Help with Colic

D., I know you will get a lot of ideas, but honestly I understand and can't say much except the things we tried. My daughter is high needs. Nothing medically wrong, she just demands a LOT. None of my other children were like her, so when she came out wailing and hasn't stopped, it's been a rough ride. For her colic we started using a swing. A side to side cradle type swing and very un-safely (sad to admit) swaddled her and buckled her in. She was about 5 weeks old. The rocking seemed to calm her and to be honest she slept in it. Rocking all night long some nights. We did gripe water, colic tablets too and they didn't help. I also bathed with her. She loves the water and that naked connection helped her a little. She is now 2 1/2 and it was hard. Hang in there!!

My second was very "colicy" for about 3 months. I used gripe water which THANKFULLY worked quite well, but I also switched her to a lactose free formula. It reduced her gas pains a lot. Even though its a "speciality" formula, you can get the generic version at Target or Walmart for about 13 bucks a can.

Good luck. :)

K.

We watched the video "The Happiest Baby on the Block". In ten minutes the colic was cured. We later found out our son had severe colic and as result was severely anemic and severly under weight. I would ask the doctor to at least try Zantac (very safe and cheap as a generic). If he doesn't want to because your daughter will out grow it, I would get a second opinion. Our doctor is over at National Jewish and we love her! It might be hard to get in there, though. I admire you for sticking it out this long. We were desperate after 5 days!

Is there any chance for you to breastfeed? You can always start again. The La Leche League will help you. Milk can be pumped and saved.

Go to the health food store and get Chammomilla in a 6x, 12x, or 30x potency. It should come in tiny lactose tablets that instantly dissolve in the mouth.

Place the tablets between the cheek and the gum. Do NOT put in a drink. Homeopathics are given under the tongue or between the cheek and gums for babies and pets. They will be rendered inactive by digestive enzymes and absorption takes place in the mouth, going into the blood stream. There are topical homeopathics as well as injectables.

Give the tablets at the onset of discomfort. You can safely repeat in an hour. Only one or two tablets need be given at a time.

You can always go to: www.google.com and look up natural remedies for colic.

Good luck.

R.

My daughter had colic and our docotor gave us a prescription that helped a lot. Wrapping her tightly, walking with her, putting her in the swing, putting her to sleep in the infant carrier all worked for short periods of time, but they did not relieve the symptoms.
I have heard that colic is due to immature nervous sysytem and that is why they outgrow it. I have also talked with several moms (who's babies had colic, who also so that their child is not sensative in nature.
It is still one of the great unknowns. If she is not getting any relief, then go see her doctor to make sure that it isn't reflux or something else.
Hang in there and follow your instincts.

One important pice of advice: Avoid over feeding.
Most parents tend to feed the "colicy" babies at the first cry just for the thought that they could still be hungry.
However, their stomach size its the size of thier tinny fist and if you tend to feed your baby every time she cries or strains she will take the formula you offer and therefore she will continue to feel more unconfortable. Remember that all babies from 0-4 months have a survival reflex call the "sucking reflex" and they do it for all the reasons you can think of e.g. tired, hot, sleepy, bored, hungry, etc.
Other good advices mentioned before:
1)Dr. Brown's bottle (relieves excess air bubbles)
2)Frequent burping (between feedings)
3)Breast feeding only (You would not have to worry about air bubbles at all. Aslo for you, stay away from caffeinated drinks/alcohol and foods that tend to make you gassy:)
4)Well mix formula (you could even use a blender)
5)Formula sometimes it does make a difference. Formulas that tend to give good results Good Start from carnation.
Though talk to your doctor before you make any changes.
Good luck :)

My friend has emailed me this site so I'm just strting to use it. My kids are alittle older, 4, 7, and 9. When my eldest dtr. was a newborn she seemed to go through this early time with extreme fussiness. One idea that I've also read about is lying baby on her back and doing the "bicycle movement" with her legs. holding gently each leg, moving them back and forth.

During this fussy time I also would put her in the sling on my front side and vacuum or even take walks or place them in her carseat and go for a ride in the car! That background noise seems to ease them. If possible hopefully you and your husband can take take turns during the fussy times, or a trusted friend or relative, to give you a break.

