Colicky Baby - Advice for 5 Week Old

Hi S.,
I don't know if you're breast feeding but in case you're using formula you might want to try a different brand. If you are breast feeding, perhaps drinking chamomile tea. That seemed to help with a friend's baby. Good luck and welcome to LA:)

Hey S.,

This is completely normal. They have bouts that pick at around six weeks and then disappear around 12 weeks. Try to use the five s's. Please feel free to call me and I will try to guide you over the phone. Additionally, I am a 35 year old with type 1 diabetes and my 5 & 2 year old kids are diabetic as well. I am a doula and a happiest baby on the block educator. I will be happy to help if you wish to get in touch. ###-###-####

Kindly,

Y.

Oh my heart goes out to you! It is so hard. Our daughter, now 5 1/2 months, had the same issue and we did the gripe water (Rite Aid has it- maybe Walgreens too) as well as some other baby gas remedies. I was never sure if they worked- some nights they seemed to. I also was careful what I ate at that stage because I was breastfeeding- no chocolate, onions, garlic, brocoli, and anything else that might cause problems. I think it's just their intestines still being so under-developed and yes of course it will pass, but that doesn't help you now does it. I will say that one thing that nearly always worked was the big giant ball my husband used to bounce her on. He would sit with her in his arms and bounc up and town in front of the t.v. and no matter how hard she was crying she would stop. It was tiresome for him but it worked!
Hang in there and just tell yourself it will pass because it does.

I was told that my son was colicky as well. However, in his 6th week the doctor figured out it was acid reflux. My son did not have any sympyoms (like spit-up) except, when crying he would arch his back. And he cried all the time not just in the evening and not just 3 hours...literally all the time, especially around feeding time. The medicine has given me a different child.

He is still a fussy boy with a sensitive tummy. And since I am breastfeeding I carefully watch what I eat (no oj, chocolate or onions for him). I also found that the big bouncy ball helped as well as a swing that goes side to side (not front to back). In addition, I tried all remedies I could get my hands on and the only one that seems to give him any gas relief is Hyland's Colic Tablets found at stores like Rite Aid.

He is now 3.5 months and the gas problems seem to get less and less with each day. It does pass. Just ask for help. I went to a breastfeeding support group at St. Johns and that helped me deal with everything. I know there is a new group starting up in the Venice area for moms with colicky babies. Let me know if you need more info and GOOD LUCK!

My baby was similar... we found this homeopathic grip water called Colic Calm. You can buy it at www.coliccalm.com It gave my baby a lot of relief. It wasn't a "miracle" cure -- but we used that in conjunction with our sling and swaddling him and that helped even more!

I don't have a colicky baby, but we watched a DVD called "The Happiest Baby on the Block," that our friends let us borrow and it was amazing! It almost ALWAYS helps our daughter calm down when she is fussy. His methods work like a charm! You have to watch the DVD to understand, but hey stress the "5 S's'"- Swaddling, Shushing (seems mean, but the sound is similar to the womb and our baby is so responsive to it), Side or Stomach, Suckling, & Swinging.

Lastly, our baby really likes white noise, like static from the radio and once we started putting that on at night, she would sleep so much more soundly. Every baby is different, so I don't know if what works for my baby will work for yours. Hopefully some of these tips will help! I can almost guarantee it gets easier as they get older. Good luck!

is he formula fed? that could be the problem..try Good Start Supreme Comfort Proteins..introduce it slowly and ad a little more water to dilute it..if he's bf'ed then you need to really watch what you're eating and eat very bland foods. Have you tried Hylands Colic Tablets? also babies can only be up 2 hours at a time...so make sure he's getting all of his sleep. you can rub chamomile oil and coconut oil on his lower back..also rubbing his lower back can help..i found that the colic tabs really really helped.

My son had terrible gas from 6 weeks old to abut 12 weeks old. He would scream from 11 pm to 5 am everyday. These are some of the things I did.

1. Gave him a warm bath to help him relax.
2. I changed my diet to cut out dairy, eggs, and foods that cause gas because I was breastfeeding him. His digestive system was not mature enough to handle a lot of foods. I just recently started eating cheese and ice cream, and he is about 1 year old.
3. I used gas drops (Mylicon) before every feeding. It helped my son a little bit.
4. Lay him on his back. Use your hands to move your baby's legs like he was riding a bike. Also lift both legs up to the stomach like he was doing sit ups.
5. I do not necessarily recommend this one. The only way I could sleep is if I placed my son stomach down against my chest. I used pillows to hold my arms up so that I would not drop my son. This was the only way I could sleep. The only problem is that he sleeps with me still.

I hope this helps.

HI. Sometimes nothing helps, but you might want to get a video or go to a class to learn baby massage. You might also want to try different carriers...and retry them if they don't work at first. Touch of some kind is often a solution.

Are you breastfeeding? you might want to look at your diet and eliminate foods that cause gas or allergies.

mylecon drops are amazing for gassiness- you can get them at any drug store- they are like infant/baby tums.... i used them with both of my kids! you can even give them to baby before a feeding as a way to help reduce the gassiness and not wait for them to be in pain.

