Colic, Gas on Baby

When My son had gas pains 3 things worked for me. 1 the Mylecon drops 2 I changed his formula to "gentleease" formula (this can be found generic and Enfamil brands 3 knee to chest compressions with gentle force for 2 to 3 seconds to help force the gas out, a good toot should follow on the 2nd or 3rd push. good luck.

I just read in a parenting magazine to rub their tummy counterclockwise, and then gently push their legs forward so they bend at the knees. It's worth a try!

I dont know if you are bottle feeding or not, but I found when I bottle fed my daughter using tap water, she was terribly colicky, but when I switched it to the bottled baby water (with flueride), it cleared right up. I only used that water until her stomach got to were she could handle tap water again. Good Luck!

One thing that worked with my daughter (sometimes) was to put slight heat on her belly. I would put a heating pad on LOW and put it against my belly. Then I would cover it with a blanket and hold my daughter with her belly against the blanket. Then I would pace with her.

We also tried gripe water. That seemed to work sometimes too but I was never sure if it was the gripe water or if she had just cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep. With gripe water be sure you buy a brand that is made in the US. There are some brands imported from Europe that have alcohol in them and some European brands have been recalled in the last couple of years.

Massaging baby's tummy can also help. Start with your hands at the middle of her tummy at diaper level. Move both hands up to her chest and then circle them back around to diaper level (like you are tracing butterfly wings). My sister-in-law also had success with laying our niece on her back, pushing both knees up to her chest and holding them for a couple of seconds, and then straightening them out again. Repeat it several times.

Hang in there. I know at times it seems impossible to last another minute and it is horrible to watch baby cry, but it does get better!

I've heard fantastic things about Colic Calm ( find at www.buyactivatedcharcoal.com ), never tried it though (natural product). Always massage in a clockwise direction, to go with the intestinal "flow". Try using different nipples if you are bottle feeding. Burp more frequently. Feed smaller amounts, in more frequent intervals. She may be allergic to the formula/milk you are using, you may wish to try switching.

Hope these suggestions help.

Hello, my daughter had colic too, mylicon drops works very well!! Good Luck!!

My son was colicky (not sure on the spellign). My doctor suggested laying him on his back and and moving his legs in and out as if her were riding a bicycle (it also works for gas). One trick a friend showed me that worked was to hold him close to my body and do squats, leaning forward slightly, in kind of a quick pace. The motion helped to soothe him and I got some good quad work outs.
Good luck! I know how heartbreaking it can be.
Steph

In case you are using formula, you should consider switching brands. Once we switched our babies gas pretty much disappeared.

Also, when our baby was a couple months old, he would have screaming sessions every day around 5:00. It started all of a sudden and we couldn't figure out why something would change so suddenly. After I sat down and really thought about it, I realized I had switched to a different brand of decaf coffee. As it turns out some "decaf" is actually almost as caffeinated as regular. I quit drinking it each morning and the crying stopped immediately. He was just so tired and couldn't fall asleep :)

I learned my first time mom lesson about decaf. So something to consider even if you aren't drinking coffee :)

Hi~

I actually had a little one who had collic BAD! He cired ALL the time......have you tried changing her formula? Also We got a bouncer and we just put him in it with the vibrating part of it on and that worked WONDERS! Another thing that helped was nature sounds like the sound of the ocean or rain or waterfalls...things like that sooths them because it kinda takes their mind off of the pain....ALso another thing...sorry got alot....he would calm down when I put him face down on my lap in between my legs and just swayed back and forth...that kinda helped too....I know it does get really tough and I (like you) could not stand to see my baby in pain....I cried many many times right along with him....it's tough but it will get better! Best wishes! Let me know if any of them work for ya! Take care!!

Colic is also h*** o* the mom... so sorry that you are having this trouble L..

The old fashioned remedy for colic that works wonders is anise seed or fennel seed tea.

1 teaspoon of seeds steeped in 1 cup of hot water. Strain thoroughly, cool down and give it to her in a bottle. No need to sweeten ~ this tea is sweet and tasty already. You will have to make sure she drinks it in the morning in order to avoid afternoon colic.

