New Mom with a CRABBY Baby!!!

I can relate to this, my daughter seemed to be very sensitive to different foods. I know that it can be a very stressful time in your life, but hang in there, this to shall pass. I know that might not help you, but sometimes just knowing that you are not alone helps. Make a diary of all that you eat, sometimes those things that we do not think cause gas do. I never would have dreamed that one peanut butter cookie would cause so much gas in a baby-but it does! Also lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, and the such can to. Red sauces are sometimes h*** o* a baby's tummy. I do not claim to be an expect, but I have nursed three kids successfully for a year each, and have had a lot of succesful friends that have had different problems along the way. Hang in there, you can do this for you and your baby. As for the diaper rash, I am not sure what to tell you about that. I did not have to deal with that- have you tried switching diaper brands, sometimes there might be something in one brand that irrates a baby more than others. Make sure to change her often, even it means more than normal- which I know is a lot at this stage of the game! I hope that even if you did not get any new tricks out of this you were encouraged that you are not alone! Take care and God bless!

I've been there done that:) My daughter had colic from the moment we brought her home until 3 months of age. She would scream her head off. I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call someone. We did the Gripe Water and the White Noise which helped tremendously. My husband recorded the vacuum noise off the internet and we looped it through out a CD. When her scrwaming began we turned on the vacuum and it would sooth her. Swaddling also worked as well. My daughter was breastfed for 6 months so don't give that up. It just gradually went away and she became the happiest most content lil girl. You'll get through this!!!

D.
Proud mother of 16 month old Brianna

Dear R. K.
You have my complete compassion and sympathy over your frustrating experience! I know from nursing 3 children that the foods that you eat absolutely do pass through your breast milk AND can cause colic and fussiness as well as mild to extreme diaper rash!

As was previously recommended, I would not only look at dairy, but I would also look at gluten (found in wheat, oats, barley and rye). If you keep working on it, you can figure out what is bothering your baby! The medical community will rush to put your baby on acid reflux medication (been there, done that), but the symptoms you describe, in my experience, are usually a result of food sensitivities.

Talk to your physician to make sure that nothing else could be the source, and then keep a food diary and eat rice for a few days and see if that calms your baby down! Let me know if I can offer more support. I'm sorry that you are doing this by yourself. I can't image your pain and suffering. It was very hard having a fussy baby WITH someone! Praying for you! Lots of Love,
L. L.

Tummy rubs, starting at the belly button and working counterclockwise in little circles.

Excercises with pushing her legs up can help relive gas pressure.

Have you tried eliminating other food that contain lactose from your diet? If it got somewhat better eliminating milk the baby may not be able to digest lactose properly. Other foods to stay away from are tomato based sauces, broccoli, and garlic because they can create gas issues for the lil one.

Vusion is used for diaper rashes with a yeast infection, if she is chronically getting yeast infects I would let her go without a diaper as much as possible(a few hours a day if possible), lots of baths, and change her immediately when she wets. Have you tried switching brands of diapers, they may also be what is bothering her. For normal diaper rashes i like baby aveeno ointment or balmex. I would go back to your doctor though, Vusion should not be used for more than 7 days straight as long term use makes it not effective as your baby will develop immunities to it. And, it is actually not even supposed to be put on a baby before they are 4 months old.

Hope some of this helps, Good Luck!

Hi, R.. I don't have a clue about the gas, my daughter hasn't ever had a problem eating anything. Or, with me eating anything when I was breast feeding. But, if your daughter's diaper rash is not linked w/her gas, she may well just be sensitive in that area. My daughter, Lauren, had rashes all the time and I used the hypo-allergenic, no perfume, no dye wipes and she still couldn't handle it. I ended up having to use baby wash cloths w/warm water to clean her up during diaper changes. It was a pain to have to wash them off and deal with the poop but, she rarely had rashes after that. I also, per the doctor's request, let Lauren hang out w/out a diaper on her. He said the air is just as good for the rash as the ointment is and he also told me to make sure she was completely dry before administering the ointment.
Lauren is still sensitive(she's almost 4 now)in that area and can not take bubble baths that often or stay in the tub for a long period of time. Her pediatrician told me just to wipe her off with warm water at this point.
Maybe you can get a different doctor's perspective on how to deal with your dilemma. Especially if her diet has nothing to do w/her rashes.
Also, does she drink a lot of juice or anything w/a lot of acidity in it? That is a high irritant for little ladies. If she is, dilute it down like 1/4 juice - 3/4 water or even half and half. That will really help.
Good Luck.

Hi R.,
My name is D., I am 27 and have a 15 month old boy. I am just wondering what kind of formula she is on or are you strictly breastfeeding? Enfamil is a great formula, they also have a formula for gassy/fussy babies. I recommend buying the liquid (ready to use) my son never liked powdered formula. You may want to ask your doctor how to introduce formula, that may help. For your second question, try using Johnsons & Johnsons Cornstarch Baby Powder for the rash, you can also try Aquaphor made by Eucerin; it will keep her pee & poo off her skin. Hope this helps! Good luck.

Hi R.!
My first born was also very crabby. So much so that I stopped nursing and went to formula. I don't know if that is an option you'd like to explore or not, but there it is.
Swaddling was the ticket with my second ( yep - swaddled while nursing!) and egg whites on the rashes worked wonders. Good luck, it's all worth it......

My daughter was very gassy and also spit up a lot when I first had her. Some children are a little lactose intolerant. Any type of milk may cause her to have gas. I know breast feeding is a special way to bond with your child but ask your ped if there is a way to try soy formula for awhile and see if that helps. If not, your child may just be colicky. Good Luck!

Oh my... my baby is now twenty six but I remember those days when nothing would comfort him. Fortunately they were few. You've had some very good advice, but one thing that no one has mentioned that you might consider as a last recourse is gluten intolerance.
I don't know if gluten is something that can be passed through milk, but if absolutely all else fails you might try to eliminate gluten from your diet for a few days.
It's really hard to do. I know. It's been more than 15 years since I knowingly had any- no bread, cookies, pasta, campbells soup- nothing with wheat, barley, oats, rye etc.
For the 7 months between when I became gluten intolerant to when I finally figured it out I lost 15 pounds and was very ill with gas and every other digestive issue right up to anemia and malnutrition. And now something as simple as barley malt in a Celestial seasonings tea bag of clear tea is enough to set it off.
Just a thought. and as I said, only if all else fails.

Are you sure she does not have acid refulx? My daughter was the same way until she was put on Prevacid at 3 months and then she was a different baby! Good Luck and be strong - it is all worth it when your baby calls you mama.