Help!!! My 11 Week Old Has Really Bad Cramps and Gas Pains Since Birth!

Hi A.,

I'm not sure about colic, as neither of my children had it...but I do encourage you to check with your Dr. or the advice nurse about giving Chamomile. I asked if herbal tea was okay for my daughter when she was 2 or 3 years old and was told that anything but Chamomile was. I didn't ask what it was about Chamomile that makes it unsafe for babies/small children, but please immediately stop until you can talk to the Dr. about it. It's a good rule of thumb with anything herbal or 'natural'. I know ginger tea can help with upset tummies, but I'm not sure if it's safe for babies, so again it should be run past your Dr.

A side note~I can't remember if it was a book I read or in a video (Happiest Baby on the Block maybe???) but the author / host commented that a lot of 'colic' is actually an over-tired baby who isn't able to fall asleep (too bright, too loud, needs swaddling, etc.). Wish I could remember the source to direct you better, but something to investigate if nothing else works. Good luck with your son!

I've given my daughter infant probiotics to help with digestion and boosting immunity. Also to help with gas I lay her down on her back and move her legs in a circle motion like riding a bike. It helps to move gas bubbles out of her tummy.

Hi A. M,

I can identify with you. My grandaughter had the same problem. I started her on piwater and a few other supplements and there were no more problems after that. She was 2 days old when I started her on this program.

If you want to learn more email me and I will share with you.

Happy new year.

N. Marie
____@____.com

Hello- I am so sorry to hear this, we went through something similar very recently with our now 9.5-week old son. About 3 weeks ago he began to pull away from the bottle and grimace in pain, and then cry from hunger. Although gripe water would provide some immediate relief, he would still need to eat and this wasn't a permanent solution and didn't work 100% of the time. On our pediatrician's recommendation we switched from the Born Free bottles to the Playtex Ventaire a little over a week ago, and the difference has been night and day. Not sure if you pump but I also discontinued using the medela breast milk bottles/nipples because they hold onto the air bubbles, I just dump the milk into the Playtex bottle now.

Our son spit up rarely prior to the bottle change, but now that he is eating more comfortably he has spit up maybe 2-3 times in the last week, so more often but certainly not at every feeding.

I rub his belly when I change his diaper 2-3 times per day to help the digestion (often he will pass gas as I do it) and also give him a massage several days a week to relax him. I found the Infant Massage book by Vimala McClure to be very helpful but I'm sure there are other resources online as well.

Good luck, I hope you can figure out something to help your little one.

It's still pretty normal to have colic at 11 weeks. We used Wellements Gripe Water with our baby and it seemed to help her a lot. If you haven't tried that yet, give it a go. Good luck!

I wanted to add another opinion for the Probiotics...its great for them and does work.

Also the carnation good start is a great formula and on the cheaper side by chance. Its close to breast milk and seems to be easy on the tummy.

Be aware about Gripe water...i'm not sure if it works or not..but it caused my baby to throw up this god awful sticky flem stuff that scared the heck out of me (thought she was gonna choke/suffocate)...but if this happens to you its ok and the doc says if you stick with it then it will go away, but it creeped me out to bad...LOL

It will all be a distant memory before too long, so just hang in there!

My sister's baby girl had colic and acid reflux. I'm pretty sure it lasted well over 11 weeks (I think it was around 4-5 months), though she eventually grew out of it. I know my sister was pretty miserable and didn't have a good infant experience because of it.

I think some supervised tummy time might help some...or hold the baby laying tummy down on your forearm. I know this helps with gas, but not sure with colic.

I've heard of "Colic Calm Gripe Water", but my sister didn't use it, so I can't say how successful it will be. I would talk to your pediatrician about it.

I hope things resolve quickly!!!

My son had bad gas issues as an infant (at five weeks) as well. Fortunately, we were introduced to a probiotic for infants and it helped immensely. I tried everything prior to this and nothing made a dent. After using the probiotic (Natren brand, Infant Dairy Formula) for about 10 days, things improved and he was a much happier baby. I continue to use the probiotic now and add it to his yogurt at least twice a day. It really helps when he catches the stomach flu or is on antibiotics. It has been one of the things I wish more people new about and even doctors referred us to. All the best to you and your new little one!

