling better.
C.

wow you got alot of responses and I am sure there is alot of advice there. For me, my son and daughter are both sensitive to milk protien (whey). My first pediatrician told me it was an old wives tale but my next one validated it. About 2 weeks after I stopped drinking milk the colic stopped and I had a happy baby. They are 3 and 1 and are still very sensitive (bad gas and sometimes diarrea).
another product that really, really helped was hylands colic tablets. I found them at Fred Meyer in the homiopathic section. That whole line of products is excellent. Thats what worked for me. Good Luck, Jen

we are also dealing with a colicky baby- he is 10 weeks old and has acid refulx- he is on meds but keeping him upright seems to be helping the most- the best way we have found to get him to sleep is swaddled, on his side and head elevated. other tips... don't burp him over your shoulder, it hurts the tummy, rather burp in a seated position, holding his head up in your hand. make sure he is not eating too fast, (I breastfeed and my milk comes in fast so I have to express some before I feed him) and if bottle fed make sure the formula is't coimg out too fast

hope some of that helps.... a crying baby can wear you out fast i know.

K.
www.mamamonkey.com

Our first baby was colicky, although we didn't know it at the time, we just thought "this is how it is". With our second child, I knew more. I breast fed instead of formula, but if you have to use formula, use soy, it is easier on their tummies.

Chamomile and Peppermint are good tummy teas and Fennel is regularly suggested for colic. All are know to be gentle and good; please though like them up and double check what I said.

try peppermint oil just put 1 or 2 drops in his bottle and it helps alot. you can also lay the baby on your stomache skin to skin wrap up and blanket and rub his/her back that really helps to move the gas around and get it out. I had to do that with my oldest and it worked really good. good luck to you,let me know if you try it and how it works for you.almost forgot put the peppermint in luke warm water not sure if it would be good in formula.

As one of the other mom's said, Prevacid worked for us. Also we were given a wedge for him to sleep on to keep him at a 30% angle and between the medicine and the wedge he slept and was a much happier baby. It worked great for us. Good luck.

I have been told (and seen it work) to use Hylands colic tablets... you can find them at Fred Meyers, I believe they are by the pharmecy department... they are homeopathic (so safe for babies). All of my friends use them and they work for them within about 5 minutes!

Hi E.,
I sure know the stresses and work that goes into a colicky, my baby hope also 4 months was miserable for mnonths. thanks to the intervention of my aunt on vacation, we discovered that a wet dishrag in the microwave for one minute and a ziplock bag, I put the bag on the baby's tummy then a recieving blanket on the bag so it doesn't touch & burn her skin.
Hope would fuss a little bit then fall asleep or just calm down. that actually got her to sleep through the nights. But i do have to say it seems to make her pee alot more...

I am so sorry that your Baby is Colicky. Did the Dr's rule out Acid Reflux. I have a one year old, and when he was about 2 months old he started screaming in pain around 5 in the evening and he would scream for 2 hours straight then throw up. He turned out to have reflux. What I would do would be to just walk him and walk and walk for the entire 2 hours, sometimes it helped and sometimes if I walked outside the sights helped take his mind off his pain. I also heard of rubbing his belly very gently in small circles, you could always ask a Massage Therapist. My Mom is one, her email address is ____@____.com

My brother and sister were very colicky babies.. what we did from the time they were about 2 months old, was give them peppermint water. Four ounces of warm, not tepid water, then we would swirl a toothpick into a bottle of culinary peppermint oil, then swirl the toothpick into the warm water to mix.. worked every time..we also massaged their tummies.

Now with my daughter, we would put aloe vera juice on her pacifier or her bottle nipple. It would help to soothe her, and calm down the colic. Both are safe and natural. Good luck.

My oldest daughter had colic bad...
I had an elderly german lady friend who told me how to make "fennel tea", and it helped !!!
Fennel seed is availiable in the spice section of the store.
Heat some water to almost a boil, add the fennel seeds and let them seep, then cool... Give to Baby in the bottle...

Big warning on the peppermint... it can take their breath away !!!!

