Need Solidarity on the Road Through Colic Hell!

Hi N.,

When my granddaughter was first born she had that and it was miserable to see her want to flip her stomach out. I started putting her on a magnetic pad on her bed at 2 days old and giving her living water and almost instantly she put a smile on her face and pooped all this stuff out of her and was happy after that.

She is been living in this environment for 7 years now and loves her sleepsystem, water, supplements and air system.

If you would like more info go to www.nikken.com/ninamarie or feel free to email me at ____@____.com.

I am a wellness consultant and have been for 20 plus years.

Stay well and safe.

Have a great day.

N. Marie

I have heard of relief for colicky babies with craniosacral therapy. I know there are a few practitioners in Santa Cruz ask at a local health food store for some references or ideas for practitioners. My friend had treatments for her infant son and they really helped.
He is still so young, he will begin a better pattern as he ages
hang in there

I feel your pain. My second child had colic. He is now 16 months old so as I read your story it brings back the memories during this challenging time.

My son was crying even during feedings so I switched him to Enfamil Nutramigen formula (super expensive but it worked for him). I had developed some health issues of my own unfortunately 3 weeks after he was born and had to stop nursing so switching to formula was necessary anyways. This was not a cure for his colic but after 4 days the crying during the feedings stopped. I also used Dr. Brown's natural flow bottles to help with the gas.

My son LIVED in his vibrating bouncy seat for the first 4 months. I had to bounce him to sleep and went through 2 bouncers from all the use! I had the Fisher Price Aqauarium bouncer. He liked the water sounds and lights. Sometimes it takes distraction to break them from the crying. A friend recommended to me go into the bathroom turn on the water etc...Sometimes just simply going outside helped. I also recommend a white noise machine or fan in the room to use for background noise.

We also swaddled. I highly recommend the Miracle Blanket. I used Gripe Water as well, but its hard to say if it really worked for my son, some people swear by it.

Unfortunately sometimes all that would work was lots of walking, bouncing, around the house.

Best of luck to you. A few words of advice that another mom told me when I was going through this was, "It WILL get better!" I know it doesn't seem like it now but don't be ashamed to ask for help from family and friends to give you a break, help you around the house etc.

N.-
Hang in there. It will end soon. Our son had colic too, at about the same age as your. You don't think it will ever end, but one night it will happen. What made ours harder, was that our son has a twin sister, luckily she did not have colic, but it made for a really long night.

I found that sucking on something was the most soothing thing for him. We found a paci that he liked, and let him suck on that to soothe him back to sleep. Are you nursing him? It helped too, just to have him suck on my breast, even though there was nothing there. Then we both just fell asleep.

In addition, Dad helped too by helping to holding him for a while during the hours that he was crying. Just to give me a break.
Hang in there mom.
K.
Mom to Taylor and Dylan 5 years old

TRY TO KEEP HIM UP IN THE DAY HE HAS GOT HIS DAYS AND NIGHTS MIXED UP. yOU CAN PUT HIM DOWN WITH SOMETHING THAT HAS MOTION OR COLRFUL TO LOOK AT AND JUST TALK TO HIM. I AM SORRY YOUR NEW BUNDLE IS MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO REALLY ENJOY THESE FIRST WEEKS

My sister's son had colic, and we all went to her aid, I feel your pain. Her son loved the vacuum, I would just run it and hold him next to it and he would be happy. We also tried changing venues at times when he was crying. For example, he would not settle one night so we took him outside, it was around midnight, the cool air and change of scenery calmed him down. My sister slept during the day when he did, which you have to do and would sleep propped up at night holding him as that was the only way he would sleep. She enlisted help from the entire family, we all went to help her at different times or she came to us, she needed a break. And I have to say, I thought it was very brave of her to ask for help; so many of us moms feel that we should be able to do it on our own. So, as for help! Good luck, I will be thinking of you!

Hi N., there may seem like there is nothing physically wrong with him, but if he is truly "colicky" he is in a lot of pain. Baby GER(gastroesophageal reflux) is a real thing. My husband was a REALLY colicky baby for the first 6 months of his life. His mother was young and just would not know what to do to help him. Advice back then was "do nothing". . ."you can't do anything". . ."just let him cry". She would put him in his crib to cry for long periods of time (because she had a hard time dealing with it). As a young boy, he hated being alone in his room and would beg to sleep on the floor or his mom and dad's room. To this day, he HATES being alone.

