Four Month Old Constant Crying-is It Colic, Acid Reflux, Lactose Intolerance?

Hi R.!
My son had trouble having a bowel movement. He wasn't constipated- in fact the opposite! Is was completely liquid. His doctor explained that a baby's sphinter muscles come in a pair and they have to work together to open up the anus and release the poop. To do this, she had me use tiny pinky sized glycerin sticks when it seemed like his stomach was upset. You insert it anally with your finger and wait. Often it happenened imediately and everything came out! Sometimes it took longer. The stick sometimes comes shooting out or it just melts inside over time. Of course he felt better and could relax. I think I bought them in the baby dept. in a small jar at Target or any other drugstore. It worked miracles for us! In time- can't remember exactly how long,(my son is 19 now!) but not too long, his sphincter muscles developed on their own and he didn't need me to help him anymore with the glycerin sticks. It's worth asking his doctor.

I feel for you, it is so hard to see your baby suffering. I had two babies that went through what sounds like you described. My son (now 4 yrs old) did well on Zantac and better on formula than my breast milk! We put him on soy formula but then I learned how bad soy is (it has aluminum in it and the estrogen levels are harmful for babies. It also has some other chemicals created from heating the soy to the high temps necessary for the milk, so please stay away from soy based). We then tried Good Start and that along with the zantac helped. We also used colic calm (it is awesome) and you can get that at www.coliccalm.com (i am in no way affiliated with the product, just a consumer, and finally, we got him on homeopathy from a homeopathic practitioner. For my daughter, the zantac did not work so we switched to pepcid for babies and that worked really well. I had to take dairy and grain out of my diet, we never went on formula, and she did really well on a few gripe waters including tummy soothers and LIttle Tummies brand gripe water (you can get either at almost any drugstore). Also elevating her head really does help. Good luck and if you want any more information or even just support please feel free to PM me.

R.,

My kiddo has the same thing. They told me she was just a different baby at first. Then I did research too and found out they were wrong. I went to the ped's office and refused to leave with out help. Well we ended up at phoenix childrens hospital with a pediatric gastointerologist. They did swallow studies and an upper GI on her, at 2 months of age. We found out she has acid reflux, colic, lactos intollerance, and allergic to milk protein. She is on baby prevacid. It took almost 2 weeks for it to kick in totally, but after a week it was improving. So for the med's give it time, some kids take 2 weeks for it to work on. Also I would call the formula company and see what they have that is lactos free. Cow's milk takes a while to get out of her system too. I breastfeed and I can't have any dairy. It's not easy but it better than the screaming. Also put the head of her bed up. NOt alot just a small book under the side you put her head. It helps with the acid reflux. Another thing to try is "gripe water" you can get it almost anywhere. I got mine at CVS and it's made by "little tummies". It helps. My child also liked being outside on our quad. We would sit on it with her with it on and parked. The vibration along with the fresh air seemed to help. Hang in there it will get better.

Good Luck,
K.

Well, my son never had that problem but I have. It took many doctor and hospital visits to find out that I have IBS-irritable bowel syndrome. THe best remedy I've found was milk of magnesia. Now I don't know if it is safe with children, check with your pediatrician. This syndrome causes the poop to be stuck in the intestine and gassy bubbles. To a normal person, the gas goes through the intestines unnoticed. But to a person with IBS- it is VERY painful. My final visit to the hospital showed that I had a lot of fecal matter in my intestines by X-ray. THey gave me an enima and the pain stopped. Which is another remedy. I was told to use milk of magnesia in lew to laxitives because it increases the fluid in the intestines and softens the feces. Laxitives only really remove the liquid. Not good. Another remedy that a friend who had a baby with your baby's symptoms said that he would take off his shirt and the baby's and place his son's stomach to his, cover with a blanket and the body heat helped the gas and feces to smoothly go out of the baby. He said that his baby would sleep like that on him for quite a while. I hoped that helped suggest a few avenues for you.

I tried this post once and the computer ate it. Please forgive it posts twice.

