Colic Support Group :: Search Results
| 100 Most Recent Posts | 100 Results Found |
|
|
Result 1 of 100:
|  Author | Topic: Colic Support group (Pittsburgh area) (Read 108 times) |
Frances
Guest
|  | Re: Colic Support group (Pittsburgh area)
« Result #1 on Sept 2, 2010, 11:16am » | ![[Quote]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/buttons/quote.gif "[Quote]") |
Just wondering if you gals from Pgh ever got together. If so, I'd like to join in the fun. Three crying babies would be better than two, and I would love to have some face-to-face support from others who are dealing with this nasty colic. 
| |
|
|
Result 2 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Colic survivor (Read 15 times) |
epwmom
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Aug 2010
Gender: Female 
Posts: 1
Karma: 0 | | Re: Colic survivor
« Result #2 on Sept 1, 2010, 10:24pm » | |
Thank you so much for posting this. First let me congratulate you on being a survivor!! I'm new to the site and have been reading everyone's experiences and it definitely helps to see that other people can relate to what I'm going through. But I do look for these survivor stories. My son is 4 months old and used to scream all day but now it's turned into crying and fussy.. he's rarely happy and very high need. When he was 3 weeks old we tried switching the formula which did nothing and tried Pepcid which did nothing. Now we have him back on Pepcid.. I think my Dr. is just trying to appease me because of course he has no idea why my baby is crying. He can't play on his own.. I have to always be there trying to distract him as much as I can. I'm at the point where I don't even want to start each day because I know what I'll be dealing with and it's just so draining. I thought by now it would have been long gone. I feel like is this just his temperment at this point.. I sure hope not!!
Forgive me for wanting more details about your experience but it helps keep me strong. At what did your little one's colic finally go away? Did it go away gradually or just one day it was gone? Did the screams turn into cries and then fussy and then just gone? Was his colic all day or only at night?
Thanks so much again for posting your story. I think it helps all of us on here know that one day it will end and our baby won't be like this forever because sometimes it sure feels like they will be.
Mary
| |
|
|
Result 3 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Colic survivor (Read 15 times) |
one tired mom
Guest
| | Colic survivor
« Result #3 on Sept 1, 2010, 7:56pm » | |
I just wanted to give some hope to all of the moms out there struggling with caring for colicky babies. A few months ago, I was at my wits end with my miserable, colicky baby. When his eyes were open and he wasn’t eating, he was crying. I made a post back in June during the peak of his colic. It truly was a depressing and demoralizing period of time. I thought my son would never stop crying. However, things have changed. I am happy to say that the colic is gone, and I am raising a happy and smiling baby. I can now see why people have multiple children! He is so cute. It is hard to believe he was ever colicky. Have faith and do not blame yourselves. Do not feel like you are causing your child’s colic. Colic is just something that babies have to outgrow. I tried every colic “cure” on the market. The only thing that worked was time (white noise and swaddling did help put him to sleep at night). He is now a completely different child. He sleeps at night and is so easy to put to bed. I can put him in his crib when he starts to get sleepy, give him his blanky, kiss him good night, and leave. He falls asleep on his own! Life will get better. Colic is not the end of the world. I use to be so jealous of moms with their happy babies seemingly without a worry in the world. Now, I am one of those moms. I still have worries, but colic is not one of them. Soon, colic will be behind you all too. Stay positive. I know how you all feel, but it will get better. I am speaking from experience.
| |
|
|
Result 4 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Did any of your babies have trouble with weight? (Read 16 times) |
roykirk
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Aug 2010
Gender: Male 
Posts: 1
Karma: 0 | | Did any of your babies have trouble with weight?
« Result #4 on Aug 31, 2010, 12:32pm » | |
I've been reading this forum for a while but never really wanted to post because I don't believe our baby is in the same category of what some of you are going through. We have it easy compared to what many of you are dealing with. Our daughter was born 1 week early at just over 6 pounds. The screaming fits started after 2 weeks. She's never fit the common definitions of colic exactly. She'll only scream for an hour or so at a time but when she does it sounds like someone is torturing her. Face red, drawing the legs up, arching the back, etc. At two months old, she's also sleeping through most of the night now. Doctor has had her on Prevacid Solutabs for about the last month. The only major difference we've noticed is that she doesn't spit up quite so much and she does sleep better at night. Otherwise, if she's awake she's either fussy or crying.
In any case, I'm curious if any of the parents of colicky babies here experienced problems with your baby gaining weight? Our daughter is 2 months old and can't even hit 8 pounds yet. She's been hovering at 7 pounds 15 ounces for a couple of weeks now and can't seem to get over the hump. The doctor is aware of the weight gain issues and has had us enriching breast milk with formula in a bottle to boost her calories. It's just not working. I guess we should count our blessings she's not losing weight. Our theory is that she was small to begin with and now with all the fits, fussiness, and screaming, she's burning off all the calories she eats.
We're just curious if anyone else experienced this and how you managed to deal with the issue. Perhaps someone has some ideas we can suggest to our pediatrician.
| |
|
|
Result 5 of 100:
|  Author | Topic: Colic Calm (Read 28,603 times) |
Lauren
Guest
| | Re: Colic Calm
« Result #5 on Aug 24, 2010, 11:18am » | |
Hi! I have been using Colic Calm for my very Gassy baby for about a week now, He is also on Nutramigen Formula, It has been working really well to relieve pain and bloating symptoms but I have also notice that he has been pooping a lot more frequently like between 5 and 8 times per day!!! He is 7 weeks old. Has anyone else experienced this with this product? I am hearing more people say it is constipating their babies instead of making their stools more loose? The BM's seem to be normal in consistency. He has been waking up more frequently during the night than ever due to the fact that he has to poop! At least it is coming out though! Should i try give him less than the full dose at one time?
| |
|
|
Result 6 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 months? (Read 825 times) |
swanlee
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jan 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 3
Karma: 0 | | Re: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 month
« Result #6 on Aug 22, 2010, 3:31pm » | |
Our boy is almost 9 months and was horribly colicky. He is better but he is still REALLY fussy and requires almost constant attention where most other babies this age can be left on their own for periods of time and not cry and fuss. So the crying 8 hours a day has been replaced by 1-2 hrs of crying and him being fussy and requiring us to devote every second to him for th rest of the day.
| |
|
|
Result 7 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 months? (Read 825 times) |
newmummy27
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Oct 2008
Gender: Female
Posts: 16
Karma: 0 | | Re: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 month
« Result #7 on Aug 21, 2010, 3:37pm » | |
I can really relate to your post. My little one screamed (screamed and not cried!)for hours and hours every day was always miserable even when not screaming and also high needs constantly wanted to be held and nothing would console her it was by far the hardest 5 months of my life but it did get easier gradually the good days started to out way the bad until u would never have known she had colic and she is the happiest little girl , and an absolute delight! She is now two and very advance for her age and although wilfull and independant a very good toddler. I know it seems like it will never end and you will never get through it but you will i promise! What your mother in law says is soo cruel with a 'normal non colicky baby yes they do only cry for a reason and are easily consoled my son is like that and mums who only have babies like that can never understand how hard it is for us!!!! With a colciky baby they do cry for no reason (although often in pain) but no reason that you can either control or help and all you can really do is be there for them while it is happening believe there is nothing more you can really do!!! You are doing an amazing job!! I really hope things improve soon zo x
| |
|
|
Result 8 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: So different the second time round! (Read 48 times) |
newmummy27
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Oct 2008
Gender: Female
Posts: 16
Karma: 0 | | So different the second time round!
« Result #8 on Aug 21, 2010, 3:24pm » | |
Hi everyone,
My first baby who is now two, screamed pretty much from the minute she was born, she would not be put down could not be consoled at all and used to scream for hours night and day until she was about 5 months old and even when she wasn't screaming she was very high demands wanting constant stimulation and to be carried/rocked, she barely slept, almost not at all in the day apart from brief 10 to 20 minute naps. As i am sure you all understand to well those first 5 months were complete hell, i felt like a bad mum (how come everyone else i knew was managing so well and their babyies so happy what was i doing wrong???) it effected me pyhsically, emotionally and really took its toll on my relationship with my husband. Pediatricians keep telling me all babies cry!!!!Since then she has been a happy if not very strong willed and independent little girl and is an absolute delight now and very advanced for her age. I was still however really really scared about having another baby and couldn't bare the thought of going through it again even if i knew there was light at the end of the tunnel! I really wanted Emily to have a sibling though and i decided to bite the bullet and go for it. My next baby could not be more different!!!!! He sleeps most the day, is always content and smily happy to be put down 90 percent of the time and u can even forget he is there sometimes!! When he does cry it is a gentle cry and he can always be consoled! Obviously life is still hard as i still have a toddler to look after aswell but i can honestly say two is now far easier than one was with my first!!! I have not done a thing differently with either of them so i can now really see it was not me or anything i did it really was the colic.
I am not writing this post in anyway to gloat believe me i really know how soul destroying and incredibly difficult it can be to have a baby who screams all the time. I am writing for a few reasons;
my expereince has shown me it is not your fault your baby screams it is nothing your are doing your are all amazing mums to cope or just to get through the colic!!!
after coping with a colicky baby you will never find any part of parenting a challenge again all my friends who had really easy babies now find the toddler stage really hard i find it sooo much easier than the first 5 months!
It will come to end and will not effect your little one in the long run!
and if you do have another baby if they are not colicky you will find it soo easy and if they are you will be an expert on what to do! So if you really want another child do not be put off as i very nearly was because it really could be so different.
I do hope this is of some reassurance and i wish you all the best
love zo xx
| |
|
|
Result 9 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: cold feet & colic (Read 87 times) |
Jml723
Guest
| | Re: cold feet & colic
« Result #9 on Aug 20, 2010, 10:06pm » | |
I noticed the past few days that my sons feet are extremely cold as well - tonight when he was having his crying fit, they were ice cold and I was rubbing them between a really soft warm blanket and it seemed to calm him down a bit. Now that you mentioned your little ones feet, it makes me wonder though! Will be interesting to see if anyone else has noticed the same thing.
| |
|
|
Result 10 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: New to the board (Read 35 times) |
Jes723
Guest
| | New to the board
« Result #10 on Aug 20, 2010, 2:58pm » | |
Hey everyone,
I'm new to this board. just thought I'd introduce myself and tell you all how nice it is to finally read something that sounds identical to what I am going through. A lot of the posts that I have read through have made me feel so much better about the situation I am in. I'm a mother to 4, 3 girls.. who were never colicky. My son Noah just turned 5 weeks old and has been colicky since 2 weeks. I was BF exclusively but he was always fussy and acting as though he was starving and I was so tired that one night I gave him a bottle of formula, 2 ounces - and it seemed to help.. at that point, when he was crying and wanting to cluster feed I'd let my husband feed him a bottle. The crying got worse so we went in for a doctor's appointment and they thought that it was because he was lactose intolerant so we switched the formula that we were giving him to the similac soy. After 3 days of only giving him the formula and noticing that he was still crying, I went back to breast feeding and still supplementing with the soy. He's still crying as much as ever. I noticed in some of your posts that sometimes babies are allergic to the soy as well. My doctor never mentioned this to me, just told me that formula changes probably wouldn't do much for him. We have recently ordered some coliccalm but it doesn't really seem to help that much either. I've also tried Baby's Bliss gripe water -which does absolutely nothing.. and also mylicon drops which helped a tiny bit. I can rock and bounce to my hearts content and it doesn't do much for him --- I have tried music, car rides (he hates car rides so thats out of the question, I don't even dare to leave the house because I feel so bad that he cries so hard in the car)
When he first started out being colicky, it was mostly at nights... and now it's changed so that he's actually colicky mid mornings as well as night times and sometimes he's miserable the entire day as well. However, I've noticed too that for every 3-4 bad days he has, I might get lucky and get 1 good one where the crying is almost nil. Has anyone else noticed this?
My husband does help out alot but I still find myself grumpy with everyone because of the crying and lack of sleep that I'm getting. I didn't have a ton of patience to start out with but now whatever I did have is pretty much gone. My father passed away on January 6th of this year... and I guess when I found out I was pregnant, I thought that my pregnancy was a gift from God, because he was taking my father from me. I still believe that --- I have always wanted a son, and when I found out that the baby was a boy I was so happy... then my father died, but I tried to keep upbeat because I knew that I had to be strong for my other kids and to keep myself healthy for the pregnancy. Anyway, now that I'm not pregnant ... I just wish I could enjoy my son... and it's difficult to do so with the stress and crying. I find myself pacing back and forth with him and crying right along with him. I feel bad because my 2 year old starts to cry if she sees me crying.. I try to tell her that I'm just sad because the baby is sad, but I don't think she really understands. My husband does help out alot but our baby seems to be able to be comforted more by me then him.
Anyway, its nice to be able to come to a place where other people are going through the same thing as I am... I don't feel so lonely.
Jessika
| |
|
|
Result 11 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 months? (Read 825 times) |
caseymom
Guest
| | Re: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 month
« Result #11 on Aug 18, 2010, 4:29pm » | |
My daughter will be 4 months next week, and she still cries all day/every day it seems. I am going to lose it if this goes on for much longer. I am praying to see improvement soon. This has been the most difficult 4 months of my life and I cannot wait for it to "get easier" like everyone says. I don't think I am having anymore kids...I can't risk another colicky baby!! Reading the posts on here is helping, but i just cant see the light at the end of thge tunnel yet
| |
|
|
Result 12 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: First Time Mom Help Please! (Read 238 times) |
mmom
Guest
| | Re: First Time Mom Help Please!
« Result #12 on Aug 12, 2010, 2:04pm » | |
My son was colicky and had terrible gas. His cries lasted 6 hours sometimes and he seemed to be in so much pain. We tried everything to relieve him but very little helped. On occasion we could distract him from his misery, but only for a short time. Being outside helped the most but cold nights made this impossible sometimes. To distract him I would carry him around the house with his socks off and touch his feet to as many different textures as I could find. I would talk to him saying " Can we touch this? OOoh!" Perhaps the gentle stretching of his legs helped or just the mild stimulation of the different textures or the happy ooohs I made when ever we touched something. It helped him. What helped me get through it was talking to him. I always patted him and said "I know, I know, it hurts but it will get better." I would be calmer because of the positive words I said to my baby. If I started saying things like " I don't know what is wrong, what is wrong baby?" I found I more quickly became distressed. A front carrier like a bjorn helped me have the stamina to walk with him all night. I would switch him in and out as its more comforting to be in Moms arms and safer too, but when my arms were about to fall off I used it. If you can get help from someone to spell you so you can rest do it. Every one I know who has a colicky baby has there mom move in or one new Mom had her husband take a medical leave of absence. I hope you can find a support person or persons to help. Remind yourself that soon this period will be over and the trust and bond you form with your baby while you help him through it will be strong.
| |
|
|
Result 13 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: First Time Mom Help Please! (Read 238 times) |
jujubeesmom
Guest
| | Re: First Time Mom Help Please!
« Result #13 on Aug 10, 2010, 9:23pm » | |
Both my sons had colic. Second one was a milk allergy, first one I never figured out. Anyway, I read Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Child by Weissbluth over and over again to keep my morale up during hard times. He states that colic/fussiness does increase in intensity those few weeks after the due date. He also states that it often peaks at 6 weeks past the due date. And eventually, it will end. So as the others have said, hang in there! It will get better and we are all rooting for you and your baby.
| |
|
|
Result 14 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: First Time Mom Help Please! (Read 238 times) |
emar
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jul 2009
Gender: Female
Posts: 6
Karma: 0 | | Re: First Time Mom Help Please!
« Result #14 on Aug 8, 2010, 1:48am » | |
As the "surviving" mom of a colicy baby, I can deeply sympathize with you. With our child (who is now 16 months and colic free since he was 9 months) he gradually got worse, then the severity lessened. It would have looked like a chart where it starts low, hits a peak, then gets lower and plateaus until it just disappeared. It is normal, many babies just don't have mature enough digestive systems and it just causes all sorts of problems. My baby also had a mild case of acid reflux. I was lucky enough to have a very understanding doctor who was super compassionate, a very loving, patient and supportive husband and parents who were all available to give me breaks and to help with the sway and rocking which was necessary. IT WILL GET BETTER! Unfortunately, you just have to stick it out until its gone. But again- there is a light at the end of the tunnel! IT WILL GET BETTER! IT WILL GET BETTER! IT WILL BE BETTER!!!
| |
|
|
Result 15 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Reflux help (Read 94 times) |
Traci
Guest
| | Reflux help
« Result #15 on Aug 5, 2010, 2:04pm » | |
I've had 3 kids. Two had severe reflux with feeding aversions. One (now 14 weeks) has colic and reflux. All 3 have food allergies. In my search for support, I've learned so much and come across some good websites.
