Colic? - Santa Fe,TX

I just spoke to my doctor about this and he said 1/3rd of all "Colic" were actually bad acid reflux. Is she leaning back when you feed her, arching her back? Doctors can give medication for infants with reflux. Just a thought. That's what happened with mine.

You will be at ease if you start some organic tea to soothe your DD. I used a baby magic tea for my colicky baby that worked great.....

My son was high needs as a baby- he wanted to be held constantly, and would cry if he wasn't. I found a baby carrier and a baby swing to be a life saver. He was only happy if he was in his swing or being held.

Once I had two kiddos I found a baby carrier extremely useful so I could carry my baby and have my hands free for my toddler. I love my Moby wrap (http://www.mobywrap.com/), but in terms of ease of use I like my Hotsling (http://www.hotslings.com/).

I have two friends whose babies had colic that turned out to be due to allergies- they ended up having to switch formula brands more than once. I know another lady whose baby was colicky until she took her to the chiropractor for an adjustment.

Your pediatrician should be able to help you determine if it is colic or not, and what might be causing it. HTH.

I have been in the situation before and i found it was hard to tell the diff. Is she nursed or bottle fed? What kind of formula do you use if bottle fed? What kind of bottle do you use? Those things have a lot to do with it as i found. Also does she spit up alot? Is she fidgety? The reason i am asking is i thought my last son had colic because he just cried all the time and never slept come to find out he had acid refux and was in pain and couldn't relax.i have 5 children ages 19 yrs to 5 months so i have been around the block with these issues a couple of times good luck email with any thing you think i can help with
J. c
independent mary kay consultant

Make sure whatever you do make sure the baby is sitting up while eating and always burp her at all times after feeding. It could be the bottle you are using or the nipples too fast. I didn't lay my baby down after meal I would hold her up and burp her.I have a 71/2 month old and she didn't really suffer colic by the way she can't be spoil it really doesn't start until 4 to six months or older

Nah, she's not spoiled it sounds like she is just dealing with tummy trouble. My son would cry from about 7-9 every night and spit up ALOT. I asked my dr. about it and he checked him for reflux which he did have. He prescribed him prevacid and he took it for about 5 months and we were all much happier! I would talk to your dr. and see what can be done. There have been so many advances in dealing with the problems that come with new little digestive systems. Hang in there, it will be better soon!

When my daughter's colic came on or any belly troubles, we would lay her on her belly on top of the dryer (on her blanket) holding her with the dryer turned on. The motion always seemed to calm her. I would also lay her across my lap on her belly and rub her back while lightly bouncing her.

Are you nursing or formula feeding or both? That make a BIG difference. I had to change my son's formula twice between 2-4 months to rule out milk allergies and gas. It Worked! He also had reflux but it had nothing to do with the gas. The

Dr. recommended changing the formula. Mylicon drops and letting him sleep on his tummy (If you are comfy with that) helped a whole lot. No more gas since about 2 months old-he's 6 months now.

I also agree with the advice below about feeding a little at a time and burping , also sitting up for a little while before lying down after feedings.

Hi P.,
Babies at 4 weeks tend to still be a little young to realize true cause and effect for manipulation purposes, although I know it is hard to tell at that stage, especially with an older child to help exhaust you. I know my sons were gasey from time to time. Simethicone drops(generic name for gas drops) helped us out tremendously for the first month and half for each of them. They helped with the gas bubbles we could not seem to get released through burping.
Hang in there, it does get better soon!

I just had to respond to this one.
Before my baby was born, I was afraid to have a cryer. After my baby was born, turns out she was a cryer. Unfortunately, it wasn't until her 3rd month of life that I figured out that her crying was due to a combination of colic and gas problems. It took a visit to the emergency room followed by a visit to her Pediatrician (rookie mom, I know :-), but it killed me to hear her crying all the time and I felt helpless not being able to do anything about it and ended up crying w/her. Anyway, the Doctor told me to simply give her the mylicon drops (sold over the counter) before each feeding, and that seemed to help both of us, especially her, tremendously. Before going to the Doc. my mother advised me to place a warm rag (ironed to warm) over her shirt on her tummy, and although that helped temporarily, the mylicon drops were heaven sent to me. After that, she became the happiest baby who smiled all the time and really never cried.
I hope that you are able to find a remedy soon, I can't help but feel guilty for letting my baby suffer for the first 3 mths of life.

Y.

My oldest boy was "spoiled" from the day he was born the only way he would sleep was on my chest on his tummy. But he also had colic bad, his pedi told me (not sure if im ganna spell this right but ill give it a try) moncinillia tea, boil it let it cool, if she drinks 4 ounces giver her maybe an 1 1/2 ounces of the tea and the rest water, make sure that it is cooled off though so she doesnt get hurt. It worked wonders for my son, also he slept on his tummy, from the day he was born (he did this on his own, he would roll over on his tummy, no kidding, so the pedi told me to leave him, if that is how he was comfy, dont bother him, just make sure there was nothing in his crib that he could sufficate on, he also said that if he has a binkie let him use it while he is sleeping because he will have a space for him to breath even if he sleeps on his face (he never did he always slept on his side of his face) but like i said he slept on my tummy, and he always slept on his tummy) I hope this makes any sense to you at all, and i hope it helps if you have any questions dont hesitate to ask!!

P.
No, she can't be spoiled at 4wks.
I agree with not letting her scream/CIO. Do you have a sling or some kind of baby carrier. My ring sling was my saving grace when my two were that age. DS practically lived in it the first few months of his life :-) since I was busy packing (OR) and then unpacking (TX). He nursed, slept, cooed and watched the world from our sling from 2dys old. I took him out to change his dipe or put him in the car. Wearing your baby has many great benefits - especially if you're nursing.
Colic is what they call it when they can't find any other label for it. Gripe Water and Mylicon can both work wonders.

If you're bottle feeding, check formula type, nipple, bottle, etc like that other mom said.

If you're nursing, then there are a lot more questions. I'd rather not type them all out here if you're bottle feeding though...please email me if you want more info

hth
K., mama to
Catherine, 4y
Samuel, 15m

give your baby peppermint water. put a peppermint into a full bottle of water and give it to her. It will help with the gas on her tummy causing colic.

Hi P., if she really has colic or tummy problems Kroger has some natural remedies that are great. They are usually on the top shelf with the baby products. Gripe water is what I buy, but they have several different things. It really was a great thing for my little ones, helped a lot.

Also, I have had all my children on reflux meds also. Colic usually only strikes in the evenings, reflux can happen all day. For reflux, burp often and feed slowly. After she finishes eating have her stay in a reclined position (not sitting up or lying flat) in a swing or bouncy seat or something. You can elevate her bed a bit on one side by putting a blanket or towel under one side of the mattress and that should help too.

They used to say to put cereal in the bottle but with the concern for early diabetes they don't recommend that anymore, but you could try it.

Reflux doesn't just mean that the child spits up all the time. you know the feeling of acid reflux? That's what she could be going through and it is very painful.

Also, she might have sensory problems. I didn't know my oldest child had sensory problems and she cried all the time. after putting her on reflux meds she improved, but was still very fussy. Later I found out she has SID- her brain interprets sensory information differently. Sometimes she is terribly sensitive to something like sound but she is also under sensitive and wants lots of movement like bouncing and touch and being held a lot. She wasn't spoiled, but her brain was functioning differently then normal.

HIH
S., mom to four girls

I agree with Sarah T Gripe water is a great thing. It helped my daughter out wonderfully!