Colicky 7 Week Old Seems Misreable During the Day

my neice had colic something terrible!the dr told my sister in law to give her egg yolk out of a soft boiled egg !It may sound crazy but it worked !she cried non stop untill then !i also heard camomill tea works!good luck to you!

My daughter was a premie and she had colic really bad! 1-3 am everynight till I use molasses in her bottles. You don't need to use very much to start off with. Maybe just 1/2 teaspoon. If that does work move up to a little more. But be careful not use to much or she will have the runs( more like you will be doing the running for diapers) LOL

K.

Hi L.,This sounds to me like you may need to try some mylicon gas drops.Both my sons arched their backs and would cry horribly with gas pains when they were babies.Hope this helps.

i had to read this fast bkz my 4 yr old is climbing all over me but i can say my sisters pediatrician suggested gripe water. it has been used in europe for yrs and is now here in the states. there are several different brands. even little tummy's makes one. i bought it for my 4 yr old tummy aches and it works great one her too. my sister swears by it for her 7 wk old. hope that helps.

Hi L.,

How are her stools? Are they dry or soft? If they are dry, she may be constipated. A glycerin suppository would help this.

If her stool is okay, then she probably has air on her tummy.
Have you tried simethicone (anti-gas) drops?

It's pretty normal for babies to cry between 5-7pm, as they "vent" everything they are attempting to process, but sometimes they do get gas or constipation that causes discomfort. If she's on formula rather than breastmilk, you may want to try an organic formula. Walmart carries one called Parent's Choice.

Let me know how it goes!

About Me:

I am the happy mother of an 8 month old daughter, and two sons 14 years old and 13 years old. My husband and I live in Nashville, TN. I work from home, and my husband works at Vanderbilt.

I am the mom of a 21 month old and 4 year old. When they were babies after I was done breast feeding they ate "Nutramagen" formula. It is a bit more pricy but WELL worth the tummy aches! It worked well for us and the girls seemed very happy. Try it if you can.

T

This happened with both of my sons. My first son, we put him on lactose-free formula and it cleared up after a week or two on that. My second son, I immediately switched to Nestle Good Start with Comfort Proteins. It was a God send!! It is the best formula to digest and he stopped having the pain within a couple of feedings. And it is cheaper than Similac and others. I would go this route before all of the reflux medicine...good luck.

Hi L.! Here is a article that has to do with Colic

Tips for Soothing a Colicky Baby

It’s heartbreaking to see your newborn suffering from colic. You feel so helpless, not to mention tired and worried. The first thing to do if you’re not sure that your baby actually has colic or some other ailment is to see your pediatrician. He or she will be able to confirm if your baby is indeed suffering from colic and even give you some helpful solutions.

Here are a few things you can do to help soothe your baby’s colic:

Baby Massage – You don’t need any fancy books or classes to do this. All you need to keep in mind is to be very gentle and look at your baby for any cues of discomfort. Lay your baby on her back and add a little baby oil to your hands. Rub your hands together to warm them up before touching baby. Then lightly massage starting with babies arms, gently massage in long gentle stokes, then move on to babies tummy and massage in gentler circular motions, move on to the legs and finally the feet.

Play Soft Music – Some babies love soft music while others may cry even more. Experiment and see what works for your baby. You can try very low classical music, be careful not to play it too loud as the tempo can sometimes agitate baby. Try background or “white” noise such as the dishwasher or dryer. You can also purchase one of the white noise CDs available at many baby stores.

A Warm Bath – Add a little chamomile lotion or natural lavender oil to your baby’s bath. Then gently place baby in water and just let her relax. The water will often relieve the pressure on their tummy and help the colic.

Swaddling – A lot of babies love the feeling of security that comes from being swaddled. It may be due to the warmness or the fact that he won’t be startled by his own reflexes but swaddling is definitely worth a try to help soothe a colicky baby.
To swaddle your baby lay a blanket on a flat, soft surface and fold one of the corners down a little. Place baby on his back with his head on the folded section. Pull one of the corners over one of your baby’s arm and across his body. Tuck the edge under his back. Bring the bottom corner up under baby’s chin. Then bring the last corner over your baby’s right arm and tuck it under the other side. If your baby doesn’t enjoy this you can try swaddling but leaving his arms free.

This sounds rather unconventional, but I have ran into several other parents who did the same thing. I would dip my childrens' pacifiers in a little light Karo syrup and then give it to them. It is similar to the gas drops. Hope this helps.

Have you tried Mylicon gas drops. They worked like magic with my little boy. I used them the first day we brought him home he would just not stop crying I gave him the drops and he immediately stopped crying. They also have generic brands of them that are less expensive. I used the Target brand ones.