I feel for you!! I have a 2 year old son and a 5 month old daughter and it is nuts!! I had a very rough time with a colicky baby and another bigger "baby" who was very jealous of my time spent soothing the baby. The baby liked sitting in her car seat next to the running dishwasher. Then I bought a dishwasher CD on amazon.com. It worked some times. Hopefully the colic will leave your house in a few weeks. Hang in there - it does get easier! :-0

Oh sister, I feel for you! My little girl was colicy from about two weeks to about seven. The memories I have from those first weeks were not only cloudy, they were also CRAZY! Like you, we tried everything including prescribed reflux medication, changing my diet dramatically, gas expression carriers, mylicon-- you know the drill. I gave up after I fed her this black, charcoal based stuff I ordered from the internet- my husband freaked! The days when my mom would stay and just rock her through the tough hours were priceless, and my dad carried my girl belly down on his palm and kind of bounced her. When I was doing it alone, the only thing that worked was watching a movie or something on TV while my child cried for three and a half hours. Once I got over the idea that I wasnt causing it, nor could I fix it, I learned to tolerate it. Most research suggests colic peaks at 6 weeks and then tapers off, so youre almost there! Take a break if you need, and remember to take care of yourself. It will all be over SOON!

My daughter was like that also. The only thing that helped was to put her in the swing. We also swaddled her at night, which helped. Our doctor said that there was a book that had the three S. Swaddle, Swing, and I cannot remember the third. I know it is frustrating. I hope these work for you. Good luck! -A.

Hi D., I can just imagine how crazy you must be going. Neither of my children really had problems with colic, but I had a friend whos son was always hurting from it. Our doctor recommended humphreys 3 , I told her about it and it worked for her son. You can get them at walgreens I believe now they are over the counter. They have humphreys 3 and humpreys 2. They are tiny little white sugar pills, we would dilute them in a syringe with a little bit of water and give it to her son. I hope this works for you.

D.,
A couple of things - I thought my son had colic (and so did his doctor) and it turned out he was just hungry. When I fed him more, the crying stopped.
A few other things you can try - the 5 S's - shhing, swaddling, swaying, soothing and sucking. The louder your daughter cries, the louder you should shh her. I bring my baby to work and everyone is floored at how well that technique works. Swaddling - we all know what that is, but you can also try a sling. There are dozens of them out there, I picked one up at the local woman's center for about $40 - www.cutesling.com.
The others are obvious - if she will take a pacifier, try that in combination with the other S's. If she won't sometimes she just doesn't like the type of pacifier - try another brand and make sure you are using one that is for newborns. You might also want to check out Dr. Harvey Karp (Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block books.)
Last but not least, ear plugs!!!! May you get some rest!
Good luck,
K.

D.,

My son had severe colic and it turned out to be severe food intolerances. He's intolerant to both dairy and soy. There is a hypoallergenic formula you can special order (neocate or elecare). It is expensive but it will tell you for sure if food intolerances are what is causing the problem. I'm a breastfeeder so I was able to radically change my diet and cope that way but I have to tell you, the difference in my son was night and day when he was getting dairy and soy proteins and not. He went from screaming endlessly to being a happy, content baby. I didn't do the formula route so I can't tell you what to expect there but when I altered my diet, within a week my son was noticably better and by the end of a month, he was completely better.

T.

I had the same problem with my first son, although it peeked at 3 weeks. I had tried everything there was to help relieve the colic. The only thing that helped was my mother holding him and singing to him. I had taken him to the doctor's on numberous occasions because he would just cry for hours. I finally found a wonderful doctor who diagnosed him with acid reflux and gave him a prescription for an antacid. Once he started taken that, he became a completely different child a night. I would talk to your daughter's doctor and see if she has acid reflux. I have read about a lot of cases that are being misdiagnosed as colic and its not. I hope this helps.

You might try switching her to a soy formula. I know if they are alittle bit allergic to the milk based formula it makes all that worse. My heart goes out to you. I know that is so incredibly stressful! I was always bad about getting out of the house and away for awhile. So make sure you take some personal time if you can that has nothing to do with work. And remember if nothing else helps, that "this too shall pass" I wish you all the luck.

I had great success taking my son to our chiropractor. I wouldn't go to just any chiropractor, but highly recommend those that practice Gonstead. My doctor is Dr. Stein. I think his website is www.worldstallestchiropractor.com. He's really tall! I've been going to him for 4 years, and he completely took care of my headaches that I had had for years, and helped us with several other illnesses over the years. I don't know how it works, but it does. Hope this helps!

L.

Hi D.,
I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this. I know it can be hard!! I have a couple of thoughts on this....if you are giving her cow formula than that could really be the problem. Many babies have negative reactions to a protein found in cow milk. It's different from a person that has lactose intolerance. The type of sensitivity I'm talking about is actually to a protein. Some children are so sensitive that even breastfed babies react negatively to it if their mama drinks milk...it passes through the breastmilk. You might try soy formula just to see if it helps. Some babies can also be sensitive to soy as it's highly allergenic as well. However, I'd try it to see if it helps for a little while.

