Seeking Advice on Caholic Baby!!!!

T.....Mylacon Drops. You can get them at any grocery or drug store. The second the baby shows signs give him a dropper full and pop that binky in his mouth. They are safe and do not absorb into the system. MMMM quite baby. now get some sleep:)

Hi my name is Crystal, when my son was born, he was coholic, I would strap him in his car seat and put him on the dry, with it running and he would quit crying as long as it was running. Also a ride around the block would work, or you could try using a swing, my daughter sleept in her swing until her feet touched the floor.

Howdy T.,
One thing that worked for me with my kids is puting them in thier swing and vacumming around them, after about a minute they stop crying and not too long afterwards they would fall fast asleep. It worked on all 3 of mine and I was given that advice from a co-worker. not only do they go to sleep, you also get some house work done :) Let me know if that helps

T.,
Colic is a nasty nasty thing and unfortunately there is no magic cure. Have you tried running the vacuum while carrying him? Putting him in a bouncy seat on the washer or dryer? My second child had colic and basically for the first 3 months she cried all the time 24/7. I feel your pain! Sometimes at night I would lock myself in the office with my daughter and blast classical music - and I mean blasted it. The music soothed me and I think that sometimes loud noises help. Either that or they help to drown out the screaming! :) Since your son is getting ready to turn 3 months, I think the colic will begin to ease up. I was a stay at home mom thru the first 4 months and began to feel a little crazy. Sometimes, you just need a break. Put your son in his bed and shut the door (he can't hurt himself in the crib) and walk around your house. Being outside in the fresh air will make you feel better and it will give your ears a break from the crying. Do you have any family in town that could come and sit with the kids for a couple of hours so you can have a break? If not, do you have a friend that could help?
Hopefully my advice helped. But have faith - as my mother tells me..."this too shall pass"...and you know what? It always does! :)

Everything I read on colic shows that it tends to stop at 3 months. You can make it through this, you can hold on. One thing to remember is that this is temporary. If it goes beyond three months you need to contact your doctor.
Dealing with your baby at the time it is happening is the hardest. Constantly talk to him while telling him that you love him, how healthy he is and do tell him that what he is going through is temporary. Gently massage your baby in the clockwise direction. This helps gas pass and he is comforted by your loving touch. Take walks with the boys outside. Even if he cries take him out to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. This is important for you as well as for them. Perhaps visiting a park and talk a walk with them in a big stroller. Allow the fresh air to give you a break.

I have 3 kids, two with colic problems, the first one due to milk intolerance, talk to your pediatrician , you can change formula, if you are breastfeeding, eliminate dairy from your diet, sometimes you have to wait a week to see results, usually less. My third kid, used to wake up a lot in the middle of the night, he seemed very uncofortable his problem was silent reflux. Don't hesitate and call your pediatrician ask for a referal for a GE (gastroenterologist, I waited too long with my first one, once I eliminated dairy, I notice a big difference. With 2 little kids yo NEED sleep. Good luck

get you an 8 ounce cup microwaveable cup. put 1 spoon oregano and 2 spoons of HONEY. DON'T listen to the doctor. I got this from an old mexican lady and boy am i glad i tryed it. fill with water and boil in micro for about 4 to 5 min. depends on yopur micro. then let it cool just a little, give to the baby in his bottle as u would milk 8 oz. strain the oregano from the liqued. The baby will suck it up and sleep all night long. you will not know what to do with your self because the baby will be happy and u will toooo.
S.

Hi T., I know exactly the way you are feeling. I have twin boys who are 3 1/2 years now. When they were babies, one of them was colicky (sp?). Yes, this is something you will have to ride out. I know it's hard, believe me. It lasted 3-6 months for us. My colicky baby also had reflux and returned just about every meal we gave him. The doctor gave us gas medicine and it didn't work either. What my husband and I figured out was, our baby was a FAST eater and we would have to pace him to keep it down. We also burped him alot. Also, we switched to soy milk which seem to help matters. To this day, I don't know why he cried so much except maybe the regular formula was irritating his stomach. I hope this helps! Hang in there. I know it's tough. It will pass (but not soon enough, huh?)