It really sounds like a gas problem. My second daughter had lactose problems, and would do exactly the same thing. We got he lactose free formula, and gave her a lot of gas drops. I also did the football hold, baby's head in the hand, and the tummy on the fore arm, walk with her with a slight bounce. Also the knee bounce, lay her sideways on your lap, head to the left, and feet to your right, pat the butt and bounce a little. I would also wonder if you are having any teething with these problems. It may take a while before they come in, but babies have so many troubles with the teeth early on. My mother always gave me sassafras or camomile tea. Good luck, I know that is a very hard thing to deal with. Always remember to lay the baby down when you have had enough, walk away and clear your head.

My daughter was the same way. Mylicon drops made by Mylanta worked great for her. We would put a few drops in her bottle. Also, my parents trick for us, and it worked with my daughter, niece, and best friend's baby... place them gently face down on your knees and bounce slightly (very gently ...obviously) .... I don't know why but it helped them.

My only other suggestion could be that she is on the wrong formula. My son was like that on Similac and Enfamil. We switched to Nestle Goodstart (which the pediatrician was ok with), and he settled down.

It sure does sound like acid reflux. My baby (now six months) is still on medication for it, and he was the same way. It took awhile for the medicine to help. It takes some fine tuning, and you have to work with the doctor. Take notes - the more information you give the doc, the better able s/he can help. I know others have suggested Nutragemen (sp?) - but my baby is taking Enfamil Gentlease. This formula is not nearly as expensive, but it was such a help. His gas was causing a good portion of his displeasure during the day. Maybe that would help! Good luck!

You probably have more ideas than you need, but here is one to add. My son had a milk allergy which caused reflux. It is right that it takes some time the throat needs time to heal. It is inflamed if this is your grandchild's problem. I changed to soy fomula and medication for the reflux. I also raised one end of my son's mattress, so that gravity will help during sleep time. I don't know if this is what is going on, but just another idea. We did use gas drops and mylanta. About ten days after meds and formula change. He was a new baby. I at times would weigh his milk down with cereal to help keep it in his tummy. I understand what your daughter is going through. It won't last forever, even though it seems like it now. It is only a few months, but I know it seems like an eternity. It is great she has you to help. Breaks really help.

Hi L.,

I completely understand your frustration. We went through the same thing with our first son. For the first three months he cried and arched his back and we tried everything thing from over the counter gas medications to gripe water. He couldn't keep his milk down and would regurgitate it not very often though. No one could undertand what we were going through. Anyway he was put on zantac which made things worse as we researched on side effects on zantac and one of them was headaches. We stopped the medication and only gave it to him when we thought he needed it. Well things worsened when he began to have black stools. After a week of agony we took him in again and he was prescribed prilosec as his esophagus was bleeding from the acid tearing it up and the stools reflected the blood.

He seemed to do better on the prilosec and when he was a year old we took him off of it. We also had to put him on the special formula called Alimentum (by similac) or Nutramigen (by Enfamil). He didn't like the taste of the Nutramigen so we put him on Alimentum. It is very expensive but we had no choice. He seemed to do much better on the new formula as it didn't contain lactose which was upsetting his stomach. Most reflux babies tend to be lactose intolerant.

I would suggest you put him on this special formula if you already haven't done it and she will eventually grow out of it. We also had an endoscopy done when he turned 1 just to make sure his esophagus was healthy and that was another ordeal for us to go through. Thank god the results came out great and now he is fine and healthy. So hang in there and she will eventually grow out of it. I know it seems like eternity but this time will pass. If you have any other questions you can email me at ____@____.com care
K.

Colic is rough.... My first child was an angel and the next two had colic. I found the following helped... there is a book called the Happiest Baby on the Block.
I didn't have do any of the 5 steps with my first child but found that I needed all 5 with the next two. The good news is both children grew out of the colic around 4 months ( this seems to be a magic month and Dr. Sears even talks about why).
I also suggest extra people to help out.... you can hire a doula to assist with the baby for a few weeks to give mommy a break and help out around the house. You can research doulas on line. Good Luck and remember only 7-8 more weeks!

Hi-

My daughter and son both had reflux when they were born. My daughter had great results with Zantac; my son didn't respond to Zantac or Prilosec, so he's on Prevacid now. Trying to figure out these little ones takes time and can be a frustrating trial and error process. In my experience, you need to give each medication at least a week if not two to see results. And, if the baby has a milk allergy, because of the gas buildup in the gut, I have heard from nurses that it can take 3-4 weeks for all of it to work through their systems.

My son's reflux was by far worse than my daughter's. He was referred to a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. The gastro basically said that as long as we have a happy volcano baby who is gaining weight, he doesn't care how much he spits up. In fact, since my son has started crawling, he thinks spit up is just finger paint!!!

