Why Babies Have Colic or Acid Reflux?

B.,

Do not give up on a large family. Both of my children were very colic and my doctor put me on a bendryl in the morning so my kids would get it at the colic time. He said they were allergic to milk and at 10 & 13 they still are. Good luck write with anything regarding colic. We have been to several doctors and specialist.

As a woman who grew up with a midwife and lactition consultant, I will tell you that breast feed babies can have colic or acid reflux just as much as formula babies. The benefits of nursing and the nutrients in your milk are ten times more valuable for your child than any kind of formula out there. You are doing the right thing by trying to cut out spicy or other foods that might effect your milk. Most common things to cut out are caffeine and cigarettes. They cause the most significant changes in your milk for your child. I would not cut out everything. Eat something you like, like spicy food for a day or two and see if the child reacts differently within the next 24 to 48 hours. If you see no change, I would continue eating what you like. there is no sense in cutting out every thing you like if it is not helping the child. Don't deprive yourself of the things you enjoy eating. It will only discourage you from nursing. Trial and error.

I will tell you that my first child was very colicy and horrible the first few months. But I did have a second child that turned out to be my angel. So, I hope that your next child turns out different. No two children are the same.

I hope this helps you in some way.

I don't know much about how or why they get colicy or acid reflux. My baby girl is on a colic/hypoallergenic formula from enfamil called Neutramagin (or spelled something close to it). She started out having trouble with the good start supreme (reg. and soy ones) so the pediatrician suggested to try this one. It is really helpful for babys who are very colicy and are having trouble with milk proteins. It is expensive though, about $25.00 a can!, but it really does a good job. The only problem I have is that she is still pretty gassie. And I completely understand the pain that a newborn can be. From newborn till about a week ago this one has had problem after problem. Thrush, pink eye, a cold and an ear infection all in her first 6 1/2 weeks. She was breastfed also for the first two to three weeks with bottle supplements.

Talk it over with your pediatrician and if need be you can get the formula thru WIC, which is awesome because of how expensive it is. The only thing WIC would need, if you are on the program or after you get on it, is a prescription for the formula from your pediatrician.

Good luck!

B.,
I didn't have experience with a baby who had colic, and I ate spicy foods all during my pregnancy and some even after having my baby while breastfeeding ( I love Mexican and Indian foods). I don't believe a colicky baby has to do with what you eat during pregnancy. Maybe you should call your pediatrician to see what options you have to better the situation. As far as having a perfect newborn--I believe that is all in one's perception. No human is perfect, but we make the best with what we are given--that includes our newborns. My baby wasn't colicky, but has issues with sleeping thru the night even though he is getting closer to a year old, and we've tried different strategies to help him self soothe back to sleep. Just work with what you have and know it's temporary and just a small part of the rest of your life. Enjoy your baby, and I hope your situation gets better!

Hi B.,

I think your current diet can cause your child to have a bad stomachache, because they lack the enzymes needed to digest some part of the breastmilk. For my daughter, when I ate chocolate or broccoli, it set her off, so I didn't eat them and she was much more content. I didn't dare try beans or cabbage or other gassy foods I thought would trigger her until she was about 5 months old.

I went through a lot of PPD and my baby went through a lot of pain the first few months. It just took time and an enormous will, and we are both stronger now. I think we can all say we've been through h*ll at some point with our infants, but there's lighter days ahead. Best of luck!

Hi B.,

I can't really answer your questions direcetly, but I DO want to ask you if you're aware of the Happiest Baby on The Block Baby Calming technique?? It's amazing and WORKS! It's a book or DVD by Dr. Harvey Karp on the 5 "S's" to calm a crying baby AFTER you've done all the normal things (feed, change, burp, rock, etc.) SWADDLE, SIDE/STOMACH position, SHUSH, SWING and SUCK. I am a certified instructor and have seen it work with fussy, colicy babies OEVR and OVER again. I highly recommend the DVD!! GOOD LUCK!! Go to : www.thehappiestbaby.com