People say they set the baby in the car seat and run the dryer.
That sounds pretty expensive to me !!!!!!!
I have a hometics sound machine that we got at Bed, Bath & Beyond for 18.00... It has a mothers heartbeat sound that is what it sounds like to the baby in the womb... very cool, I like it alot !!!!!
Best of Luck to you.....
This time with your little one is so precious....

What did the pediatrician say it was? My first son had reflux that made him cry a lot for the first 4 months of his life. We tried different medicines and the one that finally worked was Prevacid. He took that for about a year and then grew out of it and has been fine since. It can be really hard to deal with..if this is what it is I would give Prevacid a try. I hope you find something that works! Good luck!

Hi E.,

I doubt there's anything wrong with your little one. I suggest reading the book The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp. I think that would explain a lot to you about what your baby is experiencing right now.

Take Care,
T.

If you've been to a GI doc already with no to little relief for baby, I'd next take him/her to an allergist. My now 3 mo. old was constantly in pain but with a combination elimination diet, GI info and allergy tests we found that she has acid reflux (GERD), an allergy to wheat, barley and dairy and some intolerences to a few other foods. We used no drugs and she still nurses exclusively. Here's what worked:

1. Get a wedge side sleeper that is angled. For GERD it is most comfortable to be tummy down at a 30 degree angle, but because of the SIDS risk we settled on the side sleeping position.

2. I started an elimination diet where I cut out everything but rice, water, turkey and lettuce for two weeks. It takes dairy specifically 2 weeks to leave your system. Then I introduced things back in every 2 days (except dairy). Dairy is often an issue for babies. But, I'd recommend you get allergy tests instead so you don't have to go on a wild goose chase trying to find the food culprits. If you're using formula switching to soy may work, but they all have corn syrup in them, so if corn is an allergen you'll have to get an Rx for formula without.

3. Don't put baby in clothes with a waistband.

4. When holding baby use a front carrier so they're completely upright. Also try to hold baby without placing pressure on the abdomen. Facing down across my lap works well.

Good luck! I know how hard it is to see your baby in pain.

Infant Massage and CranioSacral therapy are two things that have been helpful for many people. There is a specific infant massage series of motions for colic, which can be easily learned. I have friend that is a CST therapist in Vancouver named Tomiko Saldia. She may be able to help you. She may also know an IM instructor in your area.
Blessings,
S.

Chiropractic does work very well. In fact, I am married to a wonderful Chiropractic Physician if you need a good one. Although we live in Bend and I am not sure where you live. He has been adjusting our son since he was born. He is 2 now and has never had any health problems. He says that adjustments for infants can work by restoring function to the nerves that innervate the intestines. Since the birth process is a traumatic event for the newborn, many things can happen to the little ones body that can cause such things as pain and colic. Pretty interesting and amazing! Good luck... let me know if you would like anymore info on this.

Hi E.,

We also had a colicky baby and a couple of things worked for us. One thing was to put him on his tummy over his boppy and rub/pat his back for 1/2 hour after feeding. Another was to heat up one of those little bags filled with rice (we got ours from New Seasons)in the microwave and then put that on his tummy. (Make sure it is warm and not hot). We'd also lightly massage his belly from his tummy down to his intestines...almost manually trying to work things down in a gentle manner. A warm bath also helped at night. Sometimes we'd have to do a combination of all of these things. Also - trying to feed before play time vs. sleep time really helped...if you put them on their backs immediately after feeding, there seem to be more issues. Hang in there...it does get better over time.

I notice one mom recommended peppermint oil. This does relax the involuntary muscles in the digestive tract in many people, and so it might help. But this is important: PEPPERMINT COULD MAKE THE PROBLEM WORSE!

Please check with your pediatrician first. Some mint oil is so concentrated that it could actually be dangerous for a baby. If reflux is causing the colic, relaxing the valve at the top of the stomach is not what you want to have happen. (I have G.E.R.D. and cannot use peppermint in anything - it increases my misery about 100 percent.)

"Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." I think by WEissbluth was really helpful in managing the difficulty with sleep for colicky kids. I know it is really stressful, but it WILL pass! Good luck!

it may be that he is reacting to something your eatting. sounds silly, but i cut out dairy for a week & thecolic went way down. Some other major sensitivity foods for infants are wheat, soy, tomtoes, definately dont eat garlic or onions. but dairy is the big one.