The flip side to this is some babies are "silent" refluxers, and they just swallow the spit up back down. But the acidic spit up still does damage to the throat.

You didn't say how long she has been on the med, but if it's been a "reasonable" period of time with no results, talk to your doc about milk allergies or lactose intolerance. My son has reflux with underlying milk protein allergy. His gastro put him on Neocate, a formula that costs ~$40 per can!! Thankfully, insurance covers it becuase it's a medical necessity.

Also, my son really liked the bouncy seats that vibrated when he was younger. In fact, he would sleep in that at least half of each night when he was really young. It seemed to help jiggle the bubbles up. Mylicon drops never helped him.

Sorry this is so long, hope some of it helps.

I had a daughter similar. Two things worked for me. The little chair that vibrates. My daughter could sit in the char for hours. It was my saving grace. Also, a hair drier, yes a hair drier. She would instantly stop crying. So, I couldn't dry my hair all day! ;) I got a noise machine. I would make "noise" like wind, rain.. those kinds of things. She may want to try a humidifer as well. They make a sound that is very soothing. If the Prilosec isn't helping then it's probably not reflux. Is your daughter breastfeeding? If not you may want to consider switching formula? There are several out there made specifically for colicy babies. Many many hugs.. I remember how hard that time is. There were many times that I just say and rocked my baby while she cried. There was nothing I could do, I felt so helpless. The good things is that it does pass...

Dear L.,
I am a grandmother as well. We have 10 little blessings. I also live in Columbia. I never had a real problem with colic with any of my 4 children. Has she tried Mylacon? That's what they usually give the new babes for colic. I can't believe the doc put a 7 week old on prilosec.

Is the baby breast fed? If so, that's wonderful. If not, she might try switching her formula from whatever it is to soy formula. My daughter has used that and it is good. Another thought is...are there other siblings there at home? If so, possibly she might be overstimulated with the other children around. In view of the fact that she's just spent 9 months of quiet in her mother's womb, and suddenly there is a lot of noise, etc with other children. Another thing that "might" help is put some warm water in a small hot water bottle, and wrap in a small towel and put it on her tummy. These are just some thoughts that might help you.

Blessings to you and the family.
S.

It sounds like it could be gas?!... I know the Mylicon worked wonders for my kids, but I'm sure you've already tried that!

B.

My daughter was uncumfortable a lot also. It took until she was 3 months old to jump through all of the Reflux hoops. I'm amazed that the doctor proscribed prilosec. Thats Great! I used Gripe Water after I finally heard about it. I buy mine a Mother Natrue on Lawrenceville Hwy. in Tucker. It's by baby's bliss and contains Sodium (as Sodium Bicarbonate), Ginger Extract, Fennel Extract. I was also told by friends to make and drink Fennel tea (while breast feeding).

My experience was I probably ate too much chocolate. And made the mistake of eating too many onions ONCE. If breast feeding your daughter will need to be careful of her diet.

Regards,
M.

it sounds like gas to me , try laying her on her back and pushing her knees into her tummy that should help relieve some of the gas and make sure your burping her after every feeding and even during. if shes breast feed between breasts and if she bottle fed after ever ounce or so.

My granddaughter did the same thing, I bought a pack n play and it all stopped. She wanted to lay flat. My daughter had swings, bouncy seats, infants seats, ect. The pack n play ended all of that and she's pretty happy now. If it is colic or gas, try 1 tsp of fennel seed boiled in 1 or so of water. Strain seed out, put it in a bottle (by it's self). Give your child an oz or so at a time. Works wonders. You can add splenda if need. Mine to it plain and loved it.

I have read about a product called "GripeWater" that is sold on babybliss.com that is for colicy babies. My daughter did not have this problem, but some friends of mine swear by it! It may be worth a shot. It is made of all natural ingredients like ginger and fennel.
Good luck.
M. Gregory

I suggest putting her on a special formula for colic. My son had colic for four months and I was postpartum.It was horrible!I was also at my wits end. Your daughter needs to take breaks away from the baby everyday...most important.Also,for a brief relief,put the baby on top of your knees horizontal while sitting down,with her belly face down,while rubbing on her back in circular motions.Do not bounce her up and down though or she will spit up.

breastfed or formula fed? if breastfed i wonder if the baby is crying before being nursed- try having the mom nurse between breasts and not allow the baby to swallow a lot of air... main causes of air- crying, sucking on hands or sucking on pacifier. the first sign of nursing is mouthing- nurse then. also try a nice massage of the baby's belly- there are many great books on infant massage. i teach a beginners class on it as well. try holding the baby in the football hold with the palm of your hand in the lower belly with your fingers thru the legs. and harvey karp has a great book called the happiest baby on the block- the five s's usually help a ton with this response- suckling, swinging, side lying, swaddling and sushing. perhaps your daughter has an over active let down- nurse the baby with his head a bit higher- almost like sitting up to nurse so that the milk has to sorta go up hill. i soon will be teaching these classes as well. if the baby is formula fed- call the ped about a recommendation for a different formula. if it were really reflux you would see it every time he fed.