Most doctors under dose reflux babies because the FDA recommendations are based on studies done on adults. NOT on kids. There is a research institute in the midwest that has done actual studies on young ones with reflux and has complied a great deal of information and tools (like a dosing calculator) so that we can actually get help for our kids. The website is noLinks://www.marci-kids.com/.
Another is a forum just like this one, but for reflux kids. It is: noLinks://www.infantreflux.org/forum/.
Good luck!
| |
|
|
Result 16 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Is it colic or reflux? (Read 167 times) |
Riddlez
Guest
| | Re: Is it colic or reflux?
« Result #16 on Aug 5, 2010, 1:59pm » | |
I've had 3 kids - all with Reflux and one with reflux and colic (ugh). My others did fine on Prevacid, but my youngest (now 14 weeks) did not tolerate it. We switched to Zegerid. She does fabulous on it. We had an endoscopy done and there are no lesions or damage to her esophagus or upper intestinal tract.
One thing I learned from have 3 serious (power puking all feeds, every day for 18 months accompanied by feeding aversions) is that most doctors under dose the little ones with the PPI meds. There is a wonderful website that has a dosing calculator that can tell you how much the LO will really need. Their metabolisms are so fast, the meds need to be given 3 times a day and in much higher doses. Because the side effects of these meds (like Prevacid) are almost non-existent, dosing higher than the FDA standard (which by the way, is developed for adults with no studies on children) has no harmful effects and is very helpful. It will take about 2 weeks to see a total change in your child and to have any damage heal, but within 4 or 5 days you should see a significant change.
All of mine have milk/soy allergies as well. You can look into Neocate which has no milk or soy proteins. Nutramigen and the others you can buy in the grocery store all have milk proteins, they are just really broken down.
The websites you might find useful are: noLinks://www.marci-kids.com/ and noLinks://www.infantreflux.org/forum/.
The MARCI kids website has complete information on their studies, information on all reflux medications, dosing information and suggestions. I believe that the main dr. is a co-creator of Zegerid. I emailed him around 11 p.m. one night and he called me at 7 a.m. the next day. I didn't know about these guidelines with my first and she never got better. My last two kids have been on the MARCI dose and have done great with no side effects.
The other website is a forum just like this one but for reflux and associated issues. Very helpful and supportive.
Good luck!
| |
|
|
Result 17 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: cold feet & colic (Read 87 times) |
axn
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jul 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 5
Karma: 0 | | cold feet & colic
« Result #17 on Aug 4, 2010, 2:04pm » | |
hi. my 3-month-old has had colic for 2 months or so. yesterday was the first day that she did not scream and cry excessively. same thing today. no extreme crying. and she slept great last night.
coincidentally - her feet are NOT cold today. cold feet is a colic symptom that she displayed for the past 2 months with the exception of yesterday and today.
has anyone else seen this happen? i am trying to determine if she is better.... or if we are just having a couple good days...
| |
|
|
Result 18 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: First Time Mom Help Please! (Read 238 times) |
Another tired mom
Guest
| | Re: First Time Mom Help Please!
« Result #18 on Jul 31, 2010, 7:24am » | |
I have baby too that may have colic. He is 7 weeks old. I read online that 6-7 weeks is the peaking point for colic and it will get worse during this time but then will start to improve and 3-4 months should be better. It is very rough. If you can find someone to stay with baby for a few hours and get OUT of the house and away for a little bit when you come back you usually feel some refreshed and ready to handle. Also if the crying gets to you too much I read that as long as you know baby is fed, clean diaper, no fever just lay him/her down for 10 minutes and step away and come back and try again. This gives you a chance to calm yourself down and the baby will sense you are calmer and will keep baby safe from you getting angry and unintentionally hurting him/her. Some people think this sounds away to let a baby just cry but it may be better for both of you to just take a 10 min break from each other.
| |
|
|
Result 19 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: help (Read 191 times) |
axn
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jul 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 5
Karma: 0 | | Re: help
« Result #19 on Jul 30, 2010, 9:50pm » | |
I have a colicky baby too... and feel EXACTLY the way you described... it's awful. I hate wishing her infant days to be over... (she's 3 months)... I haven't enjoyed much of anything with her and that makes me so sad. it's emotionally and physically draining. stay strong.
| |
|
|
Result 20 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: First Time Mom Help Please! (Read 238 times) |
axn
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jul 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 5
Karma: 0 | | Re: First Time Mom Help Please!
« Result #20 on Jul 30, 2010, 9:46pm » | |
Sounds like colic to me. (My daughter is 3-months old and suffers from colic... we've been dealing with it for 2+months). I continue to call my pediatrician and go in for many checkups for peace of mind. I call the nurse line, too, a lot, just to get confirmation that there isn't something dreadfully wrong with our baby....
I would recommend doing that, too, just so you know you've done everything you can....
It's hard. Good luck.
| |
|
|
Result 21 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Is it colic or reflux? (Read 167 times) |
axn
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jul 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 5
Karma: 0 | | Re: Is it colic or reflux?
« Result #21 on Jul 30, 2010, 9:42pm » | |
My heart goes out to you. I know what you are going through. Our daughter (3 months old) has similar symtoms. She's been diagnosed with reflux ... she's taking zantac... and she has bad gas pains (or so it seems). The more reading I do, though, the more I think our daughter is colicky... and the reflux is just something on the side, not primary cause of discomfort.
I would say that your son is colicky, too.
It totally sucks.... I am drained as well... emotionally and physically. (Breastfeeding on top of dealing with colic ... UGH)
I'm trying to start a support group in my area (Pittsburgh) as I desparately need to vent and talk with other mothers who are going through the same thing. It's very hard.
Stay strong. They say it will end.... (hard to believe, but it will)
amy
| |
|
|
Result 22 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: First Time Mom Help Please! (Read 238 times) |
onetiredmomma
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jul 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 1
Karma: 0 | | First Time Mom Help Please!
« Result #22 on Jul 24, 2010, 8:42pm » | |
My son is 7 weeks, and tonight was the worst his crying spells have ever been. My boyfriend finally took him out for a drive, and I feel so bad that I didn't go with. I have been holding/rocking/walking the floor with him for the past three hours, and with the exception of a couple pockets of silence (no longer than 10 minutes at a time) it has been constant wailing since his last bottle.
It has never been this bad. He has always been fussy at this time of night, but usually we can get him to sleep within an hour/hour and a half. He is not sick, no fever, etc. I noticed he has gas ( he is a gassy baby), but I am at my wits end with the crying.
Does anyone know if this sounds normal? Are there varying levels of "colic-ness"? Does it increase with time? I don't know much about it and most of the definitions I have come across online have been pretty vague.
I really hope the car ride helps. I can't imagine how my little guy can still be keeping himself awake.
Please help! Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.
| |
|
|
Result 23 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
Becky
Guest
| | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #23 on Jul 24, 2010, 1:28pm » | |
Thank you ladeis for posting this.
I am a first time mother of a 4.5 week old. Everyday from 5-6pm to 11-1 am she cries. We can settle her down for a minute or two using the Happiest Baby on the Block techniques...but as soon as you stop or as soon as she gets bored with that she is back to crying. She is such a sweet angel during the day.
The part that kills me the most is that all of my friends that have recently had babies have no problems like this. Sure there kid may get up every 2-3 hours but I would trade that for this anytime. And I am sure the rest of you feel the same way.
I really thought that I wanted more than one child, but after this I just can't see myself having more. I hate this monster I have become. I have no patience, I feel like a horrible wife and mother. I don't like being this person.
My husband works during the week so Sunday night to Thursday night I am pretty much alone with her. He takes her for a little while Friday and Saturday nights. But he has no idea what it is like to have her 5 nights a week for 5 or so hours screaming. At least he is here though and not overseas like another poster.
I keep telling myself hopefully there are only 8 weeks or so left of this. However I have no idea what I am going to do come Sept. 1st when I have to go back to work.
| |
|
|
Result 24 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
nzgrl
Guest
| | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #24 on Jul 22, 2010, 8:11pm » | |
I understand where you are all coming from and was recently thinking I would never get through it. But focus on getting through each day and it will happen. My boy is now 5 mths and thankfully the colic is well and truly over and not a moment too soon. i know the last thing you want to hear is that it will get better, and whenever someone said that to me i just wanted to scream... but it does. at 3 months things really started to improve and the crying would be for shorter periods until it just ended. I had an awful time with not only screaming/crying from 5pm-12 every night but he would also not sleep longer than 20minutes during the day and would sometimes be awake for 12 hours or more at a time and be miserable. Its extremely hard and people who have never experienced a colic baby will never understand how bad it can be.
I tired every "colic remedy" on the market and all the swadling, burping and walking would only help briefly. As long as your doc has confirmed its colic and nothing else and you feel comfortable that this is the case then just know in your heart you have done all you can and its just about trying to get through it as best you can until it improves with time.
I found it impossible to enjoy my little boy and felt like the worst mum in the world but at 5 months I can now enjoy him and love him. I can even see the sparkle in his eye when I walk in the room and its makes it all worthwhile. I too felt resentful of all the happy mums and happy babys in the supermarket etc but you too will be one just hang in there. I also went to the library and got some trashy books to read - nothing too heavy- they distracted me from the constant worry and upset of what was going on and felt like I could have 5 minutes to escape here and there...
one day it will be a distant memory just hang in there.
| |
|
|
Result 25 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: help (Read 191 times) |
nzgrl
Guest
| | Re: help
« Result #25 on Jul 22, 2010, 7:46pm » | |
I hope things are getting better for you or that you are starting to see that there might be light at the end of the tunnel. My boy is now 5 mths and thankfully the colic is well and truly over and not a moment too soon. i know the last thing you want to hear is that it will get better, and whenever someone said that to me i just wanted to scream... but it does. at 3 months things really started to improve and the crying would be for shorter periods until it just ended. I had an awful time with not only screaming/crying from 5pm-12 every night but he would also not sleep longer than 20minutes during the day and would sometimes be awake for 12 hours or more at a time and be miserable. Its extremely hard. Do you have any friends or family members that can offer support to you during the day so you can take a break? Sometimes you just have to ask for help as people really dont understand unless they have had a colic baby so maybe there is someone who would be happy to help you?
i dont know if anything i am saying is helpful but you are not alone.
| |
|
|
Result 26 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Colic Support group (Pittsburgh area) (Read 108 times) |
MLS
Guest
| | Re: Colic Support group (Pittsburgh area)
« Result #26 on Jul 22, 2010, 10:45am » | |
Hello axn:
I also live in the Pgh. area (Springdale) and am struggling with feeling overwhelmed and stressed in dealing with a colicky 4 week old. I agree meeting face to face in a group would be a great stress reliever since it's difficult for others who have never experienced a colicky baby to understand what we're going through. I am also feeling at the end of my rope! My husband is gone for 12hours a day at work and I am home with a colicky baby and a 6 yr. old. I think those of us in this trying situation need the support of each other to make it bearable!
| |
|
|
Result 27 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Chronic Colic (Read 77 times) |
trig79
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jul 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 1
Karma: 0 | | Chronic Colic
« Result #27 on Jul 20, 2010, 1:46am » | |
Hi
Our baby has been diagnosed with Chronic Colic ;(
Our little one was born 11 weeks ago, he was 9 week prem weighing in at 3lb. He has since grown to be a healthy 10lb baby. Everything was fine during his 4 week stay in ICU. Since we have brought him home he has developed the most horrible Colic.
He was on breast milk whilst in Hospital but due to all the stress my wife could no longer sustain producing enough milk for his appetite. About a week after his release we put him on to Aptimil Formula. I would not say this coincided with the colic issue, in fact his colic pretty much started as soon as we took him home. We thought it was caused by the vitamins and iron that he had to take or maybe the change in environment. But we have experimented with removing the vit’s and iron but nothing changes.
The doc’s do not believe he is Lactose Intolerant although I beg to differ.
About 2 weeks ago we changed to Aptimil LF formula (I current live in the Mid East so I can buy this off the shelf without the need of prescription). It seemed to be a miracle cure, the gassiness stopped, instant relief for both us and Oliver. His bloated stomach disappeared we though we had cracked it. Until about 4 days later when he became constipated and then the moaning and groaning started all over again.
We tried one more change in formula to Aptimil Comfort ideal for colic and help keeps stools normal. 1st couple of days were fine but the colic is back with vengeance. The constant groaning and doubling up in pain also causes him to be sick, the docs do not believe this to be Acid Reflux.
We really are at a loss as to what to do, the doctors just fob you off with the standard he will grow out of it.
So far we have tried all sorts: Infacol does nothing, Colief caused diarrhea, Gripe water no result, we are using doc browns bottles. Massage his stomach regularly.
Because he was prem we were also told that he has a tight anus, so he received nurses finger treatment for that on his last check up.
We have also done the thermometer trick when needs must.
So has anyone been through a similar experience?
I really believe LF formula is the way forward, but does anyone no how we can keep his stools soft. We tried the water between feed as well and that made no difference.
In the old days my nan would have dosed me up with cod liver oil, but you never hear of that being used anymore
Please remember that the 3 month average for a colicy stage is based on due date and not actual birth therefore with have an 11 week old baby who is only 3 weeks old since his due date.
What nightmare, someone will make it rich one day when they find a cure for Colic!
| |
|
|
Result 28 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Colic Support group (Pittsburgh area) (Read 108 times) |
axn
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jul 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 5
Karma: 0 | | Colic Support group (Pittsburgh area)
« Result #28 on Jul 16, 2010, 10:43am » | |
Hi. I have an 11-week old baby who is suffering from gas pains (aka: colic).... I am desparate to meet other mom's (or dads, for that matter) who are suffering from stress (and sadness) that goes hand in hand with a colicky baby.
I would like to start a colic support group (an in-person group that meets as much as needed) for the Pittsburgh area. Anyone out there interested?
The online group helps - but I think meeting face to face with other women would help even more. I'm at the end of my rope!
| |
|
|
Result 29 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: help (Read 191 times) |
starbrite155
Guest
| | Re: help
« Result #29 on Jul 13, 2010, 7:37pm » | |
I have a six week old and am dealing with colic as well. It is so hard trying to "entertain" her out of crying fits ALL day while my husband is at work. Don't you just wish you knew an "end" date when you would have a happy baby? I just feel so bad for her since she is clearly so unhappy...and i feel bad for us that we aren't enjoying these days like everyone said we would while i was pregnant. I am trying to take it one day at a time too, but some days it's hard to see past the screaming baby and look forward to future days when she will be happy
| |
|
|
Result 30 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: acid reflux/colic DIET?!? (Read 436 times) |
rowansmama
Guest
|  | Re: acid reflux/colic DIET?!?
