Screamfest! (Colic Stories)

My son, now 4, cried for 12-14 hours a day during the 2nd to 6th months. It was to the point where his cries were hoarse & he would lose his voice. My pediatrician was no help - he taught us the colic hold & treated us like idiots. When he did pick up our sleeping son to show us this hold he got a sample of his screams & quickly rushed us out of the office. My son also had trouble breastfeeding at birth and had to be fed through a bottle. The lactation nurse had asked me if he hiccuped often in the womb, which was true, and remarked that I was in for lots of feeding troubles. I am not sure where she got that from, but she was right. Anyway, once the colic cleared, he rarely slept, he was easily irritated despite having a mostly happy demeanor, and a host of other odd behaviors were becoming more apparent. At the age of two he was diagnosed with autism & I now attribute many of his infant problems to sensory processing problems. The things that did help, on occassion, were: gripe water, low lights, showers in an infant carrier with dad, and car rides (for hours). I wish more doctors did take colic more seriously - I know that in Canada it is considered a medical condition & the governement provides an in-home nurse to relieve parents from the stress. I think my dismay is that not all colic is equal & shouldn't be treated as such. The stress it induced was almost unbearable & yet, despite its prevalence, there is very little help available or understanding of what colic is by the professional health community.
Perhaps you should considering putting together a book or your own research study.

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Oh my I had a severely colic child. I feel like wonder woman since I have surprisingly survived. My son is 2 1/2 and very high maitenance. He started colic at 8 days old and stopped at about 13 mo. He screamed about 20 hours a day the first 11mo before it let up. He would scream so long and hard he would rupture blood vessels in his eyes and burst a vein in his foreheadthat has gotten lighter but will never go away. I took this child from NH to Boston and nobody seemed to help me. He'll grow out of it ...yeah ok..Now at 2 he is a needy little bugger. I have found with my own child as well as other MOC (mothers of colic) that I assume from being handled quite frequently it causes them to be very clingy. He can be very whiny and no patience. If things don't go the way he wants he has a meltdown.There appears to just be no nagotiating with him....ever....his way or screamfest. It appears the last few months it is getting better but he still has his days. I hope for your sanity it improves but I personally think it makes or a hig maitenance child....good luck :)

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Hi.. My daughter, sho is now 22 mo, didn't have colic, per se... she had a gastrointestinal problem and allergies to soy and milk (both of which have gone away) that caused her to have screaming fits for the first 10 mo of her life. Her symptoms were so like colic that the doctors kept telling me she'd outgrow it when she was around 5 mo old... but when she didn't, we realized there must be another problem..

Anyway, she too is a very sociable and mostly happy baby, the one thing I feel she sort of inherited during her scream sessions was a strong (and i mean strong) will, and quite the little temper. She's a tough little cookie, but not out of control or hard to handle. She had a hard time when she didn't get her way or when i didn't hold her (I think she got so used to being cuddled when she was screaming, that she had a hard time letting it go).. but after only a day or two of firmess with her and putting her in the other room until she clamed down, she got the picture and now has control of her temper.

I wouldn't worry too much, i'm not even sure if her temper or firey spirit comes from genetics or all those months of screaming!! Either way, you'll both be fine =)

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Hi C.,

I too had the pleasure of a severely colicy child. My son started at 1 month old until 6 months old. Non stop screaming, NO SLEEPING/NAPPING,and not a very happy mommy. The pediatrician we had (before we moved out of state) was fantastic! He was very kind & helpful during those 5 very very very long months. First we tried a few formula changes (i bottle fed) and Nutramagen was a LIFE SAVER! Huge improvement from then on out.

As a toddler, you know, people say 'terrible twos' but they're SO WRONG ... it's 'terrible threes'. LOL Although, my oldest went through a 'terrible 18 months' when his 2yr molars came in incredibly early. Otherwise, his toddler years were fantastic. We had so much fun together each & every day (with very rare napping) & he's a joy today.