My first suggestion would be "gas drops". Mylicon is one brand; or I believe my sister uses the ones made by Little Noses.

They are not addictive and can even be given with every bottle if needed. (Or that's what I was told when I went through this with my son 7 years ago). My son ended up having such a sensitive digestive system that we played musical formula for a month or so and then ended up with him being on Nutramigen (the most expensive one). That was the only thing that helped his digestion. So you do what you have to do for your kids.

Best wishes to you and your daughter (I know Grandma's feel the frustration too when they can't help except by listening).

C. B.
Dahlonega, GA

There are colic tablets for infants. try that

I totally understand your experience!!! Our little guy was the exact same way - he would sleep through the night and take good naps, but his waking hours were quite painful! He started his 'troubles' a few days after we left the hospital. We went to the emergency rooms several times because he was absolutely inconsolable and seemed to be in so much pain for hours and hours. We tried all the medications - prevacid, prilosec, zantac, etc, but nothing seemed to make a difference. It was exasperating for us all - him, his doctor, and us. Our pediatrician even sent us to a gastrologist to have several tests performed to see if there were any blockages or growths in his stomach. The tests came back relatively normal. His constant screams were piercing, his face deep red, his back arched, and his legs extended -- all day long, it seemed! As a stay-at-home mom with my first baby, I was lost and desperate. At about 4 months, things started getting a little easier though. None of the 3 medications he was taking at that time were helping, so we took him off all of them to see how he would react. Slowly but surely, things got a bit easier (for no apparent reason other than maturity maybe). At about 6 months, he was laughing a lot during the day, and we could finally go to the store unafraid. He's 10 1/2 months old now, and he's a little charmer!!
I am SO, SO SORRY that you, your daughter, and your granddaughter are going through what sounds like this same experience. I'm not sure how much I've helped, but I do understand what your going through. Don't give up - it will get better! Here's a BIG HUG to all of you!!

I have heard great success in treating colic with removing milk products from the mom's diet if she's breastfeeding or the child's diet by switching formula. I also recently read about people who were lactose intolerant being able to drink organic milk! It seems that dairy isn't what it used to be in your day ;-)

If that doesn't work, I do know that my 6 week old has her grumpy time at the end of the day. Most of the time it turns out that she is just overstimulated and needs lots of quiet time before bed; and it does last for a few hours. And come to think of it I believe my first 3 all did this in some manner when they were babies.

With her I just make sure her environment is quiet and lights dimmed. Sometimes she likes it when I walk with her for a bit outside. The fresh air seems to help calm her.

I hope one of the two solutions may help.

R.

hi i am a mother of two. I would try and put a little pressure in her stomach area while rocking her. If this doesn't work try feeding her again. At 7 wks old babies sometimes tend to get off a regular set feeding schedule. Still not working, ask pediatrician about zantac 75.

Try using the Dr. Brown's bottle. I know people who swear by it for reflux and colicky babies. My niece is using one too. It doesn't leak and doesn't ger air in it. If the baby is nursing, you can pump and give it in the bottle. I have a friend who did this for over a year.
T.

Hi, I'm a mother of four girls. Each one of had reflux,all were put on med, but the best thing I found was Infamil AR it has an added rice starch which made it thicker. Also after I fed them i would sit them in their carrier or in a bouncy set so they would sort of be sitting up.

Hi there. My second child is now eight months, but she had colic from 6-12 weeks old. It felt like six months! She is now the happiest baby ever. I found the only two things that would help were 1) to swaddle her tightly and 2) Baby's Bliss Gripe Water. I ordered it off the internet, and it helped tremendously! There are tons of different brands, available at Harry's, health food stores, etc. also. I just wanted to make sure that the one I gave her had no alcohol in it. It's just basically fennel flavored water with bicarbonate (baking soda) in it, and it helps settle any gas. Good luck!

My daughter was the same way except she cried in the afternoon but anyway my doc put her on nexium which helped a little. Try mylicon - it is over the counter, basically sugar water and helps reduce the gas bubbles in babies stomach. The only other thing I know to do is to swaddle her tightly in a blanket which may relax her some.

Have you tried Mylicon? It worked wonders for us and the dr. said it's entirely safe to give with every feeding. Just a thought.