If you are nursing, drink the remaining tea yourself. It will make your breast milk less acidic.

Hold her in the "football" hold. Babies spend too much time on their backs, which is one of the main reasons they get colicky pains in the digestive systems. This hold is face down with the palm of your hand lightly "digging" into her stomach. Her body rests on your forearm and her head is dropped slightly over your arm at the elbow. Try looking it up on the internet to see if you can find a photo of it. It is a very popular holding position. Do it a lot - not just in the afternoon - and you will help to avoid colicky sessions.

Premies are often bottle-fed... changing her formula may also help as allergies can form to some of the ingredients in most formulas. Avoid corn syrup solids (or corn syrup in any form), and soy. Soy is very hard to digest. You can introduce it again later once her digestive system is capable of handling the task of soy digestion.

Massage is good for colic and gas but also you should give her some herbal tea. I'll suggest babies magic tea. Lots of my family members and friends are using this tea with good results.

Mylicon does work well if it's gas. Target has a generic brand that works just as well and is way cheaper. My oldest was a preemie and took it just fine. You can also try something called Gripe Water. I never tried it but I know a lot of mothers of colicky babies swear by it.

L., It could be the kind of milk she is getting. Every baby is different, even in the same family. I was not able to breast feed all of my children. MY 4th child would not take the breast milk after 8 weeks so we had to put him on Prosobee. Her Physician should have you try different kinds of formulas until you find one that does not upset her stomach. Thats how we did it and found that the Prosobee worked great. Now days there is so many more choices. But more is not always better is my feeling. There is light at the end of the tunnel. My Granddaughter was a preemie she weighed in at just over 2 pounds, born at 28 weeks into my daughters pregnancy. She does not like milk now at all, so she gets her dairy by eating yogurt. She will be 2 in July. MY daughter breast fed her for a long time. Preemies will have digestive problems, please always let your Pediatrician aware of all problems no matter how small. Report how her stools are doing and how often. Love her, Hold her, She just needs to feel safe. My Granddaughter is very needy , Always wants her Mommy, but I have won her over finally so she will stay at Grandmas so my daughter can have some time to herself. That is important also.
Good Luck and God Bless

I have been around kids all my life. My youngest sister is 10 years younger then I am and my Mom started a home daycare when I was 13. I do home daycare now myself. This will work wonders...take a full 8 oz bottle of warm water add 1 tsp sugar and 1 drop of mint extract. Shake to dissolve the sugar. Mint is a natural stomach gas reliever. Mint is good for adults too. The mint somehow works out the gas. I did have one daycare Mom ask her Dr about this and he said, "no, don't do it". When I asked her why, because I have done it for years, the Dr's answer was, "kids are too addicted to sugar already. They don't need to start getting sugar at a young age." That isn't true anyway. My oldest daughter had plenty of peppermint sugar water bottles and she HATES candy. I figure it is worth a shot, it is better giving them comfort then letting them cry.

My son was preemie too and very gassy especially at night.
You could try eliminating all source of dairy for at least three weeks and see if that helps. If you're formula feeding, that means switching to a soy formula or other non-dairy formula. If you are breastfeeding, that means eliminating all dairy products from your diet. It takes up to two weeks for all dairy to leave the system, which is why I said at least three weeks.

We did this for our son when he was around a year and a half and the results were amazing. Without the painful gas, he could sleep a LOT better at night. (and so could I!) We started seeing result about 2 to 3 weeks in, but things kept improving for a long time after that. If you try it and it seems to be having some positive effect, keep at it.

The reason I waited so long (problem began at birth and got a lot worse around 3-4 months old) was the doctors and dieticians all told me it could not possibly be dairy causing the problem. I chose to listen to them until I thought I was going to go crazy from sleep deprivation, and the results spoke for themselves.

Best of luck- I so hope you find the right solution for you and your baby!

HUGS!

Try putin the baby in a infant non car seat when up.
And try warm 7up...1/8 a teaspoon.
Avoid putin baby on her tummy.
I also found soothing music and warm bathes work.
D.

Some foods like formula, milk cheese if breast feeding cuse it.
So see if any thing you or and baby causes it.

Also if you are stressed causes it and warm light lite-alot of lites.