I totally understand what you are going through and how frustrating it is. I have a 4 month old son who was the same way. We tried Gripe Water, Mylicon, & Colic Calm, none seemed to really help all that much. One thing that did seem to help quite a bit was we took him to see a chiropractor. Whenever I tell people this they think I'm crazy. He didn't adjust him like he would an adult, he was very gentle and used a little hand held device that put pressure on the spots that needed to be adjusted. All I know it that I was desperate to get him some relief and I would have tried just about anything. I'm not sure if it was the chiropractor or just time but it did eventually pass. I think he was about 2 1/2 - 3 months when it stopped. Just hang in there it WILL get better!

Oh, S.. It is so difficult to watch them go through these things when they're so young. Our son didn't have it so bad, but he did get gas from time to time. I breastfed him...up until he was 18 months. So I just paid attention to what I was eating and how his body responded to the different foods. I was very careful about what I ate for the first nine months. Cabbage was a killer. So was broccoli. To soothe his pain, we found different positions in which to hold him, such as placing our forearm between his legs, under his torso and rocking him comfortably and gently. I do know that sitting upright, being held in an upright position, was best for him. When they lie flat, it's impossible for them to get any relief. My husband-to-be used to "pound" him so hard on his back, I thought he would give him brain damage. It turned out that was the only way to give him relief sometimes. He loved Daddy's patting. We oftentimes positioned oursleves in bed at night so that Kai could sleep on his belly on our chest and be in a vertical position. We didn't get much sleep, but at least he did. Don't worry, though. He'll pass this phase soon enough. Just hang in there.

I have seen something called Gripe Water by Baby's Bliss. I haven't tried it, but there are several products out there which are intended to ease the gas. Just keep trying different things, different positions. I don't know if you're breastfeeding or using formula, but that is another consideration. If he's on formula, maybe try a different one. Sorry. I have no experience with that. Maybe some other moms/mums :) out there could offer a suggestion. Gosh, five weeks old. You must be exhausted and high at the same time! Hope I was of some help to you. Hugs. And WELCOME to L.A.! Isn't the sunshine great?

Hi S.,
I have a 12 week baby girl and just recently I started her on Mylicon gas relief. This is avaliable over the counter at your local drug store.She like your son would get upset daily at around 6:00 pm and so far I have found this works the best for her.
Good Luck***

Hi There S.. The thing that i would tell u what to do here is totally out of the medicine world of the normal humanbeing. I am veyr much into the home remedy stuff . the first thing is like all the other moms here said . Cut out the dairy product totally from your diet as well as the kids diet .That is if you are breast feeding. The other thing is if you can go to the store that sells Fennel seeds, which you get in almost all american or latino stores. When u get that , all you have to do is boil the seeds to 1 cup is to half. That means if u start out boiling 1 cup of water it has to boil till you get it to only half a cup. Then you can give this water to you kid. If all has failed with the other stuff you have done. Then try this. it wont harm him in anyway. These are seeds that are used in every day life for us Indian's ( from India ). hope to hear from you soon .
L.

Are you breastfeeding? I had to give up dairy and wheat completely before my baby got relief. Doing baby massage (there are a couple of books out) was also helpful, though not always. Doctors say there is nothing dietary to be done, but I couldn't stand to watch my baby suffer, so I tried different things until I found what was causing the distress. Wheat is a big problem for many babies and children, and so prevalent in our diets. The other thing that often helped a lot was Hylands Homeopathic Chamomillia and/or colic tabs. You can get them at Whole Foods or other health food stores. I also use them for teething.
Good luck

THEY THOUGHT MY SON WAS COLICKY AND IT TURNED OUT HE HAD GERD (Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disorder) basically acid reflux like we get. Hopefully your son does not have this but I knew something was up when I couldn't put him down without him screaming or crying and he also spit up A LOT. For just gas issues, there is baby's bliss gripe water and something that I think is called Yummy tummy. It is like a neck rest (in look) filled with lavender and herbs. You warm it in the microwve and put it on their tummies (it comes with a velcro strap. Good luck!

Hi S.,
Are you nursing? If so they are gassy because you are eating/drinking something that upsets their system. Are you keeping a nursing log? Everything that goes in your mouth should be in the log and if the baby is gassy about 4 hours after they nurse, look at your log and see what you have been eating and drinking and cut it out of your diet for two weeks. Some people think they can have caffine, spicy food, gassy vegies and all, nurse the baby and life is good. Not so, the baby reacts to what you eat and drink. If you have done all this and eat chicken, rice and non=gassy vegies and the baby is still this way, does the baby poop regularly and what does it look like consistency wise. I'm sure your baby dr. has some ideas other than the over used 'gripe water'.
let me know,
C. c.

Life is hard enough with a new baby, without him crying his heart out! The dinner hour seems to be a common "witching hour," as everyone is stressed out, and it helps to get dinner preparations done ahead of time, so you can relax with baby at that time.
Sometimes it helps to look at common allergens in your diet, assuming you're nursing him. Dairy products can be a big factor, and taking those out of your diet for 2-3 weeks may help. Sometimes the colic hold, with baby's belly resting on your forearm and his head toward your hand can help as you carry him around; the pressure on his tummy will ease the gas pains. Of course, offering the breast frequently helps too, as he could be hungry from all that effort! Even if you just offered five minutes before and he refused, he may change his mind. He needs to nurse at least 10-12 times in 24 hours. Best of luck.