Good luck!
B.
Mom to Morgan and Sydney born 10/12/02

Have you tried chiropractic care? My two brothers are chiropractors in NY and they treat colicky babies. They have a huge success rate. Sometimes a slight adjustment of the hips/pelvis can alleviate any gastrointestinal pain. It might be worth a try.

I had the same problem with my first born. My grandmother was living when he was born and she suggested I use these medicine called Deweese for upset stomachs. I finally worked up my nerves and put a few drops in his formula and I had no more problems. I had my third child 7 months ago and she had the same problem. I had to do it about 3 times with her after that she was o.k. I must warn you though that stuff stinks.

Hello L.

I understand your frustrasion and anxiety as we went through this with my now 11 week old son. We never found a cure but a few things that helped us were Gripe Water, found at any health food store (a great relief from gas) and the methods for dealing with colic found in the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block". The book descrides the 5 things you need to do to calm a colicy baby, and I wish I had tried it sooner. Firstly, swaddle the baby very very snuggly with there arms on their sides. Secondly, hold the baby on their side or stomach (not on their back). Thirdly, you rock side to side quite vigorously making a loud "shhh" "shhh" sound. Lastly, you give the baby something to suck, a clean finger, a binkie or a bottle. We found when we did all of those things together it really helped to calm him down. The other thing that helped him improve was removing dairy from his and my diet. We finally resorted to giving him only Soy formula as his fussiness stopped almost all together after doing this. Our doctor told us that a common intolerance to dairy can cause a lot of discomfort for some babies. I'm not recommending just soy formula (it was hard for me to make that decision) but it helped us. I wish you much luck and peace. Just remember that it will come to an end. It is heartbreaking to watch your baby go through it and a frustrasion only a mother with a colicy baby can fully understand.

I can overly sympathize with you on a colicky baby. My son was my only one who had really fussy periods. Unfortunately nothing worked with him. We changed formula, gave gas drops, and bounced him on our knees. Nothing worked for him, finally one day he just quite crying.

My daughter on the other had (who happens to be only 13 months younger than my son) had a few fussy periods but not alot. We discovered Nestle Good Start formula with her. I absolutely loved the formula. It is easy for the baby to digest. We used the powdered formula. When you shake it there is hardly any bubbles. The formula she was put on in the hospital would bubble up greatly. I would definitely recommend this formula to you. My neice and nephew also took the formula without any problems.

My daughter did this for about a month before the pediatrician FINALLY changed her formula (not sure if your little one is on breast milk or not). She was also on a reflux medicine (I believe it was Prevacid). After they changed her to a softer formula (it was for preemies), it took about 2 days to see a BIG difference. She also stopped spitting up so bad. I hope the little dear does better! I've been there!!

Hi L.,

I have twins (b/g) and my babies did not really cry too much, but I do remember them crying and fussing at a point in time and we concluded it was gas. I am not a fan of giving the babies medication so early, but we did try and give the mylicon. That worked, I think. They were 3 weeks or so at this point. When the babies turned about 6 weeks my son would cry terribly before he went big potty (bowel movements) and i switched his formula to the lactose free - which made all the difference in the world. They slept very well too, so it didn't bother him while sleeping (similar to your grandbaby not having trouble while sleeping). She sounds like something is hurting her...and, I hate that for you! She is sleeping okay though, so you know it subsides. I hope it gets better. I will pray for your granddaughter and daughter to make it through this - babies are so wonderful, but so hard when you can't figure out what to do!

S.

My daughter was almost 8 months old before she really smiled or laughed. It was becaused she had stomach trouble she would do the same thing as what you described. We had tried every thing Mallox,Mylanta in every bottle she took. I was even told to try putting cereal in every bottle.She was on Alimentum which in 1993-94 it only came in ready to feed and it was around $8.00 a can, she was on it a year.
Finally I took her to a specialist and he put her on a medicine called Reglan. It was a miracle within 1 hour she had smiled for the 1st time and no more stomach problems EVER!
It was like the best thing in the world, she slept all night and took her naps, no more spitting up,and no more crying like she was in so much pain.If you have not tried this ask your doctor about Reglan and insist he let you try it. Go to search Reglan on the net and find out more about it, it was a miracle for my litle angel. Hope this helps.

L.,

My three year old son had colic and is on prevacid for his acid reflux. He would projectile vomit close to 20 times a day when he was younger. I would feed him, it would come up and then would be hungry wanting food and so the pattern would continue. I never had him arch his back and tense up like your grandchild does. It sounds like there might be more then just the acid reflux. I would suggest asking for a referral to a specialist concerning the reflux. Once there, asking if the tensing up is normal or if it could be something else. Pediatricians although they can be great they don't know everything and mostly have to go off of testimony of the parents. A specialist can run tests to also rule other diagnosis out. My son sees a gastroentologists (sp?).
Hope this helps.