« Result #30 on Jul 12, 2010, 8:29pm » | |
Hello! I'm in the same boat and have been cooking rice, adding mushrooms and spinach, and then plain hummus...yum! I eat wheat-free breads - Trader Joe's has a fine selection, as does WF's and Wegman's - and top them with blueberry jam. I eat a variety of granolas with almond milk and blueberries and nectarines...and watermelon for desert (it's full of iron). Hope this helps!
| |
|
|
Result 31 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: help (Read 191 times) |
blast526
Guest
| | Re: help
« Result #31 on Jul 9, 2010, 9:55pm » | |
I also have a seventh week old with colic and it also been extremely hard on me too. You are not alone, there are lots of mothers going through the exact same thing. Sometimes I feel like an empty shell of the person I was before I had the baby. Although he tries, my husband can't totally understand. What helps is a few decent hours of sleep and realizing it's not you but all the stress and crazy hormones. It helps me to just concentrate on getting through one day at a time. You are an incredibly strong mom for living out these past 7 weeks. You are doing a great job. Hang in there. Everybody who has been through this says it gets better. One day this will just be a memory.
| |
|
|
Result 32 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: help (Read 191 times) |
theresa108
Guest
| | help
« Result #32 on Jul 9, 2010, 6:40pm » | |
just went to pedi today and he told us that in addition to our daughter being a bad burper , she also has colic. i wanted to just break down and cry in his office. she is almost 7 wks and has been fussy ever since we brought her home from the hospital. i keep telling myself that she is just overtired, but when i put her down she wakes up. she constantly spits up and giving her a bottle has been a serious challenge over the past few days. i feel like everything is getting worse. i am alone with with her for 14 hrs a day. i hate who i am when my husband comes home. he doesn't seem to understand how mentally, emotionally, and physically challenging it is to take care of her. i feel so alone and i don't know what to do. i am starting to resent everyone who has a normal life right now.
| |
|
|
Result 33 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
eprice1216
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jul 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 1
Karma: 0 | | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #33 on Jul 1, 2010, 7:22pm » | |
All I can say is thank you for posting this! I am also a first time mother and am going through the same. I know exactly how you feel because I feel the exact same way. My daughter is 7 weeks old and I swear this already has been the longest 5 weeks ( she started the crying when she was 2 weeks old). I am so thankful I found this message board because I really feel all alone. My friends have all of these smiley, giggly babies and mine can never have her picture taken because she is ALWAYS miserable. I just hope this time flies by = (
| |
|
|
Result 34 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Is it colic or reflux? (Read 196 times) |
Been There
Guest
| | Re: Is it colic or reflux?
« Result #34 on Jun 29, 2010, 6:46pm » | |
Blessings10,
I had more time to read your entire post and I just wanted to give you some encouragement. It does sound like you have a colicky baby who may have some acid reflux problems.
Our daughter would be pretty good during the day and then around 5pm it would hit what we called the "bewitching" hour and she was just an unhappy little girl. We kept the lights down low so she wouldn't get over stimulated and we also kept her on a pretty strict schedule because like your son if she got over tired it was a bigger and longer meltdown. We also had to work really hard to get her to go to sleep. I remember working about an hour to soothe her and get her to sleep and her nap would only last about half an hour. We really didn't start taking her places until she was around 7-8 months because even after the colic was over she was just a happier girl on a consistant schedule.
I want to commend you on taking the steps you have to protect your childs sleep and trying to find ways to aleviate his discomfort. One of the biggest lesson I learned from colic was to be my childs advocate. When I first mentioned to the pedi that I thought my daughter had acid reflux he wasn't really kind about it, especially when I mentioned I had done some research on the internet. But, when I told him I felt like she was struggling enough with colic and that I wanted to try to help her with at least this one thing, I think he could see I just wanted to help my daughter and prescribed the Zantac, I also think he wanted to prove me wrong. I was so relieved when the Zantac helped with some feeding issues that we had been having.
Colic will typically last until around 4 months and then you will start to notice that you LO's crying spells will gradually decrease. I think my husband and I could tell a big difference in our daughter around 5 months. We still didn't take her out a whole lot because by that time it was winter out and we had a brutal winter here. But, I think keeping her around the house more for her first 8-9 months really helped her. I think going out anywhere was just major overstimulation for her and she didn't know how to process it.
My daughter is now 13 months old and is a complete delight. I just had some ladies and church comment about how well behaved she is.
I just wanted to let you know that you're doing a great job! Keep loving that screaming baby one day you'll have a little toddler run up and throw their arms around your neck and colic won't even cross your mind.
| |
|
|
Result 35 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
New Mom 82
Guest
| | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #35 on Jun 29, 2010, 2:18pm » | |
I am dealing with this, too, and feel the same way. I feel so awful for how I am feeling and cry most of every day and night. We wanted our daughter so badly. After two miscarriages, I was so happy to make it through the first trimester and bring her home. I was so excited to be a mom.
She was early and slept almost too much in the first week or so and I had to struggle with waking her and keeping her awake for feedings so she would get enough. It was hard and I barely slept then as it was. We had about one good week and the day before she was three weeks, the colic set it. At first, the ped said it was probably just a growth spurt, but it never ended and actually got so much worse. She never sleeps for more than an hour or two, feeds constantly and cries, screams, and kicks me during feedings and all day and night. We have tried everything, too - Dr. Karp, gripe water, etc. The ped thought maybe it was reflux, but no meds for that worked either.
I am so depressed and empty and at the end of my rope. My husband had to go back to work yesterday and I am all alone trying to cope. My parents are deceased and his are far away. No one I talk to seems to know what I am talking about and says their babies weren't colicky.
I am glad to read it seems to improve later, but how do I get that far? I am so tired I tripped and fell twice today. Thank God I had the baby in her bouncer both times. How do you handle the time before she gets better? I feel she hates me.
| |
|
|
Result 36 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Is it colic or reflux? (Read 196 times) |
Been There
Guest
| | Re: Is it colic or reflux?
« Result #36 on Jun 29, 2010, 1:15pm » | |
Blessings10,
I didn't have time to read all of your post but with the arching of the back it very well could be acid reflux. But, there are a lot of colicky babies who also have acid reflux, sometimes they go hand in hand. My daughter was colicky and had acid reflux. Our pedi prescribed Zantac as well and some of the feeding issues we were having with her stopped. She was arching her back while we were feeding her and there were several times when she would stop feeding and just start crying. Once we started the Zantac those things stopped and she did start sleeping better. However, the colic did not go away.
I would suggest putting the Zantac in a bottle instead of trying to give it to your LO straight up. If you already mentioned trying this in your post, sorry.
I hope this helps.
Heather
| |
|
|
Result 37 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
1timemom
Guest
| | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #37 on Jun 22, 2010, 7:32pm » | |
I relate to you 100%.. my son is a month old.. he just crys all the time.. he starts in the early morning and screams off and on all day long!.. its really starting to break me down. My husband is currently in Afghanistan and hasnt been here since i was 20 weeks pregnant. I have had to do everything by myself. I am living with my dad...my mom has never been in my life. My dad is amazing but all grandpa and is no help at all... I am starting to resent my son which breaks my heart, since i had no mom all i ever wanted was to be a mom, and I hate my life right now. I just feel myself breaking more and more everytime he starts screaming and wont stop. I love him so much but its hard to feel loving toward him when he is just causing me so much pain right now... I feel bad I resent my husband for not being here when its not his choice at all and he is sacrificing so much himself. I just dont know what to do anymore, I am already at my breaking point and there is no end in sight..
| |
|
|
Result 38 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Is it colic or reflux? (Read 196 times) |
blessings10
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jun 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 1
Karma: 0 | | Is it colic or reflux?
« Result #38 on Jun 22, 2010, 10:31am » | |
Hello, I am new to this site and look forward to sharing messages with other parents who face similar situations with their babies. It has become apparent that I am in much need of support from parents that understand and have experienced similar issues with their baby.
My son is almost 10 weeks. He was born 4 weeks early. Healthy. The second week home, we starting having fussy issues. My husband and I didn't know what it was, esp being first time parents and living far away from family to advise. We thought it was the formula. Switched to sensitive. It seemed fine for the first month but we were just so used to catering to his every whim and cry that we thought it was normal. Around week 6, it started to get worse and better and worse again. In the evening especially. We still had no idea what was going on. I spoke to pediatricians and formula experts, looked on line, etc. We have tried the nutramigen and alimentum formulas. Baby would gag, vomit and refused to eat. In the mean time, I have been suffering from exhaustion and loss of appetite to see my baby in such distress. It wasn't the formula. I wanted him to eat so I gave him his Sensitive formula again and he smiled and cooed. He has been fine on the Sensitive formula. So what is it? Why the arching of the back, lack of sleep, crying, fussiness, etc and at times, extreme pain (we figured out he caused acid reflux from the distress). Pediatricians suggested it is reflux and gave Zantac last week. Baby gagged taking it. Liquid form has alcohol in it. He vomited for the first time on it. So, we stopped it. In the mean time, we have been trying to manage reflux symptoms by feed slower, burping often, keeping baby at 45 degree angle and upright for at least 1/2 hr after he feeds. Also, trying to get him on a routine / schedule so that he can feed, have some activity time and sleep. We see that the lack of sleep aggravates the fussiness and triggers the tantrums. He must sleep yet it is so hard to get him to nap most of the time. Usually goes down easily when exhausted. We also limited his toys and took mobile from bed. He gets overstimulated after a few minutes. Over-stimulation leads to lack of sleep which leads to the fussiness which leads to tantrums. Baby was being managed fine, on somewhat of a schedule. We were particular about the evenings from 4 - 8 pm when any little trigger would set off the unstoppable crying. Usually, the episodes last up to half hour. They are tantrums. Nothing calms. Sometimes a bath does but once out of the bath, crying continues. Baby tires to point which means will sleep afterward. This past Sunday evening, he was fine at 4 pm. Ate well and calmly. At 5 pm, he just began crying uncontrollably. Not sure what set him off but it may have been that he didn't get full rest during the day. Not sure. He cried and cried. Slept and woke crying again. By 8 pm, I think he gave himself bad reflux so I gave him the zantec he despises. Not sure if it worked because he was exhausted again. He didn't eat well that evening. Same for next morning / day. I called the pediatrician yesterday and was told next step is Prevacid. We managed him all day yesterday, holding to sleep, eating whenever he wants. Just to get back on track to eating. Half hour before Late "dreamfeed" we gave him the Prevacid. Do not know if it made a difference. He seemed to be calm but he always is at that time (10 pm). He woke a bit fussy at 12:20 am and again at 2:30 am. I fed him and he went back to sleep. At 4:30 am he started fussing again and then crying. Crying got worse. He had very bad gas pains. I read that Prevacid causes a lot of gas and constipation. He would just cry and cry from the pain. We tried to bicycle his legs, put in vibrating chair, eventually, the pain subsided. He ate at 6:30 am and slept. Woke up fussy, ate, and pooped actually. Still a bit fussy, I have to hold him to sleep.
I am exhausted. I cannot begin to say that we love this baby more than anything but we have been through the ringer. No one has answers. We certainly cannot figure out if he is just colicky baby who makes himself get acid reflux and gas. Or, is the the reflux and digestive immaturity that make him colicky. Dr will not say he is colicky. they just take steps to alleviate some discomfort. By definition, he does not seem to be a true colicky baby. From what I read from other posts, other parents seem to be experiencing similar problems. Our baby is wonderful during the day. When he is rested, fed, etc. He is alert and responsive. He coos and smiles. But as of the late afternoons, it begins. At night time, he doesn't get good rest in bed. He is always fussing. Perhaps all babies go through sleep stages of active sleep where they kick their legs and arms everywhere and deep sleep where they are calm and still. I just know that anytime I wake during the night, he is always fussing around in his sleep. It doesn't seem restful.
Our baby is almost 10 weeks this week. When will this change? Will it change? I hear that they outgrow it. I am confined to my home because it is easier to deal with it here than outdoors. We don't have the answers. I have a call through to the Dr to see what to do about the Prevacid. He had so much gas pain this morning that I fear giving it to him again. Baby has always been a decent burper and poops practically every day. Sometimes goes to 2 days but that is less frequent.
For those with experiencing similar problems, does it seem that our baby has colic? He gets tantrums (arching back, inconsolable crying, turning all sort of colors, may even get reflux and gas) Babies like him want to be carried and hugged and sleep in arms. They are very alert and pick up on everything. I think they are smarter than what we know. They also get overstimulated easily and find it hard to get to sleep. This little guy will sleep in my arms and the minute I put him down when he is not in deep sleep, he awakens. Here we go again. His tantrums are not everyday but often enough. They can last from 10 minutes to 45 minutes.
Is he colic or does he have reflux? or are they interrelated? How much longer of this? Any support will be great. Thanks for listening.
| |
|
|
Result 39 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Is it colic or reflux? (Read 167 times) |
Blessings2010
Guest
| | Is it colic or reflux?
« Result #39 on Jun 22, 2010, 10:30am » | |
Hello, I am new to this site and look forward to sharing messages with other parents who face similar situations with their babies. It has become apparent that I am in much need of support from parents that understand and have experienced similar issues with their baby.
My son is almost 10 weeks. He was born 4 weeks early. Healthy. The second week home, we starting having fussy issues. My husband and I didn't know what it was, esp being first time parents and living far away from family to advise. We thought it was the formula. Switched to sensitive. It seemed fine for the first month but we were just so used to catering to his every whim and cry that we thought it was normal. Around week 6, it started to get worse and better and worse again. In the evening especially. We still had no idea what was going on. I spoke to pediatricians and formula experts, looked on line, etc. We have tried the nutramigen and alimentum formulas. Baby would gag, vomit and refused to eat. In the mean time, I have been suffering from exhaustion and loss of appetite to see my baby in such distress. It wasn't the formula. I wanted him to eat so I gave him his Sensitive formula again and he smiled and cooed. He has been fine on the Sensitive formula. So what is it? Why the arching of the back, lack of sleep, crying, fussiness, etc and at times, extreme pain (we figured out he caused acid reflux from the distress). Pediatricians suggested it is reflux and gave Zantac last week. Baby gagged taking it. Liquid form has alcohol in it. He vomited for the first time on it. So, we stopped it. In the mean time, we have been trying to manage reflux symptoms by feed slower, burping often, keeping baby at 45 degree angle and upright for at least 1/2 hr after he feeds. Also, trying to get him on a routine / schedule so that he can feed, have some activity time and sleep. We see that the lack of sleep aggravates the fussiness and triggers the tantrums. He must sleep yet it is so hard to get him to nap most of the time. Usually goes down easily when exhausted. We also limited his toys and took mobile from bed. He gets overstimulated after a few minutes. Over-stimulation leads to lack of sleep which leads to the fussiness which leads to tantrums. Baby was being managed fine, on somewhat of a schedule. We were particular about the evenings from 4 - 8 pm when any little trigger would set off the unstoppable crying. Usually, the episodes last up to half hour. They are tantrums. Nothing calms. Sometimes a bath does but once out of the bath, crying continues. Baby tires to point which means will sleep afterward. This past Sunday evening, he was fine at 4 pm. Ate well and calmly. At 5 pm, he just began crying uncontrollably. Not sure what set him off but it may have been that he didn't get full rest during the day. Not sure. He cried and cried. Slept and woke crying again. By 8 pm, I think he gave himself bad reflux so I gave him the zantec he despises. Not sure if it worked because he was exhausted again. He didn't eat well that evening. Same for next morning / day. I called the pediatrician yesterday and was told next step is Prevacid. We managed him all day yesterday, holding to sleep, eating whenever he wants. Just to get back on track to eating. Half hour before Late "dreamfeed" we gave him the Prevacid. Do not know if it made a difference. He seemed to be calm but he always is at that time (10 pm). He woke a bit fussy at 12:20 am and again at 2:30 am. I fed him and he went back to sleep. At 4:30 am he started fussing again and then crying. Crying got worse. He had very bad gas pains. I read that Prevacid causes a lot of gas and constipation. He would just cry and cry from the pain. We tried to bicycle his legs, put in vibrating chair, eventually, the pain subsided. He ate at 6:30 am and slept. Woke up fussy, ate, and pooped actually. Still a bit fussy, I have to hold him to sleep.
I am exhausted. I cannot begin to say that we love this baby more than anything but we have been through the ringer. No one has answers. We certainly cannot figure out if he is just colicky baby who makes himself get acid reflux and gas. Or, is the the reflux and digestive immaturity that make him colicky. Dr will not say he is colicky. they just take steps to alleviate some discomfort. By definition, he does not seem to be a true colicky baby. From what I read from other posts, other parents seem to be experiencing similar problems. Our baby is wonderful during the day. When he is rested, fed, etc. He is alert and responsive. He coos and smiles. But as of the late afternoons, it begins. At night time, he doesn't get good rest in bed. He is always fussing. Perhaps all babies go through sleep stages of active sleep where they kick their legs and arms everywhere and deep sleep where they are calm and still. I just know that anytime I wake during the night, he is always fussing around in his sleep. It doesn't seem restful.
Our baby is almost 10 weeks this week. When will this change? Will it change? I hear that they outgrow it. I am confined to my home because it is easier to deal with it here than outdoors. We don't have the answers. I have a call through to the Dr to see what to do about the Prevacid. He had so much gas pain this morning that I fear giving it to him again. Baby has always been a decent burper and poops practically every day. Sometimes goes to 2 days but that is less frequent.