Hi T.. Poor thing! Had them exactly a year apart huh? Whew! And colic on top of that... Anyway, my 3 had it and I learned lots of tricks through it all. Do you live in The Woodlands? I *love* babies and would love to meet you sometime and see if I can help if you would like.

I am a nanny to a baby in The Woodlands from 8-3 while my youngest is in 3rd grade at David, and other two are in 5th and 8th grades.

Take care.
D.

I went through this with my son for almost 2 months. He always seemed to be in pain. I was breastfeeding so I had a very bland diet. No spices, nothing that causes gas, no dairy. None of this worked. My son was still in pain. After two months of going through this I told our pediatrician that I could not see my son in pain any longer. The doctor switched him to soy formula. It took about a week for his pain to go away, but after that week I have what seems to be a completely different baby. He is so happy and now only cries when he is hungry, wet, tired, or teething. Also, try to make some time for yourself, even if it is just a nice soak in the tub after your baby goes to bed. If you have family and/or friends that you trust now would be a really good time to let them help. There were many times during that 2 months that I didn't think I could make it through the day. I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful mother in law that offered to make an hour long trip to my house just so I could get a one or two hour nap. Hang in there. It really does get better.

Read the Happiest Baby On the Block and follow the S comfort words of swing, sing, swaddle, suck and SHHH. True proper swaddling is particularly a great comfort. There is also a tape at Target on Sounds to enduce Sleep. It is not designed specifically for children, but works great on my baby. There is also a product from England called Gripe Water. You can buy it here locally at a shop called British Sensations on Naco Perrin. I would try all S words from the book, the tape and the water and then make a consistent bedtime, naptime and other time comfort routine and follow it exactly so your baby knows what to expect. It has really worked for us. You sound like a great parent and I hope this stuff helps!

If the gas medicine is not working, you may have to change his milk, sometimes the wrong kind of milk can make there stomach upset then that makes them upset, I know my sister had to change her babys milk, usually the gas medicine always helps them stop crying! you may want to change the brand of gas medicine! I know i/my sister used the equate brand from walmart and we compared it to the name brand & it worked just as well!!! also if you give them "warm baths" in that lavendar baby soap that also helps them sleep better ~ good luck ~

Many people have already given the advice of switching formula, if he is a formula fed baby. My daughter would have colic and through up (not spit up) her milk. My SIL suggested changing and it worked like a charm. NO MORE COLIC.

Good luck.

Dear T.,

I noticed that someone else recommended ColicEase - that was what I was going to encourage you to get! We sell it at our warehouse here in Houston - you could even come by and pick it up. Our price is $12.95 a bottle. http://www.nurturedfamily.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryI...

I've seen this work wonders on my babies & my friends' babies - it really is wonderful, natural stuff (much better than the gas drops). I'd also encourage you to check into the SlingEZee slings - wearing your baby helps a lot with colic, too. http://www.nurturedfamily.com/detail.aspx?ID=12

If you're breastfeeding, consider sleeping next to your baby so that you can nurse him right away when he stirs and then you can fall right back to sleep yourself.

I pray that you find the support you need through this hard time! Just remember - it is only a season!

Blessings,
R.

(I am assuming you are formula feeding)

My experience with a very colicy 1st baby (12 yrs ago) was helped a great deal by just changing formula (we changed to soy from milk)...there are herbal remedies as well...try www.hylands.com

With my 4th child who is almost 6 months old, (and this seems to be the trend more than saying babies have colic -it is now more popular for them to have reflux) but she had (and still does have but ALOT less)painful gas episodes and spitting up so my pedi first had me try Enfamil AR but we were already on soy- (other is milk) so now we just add rice cereal and that has been a huge help! Also, formula is not all the same- not one of my 4 kids tolerated Similac or Enfamil-the powder foams and has lots of air bubbles-Good Start doesn't do this...neither does Parent's Choice (WalMart brand) so that is what I buy unless Good Start has a good coupon. I have also found with my 4th that staying away from the DHA LIPIL and all that jazz makes a different in her belly aches. My other kids are perferctly healthy and didn't have that HaHa!

Every since my oldest son's issues(back then they perscribed paragoric for colic too), I always fed my kids sitting up more so than lying down and burped very frequently.