Hello L..
It sounds like the baby could have a food allergy.
My friend had the exact same problem with her baby and when the pediatrician changed the baby's formula, the baby improved dramatically (it did take a couple weeks to see the improvement..but it did happen)!!!
Ask the pediatrician about the possibility of the baby having a food allergy OR the baby not being able to digest certain enzymes found in milk/formula. If you don't get the response you want, let me know and I can find out the name of the formula my friend was told to give her baby!
Good luck!
L.

Lots of your responders have already said the same thing I'm going to...but I thought if you are as desperate as I was when mine was little you'd appreciate all the input you can get :-)
My daughter had the same problems when she was between newborn and about 4 months old. We finally determined she had two seperate problems. One was gas. It was terrible! We found that mylicon drops worked about half the time, but the best thing was to pump her legs into her tummy and out (kind of like a bicycle movement). This really seemed to alleviate her symptoms.

The other problem she had was with my breast milk. Turns out I just was not producing enough. She would feed for the recommended amount of time, so we never guessed we were not getting enough food into her. Talk about feeling like the worst mom ever...I was practically starving my little girl. Finally figured this out at about 2 months old and started supplementing with formula. Her crying and squirming dropped to about half, and she put on a ton of weight too. Don't know if this might be part of your problem, but just getting more food into her and more gas out worked wonders for my little princess. If these ideas don't work for you, I'd go with the lactose free formulas, I've known a lot of parents that this made a big difference for too. Good luck to you!

Hi, my 7 month old grand-daughter was the same way. She would cry and cry and the doctor finally put her on zantac and it did help. It didn't stop completely, but enough so that we could rest some. They do grow out of if eventually, as she gets older it gets better.
C.

Have you tried to gas drops? I work with a girl that has a 10 month old and she cried and cried and cried all the time!! She had that reflux and was on prescription medicine but I don't think it really helped with the crying. I think they just have to grow out of it - doesn't really sound like colic to me but who knows?

Hi L.,

I really feel your daughter and granddaughter's pain. We went through the same thing for the first five months of our daughter's life and it was miserable. The main thing was that she really did seem in pain and we had a hard time figuring out what to do for her. The Ped. finally put her on a Prevacid solutab and that seemed to work. Prilosec didn't do a thing. The only unfortunate thing is that the Prevacid is very expensive. Her colic fits subsided and were gone, except for a rare occassion at six months. She is now one year and still on the Prevacid. We hope she can go off it soon. Please tell your daughter to hang tight. I know how stressful it can be.

Best regards,
L. B.

I will second the suggestion of "Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. There is a book and a video, and the techniques really do work well to trigger a baby's calming reflex--I've seen babies calm down very quickly when you use this method. The white noise some people have suggested (sound of a hairdryer, lawnmower, etc) is one of the things Dr. Karp suggests--you can also do it yourself by making a loud "shushing" sound, louder than the baby is crying. Here is the website: http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/ You can find book and video clips on there.

If your daughter is breastfeeding the baby, switching to formula may make the problem worse. While most babies do fine with anything in their mother's diet, some do have food sensitivites--cow's milk is the most common. You daughter could try eliminating dairy products for two to three weeks to see if it makes a difference. It takes two weeks for cow milk proteins to leave the body completely.

Good luck! Your daughter might also consider attending a support group for new moms--so many have been in her shoes, and it can help to talk to them.

T.

Is she on formula? Both my boys had sensitivities and had similar symptoms. A change in formula, to Nutramigen, did the trick. But, it is very expensive.

Hi L..
I know what you are going through. I have had three daughters and they ALL had colic at one time or another. Try soaking her in a very warm baby tub, to relax her, then when you take her out rub baby lotion all over her tummy in cicular motions (massaging her) then take both her ankels in your hands and stretch her legs out straight then gently push them BACK over her tummy, this entire procedure will work out any painful trapped gas the baby may have. If this doesnt help and you have tried the Milicon drops already too, then I would take her to see her Ped. because the baby may not be agreeing with the formula.
Hope this helps.
Hugs:
L.~

some pharmacies carry a product called gripe water. it helps some babies who are colicky. I know a lot of people who swear by it.

Hello. Unfortunately I too had the same problem with my now seven month old son. There is not much you can do for colic, it has to work itself out, which can take up to several months. There is a formula called Alumentum which is for colic babies and that does help with the uncomfortable gassiness. I also did the "bicycle" with the legs to try and help push some gas bubbles out of the intestines. Gently massaging the stomach is supposed to help too. Warm baths will relax them, especially if you use the lavender baby washes. I found that my son liked to be placed on his stomach with his head turned sideways when he was crampy. There are homeopathics as well for colic but this is just something they have to grow out of, and you just have to keep at it and find what soothes the baby best. I know I pulled a good bit of my hair out before my son's colic went away. Good Luck!