For those with experiencing similar problems, does it seem that our baby has colic? He gets tantrums (arching back, inconsolable crying, turning all sort of colors, may even get reflux and gas) Babies like him want to be carried and hugged and sleep in arms. They are very alert and pick up on everything. I think they are smarter than what we know. They also get overstimulated easily and find it hard to get to sleep. This little guy will sleep in my arms and the minute I put him down when he is not in deep sleep, he awakens. Here we go again. His tantrums are not everyday but often enough. They can last from 10 minutes to 45 minutes.
Is he colic or does he have reflux? or are they interrelated? How much longer of this? Any support will be great. Thanks for listening.
| |
|
|
Result 40 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: It will get better! (Read 189 times) |
Recent Mom
Guest
| | It will get better!
« Result #40 on Jun 17, 2010, 11:41am » | |
:) :) It does get better! I promise! I was in the same situation as everyone here and I would frequently check this site for advice, and funny that now I'm the one giving it.
I have all the same experiences as everyone else, crying baby, non stop fussing, screaming, kicking, face turning red, punching, etc. I would cry while holding him in my arms.
I thought having a baby was a joyful time and I was so excited to have my baby, and then when he was born I feel like I was going through HELL. I wondered why other mom's have such happy babies, and why I was being punished... I would pray and that didn't help so at times I stopped believing there was a God, b/c why would he put me through this.
The colic went away when he was 4 months. That is when I noticed the biggest difference.
It was BAD
I'm here to tell you that after all the suffering, all the dr. visits and searches on the internet, after all of the screaming and sleepless nights, there is a LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.
I have tried everything and the things that helped were:
-Nutramigen Formula by Enfamil
-Dr. Brown's Bottles
-Udo's Choice Probiotics (get from health store)
-Fennel tea (really helped baby pass gass and relieve tummy pain. Boil tea bag in cup of water, then give baby 1-2 Oz twice a day) My dr. recommended more, but this was the amount I gave.
-Gas drops, oval & other formulas didn't work
-playing loud music and dancing with him
-Get someone to watch the baby while you go for a relaxing massage or pedicure...it helps. Or go out for dinner with a friend, do something social.
It does get better! It will end just stick it through. You are not a bad mom for feeling the way you do, because there is nothing more stressful than a continuous streaming baby.
Remember God gave you a colicy baby because he saw something in you that could handle it. I can't believe I'm the one giving the advice now, when a few months ago I was cursing stupid advice like this.
When my son turned 4 months, I gave him the play Gym and he loved it, that would keep him occupied for an hour at a time. Then he started loving his bounching chair and now he has a bouncer by baby Einstein and he LOVES it. He is so active. The colic made him very strong (all the kicking and squirming, he is already creeping and rolling around.
When your baby's eye sight gets better and they will be able to focus on things for a longer time and the crying will lessen.
I was never able to take my son ANYWHERE, I was so afraid of him having a crying episode. Now, I take him everywhere, out for dinner, weddings, parties, even shopping in the states...I am from Canada. He loves to play, laugh and he smiles all the time. He makes funny noises, he loves attention. The only time he cries is when he is hungry or tired. I LOVE it now.
HANG IN THERE. COLIC is one of the worse things that can happen to a new mom, after everything you've just been through with the pregnancy and delivery. IT WILL GET BETTER.
By the way...everywhere I go, people say "He is such a good baby" you will never know how happy that makes me. I never thought I would live to see the day that someone says that. But it is here now :) ;D ;D
| |
|
|
Result 41 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
Recent Mom
Guest
| | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #41 on Jun 17, 2010, 11:14am » | |
I completely feel your pain! I now have a HAPPY HAPPY 6 month old baby. He was born in Dec, and right away the crying started. NON-STOP...I was going crazy. I would cry almost every day, sometimes there was nothing I could do to stop him or get him to sleep. It seemed like he was always fussing, in my arms and when I put him down.
He cried all the time. When I would hold him he would kick, punch, scream and move all over.
Sooo many times I wanted to give up and I have to admit that I wondered what the heck I got myself into by having a child, I wondered why I was being punished and how come other mom's have such peaceful and happy babies. I wanted to die!
The first 4 months seem like a blur right now.
I waited for the day he turned 3 months but his colic went away after 4 months. That is when I noticed the difference and one day the crying just stoped.
I have tried everything and the things that REALLY helped was:
-Nutramigen Formula by Enfamil
-Dr. Browns Bottles
-Fennel Tea (boil one tea bag in a cup of water and feed baby 1-2 Oz twice a day)
-Udo's Choice Pro Biotics (find in a health store)
-Bouncing while holding him in my arms
-Playing loud music and dancing with him
-Oval, colic drops and other formulas didn't work
-Get someone to watch the baby while you go for a relaxing massage or pedicure...it helps. Or go out for dinner with a friend, do something social...it helps!!
The fennel tea really helped his tummy as he passed a lot of gas when I would give him this.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, TRUST ME! It does get better! It will end just stick it through. You are not a bad mom for feeling the way you do, because there is nothing more stressful than a continuous streaming baby.
Remember God gave you a colicy baby because he saw something in you that could handle it. I can't believe I'm the one giving the advice now, when a few months ago I was cursing stupid advice like this.
When my son turned 4 months, I gave him the play Gym and he loved it, that would keep him occupied for an hour at a time. Then he started loving his bounching chair and now he has a bouncer by baby Einstein and he LOVES it. He is so active. The colic made him very strong, he is already creeping and rolling around.
When your baby's eye sight gets better and they will be able to focus on things for a longer time and the crying will lessen.
I was never able to take my son ANYWHERE, I was so afraid of him having a crying episode. Now, I take him everywhere, even shopping in the states...I am from Canada. He loves to play, laugh and he smiles all the time. He makes funny noises, he plays in the morning. The only time he cries is when he is hungry or tired. I LOVE it now.
HANG IN THERE. COLIC is one of the worse things that can happen to a new mom, after everything you've just been through with the pregnancy and delivery. IT WILL GET BETTER.
| |
|
|
Result 42 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
Been There
Guest
| | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #42 on Jun 16, 2010, 6:49pm » | |
Oh ladies, I feel your pain. Hang in there I promise it will get better.
Kathy - I know what you mean when you say it feels like it has taken forever for your daughter to be 2 months old. Honestly, for me it seemed like the first 6-7 months of my daughters life just drug by and then all the sudden somebody flipped the warp drive switch and now I have a 1 year old.
One Tired Mom - You mentioned that at times it is hard to hold your son because he will arch his back and flail around. I would talk to your pedi about that. My daughter would be taking a bottle and would be constantly arching her back and would just start crying in the middle of the bottle, I was doing some research on line and saw that it was a symptom of acid reflux, which is common in colicky babies. I will warn you, if you go to your pedi and say that someone on line mentioned your son might have acid reflux your pedi will probably roll his eyes. When I mentioned that I had done some research on line I could tell my pedi was disgusted. But, I think he wanted to try and prove me wrong so he gave me a prescription for...gosh I can't even remember the drug name now. Anyway, it was to reduce acid reflux and after we started putting it in her bottles the back arching stopped and she did start sleeping a LITTLE better. Here is my disclaimer with acid reflux medicine, it will not get rid of the colic!! It did help with some other things. I'm glad the pedi ended up prescribing some medication because my poor daughter was having enough problems with colic that I wanted to help her with anything I could.
Here are a couple of lessons I learned from colic. Try as much as possible to keep your little one on a schedule. I know right now, you are laughing hysterically at that but I think this is what saved my bacon. In the long run you will be helping your child out immensely. Colicy babies have a higher chance of having sleep problems when they are older and out of their colic phase. I pretty much didn't have a life for the first 7 months of my daughter's life. I know that's not encouraging but I feel like I worked my tush off in the trenches for the first 7 months and now I'm reaping the rewards of my hard work. My daughter goes to bed between 6-7pm and wakes up between 6-7am. Right now, I would be doing whatever it takes to get your child to sleep. If that means letting them sleep in the swing or on you then do it. A great book on sleep and colicy babies is "Your Fussy Baby" by Dr. Mark Weisbluth.
My next lesson is be your child's advocate. I think I learned this from so many people telling me that my daughter's crying was my fault. I also learned this from my pedi being disgusted over me telling him I thought she had acid reflux. I know it's hard to look at your child's constant crying in this way but your child needs you to advocate for them. This may be in setting a strict schedule or finding things that make your child's crying worse and start eliminating those things. For instance, in the evening, make sure the house isn't lit up like a Christmas tree, keep the house quite and the lights down.
My last lesson, take time for yourself! This is a biggie, I wish I had asked for more help! Ultimately I did survive colic but make sure you take care of yourself physically and emotionally. If you feel like you are in a depressed state, please talk to your doctor.
Ladies, I wish you all the best of luck if I could make this any easier for all of you I would. Just know that you are all great moms.
Heather
| |
|
|
Result 43 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
One tired mom
Guest
| | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #43 on Jun 15, 2010, 8:30pm » | |
I was so excited to become a mom and constantly imagined how it would be. However, things are not going as I pictured. My six week old is extremely colicky and cries all of the time. He seems like the most miserable baby in the world. If he is awake and not eating, he is screaming and crying. It is even hard to hold him sometimes because he his arching his back and flailing around.
I can sympathize with feeling like your own child does not like you. My son just looks me in the face and screams. I am his mother; I should be able to soothe him. Some days it feels like I cry as much as he does. I too find myself getting frustrated and angry. I would do anything to make him happy, and he just pulls my hair and wails.
Right now my house is in shambles, I am still trying to get out thank you cards from my baby shower, and I am attempting to pack for an upcoming move (something I thought I would be able to do while on maternity leave). I have a huge to do list and am unable to do anything. It is getting pretty overwhelming. Oh, and my expensive baby swing just broke!
I have been repeatedly told that it will get better. It is hard to believe that now though. I feel like things will be this way forever (or at least until he goes to school). I had all of these plans for us. Because of the colic, I have not had the time or energy to do any of them. I feel as if I am wishing away his infancy in the hopes that he will outgrow this. It has been a rough week. Reading the stories of other people going through the same thing has helped though. It helps to know that I am not alone.
I pray that things will get better for you. You are not alone. I feel your pain. For mothers of colicky babies, life is stressful and depressing. This coupled with the postpartum hormone changes is enough to bring any women to her knees. I guess no one said motherhood would be easy.
| |
|
|
Result 44 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
Kathy
Guest
| | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #44 on Jun 15, 2010, 6:28pm » | |
I am so happy to read both stories from Ollysmommy & from Heather. I too am dealing w/ a Colicky baby. She is 2 months old this week & there has only been a small change in her crying since the day we brought her home from the hospital. i too am scared to even dare to take her out in public any more because when she starts I know its only going to get worse before it gets any better (learned the hard way) & I had better hurry up & just get out of the store before everyone is staring.
This is my 3rd child. I have a 12 year old & a 9 year old. I really thought at this point I would have motherhood mastered & enjoy my last planned child w/ all the knowledge under my belt. I NEVER thought she would be born w/ colic. I get jealous also that my husband gets to go to work. I still work full time but from my home now. I can not begin to tell you how very stressful my life has become since she was born. It leaves me having to catch up on my work all hours of the night & day, while also caring for my 2 other children. I feel less of a wife, less of a mother to my two other children & my whole world has been turned upside down. There are days I dont even get out of the house between working from home & being scared to leave because of her crying. She doesnt care for car rides either.
It seems like it has taken forever for her to only be 2 months old at this point. I would love to be able to just hold her & enjoy her but instead at this point I am anxious for her to get older just so all this crying is behind us Ive bought the colic calm & its the only thing that seems to remotely work. I dont get the results out of it that I had hoped for but on occassion it will work, it is quite expensive but its better than having nothing. Ive tried it all. Mylicon gas drops, gripe water, sugar water, changed her formula 5 different times & I even started out breast feeding.. she would puke, i use the Dr. Browns bottles for colicky babies, I've done the infant massage, aroma therapy, got the baby swing, the bouncer, they all vibrate complete w/ the bells & whistles, bought white noise cd's for her to listen to & yet nothing works!
I am short tempered now & I feel like I constantly have a frown on my face. Life is NOT enjoyable right now. It does help knowing & reading others situations. In hopes of finding or hearing something new I havent tried yet. Its definately the encouragment that I enjoy the most though. I have never enjoyed peace and quiet as much as I do now when she does actually go to sleep.
From one mom to another I cant wait (literally) for things to get back to a normal level! :*(
| |
|
|
Result 45 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
ollysmommy
New Member
member is offline
Joined: May 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 2
Karma: 0 | | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #45 on Jun 6, 2010, 5:16pm » | |
heather, thank you so much for the advice and encouragement...every little bit helps. knowing you and your daughter are happy gives me hope.
| |
|
|
Result 46 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
Been There
Guest
| | Re: colic driving me away from my son
« Result #46 on Jun 2, 2010, 11:54am » | |
Ollysmommy, I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. My daughter is currently 1 year old and when she was a newborn she had colic as well. Nothing I did would stop her crying, she would cry from about 5:00 pm to 11-12 pm every night. All my husband and I could do was pace around the house and hold her. And a lot of time I did the majority of the care giving because my husband, besides having a full time job, also mows in the summer. So, I understand when you say that you're depressed and I'm glad you have talked to a doctor about it because I didn't and I wish I would have.
My husband and I tried for two years to get pregnant with our daughter and I too thought that I would be this amazing mom. Imagine my dismay when I hated the fact that I felt trapped in my own home by my daughter and I was resentful that my husband got to leave to go to work and mow. I couldn't take my daughter places just to get out of the house because she despised her car seat, she would have a HUGE meltdown 10 minutes into any trip I made. I didn't take her to any store because I was afraid that she would start crying inconsolably and I wouldn't be able to get her to stop.
I just want you to know that you're not alone there are other parents going through this and other parents who have been there and are on the other side of colic. My beautiful 1 year, post colic, daughter is currently a happy go lucky little girl who is the light of my life. She is a big mommy's girl and I love it, I'm the first person she comes to when she needs to be comforted.
As far as your son not crying for your mother-in-law, just wait, her time is coming. The reason your son isn't crying with her is because she is a new face, once he gets used to her being around he will cry with her just like he cries with you. The same thing would happen with me, my daughter would be crying, my mom would come in and take her, then she would stop crying. I felt like my daughter hated me. Once my daughter got used to my mom, she would cry with her as well.
Nothing worked for my daughter as well, gripe water, colic calm, gas drops etc. Unless your pedi tells you different I wouldn't change his formula, you'll waste money on formula that won't work. Trust me I wasted a lot of money trying this and that.
I think around 2-1/2 months her crying spells gradually started getting shorter. By 5 months we could tell an improvement, don't get me wrong her colic wasn't gone but it was improved. I realized around 7 months old that I didn't feel trapped anymore.
I wrote all this to let you know that you're not a bad mom, you're dealing with an extremely difficult situation. Becoming a new parent is stressful enough without colic. Make sure that you start working on a good support system. Get your husband to give you some breaks, even have your mother-in-law come over to watch your son so you can get out of the house. Maybe she'll see it's not so easy if she's left alone with a crying baby. If you have some friends you trust have them give you a hand.
Looking back, I know how stressed I was and how difficult it was but when I look at my beautiful 1 year old, it was worth it. On the other side of colic, I feel like I'm a better mother for having gone through the stress of it all, I'm more patient and loving. Good luck, you're not going through this alone.
Heather
| |
|
|
Result 47 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colic driving me away from my son (Read 625 times) |
ollysmommy
New Member
member is offline
Joined: May 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 2
Karma: 0 | | colic driving me away from my son
« Result #47 on May 30, 2010, 6:47pm » | |
Hello everyone, I am a 1st time mom of a 6 wk old colic baby. I am a normal 22 yr old girl..i love to sleep, love my freedom, and like to be alone for the most part...now after having a baby I'm miserable. All he does is cry constantly. This isn't at all what I thought it would be. I was depressed all throughout my pregnancy and now with this situation I am 10x more depressed.( I already take meds for depression) I find myself getting mad at my husband for no good reason...I am never smiling, I am ruining my relationship w/ my him. The worst part is I feel no connection with my son..He acts dif with me than anyone else. He only cries for me..my mother in law holds him and hes fine(which drives me nuts because she rubs it in my face), my husband holds him and hes good, i get him in my arms and its all hell breaking loose. It makes me feel so worthless, like a bad mom. I thought I was going to be this amazing mom, but I am the complete opposite. I feel like he doesn't like me. When he cries I get so frustrated that I loose my temper and get mad..(i would never in my life hurt him) but I just find myself NOT talking in that baby voice and not showing him love. I feel so awful for feeling like this... Has anyone been through this? Please help
A few facts
-6 wks old. Started at 2 wks
-ive tried gripe water, colic calm, karo syrup, and gas drops..no help
-ive switched from enfamil prem. to enfamil gentlease, to similac sensitive which is lactose free...they all dont wrk
-im thinking of switching to similac soy
-ive tried swaddling, "sushing", rocking, everything...