That being said, it is difficult for you too. Here are some resources for you. I truly hope they help both you and your child.

Here is an exceprt from askdrsears.com:
Even though no one completely understands colic, let's make two assumptions: First, the baby has pain in the gut. (The term "colic" comes from the Greek kolikos, meaning "suffering in the colon.") Secondly, the whole baby is upset as a result. My perspective on colic changed years ago when a mother brought her baby in and wanted me to find out why he was crying so much. After I diagnosed her baby with colic, she challenged me. "Do pediatricians call it colic when they don't know why a baby is hurting?" she asked bluntly. She was right. A gastroenterologist I often work with once confided to me: "Colic is a five-letter word for 'I don't know'."

When an adult hurts, the doctor and patient do some detective work to track down the cause of the pain, so they can fix it. So, I started approaching my evaluation of colicky babies with this in mind. First, I dropped the term "colic" from my diagnosis list and adopted the term "the hurting baby." Besides being more accurate, this motivated both the parents and myself to keep searching for a cause, and a way to fix it. Labels can be therapeutic. By viewing your baby as "hurting" instead of "crying," you're more likely to be empathetic, like you would a baby who was hurting because of an ear infection, rather than viewing crying as an annoying tool babies use to manipulate their parents into holding them a lot, which tops the list of colic myths.

COPING WITH COLIC
http://askdrsears.com/html/5/t051300.asp
Topics you will find:
- What's Colic? Does Your Baby Have Colic? How to Tell
- 3 Steps in Tracking Down the Cause of Colic
- 4 Possible Hidden Medical Causes of Colic
- 10 Tips for Comforting Colic
- 5 Coping Tips For Parents
- Differences Between "Fussy" and "Colicky" Babies
- Colic will soon pass

COLIC-CAUSING FOODS IN BREASTFEEDING
http://askdrsears.com/html/8/t083301.asp

"HAPPI TUMMY" Product:
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

Best of luck to you. I also want to encourage you to pray for an amazing amount of patience and strength. God can provide what we are lacking during some of our most trying moments.

Gob Bless.

Hi N.!! Lots of good advice, all of which I think I tried:-) I saw a great Dr. Phil with a very respected doctor, who stated COLIC is a medical five-letter word for "I don't know." Parents should not accept this as an answer. I dismissed his info and suffered through many months of colic-y behavior and lack of sleep. At a year, my son was diagnosed with sever food allergies, and all the food I had been eating was exactly what he couldn't eat. I am not saying that this could be the case with you, I am merely saying, that babies don't cry for no reason at all. There is something that is bothering him, and whether it be gas, diaper rash, tummy aches, whatever, try to determine what is causing this discomfort. We tried countless numbers of pacifiers til we found the right ones. My second son would scratch his face terribly, and after spending huge time trying to keep the dang mittens on, I asked why was he scratching in the first place, to find he was allergic to the lotion we were using. The baby hated his feet covered, and for a week during the winter, I too was ready to throw him out the window. Once I changed from sleepers (that his older brother LOVES) to pj's with no feet, he slept fine!! My point, it will get better, but do try and try to determine what the issue is by either checking his tummy for bloating, being super observant right before he falls asleep to see what "happens" that relieves him or being very conscious of what you are eating to see if he may be reacting to your milk. Good Luck, and feel free to email!!

There is some good advice here... I'm not sure I agree that your baby has nights and days mixed up. He's probably exhausted from the night time tummy problems so he sleeps more during the day.

My oldest had the same issue and we are pretty sure it was a reflux problem though he never actually threw up but would be in pain after nursing particularly in the evening. It would start around 6 or 7 and last until after midnight. At around 12 lbs., it suddenly stopped.

We tried everything- vacuum cleaner, soothing sounds, rides in the car, modified my entire diet in case what I ate was contributing to his tummy troubles, drops. Here is what helped the most: I got a sling and wore him in it during the day. At night, I would sleep propped up with pillows and he slept on my tummy. Every night. For almost 3 months straight. I basically held him that entire time. He did like the gentle vibrating bouncy chairs but what he wanted and needed was to be held so that's what I did. And it passed- he's almost 6 now a great eater and a great sleeper (yes, in his own bed though he does make an occasional nighttime appearence).