Have you tried the gas relief drops? My son was a very gassy baby and those drops were a huge life saver.

Unfortunately, you aren't going to like what I have to say.. time will heal.
Our first was real bad colic.. I mean real bad!!
It nearly put me in the hospital.
Our second (8 weeks old) has colic and reflux too.
We went to the gastroentestinal doctor at Scottish Rite and he gave us Prevacid.. (which she was already on) and Levsin.
Some peds don't like to prescribe Levsin.. Dr. Becknell in PTC did. It seems to relax her a little bit.
Even so, we are having miserable days too.. she only wants to be held and is up 16 hours a day.. no lie.. with no naps. It's exhausting. But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.. 3 1/2 months.. it will all of a sudden go away.
Keep her elevated after feeding for at least 30 minutes.. swaddle her when she is having her meltdowns..
buy a noukie.. it has the heartbeat in the womb sound.. i have changed the batteries on it four times.. put it right up to her ear full volume or run the vacuum cleaner right next to her when she is having her meltdowns.
try giving her a warm bath to relax her a little..
www.colicease.com.. seems to work.. did on my first one too.. gets the gas up.
Colic is both neurological and intenstinal... if the baby is overstimulated, she will have meltdowns.. she takes everything in and has meltdowns later.. limit bright light or loud sounds or crowds or tv.. make it a quiet (as you can) environment.

I feel your pain.. we are living it now.. but rest assured, this is no way harming the baby.. it's the parents and family members who will remember this.. In general, colic babies are very happy kids.. we have one that's living proof..
oh yeah, moving the legs around.. a hot pack on the tummy (not directly on the tummy) and Alimentum or Nutramagen (pre digested formulas) are what works.. I nursed my first for 20 months.. she was allergic to my milk .. had blood in her stool and you really have to watch what you eat when you nurse.. but she never took a bottle. Introduce a bottle if you haven't and you might want to consider one of the formula's I listed. Soy is o.k. but 20% of infants who are allergic to milk based formula's are allergic to soy as well..

Hang in there and write me if you have any more questions.

____@____.com
N.

My son was born 5 weeks early and had really bad refulx. He would cry before eating, any time we'd take the bottle away and then again after eating. Sometimes he would cry for up to 5 hours without "crying himself to sleep". We tried other reflux medications, but after about a week on Prevacid, he was a completely different child. My pediatrician also said I could give him Mylanta. This would calm him almost immediately. He's now 7 months old and is off the Prevacid and thriving! Keep going back to the dr and get a different med until you find one that works. I would suggest trying Prevacid because I have heard good things from everyong I know who had tried it. The Mylicon didn't help much for us, but that's because it wasn't actually colic, but Reflux. Hope this helps. I'm available if your daughter has any questions.

My daughter was diagnosed with reflux at 6 weeks also. She would arch her back and cry all day and was in terrible pain. I know how heart breaking it can be to see your little one in pain but it can also bring you to your wits end. My daughter was put on Prevacid and Reglan. I was breast feeding at the time but we found out she had a milk protein allergy also. At that point I switched her to Neutramigen formula and that made a world of difference. I have known lots of babies with reflux on Neutramigen, it is pricy though. My daughter grew out of reflux at about 1 1/2 year, but the meds and diet change helped tremendous. Tell your daughter to hang in there and be persistant with her dr. if she thinks another medication might work better. We tried a couple different ones before we found what worked for our daughter. Hope some of this info will help.

I am a g.mother 7 times and all have had colic. I read all the responses to your email and decided everything I would suggest was covered....mylanta,nutramagen,swing,floating in a dark room with a warm bath[my daughter had to sit in with him and her husband spooned fed her supper]this helped but not altoghter.Just remember it does hurt and this is the only way the baby has to tell you. Fan noise is good,all of the suggestion were good and maybe yours will be over soon but my g.baby had to go to a spec. for help and she is going to be 4 yrs. soon and still has to take med. So good luck and let us know how things are going.God bless you for trying to help the baby and not just put him down and let him deal with it alone. You sound like a very careing and loving g.mother..sl

I just went through what you're going through! I have a 5 month old daughter that was colicy...and we took her to the chiropractor. I know that sounds crazy...but it worked. I took her to Dr. Terry Hanson at Germantown Chiropractic Center. He's been in the business for over 30 yrs and is excellent.