Hi~ Not sure if you are breastfeeding or bottle. But there are formula's out ther fro gasy babies and colic babies. Also have you tried the mycolog drops?? They can sometimes help. Hopefully something will help you guys out!

I was suprised to see only two suggestions for mylicon. both my boys had colic when little. Fresh air tends to make it worse. Babies tend to "gasp" alot when breathing and swallow alot of air.

It works so well that every baby gift I give includes a bottle of this. Its something you dont want to be without in the middle of the night.

My twin boys were also preemies with gas issues. What really helped was a daily dose of acidophilus. It’s a natural bacteria that helps regulate their systems. Our Pediatrician recommended it. Good luck!

First advice: Lay your child on flat surface and bicycle your daughter legs. 2nd advice: My little girl loved bouncing with me on those huge exercise balls. You can give her infants mylicon (gas drops). Some mothers give them tiny bit of peppermint tea, that is very good with gas. My first son had mild case colic, he had problems with the milk.
Be patient.
A.

you can do it the homeopathic route....massage chamomile or lavender oil on her tummy. Do a google search for treating colic homeopathic and they tend to have some other really good suggestions. generally massaging the tummy and playing soothing sounds or music helps relax. A warm bath might not hurt either.

Hi L.
My son was also premature and we had some problems. We used gripe water. It seemed to really help. You can find it at health food stores. It is a natural thing that you can add to bottles or just by itself. Good luck.
N.

I had the same issue with my son. I breastfeed and don't know if this applies to you or not, but I had EDS done at Still Pointe Natural Health Center and found out that what I was eating was effecting his stomach. I eliminated those food and had amazing result.

I also purchased acidophilus (from the refridgerator to ensure that the cultures are still alive) and opened a capsule and put about one third of it in his mouth every day or when he seemed to be uncomfortable, to ensure that he had good flora in his intenstines.

Something that was a "godsend" was Colic Tablets by hylands. You can find these in the natural food section.
Good luck it can be very challenging and hard to see our babies going throuhg this but it will pass.

Take her to a chiropractor. They can do some pretty amazing things with children. I have an awesome Chiroprator, if you are willing to travel let me know and I will give you his #.

I'm surprised your doctor hasn't told you about simethecone for infants. I got the generic version for my daughter when she was gassy and it worked wonders and she was gassy throughout the day/night. If you haven't tried that yet, I would give that a try. The doseage should be listed on the bottle, but if it isn't, I'm sure your doctor will know. You will want to give it to her before her gassy time. I hope this helps!

Have you been to Black hills Staple and Spice they have things for this one is called Gripe Water my sister and sister in law use this for colic and a few other things like hiccups and gas. It seems to work very well.

our son went through this too. we used an all nayural product called Gripewater. it really helped and it can't hurt them. good luck! you'll make it!

L.,

My baby (who is now a very happy 7 1/2 month old) was "colicky" for about the first 8-10 weeks. At six weeks (the peak of developmental crying), when I couldn't take it anymore, someone suggested I wear her in a sling. I bought a Moby, which seems intimidating to put on at first, but, is well worth it. It saved our lives! She would stop crying almost instantly as soon as she was in it. You wear the baby snuggled up against your chest where they can smell, hear, and feel you. It puts them in that familiar fetal position. Within seconds of being put in the Moby, I could actually feel her relax. She often fell asleep in it, and became a tool for naps for a while. I got mine at Baby Grand for about $40. You might find them cheaper online, but they show you how to put it on, and let you practice putting a doll in it, and then your baby, so it takes some of the intimidation factor out of it. You can wear it many ways once they outgrow the need to be snuggled up. (like a forward facing Baby Bjorn style). I know a lot of moms who went out and got a Moby after I did (we called ourselves the Moby Brigade!) and all agreed that life without the Moby was hard to think about. Babies just love that snuggled up feeling, and it helps them relax and stop crying almost immediately.

The other bonus about wearing the baby, is that you can constantly hold your baby but have two free hands to eat, do dishes, laundry, or whatever. I also used it instead of a stroller when shopping.

Good luck!!