I feel for you- you are exhausted but this will pass and after some time be a big blur. I know this is hard to do, but try and sleep during the day when the baby does. It will help immensely.

Best of luck. :)

5 S's
1. Swaddle
2. Side Stomach Position (hold baby with head in crook of your arm, back to your tummy)
3. Sucking (pacifier or clean finger)
4. Swinging or Shaking (not violently shaking but get a good jiggle going)
5. Shooshing (Make loud rhythmic shh sounds near baby's ear)

Some babies will be fine after step 1, some at step 3, others will need the full 5 steps.

Try to keep his schedule as stable as possible, too, so his metabolism stabilizes.

Feed him, then play with him, then give him a nap. Try not to reverse the last two activities (sleeping after eating is a no no for colicky babies). After he eats keep him upright for awhile to work out any swallowed air.

This will not last forever. Try to focus on how absolutely precious and adorable he is. He will be big before you know it.

Oh yeah, if you are breastfeeding try to stay away from food that might upset his stomach (you can find a list online but chocolate, caffeine, and broccoli really upset my baby).

Best Wishes,
E.

If you're nursing, try letting him sleep with you and nurse himself to sleep. That way you don't have to keep getting up. If he can't stop crying during the day, try swaddling him really tightly in receiving blankets, hold him really tightly against you (especially his head) and rock with bouncing motion with a fast pace. Good luck.

Hi N.,
My first daughter is now 10 and was colicy as a baby. I was in complete distress and did not know what to do. We tried everything with little help. One night my husband and I were up in the wee hours of the morning with her - we were at our wits end and realized that we had forgotten to run the dishwasher so we turned it on. It was a very old and loud dishwasher. As soon as we turned it on she stopped crying! We were amazed and thrilled! Since it was not realistic to turn on the dishwasher each night when she cried, we tape recorded the dishwasher sound (we taped it a few times so it would play over and over) and we played it in her room at night when she went to bed. It didn't work each and every time, but it worked more often than not. Good luck to you and enjoy this time with your little one!

N....one important thing is give yourself a break & realize YOU are doing a great job. My daughter would scream from 10:30 p.m. to sometimes 3 a.m. (I was happy for the nights it stopped at 12:30). You've had wonderful advice here which I wish I had with my daughter when she was colicy (she is now 13 months). The mylicon worked wonders! I also think she didn't know what full was & didn't settle enough to eat. If you know when he'll start crying...try & feed him before that. Also, I've often heard the crying is a result of stimulii throughout the day (remember they didn't see much in the tummy & now they see a lot of the world which is hard on those little minds to comprehend). Are you nursing or formula feeding? If you are formula feeding, it could be the formula. If you are nursing, watch your diet but KEEP eating. I actually wasn't eating much of anything & was my pre-pregnancy weight at my 6 week checkup after baby was born (DEFINITELY NOT good). Anyway, keep us posted. I also liked to put my girl on my knee, leaning forward, and barely moving my knee up and down. I hope this helps!

Hi N.!

I'm sorry you're having a rough time.

My son was born "nocturnal"........sleep all day, up all night, over-and-over! After I went through it, I heard it was very normal.

It took me about 10 days to try to "train him" to sleep at night. Each morning I would wake him up (as much as I wanted to sleep). Then love & cuddle him while feeding, then put him by the TV for noise. I tried to make ALOT of noise during the day, and be super quiet at night so he would hear the difference. It took about 10days, but the dedication worked!

My son was only a little colic-y, though.

Good Luck, N.! Hang in there!

:o) N.

You poor thing,
Just reading your story brought back such meomories for me. My kids are now teenagers but they both had colic. The first one for over a year... it's a wonder I had a second one! But trust me, they are worth every second of sleeplessness you go through.