I had tried the gas drops, tried the reflux medication and neither worked. Dr. Hanson told me that often times when babies are twisted out of the birth canal at birth, some of their vertebrae can twist. The body will eventually straighten out, but in some cases, it can take a long time.

After the first visit, her colic was cut in half and the second visit stopped it completely! It was a miracle as far as I'm concerned.

Dr. Hanson is a great friend of mine. He's also highly recommended at www.ratememphis.com. The cost is minimal and along with getting your sanity back, he'll help your baby stop hurting.

Most people think I'm crazy, but it's the best thing I've ever done for myself and my baby! Oh yeah...she was only 4 weeks old when I took her in...so don't be concerned that your baby is only 7 weeks old.

Hope this helps!

Hi,
I know how difficult colic can be and my prayers are with you. Our daughter had colic for 3 1/2 where she cried from 13-17 hours a day. No exaggeration. We tried everything. One thing that sort of helped is brewing catnip tea and giving it with a syringe. You can find more about that on the internet. But the one thing that REALLY did the trick was a CD that played nothing but the sound of a lawn mover. We would have to turn it up very loud and put it on repeat. I thought that it was going to be a waste of money but I was desperate and at my wits end. We, too, took her to the pediatrician...repeatedly because we thought it had to be something other than colic. But he told us that one day it will just turn off like a switch. And it did! At three and a half months, it was done. Hope this helps. Search the web, there are lots of good info. White noise worked for us.
M.

My son had this, only he would get started about 7:00pm and it would last all night long. My husband and I were misreable, we could not get any sleep. I tried things I read in books and things that family and friends suggested and nothing worked, except bouncing him in his bouncer or swinging him in his swing all night long. I can't tell you how many nights I slept on the sofa with him going in his swing, just so we could all get some sleep. This went on for about 2 months and then it was over, he was fine and started going to sleep at night.

Is she on formula or breastfed? I found out early on that my formula fed son was lactose intolerant. We made the change it helped considerably.
Since I don't have any experience with colic - I can only share the advice my mom gave me as a tired stressed out new mom.
"When you get the breaking point, make sure that Mark is in a safe environment, and then lock yourself in the car with the radio blaring and the air conditioner on for 5 minutes. Even mommies need a break." Just knowing that I could would calm me down and in turn Mark would calm down too.

Hi L.

My son he was about her age did- he would scream after he had a bottle and climb up my shoulder at only a few weeks old he would arch his back and spit up after and my his doctor kept switching the formula. Is she is on formula ? If so we finally fiqured it out, he was alleric to the formula we had been giving him, we had tried it all - execpt for Nutramegen which was our last thing to try before goat milk. Once we started him on it he was fine. He is now 8 and has had no problems or with milk products.

wow, bless that wee ones heart!

and yalls too!

I would advise carrying them to a gastro specialist to make sure they dont have a hernia, or something like that & the symptoms are mirroring what seems like colic...

the dr. will have excellent ways of handling these issues, should it colic.

remember, as with most things....if its colic it will pass....

please keep us updated!

Hi L.,

My neice was like that around 7 months. I totally understand what you are going through. I found something called a baby papasan that is sold at babies r us. It plays soft music and vibrates. She loved it and she was fine. I also found that mylicon and little tummies gas medicine helped her and relaxed her. Also, from the experience with my own daughter, we found out that it was the formula. She could not have regular formula. She could only drink soy based formulas. I really hope that this will help.

Hi! I'm not sure if this will help, but it's something to think about. Both of my sons did this and the doctor jumped in with "colic". It turned out they were both lactose intolerant. After we pulled the milk they were normal little babies. Definitely talk to your doctor and see if that's an option. I wouldn't do anything before talking with them.

I would think it could be a number of things. Is she breast feeding or bottle? If breast feeding then it could be something that the mother is eating that the baby is having difficulty with. The baby might have a hard time digesting whatever it is or may be allergic. The mother would need to write down what she eats each day and see if she could narrow down the possibilities. If bottle feeding then the baby might be having a hard time with that particular formula. I have two children and they both had to go to soy (Prosobee). I think they had a hard time with the DHA and ARA that is now added (supposed to be more like mother's milk). Also could be gas. Mylicon non-staining drops are a godsend. They work within minutes. They can be given to the baby several times a day if needed. If gas is the issue the drops will help the baby within about 10 minutes. I had colic as a baby and riding on rough dirt roads was the only thing that eased me. Now you can buy a vibrating bouncer chair. My son slept in his the first week after he was born. It was the only was he would sleep at night. They also make vibrating basinetts. Or the baby might simply have colic or other intestinal/digestive issues. You might want to try a different pediatrician. I would be curious to get another opinion. Good luck.
K.