-he eats a lot now...every 2 hrs usually 4 oz maybe 5
-doesnt sleep much at night or day..just a few 30 min naps
| |
|
|
Result 48 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Colic Calm (Read 28,603 times) |
Alex
Guest
| | Re: Colic Calm
« Result #48 on May 28, 2010, 11:56am » | |
Hi there--I write the Colic Calm blog (and used Colic Calm w/ my daughter) and recently posted a story about getting the black stains that the solution can leave. It's black because there are no dyes in Colic Calm. Vegetable carbon is used to relieve the gas (the gas "sticks" to the carbon as it passes through your baby) and it's natural form is black. You can check out the posting here:
noLinks://journal.coliccalm.com/2010/05/20/removing-those-stains/
Good luck!
| |
|
|
Result 49 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Sleep after colic- help!! (Read 771 times) |
jengeurian
Guest
| | Re: Sleep after colic- help!!
« Result #49 on May 11, 2010, 11:03pm » | |
I fully agree with the cry it out method as well. I experienced the same issue with my oldest son who is now 10 and still remember it very very exceptionally well. In my situation it turns out that my son was teething at about that age and he would "wake up" in the middle of the night screaming, but still have his eyes closed and seem other than the crying to be asleep. Come to find out, the pain from the teething was giving him night terrors, and this was something that I dealt with off and on until all of his baby teeth were in. Every time he started teething again we would go through this again, for different lengths of time with each tooth and depending on if there was more than one starting to come in at the same time or not. I would suggest asking your pediatrician if this is a possibility with your baby as well and they may be able to help you with it more if this is the case for your situation.
| |
|
|
Result 50 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: HELP..colic and acid reflux and gas! NEED TO VENT! (Read 763 times) |
CMD
Guest
| | Re: HELP..colic and acid reflux and gas! NEED TO V
« Result #50 on May 4, 2010, 10:13pm » | |
djejmama Thank you so much for your vent. I swear I thought I was going crazy with my lil man until I read your post. CMD is 8 weeks old but he was 4.5 weeks premature. The doctor says he is tracking from his due date and not his birth date, which is totally normal. I started crying today because that means his colic is going to last that much longer for us.
It is so hard to see him suffering. I feel like I have tried every solution in the book to no avail. Reading your post I felt like I was reading my own thoughts. My lil guy is so uncomfortable and inconsolable unless he is sleeping or eating. He is on zantac and mylicon but both don't seem to do much. The zantac helps a bit, the mylicon doesn't seem to do anything at all. Today I am starting him on probiotics.
Also to the suggestion of one of the other mommies I took a bath with CMD tonight. He went from hysterical to calm the instant we sat in the water. I breast fed him while in the bath and then we hung out for about 10 minutes. It was the calmest I have ever seen him while awake.
The worst part for me is that he starts crying hysterically in the middle of what seemed like a deep sleep. The poor guy would probably sleep so much longer but his gassy stomach wakes him up and then he can't get back to sleep. sometimes he will cry and fall asleep and then cry and fall asleep. It almost reminds me of contractions -- the pain comes and then goes away and then repeats itself.
Anyway, thank you again for your post. It made a huge difference in my day. I went from wits end to feeling a tad bit more normal.
| |
|
|
Result 51 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: lots of questions, need to vent! (Read 270 times) |
aclaghorn
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 6
Karma: 0 | | Re: lots of questions, need to vent!
« Result #51 on May 4, 2010, 3:20pm » | |
I'm so sorry that you are having to go through this! I'm afraid that I don't have a lot of experience with your situation (hopefully someone else will chime in with suggestions!), but I had an idea about your feeding concern. Are you familiar with a supplemental nursing system? This allows you to feed the baby formula while keeping them at the breast. Also, maybe because of this baby's increased demand, you won't have the same problem with "drying up" at 6 months. I hope things get better soon for you! My son is still colicky at 6 months of age, but he's getting better every day. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!
| |
|
|
Result 52 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: lots of questions, need to vent! (Read 270 times) |
mommyof4
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 3
Karma: 0 | | lots of questions, need to vent!
« Result #52 on May 3, 2010, 2:23pm » | |
Hi everyone! It's the colic rookie again! I have soooo many questions for those of you who have been through this already. Thanks for all the suggestions on getting my baby to take a bottle. Tried everything, she went 8 hrs without eating and still won't take a bottle. I have to go back to work soon & don't know what to do, plus my milk has dried up around 6 mo. with my other 3, so what will she do then? Maybe we can try a sippy cup when she is a little older? She will be 14 weeks on Friday, I still carry her in a sling so she will nap more than 20-30 minutes ( I carry her around for about 6 hrs a day!) When will she sleep longer when I put her in her crib? She still sleeps in the bedroom with me in her bouncy chair at night (she would never sleep good in bed with me). I'm so nervous about puting her in her crib at night since that is the only sleep I get. She will sleep for about a 4 hr stretch, eat, then maybe another 2-3 hrs, eat, then if I'm lucky another 1-1.5 hrs then up for the day. I know this is probably pretty good compared to some babies, but I was so used to my other 3 sleeping through the night at this point. When the colic goes away are they better able to self-soothe? My daughter has ALWAYS had to be parent-soothed (swaddled tightly, nursed, rocked, bounced, jiggled), she will NOT take a pacifier which totally stinks!!! Not sure when I should attempt sleep training, I don't think until she is maybe 5 months? I have the Healthy Sleep Habits book, but would like some advice from people who have been through this. At this point I feel like I have no life, my husband is turning on me from the stress, but I'm doing the best I can! It's everything I can do to take care of my 6, 5 and 3 year old daughters plus carry her around all day & nurse her since I am her only food source! When does this get better? On the positive side, she has a beautiful smile & smiles a lot (when she is well-rested! She can tolerate being up a little longer now and has had a full hour of not being fussy! It seems all the fussing & crying revolves around sleep & soothing. Has anyone else had a similar baby? (needs to be swaddled, won't take paci or bottle, needs to be soothed by vacuum cleaner, carried in sling) I just feel so alone & overwhelmed, wish there was someone I could talk to who is going through this right now. Seems a lot of you are finished with your colic nightmare. Sorry this is so long. Thanks for listening to me vent!
| |
|
|
Result 53 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colicky baby won't take bottle (Read 406 times) |
aclaghorn
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 6
Karma: 0 | | Re: colicky baby won't take bottle
« Result #53 on Apr 25, 2010, 5:45pm » | |
If your daughter has normal stools, I don't think you have a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. That would cause the baby to have green, watery diarrhea. It is still possible that she is intolerant to dairy or something else in your diet (my son's stools were normal for a long time until he got a bout of diarrhea). Food intolerances could also make her not want to take the bottle (it isn't as comforting as nursing). It can take 2-3 weeks for dairy to get out of your system, and some babies are extremely sensitive to any dairy that sneaks into the mother's diet. Dr. Newman has some good information about colic in breastfed babies that you might take a look at:
www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13
If you have suspicions about food intolerance, you can also try eliminating soy, since many babies who are intolerant to dairy are also intolerant to soy:
www.mspikids.info/
Or you can try Dr. Sears' elimination diet:
www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041200.asp
Also, there is some great information on the Kellymom website about bottle feeding:
www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html
Best of luck! It will get better soon!
| |
|
|
Result 54 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colicky baby won't take bottle (Read 406 times) |
mommyof4
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 3
Karma: 0 | | Re: colicky baby won't take bottle
« Result #54 on Apr 25, 2010, 10:39am » | |
Thanks so much for the replies and the support! She has normal stools and I have tried cutting out dairy for 1 week but didn't notice a difference (maybe it wasn't long enough). Thank you for the suggestions on bottle feeding, we will definitely try. My husband is going to attempt to feed her again today, wish us luck! My thoughts and prayers are with everyone going through this experience!
| |
|
|
Result 55 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colicky baby won't take bottle (Read 406 times) |
1sttimemum
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 1
Karma: 0 | | Re: colicky baby won't take bottle
« Result #55 on Apr 25, 2010, 8:29am » | |
Hang on in there, I too have a very colicky baby and went along to my local breast feeding support group. One thing I was advised to try was expressing off some of the first part of my milk, it contains a high level of lactose, ( my son appears to be lactose intolerant also) he was constantly pulling off from the breast and having spasms and cramping during the feed.
I wasn't fortunate to have enough milk to supply him with and we did have to bite the bullet and put him on to a lactose free formula, but for the day or two that we did manage he slept much better, as he was getting more of the hind milk the filled him up more.
The other thing was, he also refused the bottle and would scream for hours until my milk came back in rather than take a bottle, if you give the bottle before she is fully awake before she realises it's not the breast, it might work.
We did have to fully formula feed our son and getting him to take the bottle was a nightmare but he is now 11weeks old and has had the bottle for the last 2, he just wouldn't or couldn't combination feed.
Good luck, your are doing the best you can as for when it all will settle God only knows, I pray soon because while you are in the situation you can't appreciate the wonderful gift.
| |
|
|
Result 56 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colicky baby won't take bottle (Read 406 times) |
aclaghorn
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 6
Karma: 0 | | Re: colicky baby won't take bottle
« Result #56 on Apr 24, 2010, 8:36pm » | |
Welcome to the group! I was just wondering if you have tried taking dairy out of your diet (all forms, look for casein and whey on food labels)? It is a frequent cause of colic in breastfed babies. Also, have you seen any changes in your daughter's stools (blood or mucus)? These can be indications of a food allergy. Also, reflux can be caused by the allergy, and acid suppressing drugs do little to help since the inflammation is due to an immune response. I hope this helps! We think my son is allergic to all sorts of things. We had to switch him to an elemental formula to clear up his reflux and mucusy stools (he was breastfed for the first 4.5 months).
| |
|
|
Result 57 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colicky baby won't take bottle (Read 406 times) |
mommyof4
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 3
Karma: 0 | | colicky baby won't take bottle
« Result #57 on Apr 24, 2010, 3:22pm » | |
Hi everyone. This is my 1st post, so sorry if it's long. My baby is 12 weeks now and colic started around 3 weeks. Everything with her has been difficult, she has not taken a pacifier, has to be swaddled tightly or will not sleep, won't fall asleep in swing or car seat and has to be carried around in sling all day (the only way she will sleep more than 20 minutes). She is on prevacid, but don't really see much of a difference. She is breastfed, but we introduced the bottle at 3 weeks. My husband tries to give her a bottle on the weekends, but she usually will take 1-2 oz. I feel completely tied down to her. We have 3 other girls and I feel bad for them like we are neglecting them and very short tempered with them. We are just so stressed out! The weekends are my only little break from her when my husband will carry her all day. I can't even go back to work like I was supposed to since she is so difficult. Today I tried to take my other girls out to lunch, but got called home just as the food arrived since she was screaming and wouldn't take a bottle. We are at our wits end, we are both feeling trapped and depressed. I pray to God every day that this will end. We never had "easy" babies, but never experienced anything like this. We have no family help whatsoever, so we are trying to stay strong for eachother. She does smile a lot, thank goodness! And she does have some 20 minute periods when she is quiet in her bouncy seat. Has anyone had a similar experience? Any advice or words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. When will this end? Does it slowly get better and better or just stop one day?
| |
|
|
Result 58 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: help! how to deal with colic baby and a toddler? (Read 843 times) |
motherof2
Guest
| | Re: help! how to deal with colic baby and a toddle
« Result #58 on Apr 19, 2010, 6:40pm » | |
I myself had to colicky babies, the youngest of which is just turning 3 months. With my first Nutramigan worked wonders, you talk to your doctor about getting a prescription and see if insurnace will cover it. I have heard of it happening before. Also if you qualify wic will cover it with a note from the doctor. With my second she is on Nutramigan but it didn't really seem to help. What helped was alot of swining and bouncing and peppermint water every once in awhile. The peppermint water actually worked wonders but you can only give it to them a couple ounces a day. My daughter slept for 7 hours the first time I gave it to her. Just melt a peppermint in 2 ounces of water when you feel like she is in the most pain. Also, hang in there! My daughter is just now turning 3 months but has been pretty much colic free for about 2-3 weeks now! She is finally the happy baby I had always imagined 
| |
|
|
Result 59 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: new mom ....help!!! (Read 1,229 times) |
Motherof2
Guest
| | Re: new mom ....help!!!
« Result #59 on Apr 19, 2010, 6:31pm » | |
Both of my daughters were colicky. With my first my savior was Enfamil Nutramigan. As soon as we started her on it she was a whole new baby. My second is turning 3 months on Thursday and it seems like I tried everything with her and nothing seemed to work. The only things that ever gave me anyrelief was lots of swinging and bouncing and peppermint water (just melt a peppermint in warm water). The peppermint water helped more than I can tell you but you are only suppose to give them a couple of ounces a day so I tried not to give it very often. The first time I got her to take it she slept for 7 hours that night!! her colic started slowly getting better a little after two months and she is a whole new baby now! I know it seems like forever away but it will go by fast if you just hang in there.
| |
|
|
Result 60 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: milestones and sleep??? (Read 464 times) |
aimeelou
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 3
Karma: 0 | | Re: milestones and sleep???
« Result #60 on Apr 16, 2010, 11:28pm » | |
My son is 4months today and still squirms when nursing... also, the only way he sleeps is co-sleeping.
Good luck!
| |
|
|
Result 61 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 months? (Read 825 times) |
aimeelou
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 3
Karma: 0 | | Re: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 month
« Result #61 on Apr 16, 2010, 11:24pm » | |
Everyone keeps telling me that it will get easier, and that someday I will miss the tiny little baby I have in my arms.... But at 10:00pm tomorrow night he will be 4 months old and so far I have spent at least 20 hours/day with a screaming baby.
My only break, and I thank god for it, is the 4 hours/4 days a week that I go to school...
I'm exhausted but very happy I've found this support group!!
Much love!
-Aimee<3
| |
|
|
Result 62 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: taking a bath with baby... (Read 362 times) |
aimeelou
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 3
Karma: 0 | | Re: taking a bath with baby...
« Result #62 on Apr 16, 2010, 11:09pm » | |
Bathing with my son is the only quiet time I get! It is wonderful. I have always been a water-baby and I'm so blessed that my son is too.
Sometimes, I have to have 2 and 3 baths a day but while it makes him happy it allows me some relaxation!
New to the forum and already loving it!!
Much love!
-Aimee<3
| |
|
|
Result 63 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: new mom ....help!!! (Read 1,229 times) |
Libby F
Guest
| | Re: new mom ....help!!!
« Result #63 on Apr 14, 2010, 6:44pm » | |
Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a tough time! My 14 month old daughter was severely colicky for the first 3 or 4 months of her life and it was such a challenge for me. I can't understand your exact pain, but I can definitely appreciate how exhausting and frustrating colic can be.
First, try to let go of some of the guilt - I remember feeling like a terrible parent (after all, what baby would scream for 10 hours a day at a good parent?) - Colic is NEVER a reflection on your parenting ability. Additionally, don't feel bad for having trouble establishing a feeding routine - I disagree with some of the previous posts who say breastfeeding is best. My daughter spit up my breastmilk with equal or greater frequency than formula - you need to do what YOU find is best - if that is a combination, fine. Trust your instincts.
Although I'm sure you have tried everything, I would suggest getting "The happiest baby on the block" video - some of the strategies are helpful in getting at least 30 or 40 minutes worth of rest, which can be wonderful. Additionally, keep checking on the acid reflux issue (if you need to, get a second opinion) - I found that some medication did help, even if it wasn't the perfect fix.