Hi B.,

My baby had colic very badly - it wasn't until he was 5 months old that I finally learned what was wrong with him. He was milk/soy protein intolerant. My doctor told me to put him on Nutramigen, but I was dead set on breastfeeding, so I went to see a gastroentenologist. She referred me to a nutritionist who put me on a strict no milk/ no soy diet. It worked WONDERS!!! It is a very hard diet to follow, you literally have to read the label on EVERYTHING and can't really go out to eat, but it is so worth it! Plus, the pregnancy weight just melts away. I plan on having more children, and since it tend to run in families, I am going to go on the diet during my third trimester and continue until my child is at least six months old. You can find quite a bit of information on the web, just type "Milk/soy protein intolerance" into a search engine. There are even cookbooks for it. If your next child has colic, I would specifically ask the doctor to check for a milk/soy protein intolerance. Hope this helps!

I don't think it has anything to do with if they're breastfed or formula fed b/c my son was formula fed and he acutually had acid reflux until he was about 18 mos. even though we stopped formula at a year old. He never had colic, but he was constantly spitting up almost everything he ate. We tried everyhting from prescriptions, prescription formula, cereal in the bottle, not much helped. We just had to wait it out. I don't think it's hereditary though b/c my son's doctor told me that if i had another child he could be fine with no reflux. I think it's strange myself.

Read the book, Happiest Baby on the Block. Simple solutions. There is no such thing as a "good baby" or "bad baby". And every single one is different. Your youngest is only 4 months so it's not like you need to rush into having another any time soon. Wait a bit and rejuvenate yourself before deciding.

First of all no one has a "perfect" newborn - remember you are not living with these other people and can't see how things really are 24/7. Each baby has different needs, different environments, different temperments - these all factor into how much a baby cries.

Second, breastmilk is ALWAYS superior to formula and will cause less problems. What you eat while pregnant doesn't affect anything after the baby is born. I ate many different things while pregnant and still now, while nursing. Some babies may have sensitivities to dairy products or peanut butter that mom eats while nursing. You have to experiment.

My daughter needed to be held all the time the first two months or so. I suggest you invest in a baby carrier like a sling or Mei Tai - this makes baby happier and you can get stuff done. Read this website www.thrivingbabies.com by Rebecca Wolf.

Good Luck...

I've carried and breast fed three babies. Spicy foods are not the culprit. Think about all the other cultures that eat spicy foods and all those mothers in that culture that nurse their babies. Your breastmilk is flavored with what you eat. If anything, the spicy food makes your milk taste more interesting than if you ate something bland. I would check with the ped and I'd look at the homeopathic solution of the enzymes.

Hi,

It is not spicy food. They lack two things; acidofilous (the liquid on top of yogurt, it's beneficial bacterial that we all must have to digest food,) and enzymes. Mine had a lot of trouble as a new born also. I read everybook I could get my hands on and tried every product on the market. Then I found an out of print book "Let's have healthy babies", by Adelle Davis. Her book said to do the enzymes. I did very small amounts every 12 hours for three daysl. At the end of three days the colic was gone. I couldn't believe it. Then I was mad that I waited so long because I was afraid. We did the doctors, etc. Nothing, until I did the enzymes. You could find the book through Amazon.com Next time your pregnant take alot of acidofilous (I do not know the spelling) and make sure you are really, really healthy and maybe you will have a perfect newborn. We all lack vitamins that we are not aware of due to food that lacks the vitamins that they should have. But, we don't really notice these, when you are pregnant these deficiencies become compounded due to the stress of carrying a baby. Cravings are a lack of vitamin C. Most mothers get cravings but the doctor doesn't tell you to take extra C. That is just one example.

Do some searches on the internet and start reading up.

Try the enzymes on your baby. I bought regular full spectrum enzymes for adults. Then I gave the baby 1/4 of the capsule opened up on her tongue before she was fed. Waited 12 hours and due to no bad reaction did a 1/4 capsule again. The next day I did the exact same thing except with 1/2 a capsule both times. On the third day I did one capsule in the mouth, and that was it - no more colic.

D.