As for help... (and believe me I tried everything) vacuum, a baby swing, sit him is a seat semi upright and put him on top of the dryer with some tennis balls or old shoes inside. Go for a ride in the car over a bumpy road (mine love railroad tracks), swadle him and rock him, turn him tummy down on your knees and bounce gently while rocking in a chair (this was my girls favorite) they would fall asleep and then I'd be stuck in the chair for hours. You can also try baby heating pads, gas drops, changing formula(if you are using it) but those should be checked with your doctor first.

Good luck to you and God Bless

Hi,
Have you tried Gripe Water, you can get it at Walgreens, a few different manufacturers make it and some babies prefer one to another. Hope this helps and good luck. Also, Happiest Baby on the Block has good tips.

Hi N.!
Welcome to motherhood! I found that Dr. Harvey Karp's ideas in Happiest Baby on the Block (book and/or video) were very valuable. My daughter needed to to be swaddled (so tightly she couldn't move), my first son lived in the vibrating bouncy seat with white noise on high, my second son lived in the swing (on high). Different things work for different children. Try them all and see what works! Also, I read at one point that the average child cries for 3 hours/day at 6 weeks old (it diminishes after that). I just kept reminding myself that my daughter was just "above average." It seemed to help. Hope this is helpful!

Hi N.,

I can just imagine how hard it must be for you and the baby. I just went to www.westonaprice.org to see if they had any helpful suggestions regarding colicky babies and they do. It is a wonderful website based on Weston A. Price's work back in the 30's, a brilliant doctor who studied indigenous people around the world and what they ate and their health. Sally Fallon is now the president of this wonderful organization with some incredibly helpful advice for you and your family's health. So when you go on the website, 1st press enter and then in the search box type in colicky baby and a bunch of articles will pop up.

Hope this is helpful,
M. S.

Get the Happiest Baby on the Block book by Dr. Harvey Karp. Colic is NOT a gas condition...it's that your baby has an immature neurological system (they all do), and is more sensitive than other babies. You need to recreate the womb experience for him as much as possible with a series of things done in order. The book saved our butts when our son was born.

In the early weeks we sometimes let him sleep in the swing for a couple hours at a time if we had to!

I am a mother of three and have experienced a colic baby......baby number one and two. Baby three never experienced colic so there is hope. Each baby is different. But when experiencing colic life is stressful. So.....any way to calm yourself down so this will pass..... it sounds like baby has his days and nites mixed up. Pretty common for newborns. My first born experienced colic late in the evening and the doctor told us to leave her alone for about 10 minutes. This seemed to work for her. And also excercises with her legs during the day due to all that gas giving her dicomfort.

The second child had his days and nites mixed up. So....... you try to change all that sleep during the day. Now I know you are exhausted, sometimes they just change naturally. You probably need some help during the day to keep the baby up a little longer by grandma or grandpa or good friend just to help you out especially if this is your first baby. Even for just 30 minutes. Just ask... I was afraid to ask. There are so many Moms who were in you shoes. Hope this helps. C. D

A lot of people have recommended this already, but it is so wonderful and works like a charm, I thought I would chime in too. "The Happiest Bay on the Block" Video and Book. Purchase both, the video will help you right way and the book is a great read. This video will give you the tools to help calm your son and make you feel like the best mom in the world!!! I think you can get the video online and they have the book everywhere.
S.

Check out the book or video The Happiest Baby On The Block. Lots of info about soothing colicy babies. Hang in there - it does get better!

This sounds like you actually have an 'upside-down' sleep problem and maybe not colic at all. True colic is not just a night time thing. I would suggest waking your baby every 3-3.5 hours during the day to eat. I know when you are exhausted it is VERY hard to make yourself wake him, but if he sleeps all day he'll never sleep at night. You can wake him by taking his clothes off and changing his diaper. This may start off a fussy cry, but he'll wake up. Just speak to him in a calm, happy voice. Tell him it's awake time. Once he's really awake feed him, but don't let him fall asleep while eating. If he starts to drop off, stop feeding and wake him back up (kisses on hands and bare feet are great for this!). After he's done eating try to keep him awake for 5 mins or so before putting him back down. The 3/3.5 hours should be from wake-up to wake-up. Keep this up all day until about 10 or 11pm then let him sleep as long as he likes during the night. When he wakes at night, keep things as dark as possible while you feed him and only change his diaper if it's poopy. Wet diapers can wait at night. That way he will stay drowsy and go back to sleep quickly once his tummy is full and warm. It will take you a few days of consistancy before he totally switches the bulk of his sleeping to the night, but it will be worth it for the both of you. In the short term he will still only go about 4 hours or so at night. By about 2-3 months you should see him stretch that out to 6+ hours at night, if you continue to wake him during the day. I've never met anyone this did not work for.