A couple of suggestions are baby massage and a chiropractor. Although I have no personal experience with them, I have heard it works wonders!

Hi, the "medical"definition of colic is: 3 hours, 3 times a week. My three month old can be very cranky. I definitely go for the natural way of healing. The first chiropractic adjustment did wonders and it still does. Also homeopathic remedies are wonderful as well! Good luck! It will pass!

Have you tried gripe water? YOu can find it an New Seasons just ask in the nutrition section. We found this late after Riley got through the worst of it. The gripe water helped tremendously for us. Finally some relief.

Hello E..
We survived our daughter Nora's first 3 months as a colicky baby by using Mylicon drops (a simple anti-gas agent called simethicone does the magic). They are a wonder and I buy them for ever expectant mom I know. (They are stronger and more effective than Gripe Water). There is also a tummy massage for gas that follows an "I Love U" shape- I can't remember exactly how it goes, it's been 4 years, but I bet you could find it on the Dr. Sears website- we got it from his book. Most important- if you are breastfeeding mom cut out all soy and dairy completely and immediately. Our daughter outgrew her allergies to both by about 2 but until thengetting them on her own or through breastmilk tied her stomach up in total knots. Best of luck. Embrace the colicky baby as a lesson in love and patience that will carry you through the next challenge.
E. in Portland

I'm curious what kind of colic and when. None of mine where colicky however my niece was and one thing we found out was she didn't (and still doesn't) like being around a lot of people. And looking back we can remember the times she was fussy and it was at a b-day party or something.

My other thought is what your eating (that is if you're nursing). There are so many things that can upset the baby. And every baby is different. Here's a few that upset my daughter...chocolate, broccoli, tomato products, spicy foods, coffee, ect.

There's so many. If you think that could be the problem I suggest going online to find some more foods to stay away from.

I'm sorry, it does get better. My friend said she wouldn't have anymore kids after her first (the colicky one). But of course he grew out of it and she had another, colicky free, and is now pregnant with her 3rd. Good luck!

I work for a chiropractor and I've seen several cases (three that I can remember for sure) of colicky babies responding after one-three visits. If you don't go to the chiropractor yourself or don't take your kids already, don't worry! They do nothing that can hurt the child or anything with force, just a gentle pressure on certain areas of the spine where the nerves correlate with this condition. My 2 year old has been getting adjusted since day one and loves it still, and I will have my newborn checked out ASAP next week as well when she's born. Good luck!

E., When my children were colicky I gave them pepermint water with a little kero surup...the pepermint releive the tummy ache and gas on the stomach....my daughter now uses this for my grandchildren...L.

Have you taken your child to a chiropractor? I have taken my son (now 2yo) since he was 5 days old. Some people may think that is crazy, but it's not like they push on your child like when they adjust you...actually, most babies think it tickles. I defintitely suggest finding a good chiro in your area. Good luck!

I wish I had advice. Our son was colicky for about 9 months. He has moved past it now, so it does pass...in the mean time lots of love and compassion for you and yours....nobody knws what it is like to have a colicky baby unless they have gone through it themselves.

Babies magic tea did really relieve my child from colic and tummy gas.

Yes, I used a peppermint candy with an ounce of luke warm water and let it disolve then feed it to my baby and within a half hour or so they were fine and burped or were gasy. Hope this works for you as well. R.

I always treat my kids with homeopathic remedies, which are natural and effective. You can find them at Whole Food and PCC. Also, make sure not to give any honey.
L..

I am sure that you probably already fixed your problem but when my daughter was a baby, she was like that for a while but I changed her bottles and it worked!!! I bought the Dr. Browns bottles and they are wonderful so now, all my friends who are having babies get the Dr. Browns starter kit from me for their showers. I hope everything is better for you now.

my son was collicky, I used to ride him in the van, put him on the washer (these 2 remedies would calm my non stop crying baby.

My mom used caro syrup with me and I also used it with my daughter. It helps the gas bubble move. I still use it on my daughter know when she gets gas bubbles, and she is 7 yrs old. It's a natural rememdy, just use a teaspoon and warm water in a bottle and give to your baby. A little of the mixture goes a long way and works wonders.