Another thing that I'd like to highly recommend is a painless treatment called "cranio sacral therapy". Both of my boys had this as babies and it also helps babies heads to round out. Chiropractors are often trained on how to do it and it can immensely help babies (and adults). It's basically a therapy that uses touch about the weight of a nickel (very, very light touch) to help release pressure that might be affecting the central nervous system. I'm including more info from a site that my chiropractor recommended to us a few years ago. The info is from this site: http://www.iahe.com/html/therapies/cst.jsp

I highly recommend finding someone that can take a look at your baby. It is well worth it. Good luck!

CST is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system - comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord.

Using a soft touch generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system.

By complementing the body's natural healing processes, CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and is effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction, including:

Migraine Headaches
Chronic Neck and Back Pain
Motor-Coordination Impairments
Colic
Autism
Central Nervous System Disorders
Orthopedic Problems
Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
Scoliosis
Infantile Disorders
Learning Disabilities
Chronic Fatigue
Emotional Difficulties
Stress and Tension-Related Problems
Fibromyalgia and other Connective-Tissue Disorders
Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)
Neurovascular or Immune Disorders
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Surgical Dysfunction
SER is a therapeutic process that uses and expands on the principles of CranioSacral Therapy to help rid the mind and body of the residual effects of trauma. SERI offers applications designed to enhance results using CST and other complementary therapies.

Assess and mobilize the Avenue of Expression working through more than 10 different body components, including the thoracic inlet, hard palate and hyoglossal tissues.
Locate and release Energy Cysts.
Release suppressed emotions that may be inhibiting complete structural releases.
Refine listening and comprehension skills.
Improve palpation and whole-body evaluation skills.

Buy the book 'Baby Sense" online by Megan Faure and Ann Richardson. You may find alot of the "colic" acting out is due to over stimulations - you'll be amazed! Good luck!

Buy a sling, or good carrier and carry baby around, tummy to tummy. It's a life saver!! You can find them at BESTfed, online (www.babyhawk.com, www.ergo.com). I can also direct you to moms that make them, if you want.

Hi D.!!!
I have been there, Girl. I know how you feel and how frustrated you are. You're not alone! My son is now 7 months old and happy as can be. It will pass.
What worked for us was The Happiest Baby on the Block. He has a swaddling method in there that worked like a charm every time. It's worth a try... you say that you're swaddling, but there is a right way to swaddle and a wrong way. If you're not doing it tight enough and correctly, then it does nothing but frustrate the baby. I would highly reccommend at least checking the book out or watching the video.
Also, someone suggested trying soy formula. That could definately help because her worst times seem to be linked to feeding. Let us know how it turns out!!

Have you tried the Baby's Bliss brand of gripe water at Walgreens? It worked amazingly with our daughter. I think the fennel and ginger really help their tummies. We also carried her around in the evenings facing outwards with her knees pulled up to ease the gas pains. Don't worry - our daughter is 4 months old now and the days of colic are gone so you haven't got too much longer (although I know it feels like forever!) Good Luck!

Hi D.!

Colic can be soooo hard and it sounds like you have been trying and doing the basic recommendations. My email is more to just try and encourage you... this too shall pass! I know it is so draining to have a baby that you can't seem to comfort. It tugs at our experience/expectations of being a mom, we think we're supposed to be able to fix everything!!! I hope that you will give yourself the freedom to set your daughter at times (even when she's at the peak of her distress) and just breathe. Often times infants can use our emotions and the stress in our bodies to amplify theirs. Your not a bad mom and she will grow out of this stage. I would talk to your pediatrician about the possibility of acid reflux (especially if you see an increase in her discomfort after she eats a lot). Laying her on your lap and massaging her tummy can help. Holding her football style (facing the ground, her tummy on your forearm)and patting firmly or bouncing putting pressure on her tummy. I'm a totally fan of swaddling super tight, it helps with basic distress. Good luck!

I did not have to use it, but I have seen a few parents at my acupuncturists office who go there for their baby's colic. She does not use needles on them, just accupressure, but they all said it had helped remarkably. I can give you her name if you would like.

Chamomile tea in a bottle helped my daughter a little. She's 17 now so I'm not up on current formulas.

Our son also had colic when he was about three weeks old. The best purchase we made was a package of Dr. Brown's bottles. These bottles help to reduce the air for the baby, so it really helps with colic. You can get them at Wal-Mart, Babies 'R' Us, K-Mart, etc. We got the starter kit and it was perfect because we needed quite a few large bottles for our hungry boy. They are a pain to wash, but worth the extra effort! We also bought a formula mixer ($4 or so at Babies R Us) and that also helped to reduce the air in the bottle.

Good luck!