He most definitely had problems napping - after awhile, the fight just wasn't worth it anymore. if he stayed up, then he stayed up. it was alot more work, but i wasn't ripping my hair out, getting frustrated or crying anymore. And he slept longer at bed time. which was far more important to me.

The only techniques that I can remember were late night car rides to help my oldest son fall to sleep. I'd put him in his car seat & go for a ride around my neighborhood until I was sure he was asleep. (I'd test & stop for a minute or so & if he started to wake up & start screaming then I kept driving). There were some nights I drove around from 2-3am, just around & around & around my block (thank goodness my neighbors knew our 'special' situation - LOL). But once i got him to sleep & was able to turn off the car & he was STILL sleeping, I'd take him in the house in his car seat & leave him in that to sleep. Doesn't sound so great - but if he fell asleep in it, he can stay sleeping in it. He's upright so no issues with SIDS & He had blankets on him & he did great. I also think the confinement of the buckles (being buckled in) almost like he's being held close by mommy, comforted him. I also had to play music on the car ride - that worked WONDERS. I think just the movement of the vehicle & the music together worked.

During the day, let's see ... he hated & I mean HATED his baby swing - but he LOVED LOVED LOVED his vibrating bouncy seat/chair thing. They have the ones w/the pads near the feet so when they kick the pads, music & lights start ... he didn't like that at all so I kept that part off, but he loved the vibrations. & although he didn't really fall asleep to it, it kept him from screaming all day.

Also, any educational cartoons (i'm not one for sticking your kid in front of a tv at all but this helped alot - i usually just sat with him most of the time to be with him & talk to him about the show) were extremely helpful. The few shows that worked for us were "Bear in the Big Blue House" I don't know if it was Bear's soothing voice or the brilliant colors or the great songs, but it worked! He also enjoyed "Stanley" (both on the disney channel) along with "Sesame Street".

I hope atleast some of this info was helpful for you. It's a hard road to travel but when it's all over, I think you'll find yourself even closer to your child than ever. Tyler (who was my colic child) is such a delightful little boy & so bright & loving & caring & we have so much fun together & we're already so close (we've spent every single day of his life together - once i had him i became a stay at home mom). He's now in Kindergarten & doing amazing. And I truly miss him all day & we're both so happy when i pick him up from school & we get to go have fun together at home & he tells me stories from school & we do homework & projects together. It's just so great.

When I had my 2nd son, boy was he different. He took frequent long naps, slept through the night like it was his job & he was a perfect infant ... then came the horns when he was almost 2 yrs old - not so much horns but more curious, then at 3 yrs old the horns came out in full view - i'm hoping by the time he turns 4 in august, he'll mellow out a bit - i truly think he's on his way there - but NOTHING I can't handle after having a colicy baby for 5 months ... LOL -but my youngest - he too is a joy & very close to his mommy =0) almost as much as his older brother if not equal & boy oh boy - these toddler years for him & I are another challenge .. which is another story for another day. =0)

Just remember it's only a phase & it WILL pass (if it hasn't already). But you are right - there's very little info about colic & it's tough. No doubt about it. They wanted my son in a clinic & I refused it (but that was just me).

Enjoy your little girl, I'm sure she's a little angel. Cherish every moment with her - being a mom is the most wonderful, rewarding, satisfying job in the world - and yes, even through the times when you're like "yea ok this lady is nuts!" - when it's all done with (the tough parts)& you watch her play & laugh & enjoy life's simple things, you'll forget all about the tough stuff - i promise.

Have a great day & God bless!
C. B.

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I am very interested in peoples' responses here because my 9-month old had colic as well, and I agree, it is NO laughing matter and not for the faint of heart. She started right at 3 weeks and didn't stop nightly crying until about 4.5 months. People told me it ended at 3 months, but that was a joke!! I am apprehensive as I write this because, unfortunately, I am finding that my baby has continued to be very high-maintanence, similar to what others here have described. On the plus side, she is very loving and affectionate, often giving me "hugs" and wanting to be held and cuddled. My oldest daughter was not like that so it's nice to have a cuddly baby. BUT, on the flip side, Emma is still the type of baby who doesn't want to be put down, even briefly. She is not a great sleeper and seems to need someone to rub her back or settle her back down if she wakes up in the middle of the night. In fact, she's now 9 months and I could count on two hands the number of nights she has slept "through" completely. I find myself sneaking past her sometimes when I get home from work because if she sees me she demands to be held immediately and I haven't even gotten my coat off!

