Help with My Colicky Baby

A.,
Totally understand what you are going through. My little boy was 7 weeks early and had severe colic until he was 6 months old. I bought every item anyone reccomended and read every book I could get my hands on. The two things that worked the best for my son were the miracle blanket (to swaddle) and a sling. The first day I got the sling he slept in it for 4 hours straight and my husband asked me to know NEVER take it off!!! I did everything with him in the sling, eat, clean, shop, cook, play with my older daughter etc... It saved my sanity. I even remember one really bad night swaddling him, having him in the sling while I had the hair dryer on and my husband vaccumed hoping that the white noise and swaddling and movement would do the trick. There were lots of prayers said during that time and times when I thought that it was me and not him, but I promise that a year from now you will look back on this realize just how strong you are and amazed at how much he has changed. Hang in there and know that this to shall pass.

P.

My first son had colic. It is terrible. Every night at 6pm, he would start and not usually end until 8 or 9. We would walk him, rock him, give him mylacon. Nothing helped. It lasted about 3 months.

Hang in there! Maybe being in the Nanny for an evening or an afternoon so you can catch a break.

Hi A., My mother inlaw said my husband had colic when he was a baby. She said that the only way he would really sleep is if they went for car rides. You might try that with your son. The drive does something to soothe some of them. The colic will end, so don't worry. And try having your husband spend time with your newborn, while you spend some time with your older one, and switch. While you spend time with your newborn have your husband spend time with your older one. Try not to stress too much, it will all turn out better soon.

Step back and take a look at your diet maybe your eating something that is bothering him like milk.

My daughters are 17 months apart and my 2nd was "colicky" - or had reflux which I was told by my pedi is the likely the same thing. We tried the prescriptions for reflux and I wasn't convinced that they worked, so I just started making it a point to keep her as upright as possible after every feeding. It was exhausting at times and I even resorted to one of those wedge pillows that you strap them to to keep her at the correct angle when I needed to get things done. Between that and some white noise she seemed to get some relief. I felt exactly the same way - like I was not getting to spend enough time w/my toddler and between my exhaustion, guilt and desperation I was so overhwhelmed and felt so alone - even though I had my husband there. I hope you can find a solution in one or several of the responses. It is helpful to know others have been there. Please feel free to email me if you'd like. ____@____.com

Hi A.,
I know this is a very difficult time. My second son, who is now 2 yrs old, was an extremely fussy baby. He cried 24/7, wouldn't sleep, hated his swing, carseat, pretty much anything we tried. He was diagnosed with reflux at 4 weeks old. It didn't get better until we found the right dose of medication at about 8 weeks old. I would get him checked out for reflux. My son never spit up, so we had to go on other symptoms. My pedi told me that colic is usually centered around certain times of the day and not all day. We were seeing a specialist to manage his reflux. I felt the same way in that I wasn't able to enjoy my newborn... It was very hard. Good luck..

My daughter was the same way. About the only time she was happy was when she was in the swing. Once I put her or Soy formula it toned down quite a bit. She was still happiest in her swing. I tried the vaccuum thing before I bought my dyson and burt up a few belts. Unfortunately the doctor is mostly right, colic will everntually go away, but you may want to have your new one checked for acid reflux or gurd.

Man, when my second child was born, I had the same issues you do. He cried all the time, I was sleep deprived, going out of my mind, and not liking my son at all. Then add the guilty feelings that go along with that and you are a basket case! I was told that when he turned 3 months good days would start to out number bad days and by 4 months you would be having mostly good days. Boy, it happened just like that. I finally gave up breastfeeding to give myself a break from him - and that helped me a lot. My MIL also stepped in and took him 1 day a week. He did the same for her and helped to understand that it had nothing to do with me. It also gave me a break. Sometimes, I had to just put him in his crib and let him cry while I played with my daughter. He even cried when we took walks outside in the stroller. I bought us headphones that we could share and we listened to music on our walk while he cried. Neighbors just stared. When you feel overwhelmed, put him safely in a crib or anywhere safe and leave him alone until you can catch your breath and calm down. Ask someone for help. You'll have better feelings toward him once you go back to work as you won't be with him all of the time. It will pass. Breathe!