Both my boys have the same problem. If you have tried other formulas with no change in the problem, then the culprit is probably that your baby doesn't yet have all the good bacteria he needs in his digestive system. Our pediatrician had us start giving our newborn (our 2nd son) a 1/2 oz of Activia liquid drink in one bottle per day...vanilla only...not strawberry. For awhile we were also giving him 1/2 teaspoon of probiotic every other day in one bottle...usually with the Activia bottle. The Activia and the probiotic provide the good bacteria the digestive system needs to work correctly. Once his poop started getting a little runny, we stopped the probiotic. But he is still on the Activia and has not had any of the problems with the terrible gas and pain that our 1st son did. Hope this helps.

have you tired carnation goodstart? it's a very thin formula . previously we had used infamil and that was the worst, our sone cried and cried, then we switched to carnation and WOW, what a difference. also,(are you patting him on the back in the correct spot?) some ppl pat too high up near the lungs and neck.. you need to do it lower so that you are getting the stomach area from behind.
best of lcuk to you

I had a colicy baby too, I feel your pain. It is normal though, they just aren't born with a fully functional digestive system and it takes time for everything to kick in, no matter what formula you use. It won't last forever, he'll start growing out of it in a few weeks, but it will be gradual. One thing I felt helped was "bicycling" my daughter's legs while laying her on her back, making sure the knees go all the way up to the chest. That got some good gas out of her, and seemed to relieve her for a time! We would do this for several minutes at a time when things got rough. Putting a warm (not hot) small pad across her tummy sometimes helped too (over pj's, not directly on skin). Singing helped often...I still sing to her when she's upset and she's 2, and it helps! But most of all, know this will pass relatively soon, and it's normal for an infant. You won't even remember it come next year, when he's learning all sorts of exciting new things!

Good luck, and hang in there, it will all pass sooner than you think!

Dear A.,

It might be allergies! My second son (just turned one last week) had them. I was breast feeding and his colic was SO BAD during his first month and just like your son he rarely spit up. My SIL had the same thing with my nephew and she went to a natural dr. When I went she tested me and I had to go on the STRICTEST diet. But I did it because it was so important to me to breast feed him. In less than 2 days he went from crying 24/7 (he was even whimpering in his sleep!) to calm and smiling and cooing and he is the calmest baby - everybody says so who meets him!! I recommend this so strongly! I went to Priscilla Monroe in Sacramento - Please try this! Any inconvience in the diet was SOOOOO worth my baby being comfortable. My SIL's diet was more strict than mine was, but the dr's say they outgrow it because their tiny bodies have to get used to it - ow!!! Why force them to do that when we as mommies can make it better - we do it for diaper rashes and fevers, why not their tummies? If you want to call Priscilla Monroe she could recommend somebody from Madera for you to see.

Are you nursing at all? If not, you still could. There are meds you could take to get your milk to come in again with stimulation if it's currently dried up. Breastmilk might help a LOT if he's not tolerating formula. I'm not one of those ladies who is a fascist about breastfeeding, but it's free and your own milk evolves to protect your baby in so many ways. So if you're not totally against it, you may want to talk to your doc about reglan or domperidone.

Your baby may be eating too much because formula comes out very fast if he's a good latcher/sucker (check the nipple you have, it may not be for newborns, which means it could be an even faster flow) or yes, some babies cannot burp or throw up (in fact, it's pretty rare, but there are some grown ups with this, and they can get really uncomfortable.)

Simethicone is a drug that breaks down gas, which could help if that's actually the problem, and if your baby can burp, Gripe Water is magical. The reglan I mentioned above is also given to babies in NICU to empty their stomachs faster, so maybe your baby's peristalsis is slow and his stomach is staying fuller longer.

Also, have you had a second opinion? In my experience, sometimes that helps to quash worries, and if the second pediatrician notices something the first might have missed, you'll feel better knowing and just talking to another expert about your baby's pain.