I know what you are going through, my 3rd is now 18 months and 4th is 6 months (older two are 11 and 5)- my husband works long hours, so do you best to sleep when they do...even if all the house work isn't done. Easier said than done I realize but even a catnap here and there is better than nothing. Will swingin help or a bouncy seat or vibrating seat? Just put it by you near the bed. Jiggling my daughter seems to help work the gass bubbles up or down and out. So we do this little jiggle thing. Hard to desrcibe here!

I love my pedi, but I am still my kids' mom and I try to use my intuition as well as just experimenting (you can always call the nurse and ask if you question something you think up) with different things with my kids.

Hang in there, feel free to look me up and chat if you want! I definately thought I had the hang of the mom thing until I was blessed with my 4th so quickly. I can't even imagine twins!

A.

First of all, don't pull YOUR hair out....it makes the baby cry more....lol. Seriously though, talk to your pediatrician. Don't wait to pass go, call tomorrow and at least get them to call and talk to you or talk to the nurse. If you are rested you will be a better mom. See if a friend or another mom will come give you a sanity break. It is essential to dealing with lifes ups and downs and crying babies. The gas drops are a good thing but you need to do them on a regular basis for a few days. Also remember that if you are nursing you need to watch what YOU eat because baby eats what you do and their systems are not quite ready for spicy/gassy foods. Things that are yummy to you may not be so yummy on the transfer to breastmilk. If you are breastfeeding perhaps a nursing consultant might be able to give you some additional help. If you are on WIC they have them there usually at their offices or one close by. Also a good one at Woodlands Hospital.

Try resting the baby's tummy on your palm with the chin resting on your thumb and the other hand on baby's back. Then gently rock the baby back and forth placing gentle pressure on the tummy with the palm. This is how the preemie nurse's burp babies cause they usually can't tolerate bumping on the back. However for some baibes it is very effective.

You can try resting baby on your tummy skin to skin....strip him down to a diaper and just let him rest there.

Maybe baby massage might help and my daughter is a massage therapist. She is putting together a class on baby massage soon if you are interested in learning more or contacting her email me. She is a firm believer in massage for these types of problems.

If baby is on formula, consider trying other types....either Soy or sometimes just a different brand. If you are on WIC and don't use their standard formula you will have to have a Dr prescription with documentation from them to get the formulat through them. Don't switch formula quickly. Mix half and half for a few days and then 1/4 old and 3/4 new for a few days then do a total switch. Switching them cold turkey can make the tummy problems worse.

Also make sure baby is having regular bowel movements. Sometimes baby's get constipated and can cause them high levels of discomfort. Again, massage would be helpful there as would adequate amounts of water and sometimes juice watered down. Hopefully it won't come to it but there are baby suppositories if this is a critical issue. Don't depend on them but it is a good way to "grease the pipe" so to speak. Use KY and insert into the bum and hold your finger over the little bum hole cause it will shoot out like a rocket. Keep covered for about 5 minutes while it melts and then hopefully lay baby on a well covered surface and hope for mount bum to go off like old faithful. Of course discuss this with your pedi first. They may want a tummy xray to determine if the baby is seriously constipated. Remember each baby has a different bum dump schedule but it should be pretty consistent by 3 months.

Best of luck and keep up posted.
C.

Everyone has differing opinions on what to do for a colicky baby and what causes it in the first place. One theory is that some babies are just more sensitive than others and that they cry due to over stimulation. If you've already tried everything else you might want to try giving your baby some down time where he can just hang out by himself a little and be content or perhaps he gets worn out by errands and they should be split up into smaller outings. Another thing you might try is infant massage. There are some techniques that are said to help colicky infants. I hope that helps. All I can say is that tring to prevent the colic by soothing him and letting him have down time is better than trying to do it after the baby has started crying. My son was kind of particular when he was younger so I attempted to anticipate his needs before he did. So I would look for cues before he started crying or getting irritated. I know it sounds crazy but my son would occasionally scream and scream and no matter what I did, feeding him, playing with him, walking around with him, would do any good so I finally laid him down to be alone, and sure enough he started cooing. All he wanted was to just hang out by himself for about 15 minutes and then all was well.