Finally, although I know it doesn't help now, please know this is not a permanent condition! My 14 month old is a joyous, smiling, happy toddler (although she is still loud ), something I never would have believed a year ago.
Whenever possible, try to take small breaks - get a friend or neighbor to watch your little boy for an hour or two, take a walk with friends, rest on a lawn chair, even go outside and breathe for a few minutes.
Finally, don't feel bad if you don't "like" your baby at this point in time - it's ok to know that you love him, give as much affection and cuddling as you can, and trust that time will help you build a positive, enduring relationship!
Wishing you all the best!
-Libby
| |
|
|
Result 64 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Sleep after colic- help!! (Read 771 times) |
sayurikdh
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 10
Karma: 0 | | Re: Sleep after colic- help!!
« Result #64 on Apr 12, 2010, 12:55pm » | |
Yes I agree, might be teething although out Dr. told us not to give Tylenol at night for that because that's just too much medication for too long a period, so we gave her homeopathic stuff. Here's a link with some of the homeopathic teething remedies: noLinks://www.hippiedippiebebe.com/health/remedies/natural-teething-home-remedies/
Also, I looked in my No-Cry Sleep Solution book and noticed she never mentions Ferber or any term like "graduated extinction," but her version of that type of method is in part 2 of chapter 4 "Solutions for Older Babies, four months to two years." The "Help Baby to Fall Back to Sleep in Her Crib" part starts on p.144 in my book.
| |
|
|
Result 65 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Four Months, still colicky, crying when waking (Read 368 times) |
sayurikdh
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 10
Karma: 0 | | Re: Four Months, still colicky, crying when waking
« Result #65 on Apr 12, 2010, 12:31pm » | |
Try putting her to sleep slightly earlier for this sleep period than you have been if possible. Crying in the morning usually means the baby didn't get enough sleep, but if it's impossible to get her back to sleep again in the morning, that may just be her natural waking time. So see if you can get her to sleep like half hour or an hour earlier than usual at night or whenever the beginning of this long sleep period is.
| |
|
|
Result 66 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Remember to get sleep yourself if possible! (Read 234 times) |
momof8
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 1
Karma: 0 | | Remember to get sleep yourself if possible!
« Result #66 on Apr 11, 2010, 11:23am » | |
I've been reading this forum and it has been such a help, so I really can't add anything as far as recommendations for curing or soothing colic. But I can add something else.
Our 8th is 7 weeks old and is our first colicky sweet baby, which is a hoot   .
Reading this forum, I've been struck by how few moms actually get sleep. And what our beautiful babies need most is sane mothers making sane decisions and having a sane perspective, which is very difficult without basic rest. None of us are going to get 8 hrs. a day straight, especially not us nursing moms, but we can aim for 2 hrs., then 3 hrs., then 4 hrs. at night. The secret? Putting these wonderful babies to sleep where you can't hear them cry. I know it sounds cruel and horrible, but let me put it in some context:
Sleep deprivation is considered torture by the Geneva Convention (this should also help you understand your sweet baby a little better as well).
Most illnesses, from colds to headaches to cancer, list stress as a contributing factor. You can not bless your wonderful baby if you are overstressed and sick yourself. I am, as I type, getting over painful mastitis -breast infection- which has as one of its leading factors, you guessed it, lack of rest  .
Personally, I have another issue which is a seizure disorder that is triggered by, you guessed it, sleep deprivation. As a mother of eight, even with no colic, that's something I have to monitor carefully.
Lastly, I would add that there are probably others in your household who need you to be sane. You may not be available to them in the way that you would like to be, but that doesn't mean that you have to be short-tempered or impatient or callous or self-centered (maybe I'm the only one?  ).
Absence of crying is so rare for us colic moms, and so unpredictable. Even when there's no crying, we're tense waiting for the next bout (again, maybe I'm the only one?), so even if our beautiful baby should sleep an astounding 3 hours, we have not. Most likely we have spent a good deal of that time wondering how long they'll sleep, checking if they really are asleep, and making sure they stay asleep (even if it means remaining in a really uncomfortable position ourselves).
Here are my suggestions. Take them for what they're worth :
For short breaks (sanity breaks, not actual sleep):
take a small dose of ibuprofen to take the edge off of muscle aches and that dull tension headache all colic parents develop.
put the baby down to sleep (the baby may be crying, put the hope is that the baby will be asleep when you're done LOL) as far away as possible safely with the door closed, get into a warm bath, and sink your head down so your ears are underwater but your nose is above (so you can just lay there breathing). Water is a wonderful sound insulator. This is as close to complete silence that I know. If you're an aromatherapy person, light a candle so you can smell while not hearing. Not to mention that it is wonderfully relaxing for your muscles (let me guess, your shoulders, neck, and arms ache from holding and carrying and nursing your sweet crying baby). Stay there until the thought of reentering the world of your baby's pain does not fill you with dread. Life may not be good, but it's doable.
put your little one down and go outside. Stand as far away from the house or apt. as you need to to not hear the crying. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, stretch. Open your eyes and look at the world, look at the trees, DO NOT USE THIS TIME TO NOTICE THAT YOUR CAR NEEDS TO BE WASHED AND THE GUTTERS NEED CLEANING AND THE LAWN NEEDS MOWING AND THAT YOUR NEIGHBORS ALL HAVE BETTER KEPT HOMES THAN YOU DO!!! Or am I the only one? If so, shut your eyes again. 
put on full-cover earphones or use earplugs. Just turning down the volume while still holding a sweet helpless baby in pain can help.
Those are short breaks
To get actual sleep:
First, get everything ready so that you can go to bed the moment you put the baby down, to get the maximum advantage. So I try to call my husband at work before I take a nap so he won't need to call me. I turn off the volume of the phone by the bed. I make sure I know what I'm making for the next meal after I wake up so I don't have to feel behind before I even start. I get the house together or have the kids get it together (getting it together doesn't mean it's clean, just the amount of tidiness required for me to not feel stressed looking at it when I wake up). Then I put the baby swing in a spot that is comfortable for him (not cold, not hot, not too bright, not too dark, not in a draft) and for me (not too close). This happens to be our dining room. After I've done everything I need to do before going to bed myself, then I do the finishing touches on him. Nursing, burping, changing, singing, Mylicon, Tylenol, whatever. Just knowing I'm about to have a few hours of sleep gives me a little more cheerfulness with him, a cheerfulness he needs even if he's miserable, especially when he's miserable. Then I put him down and I go to sleep. You can set the alarm for the amount of time you're comfortable with, but I would suggest you start with at least 2 hours of unbroken sleep if you're not getting that regularly. Keep in mind that if your sweetie is crying when you wake up, it's very unlikely that he's been crying the whole two hours.
One note, whatever you do, when you return to your little one, return cheerful and refreshed. Let them see you glad to see them. Smile. Sing a little made up song with their name in it.
Love them. As we all do.
| |
|
|
Result 67 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Four Months, still colicky, crying when waking (Read 368 times) |
Irene
Guest
| | Re: Four Months, still colicky, crying when waking
« Result #67 on Apr 7, 2010, 2:52am » | |
There are some information about colic: noLinks://www.childwiki.com/index.php/Colic
Hope this can be usefull.
| |
|
|
Result 68 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Four Months, still colicky, crying when waking (Read 368 times) |
littlewren
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 2
Karma: 0 | | Re: Four Months, still colicky, crying when waking
« Result #68 on Apr 4, 2010, 1:01pm » | |
Oh, I mean the morning crying is new, not crying in general!
| |
|
|
Result 69 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Four Months, still colicky, crying when waking (Read 368 times) |
littlewren
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 2
Karma: 0 | | Four Months, still colicky, crying when waking
« Result #69 on Apr 4, 2010, 12:59pm » | |
I am so glad I found this site! It's been a little hard trying to figure all of this out. My daughter (first) is just four months and she's been colicky since day 1. It was so confusing to us at first, but the more time goes on, the better I can deal with it. The thing that gets to me the most is worrying that my kid isn't happy! That's what breaks my heart. And it does feel like it's going to go on forever.
There are a lot of things I want to post about, but I'm going to start with one thing. During the past week my daughter has been waking up crying. Like, full on crying. She's not even awake yet, but she is screaming. I can soothe her by bouncing her and listening to her favorite music in a bout ten minutes and snap her out of it, but it's a new thing, this crying. Has anyone else experienced this? We co-sleep because she screams if we put her in the crib or co-sleeper next to the bed.
Thanks!
-amy
| |
|
|
Result 70 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Sleep after colic- help!! (Read 771 times) |
accebersmith
Moderator
member is offline
Joined: Nov 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 953
Karma: 7 | | Re: Sleep after colic- help!!
« Result #70 on Apr 1, 2010, 5:03am » | |
Consider that your son *might* also be in the beginning throes of teething. I know it seems early, but we thought it was early, too, when our son started teething at about the same age. The sleep disturbance you're describing sounds eerily familiar. We didn't get any teeth to break through for months, just all the drooling, irritability, and general joy that is teething bliss LOL. Just food for thought.
*big hugs*
Rebecca
| |
|
|
Result 71 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Conveying Love is NOT Fruitless (anecdotal) (Read 354 times) |
accebersmith
Moderator
member is offline
Joined: Nov 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 953
Karma: 7 | | Re: Conveying Love is NOT Fruitless (anecdotal)
« Result #71 on Apr 1, 2010, 4:55am » | |
Thank you for sharing such an inspiring and warm message of love. You've brought me to tears, thinking of special moments with my own son. You are very kind to share with us.
*big hugs*
Rebecca
| |
|
|
Result 72 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: taking a bath with baby... (Read 362 times) |
accebersmith
Moderator
member is offline
Joined: Nov 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 953
Karma: 7 | | Re: taking a bath with baby...
« Result #72 on Apr 1, 2010, 4:51am » | |
Yes, this was an amazing help with our son's colic, and we've continued it into his toddlerhood. The warmth of the water, the white noise of the running faucet, the skin-to-skin contact, all seem to form a perfect storm of soothing for an upset baby. I'm so glad it's helped you and your little one!
*big hugs*
Rebecca
| |
|
|
Result 73 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Sleep after colic- help!! (Read 771 times) |
sayurikdh
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 10
Karma: 0 | | Re: Sleep after colic- help!!
« Result #73 on Mar 31, 2010, 1:06pm » | |
You're welcome. Yes, "Ferberizing"="graduated extinction" invented by Richard Ferber, he has a book too, Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems that you could get if the more gentle solutions in Pantley's book don't work and you need more elaboration on Ferber's "graduated extinction" method. It's only a small section in her book. I was just recommending Weissbluth's book (total "extinction") after Pantley's so that you could try the gentle methods first, then move on to the more "harsh" methods, but if you think the graduated works and need more info on it maybe get Ferber's instead of, or in addition to Weissbluth's book. I could just clearly tell that my baby needed "extinction" when we did it, so Weissbluth was the only option for us. Although I still think that there is a lot of breakthrough information, case studies, and personal stories in Weissbluth's book that make it pretty unique and worth the effort to read if your baby/toddler has sleep problems and you anticipate the possibility of any other sleep problems in the future.
| |
|
|
Result 74 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Sleep after colic- help!! (Read 771 times) |
daisie677
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 2
Karma: 0 | | Re: Sleep after colic- help!!
« Result #74 on Mar 29, 2010, 8:11pm » | |
Thank you so much for taking the time to type all that out!!! I really appreciate it!
Actually, my cousin has that book, the No Cry Sleep Solution. I will have to pick it up from her
I also appreciate you not bashing me for allowing the cry it out- I am so sick of getting slammed for this, ya know? It's not as if I let my child, hungry, wet, etc scream in a dark room for hours on end.
The gradual method you mentioned, that's otherwise known as Ferberizing, correct?
I think you are right. And he's vry persistent.....depending on the type of cry, I wait 10-15 minutes. If it's on and off crying, I wait longer, etc. It just depends. But agreed- I think I need more of a "set" amount of time each night.
However, I am a pretty tough mom, but I can't seem to handle long amounts of crying- not really because it pains me, but because I want to go back to sleep!!!!
Twice a week, I leave and spend the night at my mom's, just to get a full night's sleep. My husband gets up with him on these nights, however, he does NOT go in the room at all, until 4am (bottle time) so essentially, he's already been doing that.
We have decided that if by April 9th, my little man is still waking up a gazillion times, we are going to start daddy sleep boot camp- meaning, for a whole wee, I'm not going to be there, so it will be a full blown CIO.
**just wanted to add, for anyone that thinks I'm a crazy insensitive mom, lol, that I go in everytime he cries and pat and reassure him, but I do not pick him up**
(ps- I hear on running into walls- I've been there!)
| |
|
|
Result 75 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Sleep after colic- help!! (Read 771 times) |
sayurikdh
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 10
Karma: 0 | | Re: Sleep after colic- help!!
« Result #75 on Mar 29, 2010, 8:02pm » | |
I'm a colic veteran too. I've read in multiple places that post-colic babies often have more sleep problems later than babies that never had colic and that continues into toddlerhood.
But I think your baby being almost 5 months is at that stage where he's just more aware of what is going on and is demanding your attention at night because he wants it and can get it by screaming. There are several different approaches to dealing with this. I'd recommend first getting a book that describes the "graduated extinction" method since you're willing to let your baby cry for a bit. I think the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley is the best because it describes that technique as well as some other even more gentle ways to deal with it. I think "graduated extinction" is the best method if you can get it to work. Basically wait 10 min before you go in, then spend a short period just enough time to lay him back down and say a comforting word and a key word that means it's time to sleep like "nighty night," or whatever you usually say for sleep. Then you add 10 min on each time you go in and spend a shorter period and say less until you're saying nothing. So the 2nd time you go in it will be 20 min after the last time, just say "nighty night" and nothing else, no comforting pats either. The third time you go in after 30 min and say nothing, just lay him back down and leave. I used to do a variation on that when my baby was older than 12 months, it was the same technique but I'd start at 5 min and add 5 min each time instead of 10 because my baby was always standing up, jumping and screaming, she kept hitting her head on the side of the crib and falling down. I did the full "extinction method" at 6 months old because the graduated extinction didn't work then, she was waking up every half hour and I really had no choice, I was the one running into walls when I got up because I was just so tired. If you need to do full extinction, I think Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth is the best. I've read a lot of books, but those are the only ones I tend to mention because other books aren't quite as organized and don't make as much sense, it also seems like Pantley and Weissbluth have more statistical evidence and case studies backing up their claims.
Sorry for the long post, I talk too much, but I wanted to say that I personally think babies who were once colicky tend to have more stamina and perseverance when it comes to crying. When babies start to mess with your mind at a certain age, they use their most powerful weapon (crying) to do it and they continue to do it, and often get worse if you don't do something about it because what their doing works to get Mama into the room. Weissbluth talks about that as well. Thats why I like the "graduated extinction" thing for a baby that age or older because it's like you're messing with their minds right back at them, but using hard fast rules that if you don't break them, your baby has no choice to follow them. That is unless he has way too much stamina like mine did, then its on to something else like full "extinction."
I have to warn you though, when I did do the full "extinction method" at 6 months, she cried for a total of 6 hrs the first night (broken up of course), 4 hours the 2nd night, and only 1.5 hrs the 3rd night, but never again till there were totally different sleep issues to deal with around 12 months. But that amount of crying is a record high as far as I've read and heard from other moms, so it probably won't be that bad. Ok, hope this helps! Good luck
| |
|
|
Result 76 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Sleep after colic- help!! (Read 771 times) |
daisie677
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 2
Karma: 0 | | Sleep after colic- help!!
« Result #76 on Mar 29, 2010, 9:43am » | |
Hi everyone! I am a CLIC VETERAN! How good does it feel to say THAT???
I visited this site OFTEN when my son had horrible, horrible colic....
Long story short- Blake screamed literally all day and all night from week 1 to week 12. It was ... well, everyone on here knows what's like. Eat, scream, nap, rinse and repeat.
Around 11 weeks, he started to come around, then by week 12 he was a different baby. Suddenly happy! However, he remains, at almost 5 months, very high needs, intense, persistent, "spirited" as the Ped say, etc.
After I regained my sanity (mostly, anyway), something new happened. HUGE sleep issues.
he WAS sleeping like 4-5 hours, eat, then another 3ish, up for the day. All of a sudden, on Feb 1st, he started waking up every 2 hours, and not for food. Just waking up screaming. And so it goes. It's been that way for over 2 months now!
