Colic Calm

You might want to cut the following out of your diet for two weeks to see if it makes a difference:

Coffee
Orange Juice/Oranges
Lemon Aid/Lemons
Grapefruit Juice/Grapefruit
Strawberries
Kiwi
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Chocolate
Onion
Garlic (If you like spicy/real flavorful foods you will have to check ingredient lists. It is amazing how many things contain garlic.)

My first child had absolutely no problem with what ever I ate, and I nursed her for 27 months. I'm now nursing my second child who is 13 months. She becomes absolutely miserable if I have onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage.

I don't know if this will affect reflux at all, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to see if she has any food sensativities. If cutting out all of the above DOES make a difference, add things back - one at a time - every 5-7 days. If she suddenly has problems again, you found part of your problem. Also, be sure to keep her head a bit elevated for at least 15 mins after eating so that the stomach has a chance to start digesting the meal before it has to "worry" about keeping things down.

All that aside, stomach acid can do some fairly serious, life-long damage to the throat. Keep that in mind when you are deciding whether to medicate.

Have you ever tried gripe water? My daughter was so fussy after feedings for awhile, and a friend recommended I try that, and it worked wonders. She was never diagnosed with reflux, but the gripe water is basically fennel, so it isn't a medication, and it soothed her very quickly. Not sure if that will work for you, but it may be worth a try. Our pediatrician suggested the gripe water for her fussiness too. I also experimented with my diet since I was breastfeeding, and realized certain foods caused more fussiness in her. Once I elminated them from my diet, her fussiness improved dramatically.

I have heard of the Amby Baby Bed helping with reflux because it allows the baby to sleep slightly upright.

www.ambybaby.com

gripe water...it works!

Homeopathic remedies are safe because if you read how they are made you will see that there is nothing in them. So it won't hurt her. But will it help????????

(By "nothing in them" I refer to active ingredients. I don't know what the inactive ingredients are. There is some sweet substance. Homeopathic remedies are made by taking a drop of whatever the supposed offending agent is, say for example yeast, putting that in a vat, then taking a drop of that vat, putting it in another vat, etc., and diluting that however many times until there literally is none of the original yeast left. I know people who believe in homeopathics are angered by nonbelievers, but common sense tells me that there can be nothing left after that much dilution. This is just one of those cases where we will just have to agree to disagree.)

Hi C.,
I just went on the Colic Calm website and would give it a try. I wish I would have tried it when my daughter was a newborn as she had severe colic. I too hate the idea of giving a baby such strong drugs and would try the homeopathic route too. I've also heard chiropractics help too.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Sincerely,
L.

Hi C.. Five of my six kids had/have reflux. Colic Calm didn't do anything for any of them. I don't like medicating either, but the problem is the acid that come up into the esophagus can damage it. If the Zantac didn't work, the doc can prescribe Prevacid. Talk with your doctor about all the options, side affects, and medical issues that could arise from not medicating. Then you will have to weigh what is going to be best for your family.

Colic Calm was the ONLY thing that worked for my daughter. She used to shreak for hours at a time. It is also the only 'gripe water' type formula that is approved/regulated by the FDA, so that made me feel better about using it.

It has a pleasant taste, although it looks a little bit eerie when you give it to your baby because the activated charcoal in it makes it black. It will also cause your babies BMs to be blackish.

It stains, so if you opt to get it, use a towel when you give it to your baby.

I was very grateful to have found it, and it was totally worth the money for me. If you're going to go the homeopathic route, I'd definitely recommend this one.