My daughter went through that too. We had different holds that seemed to work with her. One was to sit her on our chest facing forward with a hand on her chest and belly. Another one is a football hold, laying her on her belly with her head in the crook of the arm. These helped most of the time. Also, taking her outside (for short periods because of the heat) worked really well. It was like turning off a switch. The crying would immediately stop. We took her to the doctor and he gave us a sample of Baby's Bliss Gripe Water and she was like a different baby. We only needed to use it for a few weeks and she seemed to be over it for good. Good luck! I feel for you. I can remember just sitting and rocking and rocking and crying right along with her. Her's always seemed worse in the evenings when my husband was working nights. I didn't have anyone to tag team with.

Hi T.....
I am 42 and have seen my share of caholic-ie babies. My sisters child was the worlds worst, so I will share with you my experiences.
Take a receiving blanket (the thin thin blankets) and fold it long ways making it about 6 to 10 inches wide (depending on the size of your child)and wrap it around the babies tummy snugly.... not tight, just snug. Take the baby and place em across your legs on their tummy. Pat the child on the back as if you are burping him/her. Do this for 20 mins at a time a few times a day or evening as needed. Within a few mins the baby will start burping and tooting releasing alot of gas.. which is the problem.
Dont get discouraged. A caholic-ie baby will fuss as you are doing this. Just talk and sway your legs trying to make fun of it. That should help alot as I have seen it work many many many times.
My last suggestion is keep the baby inside in from 6:30pm til at least 10:00am until this passes. For some reason the night air has an effect on the caholic. (I am sure someone knows the answer to that)
Anyways, I wish you luck.
Smiles, C.

T.,

Unfortuantly I had an infant with colic many years ago. The only thing that would soothe her was to lay her on her stomach either on my lap, arm or couch, and pat her back while gently bouncing her a little bit. Another suggestion would be to talk to your Dr. about changing to a soy formula if he is on formula. And if he is breastfeeding remember he eats what you eat. So foods that are gassy or spicy can cause him to be colicy. They didn't have the gas drops out when my children were infants (at least I didn't know about them). My neice is going through the same thing and her mom is breastfeeding but not watching what she eats. They use the drops on her as well. I hope this helps you in some way. Take care of you.

L.

He probably has the colic. My baby did the same thing, it should be getting better soon. Dawson was over the colic about 4 months. The best thing you can do is rub their tummy and give gas drops. It is hard but you will survive!

Okay T. and all other moms out there with this problem - I HAVE THE ANSWER!!!!! There is an all natural product called "Gripe Water" by a company named Baby Bliss - it works on many different issues pertaining to their little digestive systems. My son was born at 27 weeks and had some issues with colic and reflux - we tried so many things and even medicines. Then of all people a dermatology nurse told me about the Gripe Water and OMG it was fabulous - you put some in one bottle a day and boom they get better very fast. I checked it out with my pediatrician and she said it was totally safe. I recommend it to every mother or father I talk to who says "colic" or "gas" or "reflux". Please try it - it will give you both some peace. Good luck to you and take care!

My son was colicky. We purchased something called "Gripe Water" which seemed to help (it smells like anisette. My husbands mom then told us to boil anisette seeds in water, let it cool, drain the seeds and give it to him in a bottle. It also seemed to be a temporary fix. However, our pediatrician suggested we switch his formula to SOY milk and that was the final cure. He no longer had a hard belly which sounded like a drum when you tap it. I don't know if any of these would help you but I will pray that you find a solution soon so that you may keep your sanity.
Good Luck!
Y.

T.,

My daughter was colicky for the first couple of months as well and would cry and cry for hours. A friend suggested "gripe water" and we tried it. We believe it helped. You'll find various websites with those that swear by gripe water and those who swear it didn't do anything. We were like, "We'll try ANYTHING."

The only place we were able to find it was at an Indian grocery store on 1960.

Hope that helps.