This is horrible and I have been through this too. Consider going to an Osteopath. In Tucson I HIGHLY recommend Theresa Cisler. When a baby is born their heads are supposed to unfold naturally. For some there is a place where the head gets stuck. And for my son that place was pressing on the nerve that controlled his colic and vomiting. The Dr's said this would go away and it would not have. THe Dr's wanted to treat this as plain old colic and it wasn't.
Please tell Dr. Cisler that I recommended you.
S. @ www.proactiveparenting dot net
Also Fan me on Facebook and get daily parenting ____@____.com
Or Join me on Twitter for shorter versions@ sharonsilver13

my son has acid reflux and is taking the same medication. the most important thing is to make sure that it is taken on an empty stomach. it doesn't seem to help at all if we give it too soon after eating or feed him to soon after giving the meds. our doc said that the acid reflux is something that most children out grow around 6-7 mnths. if she has been dealing with the reflux for awhile it may take some time for the discomfort to fade. We ended up using the enfamil nutramagen formula since he is lactos intolerant and spits the soy up more than he eats it.

someone in another response also mentioned a chiroprator. my dad is one and he has always said that he can help with a cholicy baby. unfortunantly we live to far away to take him up on his offer, but it is something you might try. I know an excellent chiropracter here in the valley if you would like her name and number.

Often a trauma of birth disrupts the 10th cranial nerve, known as the vagus nerve, which in turn causes "colicky" fussy babies. Because traditional medicine refuses to acknowledge that the cranial bones DO move and can cause many infant symptoms and dis-ease, babies are subject to unnecessary pain and discomfort. Aligning and balancing the cranial-sacral system soon after birth will alleviate many future issues. Please reference the work of Dr. John Upledger DO www.upledger.com .....his website also lists local practitioners. There are several talented folks in Tucson who can provide this therapy. It should only take a few sessions for the body to respond with joy, balance and contentment....
BTW...Feeding antacids to adult humans and esp. infants is WRONG. We NEED HCl (hydrochloric acid) produced in the fundus (body)of the stomach, to digest our food properly. This is a typical "treat the symptom, not the cause" logic.
Hope this helps answer your ?'s and also raises some serious concern and research with ALL you Mommies and Daddies....
B. Gettel OTR/L CHT CCH
Eclectic Body Work
Tucson, Az.

My 4 month old has acid reflux. She didn't do the crying, but we definitely had a lot of puking. Two things if this is what the doctor thinks it is: 1) The medication usually takes about a week to get into her system to work. 2) Zantac didn;t work for my baby. We had to move on to the next medication, which was Prilosec. It worked like a charm for her. Rarely spitting up, and only small bits when she does, which is a HUGE improvement! Good luck...

Have you tried cutting out dairy products? Go with a soy formula and see if there isn't improvement. It sounds like it could be a food allergy. There are several non-dairy formula's out there you could try. Talk to your pediatrician about options.

Get a good wrap. I love Gypsymama. Wrap your baby up on you so she can sleep on you and rest. The warmth of tummy-to-tummy will do wonders! Good luck!

Our son is now seven months and is still taking Tagamet for his acid reflux. We found out when he was almost three months old that he had it. Like you, we couldn't figure out why he wasn't sleeping well at all, ate every two hours (the eating soothes the pain) and cried quite a bit. We didn't have the screaming though. He would also do this gagging reflex which is another sign and then the spit ups.

Prevacid is supposed to be the best medicine for acid reflux but our son is allergic to it, after a day of it he broke out in hives. I will say it does take a few days for the medicine to kick in. Our son is doing fine on the Tagamet. We will try weaning him off around nine months.

I also breastfed until this happened because we found out he did have a food allergy (sometimes they go hand in hand). He is on Enfamil Nutramigen. It is very expensive but worth it. Our son didn't cry near as much and started sleeping better.

One other issue we had was that he would NOT sleep on his back, we tried everything and nothing. I was scared at first because of SIDS but he loved being on his tummy (being on their tummy helps with the pain). He was also very strong and could turn his head back and forth around two to three months. We just monitored him very closely and he would sleep longer. Around four months with medicine, formula and tummy sleeping he started sleeping 8 - 10 hours at night (sometimes 11) and then napping four times during the day.

I feel for you, it is hard to see them in pain. The good news is the acid reflux for most babies will go away by the time they are a year old. Let the Zantac kick in, not sure what the dosage is but you might have to bump it up a tad at first based on your doctor's advice. Try the hypoallergenic formula too. It was a lifesaver for us.

Good luck!

YOur situation sounds EXACTLY like my daughter, who is now 13 months. From about a month old she cried all the time and always needed to be held. She had acid reflux and spit up ALOT! They put her on zantac and switched her formula to similac alimentum and at 4 months had me mix rice cereal in her bottle to thicken so it wouldnt come up as easily. I didn't keep her on the zantac long at all cuz I felt it didn't help. But the new formula helped a lot.I recommend something to prop her up while she's asleep or what helped me alot was the amby bed. It helps with colic and acid reflux and helps soothe fussy babies.

