Hi. My son is 6 weeks old and has pretty bad colic. He doubles up in pain and cries alot. The only way to give him comfort and stop the screaming is to either nurs him while I lay in my bed, or to let him sleep on my chest. I bounce him and it calms him down, but then as soon as he goes to sleep and we lay him down he cries again. He needs alot of comfort because he is miserable. What I want to know is if there is any way to get him to sleep in his crib now, or should we just wait until he is no longer colicky and then try to put him in the crib? Plus, does anyone know any magic tricks to offset the discomfort these babies feel from colic? Thanks!
Try the Little Remedies brand Gripe Water. My 7 wk old daughter has kind of bad reflux and while she doesn't usually cry from it, it disturbs her sleep and she doesn't like to lay flat at all (esp in her crib). A few days ago I decided to try some of that gripe water at the advice of another mama, b/c she is constantly awoken by hiccups, gagging and spitting up, even if she is upright. It worked so well that during her 6 hour sleep span she didn't wake up one time from spitting up, gagging or hiccups. She even slept in her crib last night for 4 hours (the longest she has ever been in there). I have now been giving it to her every night. It is basically just ginger and fennel, so it is homeopathic and you can give it several times a day if needed. I'd say its worth a shot! :)
I used the baby gas drops-don't remember what they are called. A swing was our life saver for colic. He took most of his naps in it and would get him asleep enough to move into his crib without waking. I've also heard that some people fold up a towel(or something), put it under the crib mattress to put the baby on an angle so they are not flat on their back.
I know colic suck but you'll get through it. My son was better by three months old. It seemed like 3 years. hang in there.
Honestly, none of that stuff works (drops, gripe water, etc...) "Colic" is just a term used by docs and others who want to describe a group of symptoms, but if you google it you'll see lots of confusion on the subject because no one really knows what it is. It could be gas, nerves (a brand new nervous system going haywire), growing pains, hunger, etc... But it IS just a stage that will go away over time, I have 5 kids, two of which had colic and, magically, it disapeared for them around 3-4 months of age. It's hard to cope with but there is really nothing you can do for it except just your best to comfort and console and be there for your baby. I nursed my baby in bed with me for months because it made him less miserable, but now I'm having trouble getting him to sleep through the night in his own crib (he still wakes up at 4 am to be brought to bed with me again, I've "spoiled" him I fear). Also, keep in mind that babies go through growth spurts and your baby just might need extra nursing (it sometimes feels like that's all you do, or that you're just one big boob, right?) Sometimes when my baby went through phases of non-stop crying all I had to do was constantly nurse and that would do the trick - I highly recommend nursing on demand, in my opinion you should never put a baby on a feeding schedule. Walking, rocking, singing, talking quietly to, and praying! Those are the things to do for a "colicky" baby.
It is probably your body warmth that eases a lot of his discomfort. Try putting a heating pad or hot water bottle in the crib to warm it first. Also, some people make little heating pads by filling a sock with rice and then heating it in the microwave. That may help. But my first choice - hold him. Let him sleep on you the majority of the time - he is only six weeks old . . . Do you have a baby sling? Another thing that worked for our son was having him sleep in his car seat, but any thing that keeps his head above his stomach should do. Also a book that saved us was THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK by Dr. Harvey Karp.
Good Luck!
My daughter was the same... turns out she had a severe dairy allergy. I cut all milk and dairy out of MY diet, she was a new baby. We didn't diagnose the allergy until she had bloody stools, a sign that we had let it go way too long without dealing with it. If your baby is in that much pain, save a dirty diaper and have the doctor look at it with a fluoroscope which can detect even small amounts of blood not visible to the naked eye. If it tests positive they'll probably have you start eliminating all the usual suspects... milk, eggs, nuts etc. Then again... it just may be plain old colic!
Best of luck to you.
s
Hi Amy,
My son wasn't diagnosed as "colicky" but our pediatrician did suspect a bit of reflux and suggested letting him sleep in his bouncer to help keep his head above his stomach. We lowered the crib all the way down and put the bouncer on vibrate in there. We bought two sets of rechargable batteries for it and would swap out a newly charged set every night. We'd swaddle him for comfort, strap him in for safety and it worked like a charm. Don't get me wrong, he still woke up to nurse every couple of hours, but otherwise he was sleeping in his crib. Best of luck.
I know exactly what you are talking about! My son was just like that. I waited on the crib. You are right a baby with colic is miserable and needs comfort. My son started sleeping in his own bed at about 3 months. Good luck and I feel for you! I always told myself if he was a tough baby he would be an easy teenager. I'm sure that isn't true but I'm sticking to it!
Amy,
My daughter had the same problem starting around 6 weeks. It took us pretty much 3.5 months to find out what was bothering her was acid reflux and once she was properly treated for that, she was a whole new baby. The reason she couldn't sleep in her crib was that everytime we layed her down flat, the acid reflux would come up and she would wake up and cry. I would not attribute your son's unhappiness to old fashion colic. See if there is anything else going on with him. Your sanity and your son will appreciate it. The best book I read was called Colic Solved. You can find it on Amazon.