One last note, my older daughter had true colic (screaming day and night especially after feeding). The things that worked the best for her was to restrict my diet since I was breastfeeding (no gas producing foods or milk) and holding her as upright as possible while nursing. If he is a fast eater (5-7 mins each side and done like mine) it can also help to feed on only one side for each feeding (switching off to the other side for the next). That way he will get more of the good fatty hind milk and less of the high lactose fore milk. These tips came from a lactation consultant and made a huge difference almost imediately.

Newborns are hard, but it really doesn't last forever! :o) Lot of kisses and let the rest of the 'work' go, just sleep when he sleeps (several short naps are better than nothing!) and you'll be suprised at how fast this goes by!

Swaddling helped to reduce the amount of time my daughter cried. then I'd just dance in the living room with her for two hours til she stopped. I used the kiddapotomas swaddlers, because a blanket wasn't strong enough to hold my baby's arms and legs in. Good luck! She's 20 months now, so we did survive, and you will too :-D

I feel ya. My son is now 4 months old. He went thru a little colicky period. Mine was only at night around 5:00 till about 7:00. He also couldn't be soothed. I quit drinking milk and eating dairy and it stoped. I don't know if that's what it was but it worked.( I read it some where dairy can effect babies) If yours is really colic it should only be at night. If he is screaming after other feedings you may ask your pediatrician about acid reflux and GERD. Hang in there I promise it gets easier. I tell myself all the time. "I will not always be new at this."

Hi! I don't know if this will help or not, but years ago when my daughter had colic I went through the same thing as you. The Dr. told me to put her in a baby seat or carrier in a recline position instead of laying her down. So she was sitting up. He said colic is like acid reflux and it comes back up and burns. So as long as she was in her seat it seemed to help. I was like you very tired.
Hopefully this will help. And of course you love them, you are just frustrated which is normal.

Hi,

My daughter was a colic baby. I am sorry..... I used gripe water, use as directed. You buy that at the health food store and my parents and the rest of my family(Filipino) told me to use Efficascent Oil ( my husband cold it the voodoo oil), try buying at the health food store or at the asian store. I use the oil to massage Isabell for 10.min in the morning and at night only put a little on your palm hand, then rub the tummy and the back tummy.

Good luck and God Bless You,
M.

Oh, I went through the same thing, and feel your exhaustion! Here's some advice we were given, much of which worked at least some of the time: walk outside for a few minutes--the baby is surprised and soothed by the change in air temperature; swaddle with a dryer-warmed blanket; lay baby on his back and move his legs in a bicycle motion, with knees coming all the way up to his chest (this helps get gas out, and really helped for us, if we did it continuously for several minutes); lay a warm heating pad across baby's tummy; try Mylicon or Hyland's colic tablets or Gripe Water; trade off with your partner after you've nursed and try to get some sleep. The best ones for us were going outside, swaddling with a warm blanket, the bicycle move, and simply taking turns holding the crying baby!

Take heart, this will pass in a few more weeks. Their little digestive systems just don't work well in the beginning. I couldn't sleep when my baby slept either--try getting out during the day, no matter how you look. It will make you feel stronger and more capable! Hang in there, you're doing great!

My first daughter had colic for 3 mos, we called it happy hour, there was nothing we could do to stop the crying. At around 2.5 mos a friend introduced me to Mylacon, and that worked great. With my second, I alternated between Gripe Water and the Mylacon, after swaddeling, swooshing, etc. It worked for us. Good luck, and rest assured, it passes. One day you will realize it has been a week since happy hour.

I love Hyland's colic homeopathic tablets, they are small and dissolve in the mouth fast, made with lactose... they can also be dissolved on e spoon with a couple of drops of water, if you don't feel comfortable giving the tablet to you infant!!!
http://www.hylands.com/products/colic.php

You can buy anywhere, I get this at Walgreen's!!! They also have teething tablets...love all their products!!!