B. S

I know what you are going through. I think my son cried 22 hours a day for the first year of his life. The most important thing I can tell you is get someone to give you a break and don't feel bad about leaving your crying, upset infant with some one. I don't have family to help but I have great friends and once you get a way and take a breath, you can cope much better.
I suggest the book, The Happiest Baby on the Block By Harvey Karp. Dr Karp wrote this book because he had noticed we, Americans, are the only culture in the world that has a problem with colic and all kids across the world are going to have gas. Skip the begining for now and go straight to the middle where he tells you what to do. You can read about the why it works and what is going on after you get some sleep.
The idea is that while you were pregnant, you carried the baby infront of you in big ball of water. While you were walking around, you unknowingly swished and swayed him to comfort him. You probably were much more active during your second pregnancy than your first because you had a small child to attend to. This means more vigorous swishing and swaying. So swinging and bouncing, but not soft and gently. If you have an exercise ball sit on it, support your child and BOUNCE. The swing like someone else mentioned is a must have. The book also describes a thing called state control. How children go from happy to sad to tired and such and how some kids go between states more easily than others. I Highly recommend the book and wish I had found it months earlier.
But most importantly get a break so you can have the witts about you to try these things. Chronic sleep deprivation is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy

Hello T.,

Our babies are such a blessing from the Lord!! Like you, my last baby who is now 2yrs old had colic. Every afternoon around 6pm she would start to cry none stop. It would last for about 2 to 3 hours. I held her, rubbed her head, sang to her, and even got in the car and drove her around the neighborhood. By the time my baby was four months of age she grew out of it. But that was a long exhausting four months. Later I was told by a co-worker that back years ago parents gave their babies a remedy called "Asafetida" it comes from the root of several plants. The only place that I was able to find it was Argenta Drug Store on Main St in NLR. I have to be honest it has a very foul smell. You mix about ten drops in the milk bottle and serve. When your baby burps the odor will be strong. Those gas drops won't cut it. This remedy cost about $8/bottle.
Try asking an older person that you trust if they have heard of it.

God Bless
S.

my daughter did the same thing and we would unload the gas drops on her but to no avail. she ended up teething at a really early age and i had no idea. she had teeth at 3 months! the doctor didn't even believe me. so...just a thought and boys do teethe before girls too. --good luck, K.

Are you breast feeding or bottle? If you're using formula he might be lactose-intolerant. Try switching him formula to lactose free (or soy but the soy formula smells kinda bad). My son was the same way, and it made a 100% difference. If you're breast feeding then it might be that he's sensitive to something you're eating. Keep a food journal so that you can see what the triggers are, and/or skip the spicy foods. Let me know if this helps!

My family told me that my son cried all the time. I think that I was so far into depression to even notice. I did all those things you're supposed to do. I checked his diaper, I cleaned him up, burped him, fed him, put him down so he could get his crying out, I would rub his eyes and scratch his back and gave him an overall itch relief *in case he had an itch that he of course couldn't scratch*. Swaddling worked well too. Gas drops, changed to soy milk, kept him dressed comfortably *not too hot*. Actually, he went around in the house with a diaper for the most part. It takes detective work. I'm sure you'll figure out just what works for the little one.
On a similar note, I moved in with my little sister when she had her son. He cried as much as my son did *she says*. We did the same thing for him. Checked diaper, burped, fed, burped, changed formula to soy, gas drops, baths, scratched any possible itch, and swaddled, and most importantly, laid him down when all things were checked and let him cry it out of course if there was no fever.
Just to let you know, you're not alone. I wish you all the luck. It can be frustrating, but when you get too frustrated, it's a good thing to put him in a safe place and go take a time out for yourself.
It sure helped me.
Keep your head up. It'll all be worth it.

Our poor baby cried and cried and cried for 2 months and we were told colic too. But it wasn't, it turned out to be REFLUX. Lots of people will tell you that the baby has to have lots of spitting up to diagnosed with reflux, but that isn't true. Our baby hardly ever spit up, but he suffered all those weeks from reflux - they can see it on the upper GI. Just in case, get him tested for reflux -- it is a simple and painless test. Do not take no for an answer, be sure that your baby isn't suffering needlessly.