I am not saying all this because I don't love being with my own child; of course I do and find it rewarding in so many ways. I just think there is a real connection between babies who had colic and their toddler personalities. I have a friend whose oldest was colicky and finds her to be a totally normal, adaptable, happy kid, so who knows? It's hard to know sometimes what is a stage a baby or child might be going through and what is a personality trait that might not go away. As parents we take the good with the bad and just go with what we have, hoping for the best!! Good luck and keep us posted!

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Hi there, what a relief for you to have passed the 3.5 month mark. 3 months was the magic number for us too. My son that had colic turns 17 on Sunday!!! Time flies! We had no residual effects from the colic so I wouldn't worry about it. I really believe some infants need that extra time to fully mature their digestive track. It was challenging to have a baby that cried constantly. Since they pick up on your body language [tension etc..] my husband and I would take turns holding, rocking etc..but started to relax and find ways to have a conversation and laugh. There are times we are convinced that helped!

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My daughter had colic. She is now 4 and was bottle fed. Try using Similac Alimentum (Spelling?) it saved our lives! Plus, we bought this "motor" that you attach to the bottom of the crib and it allows the baby to feel like they are in a moving car going 50 miles per hour. Sounds crazy- but it works! I read about it in "What to expect when you're expecting book" It is FDA approved and let her sleep all night and take 1-2 hour naps! She needed motion to sooth her. Her stomach wasn't developed enough to handle milk or soy products. Now, she has everything! By a year, she could tolerate all milk products and loves them! Good luck to you. I know how frustrating it can be when they scream and you can't calm them down. Plus, your tired and cranky too. It does pass- just hang in there. The nice weather is coming- take the baby out for walks during naptime. The fresh air will do you BOTH good!! :) D.

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hey i know what you mean! My husband and i are unable to have children of our own so we adpopted a baby he wasnt born yet when we got the call so we have had him sence birth. My son cried screamed for 4 - 6 hours at a time i was lucky i still have hair on my head. The doctor said he would grow out of it but didnt know how long it would take. I did alot of research also what we did was put him on soy formula it has all the stuff needed except that its not milk based. With in 4 days things calmed down greatly became a less cranky little guy. We left him on that until he was about 6 months old and we decided to switch him back to milk base gradualy and then on full time. I am glad that it all worked out. After that we started introducing other dairy products cheese, yougurt,cottage cheese ect. and he is able to handle them all. Now my son is 2 years old we are finding out that he get irrtable alot and can be a high needs child you need to have alot of patients. i have plenty my husband doenst have much so i tend to the attitude alot you just need to comunicate well get down on their level and ask them what they want and get them to tell you or show you what they want without a major breakdown. Yes its a challange but its worth the fight I love my son more than anything in the world and hope to adopt another child this year. Jenn

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Hi! I had twins with colic and my now 5yr old also had colic. The twins napped well, but my 5 yr old never did. None of them take naps anymore. The oldest stopped taking naps when he was a little over a year old. The twins took naps until they were about 2 1/2. I keep their room really dark and had a fan in there. I still have a fan in their room at night when they sleep.

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my son is now 15 but boy oh boy was he a collicky baby. i did find that because he was such a "screamer" myself and my family tended to swaddle him more and pick him up more. He became used to this and was a little more "spoiled" than usual. He was night and day compared to my daughter (had daughter when he was 18 months). he did not react well to me having another child because he was so close to me.