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin." ~ Jerry Newport

Hi N.. BTDT with three of my six kids. Swaddling is great. A few other things that work, don't know why, but they do. Run the vacuum. I know that sounds strange but and some say it's an old wives tale, but it worked with all three of my kids. Putting him in his infant carrier, putting it on top of the dryer (with you standing right there with him of course - DO NOT WALK AWAY) and run the dryer for a little while. Sitting on the edge of a rocking chair and bounce up and down (do not rock in it) - great work out for the thighs too.

I don't know if you are breast or bottle feeding. If you are bottle feeding, try switching to Dr. Brown's Bottles. They are a pain to clean but the work.

L.

My sweet little girl had the loudest most lusty cry that could go on for hours. Poor thing! She was sweet and smiley (she first smiled the day after she was born and smiled daily after!!!) But when she was colicky, OH was she colicky. Just remember, this too shall pass.

I had help from my mom and friends, thank goodness! Taking off her diaper and massaging her legs and tummy often helped. I learned to nap when my little ones napped. That helped a great deal too! I didn't sleep the night through for 2 years, so I know your pain well.

Someone else said your little one has his sleep pattern backwards. If you can ease him into a normal sleeping pattern, you all may be greatly relieved. Try keeping him awake during the day and at night, keep the lights off or low and don't engage him, just soothe him back to sleep. Eventually it will work.

Hi N.,
Our little Oliver had colic and it is so hard. We tried everything: craniosacral therapy, allergy testing (to see if I should change my diet), massage, swaddling, swooshing, sitting next to a vacuum (this helped), walking in the woods with him in a sling (this also helped), various homeopathic remedies, vigorous bouncing (a la Harvy Karp-- and it helped too. I called my bouncing around the house "Oli-cising"- just make sure to support the head). I think it was important for me to keep trying to help him-- just keep trying to think of things to try. In the end I don't know what finally helped him kick it, maybe he just grew out of it. But he was over it after two months of hell. Just keep with the rhythm of it. It will pass and you will know you did everything you could even if all you did was keep an inner peace while your baby cried.

Try over-the-counter, Infant Mylicon Drops, for gas. Warm towel or blanket from the dryer on baby's belly (preferred when we could lie them on their bellies on the blankets), Held by you against over your warm shoulder or chest. Check out any changes in your foods, if you're breastfeeding. Vaccuum, Drive in Car, Sit in seat on washing machine??? Gosh, my kids never really got colic, but I'm a hospital Nursery Nurse and the warm tummy thing helps with our gasy babies. Hope it works with colic. My only other advice...take some deep calming breaths and remember this too shall pass.... M.

Hi N.,

Have you tried the colic hold? It helped me survive colic with my son. I'm not sure if it "really" works but it helped me to be able to offer him something. For the colic hold place your child lengthwise on your forearm, head towrds your hand, so that the baby's body is going with gravity and a bit of pressure is on the tummy to help aid digestion. You can tell when the baby experiences pressure by the legs beginning to kick and the cranky, irritated crying. Tummy massage helps; I bet you can find good baby massage guidebooks at the library.

Your diet is also a factor. I know you want to eat healthy but some of the most nutritious foods can be the most gas inducing. So stay away from what does that for you.

When my son had colic, into about the fifth week I wanted to throw him out the window and throw myself out after him. Get plenty of cute shirties that say Love somehow and get outside and into nature as much as possible.

We both made it thru those three very trying months none the worse for wear. I didn't even know he had colic for about the first three weeks, when I found out what was going on with him, I wept from sheer relief to finally know what the problem was. He's now a bossy third grader who loves to argue with his sister.

Hold on and pray that it's a very temporary condition.

Sincerely,
M.

Hi N.,

I feel your pain! My son (now 2) was very colicky. He cried all day every day! It wasn't just a four hour time frame. Some things I found that would soothe him was standing in the bathroom with the fan on and/or running water from the faucet. Turning on the vacuum (lay it on the side so it doesn't burn out the motor) and bouncing on a large exercise ball. Just thinking about those days is still hard for me. But you CAN and WILL get through it.

