Colic, Gas, or a Growth spurt?...Help!

sounds like the formula isnt working for him ...the most perfect food for him is breast milk...i've breast fed both of my children, but i noticed when they start getting supplemented with formulah at about 6 months to a year they start acting the same way...just remember its never to late to start breastfeeding again.....its the easiest thing for them to digest and believe me they're little bodies will thank you for it......but i do remember my little one having a few sleepless nights and crankiness at about 3 mo ...i honestly believe he was needing more nurishment therefor he demanded more feedings and my body produced more, and that seemed to be the problem solver for me.

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Hi J.. I don't know how helpful I will be but it sounds like colic to me and he is at about the right age for it to begin. I have a friend who is a chiropractor and specializes in children. She has adjusted newborns, infants and toddlers to cure ailments from colic to constipation. Her name and number is Dr. Sharon Lark, Lark Chiropractic. Her phone number is ###-###-####. She is so gentle and caring with the children and your little cutie won't even know what's happening while she is making the adjustment. Good luck and keep me posted on how he is doing.
Take care, K.

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My daughter is just 2 weeks older than your son and we are going thru the same problem...we tried swaddeling...gas drops (myclon and perscription and finally switched her formula to gentalease from enfamil, great stuff. Almost a 100% difference in 24 hours. Your doctor should have samples that you can try first before you go out and buy the huge 24.00 $ can ..LOL. Hope this help and good luck. Let us know what finally works for you.

Liz

We went through something very similar with my son when he was 6 weeks. He is 14 weeks now. What formula are you feeding him? We switched to Enfamil GentleEase for gassy/fussy babies. That along with giving him gas drops before each feeding really helped. While he still gets gas, it isn't as bad or as often.
Good luck.

When my babies were gassy I would put them on my lap on their tummy and rock side to side. The pressure on the tummy seemed to help with the gas pains. It may not work for your baby, but its worth a try.

I am so sorry you have to go through this... I know how bad it might be from experience...
And it sounds to me like he might have acid reflux (GERD).
Talk to the pedi and have him/her diagnose the baby.
Ours got his formula switched to lacto free and has some medicine for his reflux. Now he is the happiest baby ever (not counting teething :)

I HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO MY GIRL. DURING EACH FEEDING HOW MUCH IS THE BABY EATING(OZ??) I TRIED A TEA CALLED MANZANEA (MAKE IT VERY LIGHT). SHE WILL RELAX AND EXPELL GAS.MAYBE STOLL WILL BE A LIL RUNNY. IT'S OK. JUST GIVE TEA ONE OZ A DAY. STOP IF BABY HAS DIAHEREA. THE GAS DROPS ARE YOU PUTTING IT IN MILK OR DIRECTLY TO BABY. I USUALLY PUT IT IN THE MILK (EVERY FEEDING). I ALSO PUT A LIL BABY CEREAL IN THE BOTTLE WITH THE MILK VERY LIL . JUST TO FILL HER UP (RATHER THAN JUST MILK). MAKE THE HOLE IN THE NIPPLE A LIL BIGGER. THIS WORKED FOR MY TWO GIRLS AND MY NIECE AND NEPHEW. BUT DONT FORGET AFTER EACH FEEDING CLEAN BABY'S GUM WITH A MOIST CLEAN RAG.

Do you give him a pacifier? My daughter (10 now) used to do that but after I gave her a binki that helped her..Hope it helps if not maybe make an appointment with the doc. or atleast give a call..

I know exactly how you are feeling. I just had my first baby boy last summer and he's now 6 months old. He was really colicy when he was a newborn. Sometimes it was hard to fiure out exactly what was wrong but my son Tyler would do the same thing. I tried everyting to comfort him but it seemed like he still had a bubble in his tummy or he was hungry or something,but I thought since he just ate that he wasn't hungry. I talked to my Dr. and also to some of my friends and it turned out that he was actually going through a growth spurt and that's why he wanted to eat more often.

Sometimes it's hard to fiure it out but you'll start noticing a pattern. He might get more fussy at the end of feeding as if he didn't get enough to eat or the best sign is if he is sleeping more often than usual. He's already going to be sleeping alot because he's a newborn but if he seems to want to sleep all the time, he might be going through a growth spurt.

Dont get discouraged. Having a newborn is tough but as soon as he starts smiling at you, your heart will melt and to me that makes it all worth it. Now that Tyler is 6 months old, I miss those newborn days, but it's alot of fun to watch him grow.

Good Luck and Take Care
T.

That is actually about the same age my girls (I have twin 7 month old girls) where when they started to have problems as well. How are you feeding them? If you are bottle feeding them they have bottles that are supposed to help with colic and gas. I would try those first. If that dosnt work and you are using formula try the GENTLE formula. I know Enfamil and Parents choice has the GENTLE, its one step above using the Soy formula. I ended up using SOY cuz of the cost. My girls are doing great now but I am planning on trying to get them back on mild based formula. Good Luck.

A. E Mommy of 4 11 yro Boy 3 yro Boy and 7 mo old twin Girls

colic can make a mom go nuts. My daughter cried for 4 months strait. I tried everything. The sound of the vacume cleaner helped the most. By the 4th month the doctor finaly told me about a formula that helps colic. I was so happy my baby was no longer in pain. It helped her so much. I also would fill the sink with warm water and set her up in it. Just were the water would be a little past her belly button. that helped bring out some of the gas. I hope this helps you.