I don't recall my infant having colic, but I do remember a couple of nights where she was wide awake, and one night where she was crying and miserable (gripe water did the trick.) Turns out, I had no idea how lucky we were. I read stories like yours, and my heart just goes out. Hope you and your baby find the comfort you deserve soon!! Hugs, a

A.,

The Happiest Baby on the Block By Dr. Harvey Karp is an excellent book- it has great tips on calming baby, colic, gas all kinds of stuff. We went through two colicky babies and the book helped us. Good luck and just know this won't be the way it is now forever~

M.

For our son, the only relief came from Gripe Water. It's a natural product with fennel. At that time, we got it from Whole food, but now, you find it everywhere. Many brands carry it.
Good luck. I know how painful this is for the baby and the mother.

My daughter was very cranky as an infant until we realized how sensitvie to milk products she was. She also didn't grow much between her 3rd and 6th month checkups. I was breastfeeding her, and when I stopped eating dairy products myself she got a lot better. Fortunately it was about time she started eating solids. I used soy based formula when I wanted something to mix with cerals (oatmeal, rice, etc.) I breast feed her until about 9 months.

The good news is that she out grew the milk sensitivity at about age 5. She's 17 now.

Could be an intolerance to the iron levels of some formulas. My daughter had the same problem, we tried every nipple and every formula. Finally switched to low iron formula and all was well. Did you have trouble with prenatal vitamins when you were pregnant? My daughter's birthmom could not handle the vitamins so we think it is was inherited. Who knows. We checked her iron often and she was never low.

If you've ruled out milk allergies/intolerance and the doc says it is colic you may be stuck for another week or two. True colic is not caused by food, bottles, etc. It is what it is. My oldest had colic. It develops at about two weeks and almost miraculously disapears about 13 weeks. She cried and cried. We were both miserable. When it began I tried to eliminate foods from my diet that could have been a problem, but nothing helped. At that point the doc determined it to be true colic. He explained that often people use the term colic to explain gas pains, etc. and other symptoms that are really caused by lactose intolerance, or other issues. For example, one person posting here said her child had colic for three days. That is not actually possible. Colic is not curable, it just has to run it's course, about 11-12 weeks. Since one of the symptoms of colic is gas, Mylicon or other gas relief meds can help a little with that, but will not cure the cause. When my doc said, at about 4 weeks, that the good news was the colic would resolve itself at about 13 weeks, I said I didn't think that having a miserable baby for 3 months sounded like 'good news'. :o) The 'good news' for you is that it is almost over. Hang in there another week or two and you should see a huge improvment. One day they are miserable and literally the next day they are perfectly fine and stay that way. After 13 weeks of almost constant crying and very little sleep, my daughter bacame the 'easiest' baby. Happy, eating well, sleeping well. Amazing that it could change overnight like that.

Hi A.,

I suggest you try soy based formula. He could be a little lactose intolerant. Some people have some digestive enzymes to handle some milk but your body can get on lactose overload and use what enzymes you have up and then you become bloated and have gas. My daughter has trouble with this 1-2 milk products a day is her limit if she sneeks and consumes more I know it. Hope this helps. Good luck.

If you are using bottles, try switching to the Dr. Brown's bottles. They helped us tremendously with gas / cramps.

After feeding your baby, keep him upright or at an incline (in his car seat for example). It helps the babies digest.

Also, if he's on formula, you may want to switch and see if it gets better. You could try a lactose-free version as he may be lactose-intolerant. If you do switch, do it gradually, mixing the old formula with the new until he gets used to it.

Good luck!

I'll just chime in on the lactose issue--my second born (now 20) had colic for three days and then I stopped all dairy and it went away in two days!!! My firstborn was a projectile vomiter with the milk intolerance, which was icky but tolerable. The colic was a nightmare and so I gave the no-dairy a try, and it worked! However, he continued to have pretty bad gas issues and got 'gas-x' before bed almost every night for a year!

good luck!