I made it through because I asked for help. He wouldn't let me put him down and I am not a "cry it out" mom. I arrainged for someone else to be in the house with me for the first 11 weeks of his life. I had my sister, mother, father, mother-in-law and really close girlfriend all sign up for a time frame. My husband worked long hours and we both needed the help.

I hope this helps. The days are long but the weeks go by fast. Keep your head up.

The other issue I had was I suffered from post partum depression. Make sure you are feeling ok and not feeling depressed. I waited far too long to seek help and anti-depressants but I am so glad I did. I took them for a year and they helped tremendously.

J.

At this point you need to be in survival mode. Do whatever works to get you rest and to help limit the crying.

Hi N.,
My daughter (now almost 3) developed colic when she was 5 weeks old. I was exclusively breastfeeding her and the lactation consultants I worked with recommended an elimination diet to determine if she was sensitive to something I was eating. The most common offenders are dairy, nuts, soy, wheat, eggs and strawberries. I found that when I completely eliminated dairy from my diet - including all dairy proteins like whey & casin - my daughter got over the colic. It was very hard to do because it required reading the labels on EVERYTHING because dairy proteins are in many products you wouldn't expect, but it was worth it to stop the screaming. You can periodically try eating whatever you find is a problem and see if your baby has gotten over the sensitivity. Sometimes their guts just need to mature enough to be able to digest the proteins. My daughter is now able to eat all dairy without any problems.
If you are using formula, you may need to experiment with the types of formula, I don't know anything about them but soy can cause major gas problems. We also used mylicon drops and "wearing" the baby seemed to help as did bouncing up and down on a big exercise ball while holding her.
Good luck,
C.

Hi. It's so hard, and I empathize with you...I've been there! Our daughter started around week 2 or 3 and it lasted 3 weeks. I've heard some say it lasted 3 months, so I considered myself lucky. Some things that we tried worked a bit, and others no. The best thing is to rest when you finally get the baby to rest, give up on keeping the house clean, etc. Realize it's a rough job right now, and this difficult phase will pass in time. Be good to yourself. We used a vibrating bouncy chair that seemed to help and also having the baby fall asleep on our chest when we were laying down (maybe because she could hear our heartbeat?). Try putting the crib sheets in the dryer and putting baby down on warm sheets. We tried simethicone to see if it would relieve gas, didn't seem to help. Gripe water was natural and seemed to work better anyway (you can buy this at a natural health food store most likely). I spent 3 weeks pacing the floors gently bouncing the baby for hours until she was lulled to sleep only to have her wake the second I put her down in her crib! Letting the baby nurse to sleep would work, only to have her wake again. We had one night where we called the advice nurse because the baby would not sleep and just keep crying. She said if that baby was safe in her crib, that it was okay to close the door and just let her cry. I was so hard to do, I hated to do that, and it didn't work, I just gave up and got the baby after she cried for an hour straight! We took her to the doctor and nothing was wrong with her, just colic! Yes, it was truly "colic hell". Very hard, but it will pass. Keep telling yourself that this is just a phase and you'll get through it.

Hi N., we currently have a very colicky baby too - she is 9 weeks old and we are praying we are getting towards the end of it but I believe she is just a VERY sensitive baby and that not too much will change once she passes the 3 month mark! When she was "younger" I bought the Harvey Karp book that has been recommended to you here and read it at about 3am when my baby finally slept! I had to buy the "miracle blanket" to swaddle her because she broke out of everything else and it only served to get her more worked up. I don't know where you are but I had to go to Walnut Creek to find one. Once she was wrapped I would jiggle her so her head vibrated (NOT to be mistaken with shaken baby syndrome! This is all in the book...) and shhhing really loudly near her ear. It actually does work believe it or not. Our baby was also VERY gassy, was evaluated for GERD, etc. etc. but we had to come up with our own tricks. Walking her in a baby carrier also worked but I know how it feels to have NO energy to go outside and walk....good luck, feel free to contact me on here if you need to talk to someone!