I am soo sooo sorry! This sounds horrible.I would go back to the Dr. and demand that they look in to this more. It could be reflux or something else, but I am afraid that Doctors are so busy that they just shoo out mom's with out really taking their concerns seriously. We had a little boy in our class when I worked as a nursery worker, and he would scream and scream all day long. When he became a toddler the discovered he had sensory integration disorder. I would just suggest he have another look.

Get the DVD "The Happiest Baby on the Block". It is a life saver! It teaches you the secret of the "5 S's" and how to calm your baby. I wish I had it 15 years agao with my first baby, she was colicky. My second, who is 9 months now was not really colicky but he was fussy and cried some and the DVD helped us tremendously.
I would also recommend getting a "SwaddleMe" blancket. Swaddle is one of technics used to calm babies. It works!
Also, you could try Gripe water. It helps to sooth babies' tummies and gets rid of hicups.
Hope that helps. Just hang in there, If anything your baby will outgrow it eventually. I wish you lots of luck and baby cuddles!

You may want to think about getting him checked for reflux. Some babies have silent reflux and the only signs they have is the extreme irritability otherwise known as colic. You may need to feed him every 2-3 hours (this also includes night time feedings, although he may go longer than 2-3 hours) and in small amounts. Carry him in a sling when he is fussy during the day. At night you can swaddle him and put him in a carseat to keep his head elevated.

Good Luck to you and your little ones.

I know it sounds crazy, but try running the blow dryer-thats the only thing that would get my son to stop when he was colicky-good luck!!

I know how hard (and disappointing!) these first weeks have been for you. The thing about parenting I've only learned recently is how to be nurturing and accepting of my kids' emotions, all of them, even the "negative" ones. They need to be allowed to get it all out in a safe way and know that mom is there for them. From what I know about colic, this is all you can do for your baby. You can't console or stop his crying, but you can make him feel safe and comfortable. This may need to include putting him down in a swing or bed for a few minutes at a time so you can take some deep breaths or have a much needed cuddle with your toddler. Taking care of yourself is not selfish! It is a must so you can be a strong mother to your babies. The other thing that will get you through this difficult time is that one day it will just disappear, as if he was a totally new baby! Look forward to this day when you and your son can begin the next phase of your relationship. You will surely bond with him even stronger and appreciate him for every new bit of his personality as it comes out. In his quiet times notice your favorite things about him and really meditate on that to get you through the fussing.

Did the doctor say it was colic. When I was getting ready to go back to work my son would cry for 5 hours straight at night. I took him to the doctor. He was having muscle spasms and that was why he was crying.

My daughter started crying constantly at 4 weeks old. The 1st dr told ud it was colic and it will go away. We went and had a 2nd opinion and it turned out it was reflux. She started prevacid and once we got the correct dosage it got tons better. Also, we would run the vacuum daily to calm her down. She would fall asleep within minutes of starting the vacuum.

My first boy had colic. It sucked. Things that worked: Sitting in the bathroom with the shower running, the "miracle blanket"(look it up), sitting in a chair with him and imagining I was on a beach, a prescription from the pediatrician. I think the RX was the best thing. I thought there was something wrong with me and him. I highly recommend the blanket. Good luck! I know it doesn't help, but it will get better and it's not your fault!!

gripe water as well as baby jarodophilus worked for us. I was also nursing and had to switch to a very bland diet. No greens of any kind. Also no beans of any kind. Anything slightly gas producing was out. But it worked.

try small amounts of camomile tea... i didn't have a colicky baby but a friend of mine did and that is what she used...said it soothed him almost right away! good luck!

Has the doctor made sure it is not Acid Reflux??

Try using gas relief drops. It worked well with our son.