I was reading all the advice you were given and it all sound just about the same as what I would advice. I hope you are doing good today, and god bless your soul. I can't imagine how you feel, but please do try all the advice given. If you are breastfeeding, what what you eat, read about it if you can. If the baby is formula feeding, then perhaps, it's the wrong kind. But do trust old remedies, they are the best.
That gripe water everyone is talking about, I never heard of it, but I went online to research and the ingredients are just about what I would say to try. Now it does contain perhaps more than needed since all the ingredients each have it's own purpose, but it will do the trick if baby is really in pain... but you can also try one ingredient at a time... buy Camomille tea, Anise Tea, etc... here is what grip water has... and you may try these seperately or you may just buy gripe water too. But if you have Anise tea, try it first, then camomille... my mom use to give me that.. she said that I had the worst case of colic... and well back then they had to use messaging, and teas... they work.
My kids had gas here and there, but I know that messaging them would work wonders... but you have to do it a lot. Just hold him and as you rock him message his back too.. have his head on your heart, and well, that worked for me... they do love to hear your heart beat. And when you do speak to him, just talk so soft as if you wanted to wisper to him... that calms him down too. I know that is tought when baby is crying, but try doing it right in his ear as you rock him, and message his back at the same time... just try it. It really doesn't matter what you say, as long as you have a soothing tone, they love that.
God Bless you, and may he give you strength for all you do today and always. He knows you are strong. Trust your mother instinct to communicate with your baby. Look into his eyes and talk to him, let him tell you what is it that he needs. Maybe all he wants is you by his side right now. Gosh the world is a scary place you know and well they are just so little that they miss you too much. Just think of it that way.

By the way here is the site that explains a little about gripe water - good luck! Email me anytime if you need someone to talk to... ____@____.com

http://www.colicshop.com/about-gripe-water.shtml

What are the ingredients in gripe water?
Each gripe water manufacturer has it's own gripe water formula. Gripe water formulas often contain one or more of these ingredients.
Anise to aid digestion
Angelica to soothe upset stomach
Caraway to relieve flatulence and indigestion
Cardamom to relieves flatulence and indigestion
Catnip to support digestion and relieve upset stomach
Chamomile to settle the stomach
Cinnamon bark to aid digestion and relieve flatulence and vomiting
Dill to dispels flatulence, stimulate appetite and settle stomach
Fennel for stomach upset, hiccups, gas
Ginger to ease nausea and other digestive problems
Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to decrease stomach acidity

I have a friends whose son went through the same thing. She said that she would put shortening on her hand, like Crisco, mixed with a little salt. She would then warm her hand over the top of her oven range just to get it a little warm. She would then rub this on her son's stomach and put a warm wash cloth over that and rub his belly with her hand. She said that this usually calmed him down some. She also said that she would put a blanket on top of her clothes dryer and would lay him on the blanket while she stood there holding him and would turn the dryer on. This would sometimes soothe him to sleep. Not very comfortable for you, but if he goes to sleep then hopefully you will be able to get some rest also. I know this must be very h*** o* you having to take care of two little ones mostly by yourself. Just keep in mind that this will soon pass and things will get easier. I wish you luck. Hope this advice helped.

Try Soy Milk Formula, those gas drops never worked for my daughter either but the soy milk formula did wonders

If I listened to the advice everybody gave me about the drops my por daughter would of been sicker. She has a milk tolarance and a protein tolerance. She is allergic to milk. If you are on wic ask your dr to switch to another formula like a soy one. Marta had to go to the gasologist (Sp) for her stomach is was so extened and it was blotted to due the gas drops. He was upset I gave them to her. He said that all they do is blot them up and cause more gas. Burp burp burp him. And change formula. If you are not on wic then get Carnation Good Start. My son was on it and it worked wonderful. The protein is already broken down and it is easier to diegest.I wouldnt try anything herbal. I wouldnt risk my baby having an allergic reaction to an herbal product. I know some moms say that it works but it can do more harm than good. I have seen it.

You can email me if you have any questions ____@____.com

I know what you are going through I have been there. My daughter was on Nuetraigen (sp) and with my son I just started Carnation and no problem. Marta totally different story,she is on pregestimil.

T.,

I went through the same thing with my oldest son. Not only was it colic he also had acid reflux. We tried the gas drops and the gripe water and none of it worked. We switched him to Lactose-Free concentrate formula. (The powder was too h*** o* his stomach and made the gas worse and he would also throw up). What really worked, and the pediatrician did not agree with me at all, was letting him sleep on his tummy. It seems the only way he would sleep was on my chest while I sat straight up in a chair. About the time he was 3 months I was able to put him down at night on his tummy. He would only sleep a few hours at a time but it was a start. It finally got better by the time he was 5 months.
Good Luck!
A.

oh my, you are dealing with an incredible amount of strain as it is with your two boys being so close in age to have a colicky one too.
well, my youngest is 5 months and he never had colic but because i had to give him formula starting from when he was two weeks old, he was having some trouble with gas. their digestive system is not fully mature so that's why they have so much trouble in the beginning. i tried the gas drops, or simethicone drops, and they helped a little but i would suggest you keep giving him those drops before every feeding. that helped my son more than giving it to him after a feeding. it is very safe so don't worry about giving him too much (a pediatric nurse told me that).