So now I'm dealing with a new kind of madness. Help! I've tried EVERYTHING, literally. He eats once at night, around 430, but he's up 4-6 (closer to 6, sometimes more) at night. What the hell???
here is some basic info:
He's almost 5 months, formula fed, eats most of his food during the day (hence the 1 middle of the night bottle), is on solids now, refuses to be swaddled, has a pretty good schedule during the day: eat, play, nap (fights the naps, but he's tired)
Generally takes 4 short naps (30-45 minutes) during the day. Naps are in the crib.
Bedtime routine (bath, etc) since he was 4 weeks old- nothing has changed, AT ALL. White noise machine is on, etc etc etc.
He goes down droswy or awake every night- falls asleep on his own in less than 5 minutes- no rocking, etc. Problem is, he can't STAY that way!!! When he wakes up, his eyes are still closed- it's not that he wants to play. It seems like he wakes himself up and then can't get himself back down
One more thing: I have never, ever picked him up out of crib till food time. Sounds awful, but I do go in and shush/give a pacifier if needed. I let him cry it out for awhile (10-15 minutes), sometimes he can fall back asleep, most of the time not though. I have to go in with pat his belly, give him a paci, etc. Then he goes back to sleep- for another 2 hours!!
Anyway, sorry this got so long. Last night, he actually only woke up twice, with one of those times being to eat. It was a small miracle, but I don't expect it to last.
Do colic veteran's sleep crappy after colic? Anyone else dealing with this? Suggestions?
| |
|
|
Result 77 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colief? (Read 406 times) |
sayurikdh
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 10
Karma: 0 | | Re: colief?
« Result #77 on Mar 28, 2010, 12:53pm » | |
Never tried it, but it sounds like it's worth a try. Try it for a couple of weeks and see if it makes a difference.
If not, you could try hypoallergenic formula, we had gotten some from our local supermarket, but it was corn based. Babies can be allergic to corn though, so watch for symptoms from any "hypoallergenic" formula's as well.
Our baby went through a period where she wouldn't drink from breast or bottle, so we had to wait until she was pretty drowsy to feed her the formula, but still awake enough to swallow (right after her eyes closed, we'd prop her up on pillows about 45 degrees and she'd drink the formula half asleep.) You could try that way of feeding with whatever formula you are willing to try, but if you don't think it's LI since you tried the elimination thing and no change, maybe you just aren't producing enough breast milk? sometimes the mucousy poop is from dehydration, like diarrhea in adults means dehydration.
Ask your Dr. What else the mucousy poops can mean. If your Dr. agrees your baby probably doesn't have LI because of what you've tried, ask about whole milk to supplement your breast milk. Here's something on the internet about that:
noLinks://healthy-family.org/caryn/108/if-your-baby-cant-tolerate-milk-soy-or-hypoallergenic-formula-it-may-be-a-corn -allergy
| |
|
|
Result 78 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: new mom ....help!!! (Read 1,229 times) |
sayurikdh
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 10
Karma: 0 | | Re: new mom ....help!!!
« Result #78 on Mar 28, 2010, 12:31pm » | |
I feel your pain, my baby was the same way till about 4 months, then she had a 10 min no cry period after her longest sleep period everyday. You just have to stick it out, but yeah, see if someone can watch her for an hr or 2 a day and get out of the house.
Also, try that gas hold gina622 mentioned noLinks://www.colicsupport.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=colicsupport&thread=750&post=9292
or the one I mentioned in an older post under tip #7 "colic carry."
noLinks://www.colicsupport.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=colicsupport&thread=777&post=9317
If that doesn't do anything, I highly recommend going to see a DO for Cranial Osteopathy or a Chiropractor for infants especially if your baby is doing the high pitched pain cry, which is what my baby was doing a lot of the time. (see tip #11 on my old post)
noLinks://www.colicsupport.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=colicsupport&thread=777&post=9317
A big hug and kiss on the cheek to you and your baby, I understand what you're going through, hang in there.
| |
|
|
Result 79 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: colief? (Read 406 times) |
tired mama
Guest
| | colief?
« Result #79 on Mar 27, 2010, 8:16pm » | |
Has anyone tried colief? www.colief.com
My DS is 12 weeks and suffers from really terrible gas, not very good sleep, has dry skin, diaper rash around his anus, mucousy poops, reflux, and is just fussy and really uncomfortable most of the time. I thought it was my diet so I went on a total elimination diet for the past 6 weeks and there has been no change. I'm beginning to think that he may be lactose intolerant. He has been exclusively breastfed and he refuses to take a bottle. He had a reaction to soy so I can't give him soy formula and then we were prescribed Elecare but he will not drink it.
I know that LI is very very rare in babies so I thought it was allergy to milk protiens but even though I have been strict with my diet and have not consumed dairy since he was 4 weeks, he still has the same symptoms. PLEASE HELP!
| |
|
|
Result 80 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: new mom ....help!!! (Read 1,229 times) |
Amy S
Guest
| | Re: new mom ....help!!!
« Result #80 on Mar 27, 2010, 12:11pm » | |
Ohhh momma....I feel your pain!! My now 5 month old son had EXTREME colic for almost 12 weeks. He screamed (not cried) for 15 hours a day, and I am not exaggerating. Eat, scream, catnap, scream, repeat.
I lost my mind, I'm sure. i dropped him off at my mom's several times without saying a word.
It was the most miserable, darkest, most helpless time of my life. I thought (no, wait, I KNEW) it was never going to end. I cried (sobbed) every day right along with him.
There are many things already posted that helps, but I used the blowdryer a LOT- and "wore" him in the baby bjorn almost every day, every waking moment, practically. Lots of rocking. Sometimes I would go to bed feeling like I was still swaying from all the rocking i did
Then one day, right around 12 weeks, he stopped screaming. Literally. he just woke up happy!!!! The clouds lifted, and I regained a little sanity. He remained pretty fussy for a few weeks after that, but it only got better.
He's now 20 weeks, and he only really cries when he's ready for nap. We are having major sleep issues still, but all day long he is happy and content.
I hated when people told me this, but IT DOES GET BETTER!! I PROMISE!! I dont know when, bc every baby is different, but IT WILL.
hang in there! If I can do it, you can too!
| |
|
|
Result 81 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Colic Calm (Read 28,603 times) |
Noahs mom
Guest
| | Re: Colic Calm
« Result #81 on Mar 27, 2010, 11:21am » | |
I ordered colic calm in a desperate attempt to help my son (8weeks today). We have tried almost every other gripe water on the market with little results, so I was hoping colic calm would be the magic bullet I kept hearing about.
Colic calm made my baby colicy for 9 hours straight! He NEVER EVER has been colicy for that long. (usually 1-3 hours 2 times a day) It was heartbreaking to watch. The only magic thing it did was instantly take his hiccups away, which was cool to see, but the hours on end of painful cries were not worth getting rid of hiccups. The blackness of the liquid is freaky, but I didn't care if it was going to work, and he liked the taste of it so I thought that it was okay.
We have given this to him 3 times and every time he seems instantly calm for 10-15 min followed by hours of much worse colic.
And yes they do pay people to write good reviews.
In my shipping confirmation email there was an offer to pay me for writing good reviews. Because of this I feel colic calm is taking advantage of desperate parents everywhere by playing on their desire to find something, anything, to help their child. I do NOT endorse this product. Maybe it works for other people, but it did not work for me.
You know what does work? An awesome support system of family and friends who I can ask to come comfort him for a bit while I take a shower. hahahaha. I'm hoping this will all be over soon.
| |
|
|
Result 82 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Conveying Love is NOT Fruitless (anecdotal) (Read 354 times) |
sayurikdh
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 10
Karma: 0 | | Conveying Love is NOT Fruitless (anecdotal)
« Result #82 on Mar 22, 2010, 9:37pm » | |
I am one of those rare people that remembers early childhood very well. I don't remember being a baby, but my daughter still does, and something she said to me about being a baby now that she is a toddler is something I should share with you.
At the breakfast table, my 22 month old daughter said to me "sing MY song!" We had been learning songs at her baby class so I started out singing those, but she kept insisting. "No! MY song, MY song! Sing MYYYYY song!" So I started singing some lullabies I learned after her colic was over and used to sing to her then, but no cigar. Finally, I started singing the only other PG song I know "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," and she started shouting "Yes! Dat my song! Dat my song!" and when I was done, "Mama! Sing it again!" At that point, it dawned on me, THATS THE SONG I USED TO SING TO HER WHEN SHE WAS ONLY SEVERAL WEEKS OLD AND HAD SEVERE COLIC!!! She was pretty much screaming while I had sung it to her in the dark under the loud bathroom fan before bed time. It was an eerie feeling to think that she had made that connection. That probably doesn't prove that she did, but I absolutely feel she remembers it. And now she calls it the "Bird Song" because of the part of that song when the "bluebirds fly over the rainbow, why oh why can't I?" Not only that, but her first word at around a year old was "Bird."
A lot of the emotions I felt toward her during her Colic period were mostly numb, sad, sorry for the both of us, angry, frightened, but when I sung that song to her I would sometimes cry and felt an overwhelming sense of love for her. I strongly believe she must have felt that when I sung to her. That was the only thing she ever brought up on her own about being a colicky baby besides when she started pointing to the back yard and saying "Water the Garden with Daddy." That was something she used to do when she was colicky as well, strapped to my husbands chest in the front-carrier he would water the garden with the hose and she seemed to be distracted by the hissing of the water and the sparkling droplets somewhat although she was often crying then as well. (I hear the Moby Wrap is the best sling type carrier for babies who are still swaddled, though I didn't know about it then and had 3 different sling type carriers that didn't work with her. After she was bigger and not swaddled, we used the Jeep 2 in 1 front carrier.)
Nowadays she likes me to play the bird song on her toy piano and likes to water the lawn herself.
I believe that for parents of colicky babies, or any parent for that mater, any activity you can do with your baby where you feel like you're conveying love to them is good and worth it, including just holding them while they cry or carrying them around. Even if they are not reciprocating the love or even showing any sign that they are present, letting them feel that you are there and aren't going any where may be effecting them in a worthwhile positive way. Just keep singing or keep at anything that you feel expresses your love and seems to help (if it seems to be better than just letting them cry alone) because chances are, even if they don't remember it, I'm sure it is good for them and there is some part of them that will carry at least that memory of longstanding love with them into toddlerhood. Especially if you are worried about solidifying a loving attachment between parent and child once your colicky baby is a toddler. (Of course, if you feel too angry or frustrated to the point that you want to hurt or punish your baby, it's best to take a breather because that would not be better than leaving your baby in the crib for a few minutes while you get out of earshot of the cries. Try the shower.)
Another thing we did together as mother and child is, when she first woke up from an actual sleep period, there was about 10 minutes when she was first awake when she didn't cry and looked alert. I would change her diaper and give her a full body baby-massage while talking to her (her limbs were quite stiff then. By the way, if your baby seems more stiff than other babies that age, I highly recommend an infant chiropractor, properly licensed of course, or a Doctor of Osteopathy that practices Cranial Osteopathy). I would say things like "Long, long leggies and a round round belly" while I massaged those parts.
After the fact, I did lots of reading on colic and learned that it's good if you can fit a regular activity in, apparently hyper-sensitive infants (which is what colicky babies inherently are) are comforted by routine and repetition. Especially if you can say the same phrases to them during the same activities, they come to recognize the sound of the phrases and are then able anticipate what will happen next which is comforting to them. It's scary for anyone not knowing what's coming next, but for babies I'm sure it's 10 times worse, so it's nice to be able to give them at least a small sense of regularity and stability. For example during a massage I'd say a certain phrase for each body part and always use those same phrases like "long long leggies" when I did the legs. When I spun my colicky infant around under the trees, I'd whisper "under the trees, under the trees.... under the trees under the trees."
I don't know if a colic-mom/dad has time to read all this, but if so, I hope it helps. Hang in there. XOX
| |
|
|
Result 83 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Sleep Statistics & Colic Tips, Colic-veteran (Read 383 times) |
sayurikdh
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 10
Karma: 0 | | Sleep Statistics & Colic Tips, Colic-veteran
« Result #83 on Mar 22, 2010, 1:36pm » | |
It may be totally impossible to avoid overtired-ness in a colicky baby, but if you can attempt to avoid it by starting whatever ritual gets the baby to sleep 10 min before each approaching sleep period, it may help. It may not, but it's worth a try. I didn't have the following info during the peak of our life with colic, so I hope the following info showing when the next sleep period should begin can help you keep your baby from getting overtired, at least some of the time... Good Luck.
A Newborn (less than 1 month) sleeps 15-18 hrs daily over 4-7 sleep periods and can endure being awake for 1-2 hrs at at time.
A 1 month old has 3-4 naps equalling 6-7hrs of sleep for naps, 8.5-10hrs per night, 15-16hrs of sleep total per 24hrs, and can endure being awake for 1-3hrs at a time.
a 3 month old has 3-4 naps per day equalling 5-6 hrs total sleep for naps, 10-11 hrs of night sleep, 15 hrs total sleep per 24 hrs, and can endure being awake for 2-3hrs at a time.
A 6 month old has 2-3 naps per day equaling 3-4hrs total sleep for naps, 10-11hrs of night sleep, 14-15hrs total sleep per 24hrs, and can endure being awake for 2-3hrs at a time.
*The above info comes from a chart of average hrs of sleep in Elizabeth Pantley's book "No Cry Sleep Solution." Her averages are slightly different on the less detailed chart online: noLinks://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/links/PantleyNoCryBooklet.pdf
*According to Weissbluth's graph (less precise because it's from a line graph) from "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," less than 90% of Newborns up to a few months old sleep aprox 16 hrs per 24 hrs, <50% sleep 14-14.5hrs/24hrs, <10% sleep ~10.75-11.5hrs/24hrs. Less than 90% of Newborns, nap between 4.5 and 5 hrs per day, <50% sleep 3-3.5 hrs of naps/day, <10% sleep ~1.5 hrs of naps/day. Less than 90% have 12.5-13 hrs of sleep per night, <50% sleep ~11-11.25hrs/night, <10% sleep 8.75-9.25hrs/night. (My baby was in the 10th percentile! Horray!) 
My daughter (now 2yrs) was extremely colicky, and still pretty colicky till around 6 months, and even after that, she needed to be constantly distracted, held, danced for most of the day until about 15 months old. But the good news is colic usually disappears in about half of all babies by three months of age, and in almost all babies by six months of age. Other sources of info say it disappears by 3-4 months of age (like Weissbluth).
ABOUT BEING A COLIC-PARENT: Everything you try that works will probably only work for a week or two, then its on to the next thing. Try things you haven't before, or things you haven't tried for a while; your baby is constantly changing and as you know, you must be on your toes. You are not alone being in constant panic-mode; freaking out about what to try next; emotionally, mentally, physically exhausted and at wits end for months, but remember that this is temporary and colic will eventually end. You are strong enough to get to the end of it (just like labor pains, only much much longer!)
Just don't forget to eat and drink plenty of water especially if you're breastfeeding. Ask your Dr. but they'd probably say you should still be on your prenatal-vitamin and also ask them if it has everything a multi-vitamin has, it may not in which case take a multivitamin as well to keep your energy up and I am no Dr., but a B-vitamin boost if you can afford another supplement will help with stress.
Don't drink caffeine or alcohol or smoke if you're breastfeeding, you'd only be exacerbating the colic. Of course you should never drink alcohol while taking care of a baby and shouldn't smoke in the house or car with the baby in it.
Some foods that give a quick boost of energy, apples, raisins, apple juice, chocolate.
MY TIPS, FROM MOST OBVIOUS TO LESS OBVIOUS:
1. SWADDLE YOUR BABY. Here's a good diagram on how do to it. noLinks://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/image.do?imageKey=PEDS/18547
There are also velcro swaddles "Swaddle Me" by Kiddopotamus you can get at Babies R Us or other stores noLinks://www.kiddopotamus.com/buy_retail.php
although the sound of the velcro was a problem or just unacceptable for my baby a lot of the time. Most moms I know prefer plain, non-stretchy cotton or flannel like the Gerber ones that come in a pack (or you can get some of that fabric cheap at the fabric store) or muslin (more expensive), but whatever I had at the time seemed as good as anything as long as it wasn't so thick it made my baby's head lean back in the bassinet. Google "Benefits of Swaddling" or noLinks://www.miracleblanket.com/pantley/thebenefitsofswaddling.pdf
2. WHITE NOISE OR RHYTHMIC SOUND: A vacuum, loud fan, loud radio static/white noise machine, cool hair drier, or loud rhythmic music with bass beat (the less depressing option for you if it works), or whatever other sustained sound you can find might calm baby down somewhat. Also try different environments and movements in combination with the sound depending on what your baby responds to, just holding, rocking, dancing or whatever other kind of safe movement you can come up with that seems to calm your baby down near the sound.