M.

Hi J.,
Sounds to me like your little guy is having a hard time with the certain type of formula. I have two very sensitive little boys, 1 is now 3 & the other 11 mo. Both had extremely sensitive tummys. I breast fed & still do with the 11 mo old, holding out for 12 mo (only 2 more weeks!) I had to completely alter my diet. No dairy for me (main ingredient in formula) & with my first I couldn't even drink Soy as an alternative to milk (also a main ingredient in formula without dairy)If I had needed to give the boys formula they would have had to be on Nutramagin (liquid Gold some call it) to help them not be so gassy.

I know that babies go through many growth spurts. Especially at your guys age. Mine wanted to eat all the time. Every hour! My friend & I had babies at the same time but she was bottle feeding. She too said he was hungry every 1&1/2 to 2 hours.

Some things it could be:

Not burping after eating. Suggest keeping him upright for about 10 - 15 minutes or so after he has eaten & fallen asleep.

Milk sensitivity. Suggest switching to soy based formula

Just really hungry due to growth spurt.

Signs to watch for to tell you that it's gas:
draws up legs when crying & cries are different than say, when he wants to eat or when he gets upset during diaper change. Sometimes it's hard to tell at first, but you'll get better.

I highly recommend buying one of those big exercise balls. They are so great for babies who cry more than you'd care to hear. I wish I would have had one with my first. I was seriously bouncing on it with the baby all the time. He LOVED it & now I give it to every new mom for their shower. 3 so far & all of them tell me they use it more than the furniture! What a live & sanity saver! Get one & if he doesn't like it you can take it back. But I bet he will.
Hope not all of this is redundant stuff you already received, if not I hope some of it will help you. Hang in there, it does get better. I promise!

L.

Have you talked with your pediatrician? I just know that for me, I had 2 colic babies. It was so hard to watch them in pain. Do you make sure you burp them after every feeding and don't put them down until they do?

I also took my babes into the bath with me. Something about the water that pushes bubbles out. Make sure their bodies are submerged so that it can put gentle pressure on them.

They didn't even have the gas drops when I had my kids, so it is great that you have them to try. I think someone mentioned something about peppermint extract, but I don't know if that really works or not.

I hope this helps a little. Good luck!

How have his bowl movements been? What formula is he one? Formula does some wired thigs to their little tummys. After my son was done breastfeeding the only formula he could take was Carnation Good Start. All of the others were tearing his tummy up. Keep a eye on his bowl movements and how many a day.

My daughter, Baylee, had a similar problem when she was an infant... our pediatrition told me that the gas drops only work if you use them consistantly, and sometimes they take a week or two of using them everyday before they'll start relieving symptoms. When Baylee was 4 months old, we learned that it was acid reflux that was upsetting her. I started putting her on solids (stage 1 babyfood) even though it's against all the "rules". The doctor gave her a perscription. After that, she was fine.

I wonder if maybe he has developed GERD? Does he stop getting fussy if you hold him upright after feeding him? Does he spit up a great deal?

My daughter has GERD and until I got her on medication she was extremely fussy- especially if I laid her down flat after eating. I wonder if you propped him up either in his bouncy seat or car seat after feeding if that would help. It wouldn't surprise me that feeding him would make him feel better because the sucking and formula helps to calm the acid temporarily.

I hope you can get it figured out without too many more tears shed.

My daughter is 5 months old. She is great, no problems, but she did have gas for a little while. IF your son has gas, get a recieving blanket and wrap it around his tummy, not tight, but snugly. He also may be getting bored. One thing that helped better than mylecon was the little tummies drops. My daughter really liked them, and I haven't had any problems since then, she was probably about the same age, 3 months old. Just remember, this to will past. This is my first child, so I am about 2 months ahead of you, not that far along either. Good luck!

He could be teething. bottles are perfect for soothing so it's no wonder that works. Try Hylands Teething Tables. You can get them at Target, Walmart, Rite Aid, CVS Pharmacy. You may need to ask for them at the pharmacy counter at Target. About $4.50 a bottle. They taste like nothing and disolve instantly. Give your son a 3 and wait 15 mins. If he is still fussy, you can give more. They are all natural and work wonders. My daughter used to fall asleep sometimes after having them. Even if he isn't teething, try them anyway. They have some magical powers to soothe babies. Good luck.

Is it possible that it would help to put him on soy formula? My son was on soy from the first time we started him on formula just before he hit 1 month. He's now 13 months old and can take regular milk and regular formula (if we're out of milk) so perhaps just when he's younger, soy formula might be an option?

Hi J.,

This happens to a lot of babies that are on formula and if they are teething. Here are a couple of tips that have helped my clients.

1) Change the formula. Go with one that is made for sensitive stomachs.

2) After the formula bottle give him some water. This will help his digestion.

3) Get liquid aloe. I know it sounds strange but it works.

You can get aloe from me if you need to. I am a nutritionist. Just give me a call. ###-###-####.

Hope this helps.