BUT, what worked the best for me was gripe water, specifically colic ease gripe water. it's just water with a few safe herbs in it. i liked the colic ease brand the best because it doesn't have any of the other junk they put in some of them. you can check it out at www.colicease.com
and there is a lactation consultant that sells them here and will even drop it off at your door. that way you save on shipping and handling. her name is: kathy parkes and her number is: ###-###-####
they run about $17 a bottle ( i forget exactly so don't quote me on that) and depending on how often you give it to him, a bottle can last for two weeks. you give them about half a teaspoon to one teaspoon depending on their age. it would calm my son down immediately! and it's best to give it to them directly with a medicine dropper or whatever rather than putting it in his milk.

also, is there any way you can get some help? any family or friends who can hold/watch the boys so you can rest a little? also, i don't know where your husband works but a lot of companies now have back-up care and they'll provide free, limited usage babysitting. i know my husband's does and i've used them.
i hope this helps. let us know what happens.

R.

Hey...

Try boiling a quarter of a large yellow onion in a cup & a half of water. Boil it until the onion is soft and loses it's color. Let the starin the onion base and let it cool, and give a few ounces to your little one in a bottle. (You can also dilute it a little with cold water if you're in a huge hurry.) Don't worry, it's actually quite sweet, and I haven't seen a baby reject it yet! It seems to calm them and make them sleepy. Worked for me. I only did this once a day though.

Good luck!
G.

Well, it seems you got a lot of great advice, so the only thing that I will add is this. My youngest son was colicky, boy let me tell ya... WOW nothing worked and I did not know about Gripe water, but i do know what worked for me. It sounds crazy the BABY EINSTEIN SERIES. It is true I could not go anywhere or do anything until I tried this as a last resort and it WORKED!!!!! I could take a shower and clean the house, because the movies put him in some kind of trance I guess. (LOL) He out grew it by 6months but let me tell you I have every Baby Einstein dvd that is out there and he is almost four now and still loves them!! we bought a dvd player for the car, because he of course cried in the car, and the dvd's worked in the car too!! All of the advice you have gotten is great, try Baby Einstein too....

T., I've been there too. If your baby is on formula, I would talk to doc about switching to one of those that are easier to digest. If you are breastfeeding you might take calcium chews like viactive instead of eating alot of dairy, that helped some with my son. My husband was at work for the 3 hours a day that my son screamed. If I held him a certain way and spoke softly to him and walked the floor doing a little bounce, he wimpered instead of screaming. It was over by the time he was 4 months. It's hard but hang in there. I hope this helps. You are not alone.

i never used it but friends have told me that the gripe water works well. I have seen at at a few HEB's. i believe you can also get it at natural food stores.
my youngest had terrible colic, I would give him a little cammomeil (sp?) tea. just barely warmed.
you can also try a warm bath with a drop of essential oil of lavender. that helped my little one too. and massage the tummy while they are in the warm water.

if you are breast feeding try taking a look at your diet and modify it. vegetables like broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower and such can cause gas. try switching to a mild diet for a week and see how it goes (oatmeal, toast with butter, scrambled egg etc.) then slowly start re-introducing other foods. i had to do this with my youngest and it turned out he was allergic to corn. your son may just be allergic to something you are eating.

if you are formula feeding try him on lactose free formula first. i put my oldest on soy formula which worked good for his colic but it made him constipated. our ped. reccomended putting him on lacto-free and he was much better.

good luck!