All great advice!!! Limit your diet to non-gas producing foods, onions, garlic. Try to breast/bottle feed as recommended (as upright as possible, smaller portions, etc.). Again, you'll have to work on the sleep schedule. Sounds like he's got his clock reversed. It will take awhile, but it should turn around. I'd have mine on a two nap schedule and try to keep him active during the day. I'd walk and talk and sing songs. I know it is a lot of work--all babies are, but there was the bouncy chair, and little toys, etc. that I'd try to get him to focus on. If he'd cry a lot of hold him snuggly and put on some nice music and hum the music with some gentle rocking. Often that worked. Now for something contoversial--when my son just couldn't be consoled, I tried lots of different pacifiers. At that early age I think the Nuks (are they still around) were the best as they seemed smaller. If he was throwing a fit and just couldn't be calmed and refused the pacifier I'd dip just a tiny portion of the tip in sugar (just for a tiny tiny taste) to see if it helped him take the pacifier. Often it worked, and he'd calm down with something to suck on. Good luck!

Hi N.-
My sister is going through this right now with her 1 month old. And the worst part was that he wouldn't keep feeding because he was so gassy and uncomfortable. (Is he gassy too or just un happy?)She is pumping her breast milk just so he doesn't have to have formula just yet. And she is so tired and so cranky. So they went to the store and bought some drops that you can feed the baby that are supposed to eliminate gas. They work a little bit and he is a little better. I think the best thing for them so far is to have family there whenever possible. Grandma (my mother) will go over and just sit with him, doing her Grandma thing, while my sister gets ready, showers, or even naps. The same with us Auntie's. Grandpa, uncles, etc all come to just hold the baby and allow the parents some relief.
The only comfort I can give you is that you are not alone. I was a colic baby, and my mother said it took a little over 4 months for me to settle down. It may seem like a long time, but at the very least there is reassurance and hope that he will out grow this soon.
Good luck and prayers
-E. M

I know you said he doesn't like pacifiers- have you tried all differnt kinds? My nephew is very particular about what kind of pacifier is in his mouth....and when. He only needs them during a screaming fit and you just hold your finger on it so the screaming doesn't pop it out- and he starts sucking. But some pacifiers are apparently a no go. YOu have to find the right one. Try soothie's for newborns (at Walmart, Target, Babies R Us, etc) or NUK brands...

Hi N.!
I know exactly what you are going through. My son also had what we called his "unhappy hour" every night. It was like clock work - from around 8pm to 11pm EVERY NIGHT! What worked for us was the following:
1. Swaddle him snuggly
2. Shush sounds close to his ear
3. Squat while holding him or sit on an exersize ball and bounce
4. Keep lights dim or off
5. If all of the above failed, I would nurse him
6. Take turns with your hubby! Try all of the above while hubby is in another room. When you feel you've done all you can, make hubby do it while you go into another room and can't hear baby cry.

I know it's frustrating and exhausting. There were many times when I cried with the baby too... But just try to stay calm and know that this phase will pass soon.

Good luck!

Hi N., you can make some fennel seed tea (pour boiling water over fennel seeds and let set until its just warm). If you are worried about nipple confusion, give him just a little from a teaspoon (maybe two teaspoons full of the cooled tea) or let him suck it from a bottle. It releaves the gas and is calming too. I know how hard it is to just get some sleep so for now if he sleeps (even if he's like my son and sleeps for 20 minutes then is awake for 3 hours) YOU SLEEP. Some times we just need permission to rest ourselves. You have permission.

Try humming in his ear kinda loudly. Things like that re-create the womb sounds. Dont worry if it's too loud, it was louder than a vacuum in your womb.

This almost always calmed down my daughter who was colicky from 1pm-10pm.....it will end. I promise.

We also used Colic Calm, black chalky stuff and it helped a little. It gave us a little break. But defintely try to keep him up during the day. Even an extra 15 minutes at a time so eventually you start getting him to switch from day sleeping to night sleeping.

S.

Please run not walk & buy the CD "The happiest baby on the block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. I have the book & it is fantastic! Try Babies R Us. I always give it as gifts to new parents, but with time of the essence with frustration I would suggest the CD. It will teach you 5 specific things you can do in sequence to calm your baby. It is a miracle! & many many moms I know sware by this. I am an infant massage educator, so I would suggest these techniques by Dr. Karp & infant massage. Feel free to email me back if you would like more information. Take a few deep breaths- it will get better soon.
A.