This book has a lot of tips of what you can do at home and medically.
I hope this helps.
Check out the www.guardiansleeper.com. Something like this may help him feel like he is being held even though you are getting some sleep. All the best with your quest fo sleep!
Carol :-)
Hi Amy,
Please look into chiropractic care to relieve colic........if you google it, you can find lots of info.
I have a chiropractor who treats colic in infants and makes a really big difference in their symptoms.
Best wishes,
Nancy
Hi Amy,
My friend just went through this with her little girl. After some research she found a product on-line called Colic Calm that is made from all natural ingredients. They gave it to their daughter and she showed massive improvement. Here is a link to a site I found on it: www.coliccalm.com/?gclid=CMazvZb1ppYCFQ8QagodLAcp6g
Sweet dreams. :)
I can't help you with the sleeping in the crib part, but if you are interested in helping him with his health with something alternative, please let me know.
God Bless!
jill
[email protected]
Amy, my son wasn't colicky, but he had really bad gas (doubling over in pain etc.). I did a number of different things: I put warmth on his tummy (I have a grain-filled microwavable hot/cold pack), I gave him colic calm (mentioned by some other moms), and I let him sleep on his tummy. I KNOW you're not supposed to, but he sleeps SO MUCH BETTER this way! When I started, he was already able to turn his head from one side to the other. I also make sure he only sleeps on firm surfaces with snug sheets and without burp cloths or blankets in reach.
Colick usually stops right around 12 weeks, so hang in there!
Maybe try a combination of the suggestions - my little one liked the heating pad (on low!), I elevated one side of her crib (might help if he has mild reflux), and tummy sleeping. Try the last one for naps during the day to make sure he can turn his head - I let her sleep like this once I was certain she could move if needed. She also spent a fair amount of time napping in her papasan swing. She was not colicky, but had some trouble sleeping in general, and these things helped. Good luck!
This is one of the toughest up to three months you will ever have, they have a gas over the counter meds that work some, I also would put one of my sons baby blanket in the dryer to warm it up and wrap him sng in it, the warmth and the tightness of the blanket helped alot, rocking seemed to help, then again some nights holding him is all he wanted. Soothing sound, plus mom he reacts to you if your all upset try to stay calm it is what it is, and you just have to ride it out, when its over its only a faint memory.. this to shall pass.. hang in there.. I feel for ya xo
Hi Amy,
I have to girls and went through a lot to figure out that it wasn't colic. It was acid reflux. I was hoping that the 2nd one would have it but unfortunately, after changing my diet, etc....and nothing worked. The doctor finally said Baby Zantac which you have to get a prescription for and it tasks aweful. However, I learned to shoot it down the side of the babys check/mouth/throat and then nurse right away. After a week it began to work. Had to have the babies sleep in boucy seat or swing so that they were upright. Otherwise the acid would creap up their throats. Anyway, I took them off it at 3 months but ended up putting them back on because they were still having problems. At 6 months took them off it again and they were totally fine. Zantac was a miracle for my girls. My mom had said that I was colicy and would cry on the front porch because it was so ruff. I now think I had acid reflux since it seems to be a heredity thing. I kind of dismis the "colic" naming since this happened to my girls. I would talk to your doctor and see what he/she says. If your baby is happier upright, then I would bet acid is the cause. Good luck and I'm sorry you are going through this. Not fun for either you or the baby!
Hi, Amy...I don't know much about colicy babies but I remember reading somewhere that if a baby suffers from colic then try running your vacuum. Something about the noise and motion helps. Just try it, it won't hurt. Good luck!
Amy i can relate to your problem my daughter was colic also. it just about drove me crazy all the crying not being able to comfort her or ease her pain. i am Native American Indian and i was a real young mother i was 17 when my daughter was born and she is now 21yrs old. colic it will last for about 3 months so it will end. back then i was told to put a teaspoon of Karo Syrup in her milk bottle to help soften her stools, rub your babies belly dont pust on it, i gave my daughter juice i know she was too young to have juice but it did help her and she didn't have as much pain. but today there are medication you can buy and give babies i wish i had that back then. My daughter also slept on mine or my husbands chest this was the only way we would be able to get a good night sleep it seemed like she was more fussy at night. i hope this helps you out and your able to help your son find some peace and be able to enjoy him during this hard time but it will end. Good Luck
A few things.
a) Dr. Harvey Karp's boook: THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK (also DVD) was a life saver for us.
b) If he has bad gas, take a look at what he is eating. If he is on formula, try switching up the brands to see what works better. If you are breastfeeding, look at your own diet. With my little guy I had to cut out all the gassy foods, like broccoli, cauliflower, beans, etc. You will have to play with this a bit.
c) For the long term, you need to think about where you want him to sleep. In the next month or so make that transition, before he gets strong ideas about where he wants to sleep. (Speaking as the poster child for what not to do with sleep in children with my daughter :) )