Check out a product caled Ultimate Aloe at www.marketamerica.com/tkwentland . This is a digestive issue and teh Aloe will settle the stomach. a eye droper a couple times a day should take care of the problem. There are different flavors to choose from.
hope this helps you. It has help our grand kids.
Tom & Kathy

There is a medication you can get called mylicon. It gets rid of gas. I had to use it for my daughter when she was a baby...it worked wonders. I would check with your doctor because of her being a preemie, just to make sure she can have it and how much to give her. I know how hard all those crying nights (and days!) can be, though. Hang in there!

Hi L.-

I have a 4 month girl and when she was around 2 months she started showing signs of colic and I switched her to soy formula and she saw a chiropractor. We have a friend of the family that is a chiropractor and has had good luck in the past with treating babies with colic. I did a lot of research online also and saw good things about it. After 3 sessions (1 week time wise) she was back to normal. I recommend this route completely. If you have any questions feel free to email for more info. Don't worry she never cried and I never knew he was doing anything to her, it was very gentle but afterwards she was completely relaxed and slept 4-6 hours. It was great. My doctor was not impressed with it but sometimes you have to look outside of the box. We still have no problems with her and she is thriving.
Good Luck!

some people have had tremendous luck with chiropractors. If you're really concerned you might want to try it. It makes sense that if the baby is uncomfortable in some way it would result in some colic like behavior.

another issue people don't always realize is how much the baby is being stimulated. Some kids sensory systems are so keyed up that lights and sounds etc are more intense to them than to other kids. for instance some children who are just so smart they can't get their brains to slow down and stop the constant need to take in information, and kids who are on the autistic spectrum who are generally very sensitive to sensory related things.

If the baby is overwhelmed either physically or her sensory system is on overload she's going to act up. They can't say WHAT they are frustrated or uncomfortable about, so they scream.

My son really did well if he was in motion. Swinging saved our life when he was little :)

make sure there are times of quiet during the day without too much for her to be overwhelmed by (lights, tv, music etc)

try changing her schedule?
keep a journal to see if you can find patterns.
good luck! colic is a toughie! there can be so many reasons behind it it's hard to pin down

Wow, I cant believe how many responses you have already! lol Well- here's one more!
Lots of people suggested the Mylocon drops, but I never had any luck with them.. if anything it seemed to make her cry more..
The things that always calmed my little one were holding her against me and swaying side to side while bouncing (my husband never got the hang of it and looked at me like i was crazy when i tried to teach him) and doing that 'football' hold that someone else suggested. I dont know about the hand pushing on the tummy part as dircted befoer, it sounded so percise, we just layed her on her tummy across our arm, nothin more than that. At first holding her tummy down didnt do much, but the more we did it, the more it soothed her.. She would lay there while we walked the house and she could stare at everything- she loved it. But we made sure to put a birp rag down under her head cuz she always drooled on our arms! lol
But of course i know sometimes they need more than just bein held a certin way... A friend of mine had to eliminate dairy from her diet cuz her son couldnt tolerate it in the breast milk. And he still ends up sleepin in a car seat or bouncer or swing a lot because he has acid reflux.
So keep trying different things and dont let the cryin get you down too much. Take breaks and ask for help when you need to, because it won't calm her down if you're upset. We're all pullin for ya!!

My son is 20 mos. and was born with GERD (acid reflux). From the moment he was born he was screaming as if in intolerable pain. The dr. put him on zantac, which didn't work, and then we changed him to previced, which was a god-send. He never screamed after that. You might also look into swaddling the baby and "shushing" him as to simulate the sound of the womb (see the book "best baby on the block"). These few things worked WONDERS for us and now we truly DO have the "best baby on the block"!

I have heard great things about chiropractors, like other responders. You could try http://www.icpa4kids.org/locator/index.php to find a pediatric chiro in your area.

Good luck!

Hi L.! My daughter was exactly the same way. We used a product called Gripe Water. Chiropractic also helped. There is a book called "The Happiest Baby On the Block" and the techniques in that book helped so much!
Hang in there. This season does pass even though it seems like forever!
ps. do you have an exercise ball? I would wrap my little girl and hold her while I bounced on the ball. It soothed her instantly! A side benefit was that it soothed me too:)