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Hi C.,

I am a mother of four children. I have a daughter who will be 29 this month, a son who is 22, a daughter who is 8 and another daughter who will be 7 in May. two of my children were colicky and two were not so I can attest "colic" is a very real phenomena. My first little girl would scream virtually all day, was not very cuddly and would stiffen up while she screamed. It was almost unbearable and to this day I still have very strong memories. I was a very young, inexperienced mom and I really didn't know what was normal so I really didn't seek much help. My neighbors would complain about the crying and even offer suggestions as I lived in an apartment building, but, I really don't think anything helped much. My daughter did sleep well at night though so that was a blessing. When my son was born I'd thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I was so fearful of having a similar experience but he was content, happy, cuddly, a great eater and a delight from the start. With my last two girls my eight year old was born with colic and to tell you the truth I knew in the delivery room. The sound of her cry immediately after her birth brought me back twenty years when her older sister was born and she did not disappoint. She cried 18 out of 24 hours a day. She, however, did not sleep well like her older sister and I was not as young and found myself exhausted all the time. She did not stiffen up like her sister and was more cuddly but nonetheless I even had to leave a mom's support group because her screaming disturbed everyone else. It is very isolating and even finding babysitters is difficult because no one wants to deal with it. My last little girl was very cuddly and easy to comfort however I barely remember her infancy because my last two were only 21 months apart and the older one still wasn't sleeping through the night so I was getting up at least 5 times a night. I took to sleeping on the couch and just dealing with one child after another.

So as you can see you are not alone even if it feels like you are. Best advice I can offer is to be sure to get respite occasionally. As far as personality characteristics I definately found that my colicky children persisted in being more emtionally labile and anxious. I had a particularily hard time with my first born because she was so irrational and I was so young that I didn't handle it well and we ended up in screaming matches frequently. My eight year old is also very emotional except in a different way. She worries alot and her emotional instability led to her being kept back in kindergarten and she required some psychotherapy. For the moment she is doing well. Of course I know that puberty is not far away. I am taking it day to day. The difference this time is I am a much more mature and experienced mom which is invaluble. I also have previous knowledge to draw on and to compare things to. I would not hesitate to seek professional help when needed. Hope you find this helpful.
The bottom line is I'm not convinced colic is caused by some GI upset or intolerance to cow milk products (my oldest child was formula fed but the others were all breast fed) I think it is consistent with certain kinds of personality characteristics and perhaps an anxiety disorder so although the crying ceases it is replaced with other behaviors.

Best Wishes. I am not any kind of expert on the subject and your experiences may be different than mine. I hope you find this helpful.

J. L.

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Hi C.,

I have two girls, two years apart. My first born, who is almost 12 years old now, was very colicky from 4 weeks on until 3 months. I, just like You, have tried every possible thing to make my baby content, but nothing seemed to work during that time. From the two girls, my older one has always been the one demanding lots of attention, is strong willed and determined to get what she wants. She is smart, loving person with a unique personality. In my opinion, there is not much You can do so take it one day at a time. There will be more happy moments that will make You forget the crying. Good luck and tons of patience.

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Hi C.,

I am a mother of 6. My first was colicky but my last one cried constantly if he wasn't being held so I do know what you mean. I took my little one to the D.O. that treats me so successfully for my back. I understand that some babies can actually incur alignment problems during birth. That is a possibility you might want to consider.Caffeine can also be a culprit for colic. With my youngest, he just really wanted to be held. This started as soon as we brought him home. At seven years old now, he still likes to sit on my lap when I am reading to him and he always snuggles up close during movies. He has always been very affectionate and loving and one of the easiest children I know. He is naturally very sensitive to the needs and wants of others and I wouldn't be surprised if this part of his temperament , which he has expressed since he was old enough to, has something to do with his wanting to be held. They definitely outgrow the crying and , I think, that since I gave in to his need to be held , we developed a very strong bond that has helped him turn into his being a delightful child. I hope this helps a little.

Warmly,

M.