Hi A.,
so sorry you have had to go thru this- Have you shared this with your pedi- surely they can give you something that will relieve the pain and discomfort for this little one. It is not normal for him to cry for that long of time- there is something on the market that will give him relief and help you too. If you and your dr. are sure it is nothing except colic- then I would ask for something to help him.
good luck and blessings

Oh poor little guy! I wish I had something great to help, but instead just sending a little prayer your way... It is so hard not to be able to soothe them when they are so upset!!!

I went through the same thing. I talked with a girl that had triplets and she used a book called, On becoming baby wise. It helps put the baby on a schedule. It's a pain waking up early and it requires waking a sleeping baby- but it worked for me. The first day K. went down and slept through all her naps except the last one. She cried a little too long, so I put her in her swing with a Kenny G. cd and she soon fell asleep. (The book is a little more rigid and says they have to be in their crib)- but you can adjust it to your liking. It was a lifesaver!! My husband was traveling 3-4 days at a time and I could hardly get a shower.

an after-thought: Have you considered reflux? K. didn't spit up much but they gave her medication for it, and that seemed to help too.
Hope others have helpful advice for you. I know this is a difficult time. I will keep you in my prayers.

You have to read Happiest Baby on the Block. His 5 Ss are sure to help you. Number one for us was swaddling. None of my babies were colicky, but 3 very close friends had colicky babies, and I told them about thsi book and loaned them my DVD. It worked nearly immediately for them. Look up Dr. Karp and Happiest Baby on the Block. His website might help too, but get the book (or the DVD! You can watch him in action!). It has helped so many "colic families"!

**I just read some other responses. PLease please please don't do Babywise. It's cited many places for getting your baby on a schedule but that's not what you need. Your baby boy needs some help before he can be "on a schedule". If the doctor has ruled out reflux and agrees that this is colic, Dr. Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block will surely help. The 5 Ss are: swaddle, swing, suck (as in nursing or paci), side (holding this way, not sleeping), and ssshhhhhing. Those aren't the actual order. He also explains the "cuddle cure" with the 5 Ss, and how babies have a missing 4th Trimester, where they are still getting used to life outside the womb, yet they still need the womb experience. YOu create the womb experience by using the 5Ss. Doesn't that sound so much more what babies need than putting babies on an enforced schedule???

Good luck, hon. THis isn't easy, I"m sure, and with work looming in the background it's even harder. Buy Dr. Karp's book today (I found it at Half Price Books recently for $7, but the have it at Barnes and Noble and Borders) and you'll likely see a difference tonight or tomorrow. It's about understanding what baby needs, and once you've got that, baby is likely to sleep more and not need to cry.

I would definitely have him checked for reflux- all three of my kids have had reflux and one of mine had reflux and colic- so I feel your pain completely. Does he arch his back like he is uncomfortable? Does he spit up a lot? (two of mine did and one of them didn't). Talk to your pediatrian. Prevacid has seemed to help all of my kids- my 5 month old is on it right now and seems to be doing better (my 5 month old usually gets pretty fussy at around 6:00 pm every night and again we spoke to our doctor and now he is on Prevacid). Also Gripe water has helped my 5 month old before we put him on prevacid. Good luck and hang in there- it will get better!

My daughter had terrible colic for the first 3-4 months of her life. I breastfed and cut out ALL dairy from my diet. If your son is on formula you may want to consider switching to soy formula. We also used Mylacon or Gripe Water drops as soon and she started her nightly crying jag. Hang in there, but the no dairy diet was the trick!

I had a really similar experience with my second son. He cried constantly. After a few doctors visits and considering that it might just be colic, it turned out that he had reflux. I didn't realize it because he never spit up, but once we did an x-ray we realized it would come up and go back down. We put him on Prevacid and after a few weeks he got much better. He still gave me a run for my money, but the constant pain and crying ended.

He is 14 months old now and off the prevacid. It definitely took me longer to bond with my second because all of the crying. Once we got the reflux under control it got a lot better.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I remember that time was so difficult! Good luck!