Not sure but it may be something as simple as gas. Try some Mylicon.

As a Chiropractic Physician I see many infants with acid reflux, ear infections, etc. I have seen a significant improvement in the majority of infants in their first few adjustments. The chiropractic adjustments for infants are very gentle and safe. If you would like more information or to talk to me about the situation you can email me at ____@____.com or give me a call at ###-###-####.

Dr. A. Waggoner, D.C.

Hi R.,
I too had a baby with colic, she is 16 now with a different kind of colic! Just kidding, anyway after talking with other moms one of the things I discovered was a lot of babies are allergic to the cornsyrup in the formulas. At the time I had to use Nursoy but I don't know if that is still around. As it turned out she had a lot of food allergies, dairy, chocolate, peanuts (that went away). She also would projectile vomit when she was a toddler and we would take her out to eat and get her chocolate milk or milkshakes thus the dairy allergy...I would check with both your pediatrician about it and maybe see if an allergist is will to help with a baby. It actually turns out that both of my children are lactose intollerant and I would go with the formula the other gal is suggesting! You will get through it.Good luck, I hope this helps!

Hey R....
Like other moms have said... I've been there!! My youngest was soooo difficult. Crying all the time, spitting up, wouldn't let me set him down for a second without screaming. Sometimes I would just have to lay him in his bed and listen to him cry while I had a mini melt down and cried myself! Carter ended up having reflux as well and his doctor put him on prevacid. Was it the magic cure? No. But it helped. It made the day bearable until he grew out of it. I'm not sure if it's the same with the medication your daughter is on, but with Prevacid, it's a cumulative effect. The medicine has to build up in the system before you start seeing results. Dont' give up on trying to medicate the reflux just yet. Give her the medicine faithfully for 2 weeks and then reevaluate. I'm sorry you're going through this... I remember well how frustrating it was! Hang in there. It DOES pass!! :)

Hello!

I had the same issue with my youngest son. We tried the Enfamil Gentlease that didnt work either. We found that Similac Sensitive worked great! Here is a link for the formula http://similac.com/baby-formula/similac-sensitive. I also used Mylicon in almost every bottle...even though he didn't seem gassy to us but it really seemed to help. I thought he might have trouble switching to milk once the time came but he switched just fine & hasn't had any problems. It seems a little strange that the Dr. would already perscribe the medicine..but that's just me & each Mom knows their baby the best & has that maternal sense. Hope this helps & Good luck!!

Hi R.,

I'm sorry to hear that your daughter is having so much difficulty. I know it can be exhausting for everyone.
Here are a few suggestions:

Try a soy based formula for a while.
Try wearing her in some sort of wrap/snuggly during the day to help her sleep upright close to you. She could be crying more because she really needs more sleep.
Take her to a good chiropractor who works on infants/children. Sounds different, but I know a chiropractor who says he can help many babies who seem to be in pain from colic or acid reflux. I think it would be worth a try.

Also, if you don't already, make time to take care of yourself. Call a friend or relative you trust to take your baby out of the house for few hours every few days so you can rest, take a bath, read, do whatever it is that replenishes your spirit. You will be able to BE with your baby from a better, calmer place. I'm not sure if this will be of any consolation or just make you feel more frustrated:) But...some babies will just cry - alot- unless they are being held, rocked, walked, etc. They just need extra closeness and movement. As long as any medical condition has not been found (and if you can, try a Naturopathic Pediatrician as well as your regular MD), then you might just have a little one who is here to teach you something;) What are your expectations? How would you feel if you let go of those expectations? What one small thing would/could you do if when you let go of the stress of expecting peace or anything else, that would make a difference for the better? You can change her formula, seek more medical advice, go to a chiropractor or any other healing method, take 100 relaxing baths, get more sleep...which all helps....but until beliefs and expectations are looked at and possibly changed, you won't really feel any more at "peace".
No matter what the parenting or child develoment issue is, I always always suggest to moms (and dads), is to go within...your inner wise loving mamma will tell you the next step to take.

Best wishes...and I really do hope that peace returns to your home and your baby feels better soon.