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I read in a sleep book (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) that colicy babies tend to actually be sweeter in their dispositions once the colic is through, and for my son, that was so very true! He's now 2, and although he is willful at times and gives us a run for our money, he is so easy going that I have been asked repeatedly why we don't have 5 more. He got through colic at about 7 weeks--not a long time, but ETERNITY when you are going through it. After that, he also became the best sleeper. Since colic runs in my family, I have found that most of the easiest kids in our family started with colic.

I also found that the biggest thing I could do for my son's colic was give up dairy for a time until he could handle it. We also found that a steady nighttime routine that included a bath also helped somewhat.

I would highly recommend the book I mentioned, as it taught us how to give our son good sleep habits, and it discussed colic as well.

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Hello!

My first daughter was diagnosed with colic. It was a very exhausting and frustrating experience. She would cry so hard she broke blood vessles in her eyes or would scream until she passed out....literally. My sister asked me once why we never sent pictures of her with her eyes open. I responded by saying that every time she's awake she's crying! We tried many, many things. Nothing really worked. I'll never forget that magic day at exactly 4 moths. It just stopped. She's been a sweet and easy child ever since.

To answer your direct questions... My daughter is now almost 5. She was a normal toddler pretty easy. A little more sensitive maybe. She's always been a great sleeper and napper. The only things that seemed to work a little were changing her formula and giving her some mylicon (sp?)before feedings. Bouncing her on my knee on her stomach seemed to help as did massaging her feet. However, on a more sensitive note, I feel that it was harder to bond with her than it was for me to bond with my second child because of the colic. I know that may seem terible but it's true. Feeling awful about that, I did go for some therapy and it did help. I just felt like such a failure because I couldn't make her stop crying. I was her mom and I felt I should have been able to help her more. I know I did everything I could. No one talks about that part of it.

I hope this was some what helpful!

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I never had issues with colic until I had my third child and it was awful. I was nursing and I changed my diet to a dairy free diet and within a week the colic had calmed down significantly.Also homeopathic colic tablets.

My sister who is 8 years younger than me had horrible colic (I actually remember it!) and she is now a successful, happy very sensitive adult.

Hi,

My oldest daughter was extremely colicky. She SCREAMED every night from about 4pm-10pm, but then slept well at night. She rarely napped during the day. My next three babies were so much easier! Anyway, Elizabeth did turn out to be a very high-strung toddler, with daily tantrums, but is now the happiest, easiest six-year-old. She is incredibly active and can hardly sit still, but is doing wonderfully in school and is such a happy child.

The only thing that quieted her down as a baby was putting her in the baby bjorn and walking on the treadmill with her! Other than that, we just had to wait until three months, when she began to gradually improve.

I would pursue the possibility that your child has acid reflux with your pediatrician.

Have you tried Dr. Harvey Karp's methods? They worked really well to calm our baby, but then he didn't have "colic".

Did you read the "Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr Karp by any chance? Really interesting look at what causes colic and steps to comfort suffering babies.

I only have time for the short version. I was exposed to second hand smoke for 4 months of my pregnancy (later part). I had a colicky breast-fed baby boy whose symptoms ended 3 weeks after I eliminated dairy from my diet. Initially, I was meticulous in my elimination of dairy. For the past month or so I've cheated and seen increasing fussiness in him. Also his reflux almost completely dissappeared. Napping has always been difficult for our son. Swaddling helped a little. He walked a lot of stairs and did deep knee bends to calm him.
I would say that he is maybe a more sensitive and alert baby than average based on comments in my New Mom Support Group.

My experience is to take them to a chiropractor that has dealt with infants and have them aligned. This works miracles!! During the birthing process and how they are handled can have their bones misaligned and thus the infant is miserable.
I was taken as an infant to a chiropractor shortly after birth and I was a very happy baby after that!

I found that my colicky daughter was very happy as a toddler. She was not a big sleeper. She did not take any naps after 18 months, but overall was very happy. She would also wake up every night at the same time crying for a few minutes till I calmed her down. She did this until she was almost 5. She is now 13 and a very easy going, social young lady. She still wakes up at night and sometime sleep walks, but I don't think that has much to do with her colic...
K.