My dr. advised chamomile tea. What I do is in a 4 oz bottle I heat up the water about 10 sec in micro then put one tea bag in bottle and shake it slowly until tea brews. I do not add sugar but the dr said ok to do so and I feed it warm (I would not do honey, honey contains bacteria your baby may be too small for some people advise this but seriously check w/dr on this). Your little one does not have to drink it all or right away just give a little at a time throughout the day as needed. Make sure you burp him after. A soothing position is across your arm belly down and rub his/her back. My little one is 10 weeks today. He has done ok. The tea is very mild. Good luck. Some advice, my friend was in a similar situation. When she got really frustrated which can happen and normal. She would put the baby down in a safe place: floor matt and just go outside for a minute to where you do not hear crying, take a deep breath and come back in. You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of him/her.

My daughter was the same way, so I can really empathize with you. I really don't have much advice to offer though, because somehow I just muddled through and things finally got better. I nursed my daughter and ate whatever I wanted, so looking back I'm sure that had a lot to do with it, but even now my daughter has a short temper. =) I like the advice already given about you getting away for a little bit. I know how hard that is, but you really should try. Even if it's just an hour or two at a time, the break will really help you. One thing that worked with my daughter was a swing. We bought the ocean wonder swing and my daughter practically lived in that thing, once I figured out that it soothed her. I know it's hard though. Lean on family and friends for help, and lots of prayer for strength. You can do this!!! Think about it... God chose you for his mother. He knew it would take someone like you to take care of him. Since I don't really know any other good pointers for the colic, here's some other food for thought:

You may say, "I can't go on"... God says, "My grace is sufficient" (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You may say, "I can't figure this out"... God says, "I will direct your steps" (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You may say, "I can't manage"... God says, "I will supply all your needs" (Philippians 4:19)

You may say, "I'm frustrated"... God says, "Cast all your cares upon me" (I Peter 5:7)

You may say, "I feel all alone on this"... God says, "I will never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5)

Has your doctor checked your baby for any allergies? Both of my children were like that, and now my new nephew. Even the prescription gas drops didn't help. I had to cut all dairy products from my diet until I weened them onto lactose-free formula. My youngest had to be burped for a full 15 minutes after each feeding or she would cry for hours. My nephew had to be put onto a special formula because of his milk-protein allergy. It took about 2-3 weeks for him to adjust, but he is like a new baby now! Both of mine outgrew their intolerance, and we are hoping my nephew will too. But it is definately worth checking in to!

Good luck!

I feel for you and your baby T.. I went thru the same thing with my oldest son. Those gas drops really didn't work for my son. One thing that a friend of mine told me to do was this...before each feeding, massage the baby's tummy. U know, try to relax the baby b/4 feeding. then, after burping the baby, try massage tummy again. Sad to say, but if a child truly had colic, then it's a "waiting out" period just like the doctor told you. my husband had colic as a child, and my mother in law was telling me of a medicine that would quiet my husband up. I will try to contact her and find out the exact name of the medicine and let you know. until then, just try to keep baby as comfortable as possible. that's all i can tell u. take care

Both of my children now 4 and 9 years old had coholic.The best advice was given to me from my mother(mother of 7) she said let the kids suck on a pepermint stick or candy cane.Of course be careful they only suck on it and don't bite or get little pieces off.This worked with both of my kids.I dont know exactly how it works but it did!!!!Good luck I hope it helps you too.
S.

Try Gripe water. The only place that I could find it was online. It worked wonders for my son!!! It was a God-send!!!

L.

http://www.colichelp.com/shop/gripewater.html

Hi T.,
I know exactly what you are going through, my son was a piece of work and seemed to have every problem to stress me out when he was in infant. There are drops callied milocon drops that you can buy over the counter, but there was something that doctor prescribed that really helped, it was a little expensive, like $70 with insurance but it worked. I don't remember the name but I can't believe the doctor told you to wait it out. Also try rubbing his belly to soften it up and make sure he is on the right formula. IUt turned out my son had to be on Nutramagen formula which is a soy formula. I hope this helped some, hang in there!

My daughter was the same way.. she would cry everytime she passed gas.. I changed her formula.. and i used the bottles with bags.. because you can take the air our of them.. All you can do is be there for your son.. My daughter Loved for me to rub the lower part of her stomach.. lets the gas come out better..

What type of bottles do you use? When my son had a gassy problem as a baby we switched from Avent to Dr. Brown's bottles and that seemed to help. Also, has your doctor mentioned switching formulas?