A.
mom of 4. Birth and Parenting Mentor
www.birthingfromwithin.com

Same problem until we found the miracle product!!! Gripe Water "Baby's Bliss" I was only able to get it at the Scottsdale Hospital @ Shea in the Wellness clinic. I believe its available in the Drug stores. Urgh! My husband and I used to drive so far to get it. It was the only thing that worked for us! Its all nature. Give it a try. It was our little miracle in a bottle. Good Luck!

Sounds similar to my son. His was allergies. Once we took him off anything with rice in it he quit the excessive spitting up, he's allergic to all grains. Doctors tried telling us that no one is allergic to rice, so that couldn't be it. Well, they tested him and he is VERY allergic to rice. So, don't rule out any ingredients as to being an allergy, just because they aren't normal allergens. He was a much happier baby with the grains removed from his diet.

R., have you had her into the doctor? My oldest child had these same symptoms and I too went crazy. Turns out his biggest problem was (candida)(yeast). Candidiasis is an infection that occurs when yeast cells are able to overtake our bodies due to a lack of benefical bacteria or probiotics. Overgrowth of yeast can spread throughout the intestinal track causing digestive problems and pain. Lots of pain. My child is now 19 and I didn't know much about all the wonderful pro-health alternatives back then. I have learned a lot through self-education over the last several years. Thank goodness for the Internet! I highly recommend probiotics. You can get them in powder form and put them in the formula. I take a capsule daily and it can actually be opened up and sprinkled into formula or on food for babies who are eating. I would love to recommend the brand I use. You can get it on the Internet at discount but you'd have to go through me. If you like you can go to my website and fill out the form and contact me there. I know there are better days ahead.

K.
www.greenkidzrus.com

Oh how I know your pain sister! My 4th child came out crying and did not stop until he was about 6 months old :( He is now a happy 15 month old, but it took a lot of trial and error to get him happy! The first advice I need you to do it get a baby wrap. I never used one with my first 3 babies, but it worked wonders with my son. I went to Mother's Milk (Scottsdale & Shea) and purchased a wrap called the Moby Wrap. You can find one online as well. I would put him in the wrap and carry him around all day so that I could get some things done without a screaming baby. Next, I put some blankets under his mattress on one side so that when he slept, his head was elevated. That seemed to help a lot. We went to a GI specialist about his reflux and he was on Zantac, but I didn't really think that helped at all. I nursed exclusively for the first 5 months, but then added soy formula (first child out of 4 that ever had formula). He seemed to get a little better after I added formula, but it could have been his age. One weekend when he was 8 months old, when I had to have dental surgery and had to pump/dump, he only recieved formula for 2 days and he instantly got happy! I swear, I don't know if he was allergic to whatever I was eating (and I was on a diet of no milk products already) but I really think my breast milk was a big culprit in his fussiness. I hate to admit it because I am such a huge proponent of breastfeeding, but that was my experience. So, together with the wrap/elevating his head during sleep/age/switching to formula exclusively....he got happier and so did our family!! Those 8 months are now a blur and my son is (for the most part) a happy/healthy toddler. He definately is a fiesty little guy, his temperment has always been fiesty! Good luck and God Bless. If you need anything, please email me directly at ____@____.com keep saying to yourself..."this too shall pass". :)

This will sound like a crazy question....
Are you upset/mad/stressed during the day?
Have you had any chance to get out and relax for a little bit without the kids to help your stress level?
She may be feeling some of that and that would increase the crying and length of crying.
Sometimes we do not think we are stressed and the baby can feel we are and they will cry uncontrollably.

Please contact me if you need to talk or would like that few minutes to breathe.
____@____.com
I am a mother of 4 preteens/teens and always have open arms for a little one..... NO GRANDKIDS WANTED HERE FOR A WHILE..... LOL

Both my babies have had this. WHat worked for them was going to Alamentum and taking Previcid. Zantac did not work. Good luck,

Oh R.! I had the same experience with my daughter (now 7 months old). We thought it was reflux but it wasn't. We thought it was milk allergy but we had her tested and it wasn't that, either. The allergist said the most likely cause was something similar to lactose intolerance; lactose sensitivity. She was spitting up like crazy.....every feeding, ALL day long and wouldn't nap for more than 20 minutes at a time during the ay but was great at night (7-10 hours a stretch). So she was put on Similac Alimentum (purple can) and the symptoms were all gone in a matter of 36 hours! Its MUCH more expensive but w found out that our insurance would cover it with doctors orders so we lucked out. Its been a life saver for us! We were told to try regular formula again at 9 months and at 12 to see if she has outgrown the cause. Good luck and I know its not easy- I've been there!