3. ROCK, BOUNCE OR DANCE YOUR BABY AROUND near white noise or rhythmic sound or try doing it outdoors if weather is ok, it may work better than inside depending on what your baby likes (my baby used to prefer spinning around outdoors. it may be the sound of the wind as you walk/move with baby that sounds like white noise. I used to whisper a short repeated phrase to distract her from attempting to cry again like "under the trees, under the trees... under the trees, under the trees". My baby preferred a pretty vigorous dipping swooping motion like she was on a playground swing to the music, or a spinning motion switching directions every few seconds, but don't do it if you get dizzy easily, are over tired or have a cluttered room/floor or are near any walls/corners. Less vigorous dancing to gentle rocking if she calmed down a little.) Other people have suggested bouncing your baby on an exercise ball. noLinks://www.colicsupport.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=colicsupport&thread=755&post=9242
4. CHANGE ENVIRONMENTS. Something that doesn't work well in one environment might work well somewhere else. For example, try a technique such as bouncing baby in your arms outdoors instead of indoors. Another example, try swaying and holding baby upright where he/she can view a lot of human activity or even cars going by rather than at home. My baby used to do better if I walked her around in a front carrier (after she was old enough to ride in one) outdoors and even just standing around and swaying at the park watching kids at soccer practice, or at the public pool watching children play. You can just back away if he/she's still crying and move in again if it seems to calm him/her down. I don't think people really mind the weird behavior that much since it's obvious you're trying to calm a fussy baby.
5. BABY SWING or VIBRATING BOUNCY CHAIR instead of dancing (many moms I know swear by the swing; a God sent). My baby would not allow us putting her down in it unless she was danced to loud music until almost asleep, then you have to sneak her into it slowly still rocking her rhythmically mimicking the motion of the swing. Sometimes several attempts may be needed. For my baby, it was about 10 min after she looked asleep in my arms before i put her in worked best. (could ask a neighbor or friend with children if they have one you could borrow for a few months). Awake in the swing is better than holding the baby all day. I or my husband would do a super exciting/distracting song/dance in front of her while she swung and that kept the crying at bay or at least intermittent for a time, she may then fall asleep after a while. (just think of it as switching from arm weights to cardio) We had the Fisher Price Rainforest Bouncer that had a vibration setting, there was a period of time of a couple of months when she would watch the lights and sound with vibration on and just fall asleep while I showered once a day. (I saved it for shower time because she would only sit in it calmly once a day for some reason).
6. CAR/STROLLER RIDES. My baby didn't like the car, I think because you can't help stopping and turning the way you want because of traffic. My baby would cry for between 10 and 20 minutes in the stroller, then often fall asleep if she was fed and had been awake long enough to sleep and wasn't over tired.
7. SOME BABIES HAVE BAD GAS OR ACID REFLUX. Check with your Dr., tell them about the colic and ask how you can tell if it might be one or the other. the liquid baby Zantac seemed to help my baby a little. For gas, there are over the counter drops (called "Mylicon"), ask the pharmacist, but most moms I talked to including me don't think it does anything. There's also a way to hold and massage a baby to get rid of gas with your arm under their belly, hand on the chest facing down on your lap and rub the back, it's called the "colic-carry" noLinks://www.whattoexpect.com/photo-gallery/soothing-baby/colic-carry.aspx
Harvey Karp also demonstrates this in his video (see tip # 8). Here's another way to hold baby with bad gas by someone else on this site gina622: noLinks://www.colicsupport.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=colicsupport&thread=750&post=9292
Also, if you're breastfeeding, don't eat things that give you gas or your baby gas (whatever your Dr. says that is, maybe soy formula, beans in your diet, milk based formula, milk in your diet, etc.) Just remember, if there is no obvious gas culprit or food allergy, just try something else to relieve colic rather than keep switching formulas. I was sent on a wild goose chase and ended up with a hypoallergenic corn based formula supplement and I don't think any of the formula switching did anything whatsoever for the colic.
8. "The Happiest Baby on the Block" VIDEO by Harvey Karp (a lot of moms I know swear by the techniques in this video). The book describes what you do, but it's hard to get the idea, it's better to just see it, besides, mom's of colicky infants don't have time to read it all. It's based on what he calls the "5 S's: 1. swaddling, 2. side/stomach position, 3. shushing, 4. swinging and 5. sucking." Basically, a non-colic baby might calm down if you swaddle them (step 1) and if not, you keep them swaddled (step 1) and hold them in the side/stomach position (step 2) while swaddled, etc. You move down the list until your baby is calm or you have all the 5 S's going at the same time. The shushing (step 3) is odd, it's like a long sustained "SHHHHHHHHHHHH" into baby's ear as loud as if you're trying to blow a candle out across your coffee table with the sound from your mouth. I guess its the same idea as a white noise machine. His version of swinging (step 4) was a subtle bouncing of the baby, quickly but gently, only about a 1/2 an inch of movement up and down like vibration. 5th is a pacifier or clean trimmed-nail finger, whatever the baby will take to suck on (step 5). (Check the library for this video. if you can't find it there, buying it might be worth it. its 4.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon by 464 viewers.) The problem I had with it was that she was fairly calm while I did it, but I was pooped after a fairly short time and she couldn't be transfered to a swing. Someone on this site suggested bouncing the baby on an exercise ball noLinks://www.colicsupport.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=colicsupport&thread=755&post=9242. Someone else mentioned using a Swedish massager with lots of padding on the baby noLinks://www.colicsupport.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=colicsupport&thread=729&post=9064
9. SPEED WALKING AROUND WITH BABY. When I was too tired to dance, walking around the house or outside really fast with the baby held upright on my chest (swaddled if she's still young enough) would keep her calm while I did it, and I could slow down after she calmed down. (not ever being able to sit down is the worst part of colic, but I wonder if I'd had a rocking chair, could I have transfered to it instead of kept walking. If you have one, try it.) Do the same thing outside with a sling (I hear the Moby Wrap is the best) or front carrier if your baby can rarely be put down anyway, a lot less strain on your arms. I had Jeep 2-in-1 Baby Carrier by Kolcraft which is good if she's big enough or past swaddling age; she'd scream and thrash as I got her into it, but once outside and walking at a brisk regular pace, she'd stop crying after a few minutes.
10. BABY MAY NEED MORE MILK THAN YOU CAN PRODUCE. My Dr. said this probably wasn't the case and I was afraid of drying up so I didn't try supplementing with formula till she was a few months old. Looking back at how horribly hard it was, I regret not at least trying to supplement with formula earlier to see if it would help. However, some people with low milk supply find that starting formula also starts colic, this is because formula is much harder to digest, especially for a new born. If you can first just try to pump after each feeding (may just have to let baby cry in the swing for 10 min), even if nothing comes out, the stimulation is what tells your body to produce more milk. And drink tons of water. If you get something out, save what you pump and feed that to her first before the formula if you can do all the heating of the milk, etc. if not, date it and freeze it for later. Medela has these zip-lock freezer bags for breastmilk. I got a pack at Babies R Us. Also, if you cant afford a pump, contact your hospital, you may be able to rent a pump using your insurance.
You may want to supplement with formula, but it's not always wise because of digestion problems or allergies, check this out:
noLinks://healthy-family.org/caryn/108/if-your-baby-cant-tolerate-milk-soy-or-hypoallergenic-formula-it-may-be-a-corn -allergy
11. CRANIAL OSTEOPATHY. My daughter was pushed out too fast at birth and the bones of her head were still not aligned right until we took her to an Osteopathic Physician at 6 months old. My regular Dr. who is an excellent MD didn't see any physical problem with her, but the DO (Dr. of Osteopathy) did. If you don't know what Osteopathy is, google "Wiki Osteopathy" to see the Wikipedia definition." The DO did a kind of chiropractic neck and head massage, she massaged the back of my baby's skull and she was so much better after that, she was like a totally different person. I was able to actually enjoy her personality after that, a personality I didn't even know she had which was amazing but utterly depressing at the same time, I cried a lot when she got better because I had wished I had done it much earlier so that we could have both been with out so much suffering for so long without ever knowing what we had missed as mother and child.
(Although I am convinced this was definitely the answer for my child, I am putting it last because it may not be the answer for your child and to me it sounded so controversial and such a risk when i first heard about it, I didn't try it for several months after that, which I also regret. (6 out of 10 moms from our "baby and me" class had gone a DO for a Cranial Osteopathy treatment for their babies before I did, so it probably isn't as controversial as I think it is, but who knows. You may want to research it.) People from other discussions on this site have mentioned an infant Chiropractic treatment with similar results, heres the post:
noLinks://www.colicsupport.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=colicsupport&thread=730&post=9106
and here's another post from this site recommending same thing:
noLinks://www.colicsupport.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=colicsupport&thread=716&post=9054
There are probably some obvious tips I'm forgetting, but I hope this helps. I know I didn't have time to read any books about colic until after it was over so I feel it is my duty to tell you everything I learned in my experience and hope you can use it. I hope you in turn give tips to moms of colicky infants if only for closure for yourself because what you are going through is traumatic and it will probably change you forever as a person, just as being a parent does, but remember, IT WON'T LAST FOREVER, JUST HANG IN THERE, WE ARE ALL DOING THIS TOGETHER AND WE ARE STRONG, WE CAN OUTLAST THIS.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU ARE NOT ALONE AND WE ARE ALL STANDING BY YOU SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD DOING THE SAME THING YOU ARE. WE ARE MOST DEFINITELY THE STRONGEST MOMS AND DADS IN THE WORLD. HANG IN THERE, HANG IN THERE, HANG IN THERE. XOXOX
| |
|
|
Result 84 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 months? (Read 825 times) |
Momto2girls
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 1
Karma: 0 | | Re: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 month
« Result #84 on Mar 16, 2010, 12:18pm » | |
I was hopefully that it would peak at 6 and decline by 12. KM is 9 weeks, and it is only getting worse. I have done the Doc, Chiro, warm nightly baths, warm comprasses in the evening, a different type of swing, etc. NOTHING works. She won't sit in a car seat, bouncer or swing. Every car trip is nonstop screaming and she is wet with sweat. I go back to work in 2 weeks and I am scared. I know how hard it is for me to not snap. I fear she will be hurt or left to scream for hours on end. I have little family support and those I thought to be close friends have drifted away or don't want to hear about it anymore. My husband is trying but at a lose as much as I am. I so understand the never happy part.
| |
|
|
Result 85 of 100:
Result 86 of 100:
Result 87 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 months? (Read 825 times) |
addysmom
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 6
Karma: 0 | | Re: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 month
« Result #87 on Mar 13, 2010, 10:49am » | |
I'm so sorry you're little girl is so unhappy! Mine is 8 weeks old and I keep praying for the day to come when she won't be colicky anymore. I really hope things turn around for you
| |
|
|
Result 88 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: milestones and sleep??? (Read 464 times) |
addysmom
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 6
Karma: 0 | | Re: milestones and sleep???
« Result #88 on Mar 13, 2010, 10:44am » | |
My little one is 8 weeks old an does the same thing while feeding. I bought something called colic tabs from babies r us. They're little dissolvable tabs and they seem to really work! Its the first thing I've found that has worked for her. I dunno if it is coincidence or not but she always calms down immediately after I give them to her. As far as the sleeping...my little girl does best swaddled and sleeping on a wedge. The swaddle controls her crazy arms and the wedge helps to keep the gas bubbles from travelling into her gut. Hope some of this helps. Just know you're not alone and there are others going through the same thing
| |
|
|
Result 89 of 100:
Result 90 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 months? (Read 825 times) |
mom to 3 girls
Guest
| | Re: Anyone with a baby that was colic past 4 month
« Result #90 on Mar 12, 2010, 10:11pm » | |
Hi my daughter is 6 1/2 months and still crying more than ever.
I'm at my wits end here dont have any support here. beside hubby when he home and he only can take so much plus I also have two other little girls so dealing with the baby crying is real hand full. and crys all day long from 7am to 9 pm. its a non stop crying. she is never happy.
| |
|
|
Result 91 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: milestones and sleep??? (Read 464 times) |
djejmama
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Jan 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 4
Karma: 0 | | milestones and sleep???
« Result #91 on Mar 12, 2010, 7:34pm » | |
My 10 week old is still unfortunately colic. He has his good nights where he is not so gassy and fussy and there are nights like last night where he was just miserable. I'm still breastfeeding him (still on a strict elimination diet) and is on higher dosage of prevacid for almost two weeks (which has really helped with the GERD) but he still gets gassy and feeding him has been painful since he jerks around with all the gas in his tummy.
I am definitely coping with it better than the first month. I used to cry everyday and break down every other day but I just accept it now and I'm at peace with it. I tell myself that this will pass and this is just a small period of time compared to the lifetime I will have with my healthy son.
There are just a few things that I need some advice about...
Since DS has been severely colic, his tummy time is misery for him. The only way he is comfortable is if he is carried around and he has to sleep in my arms too. Am I messing with his potential to start crawling? He's not using those arm muscles to push off. He can hold his head up although it still wobbles. Also, he doesn't track moving objects or my face. And he does smile but it's usually preceding a fart. I'm just worried that having this colic will make his development impaired.
Also... his sleep is terrible. He's a night owl. Sleeps all day and from 11 pm- 8am he's wide awake with maybe 2-3 30 minute naps between that time. It's tough. When he does sleep, he groans and wakes up for a bit to pass gas and then goes back to sleep. This happens all throughout the day. Will this ever improve and he'll finally sleep peacefully at night? I try to do a night routine for him and during the day, the t.v. is on and I try to go out with him and get him to know its daytime... still no change. This will get better right?
| |
|
|
Result 92 of 100:
Result 93 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: new to group...questions (Read 412 times) |
addysmom
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 6
Karma: 0 | | Re: new to group...questions
« Result #93 on Mar 12, 2010, 3:40pm » | |
Have you tried Soy? That seems to work ok for my baby. Anything with dairy, or lactose in it really upsets her
| |
|
|
Result 94 of 100:
Result 95 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: new to group...questions (Read 412 times) |
aliki
Senior Member
member is offline
Joined: Dec 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 334
Location: Los Angeles
Karma: 0 | | Re: new to group...questions
« Result #95 on Mar 12, 2010, 3:03am » | |
the only thing I can suggest, is that you put her back on med. Our doctor told us that if you abruptly stop reflux meds, they will have really bad symptoms again..they need to come off of them slowly. Our doc told us about a study, where people who didn't even have reflux, who took meds and then abruptly stopped exhibited reflux symptoms after for a time, when they didn't even have it in the first place
| |
|
|
Result 96 of 100:
Result 97 of 100:
Result 98 of 100:
Result 99 of 100:
| | Author | Topic: new mom ....help!!! (Read 1,229 times) |
gina622
New Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 1
Karma: 0 | | Re: new mom ....help!!!
« Result #99 on Mar 11, 2010, 11:01am » | |
I know this may sound silly but...
Hold the baby in front of you with your hands under his or her armpits.
Make the baby's feet touch your lap and gently squat the baby down, letting his knees bend.
Repeat this slowly and repeatedly.
I find it is the only thing that quiets my baby when he is in the middle of a so called "gas-attack".
Try it and let me know how you made out.
Gina
| |
|
|
Result 100 of 100:
|
![[Search This Thread]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/search2.gif "[Search This Thread]")
![[Reply]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/buttons/reply.gif "[Reply]")
![[Send Topic To Friend]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/buttons/sendtopic.gif "[Send Topic To Friend]")
![[Print]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif "[Print]")
Logged![[avatar]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/avatars/baby.gif "[avatar]")
![[yim]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/yim.gif "[yim]")
![[msn]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/msn.gif "[msn]")
![[aim]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/aim.gif "[aim]")