My daughter was moderatly colicky and the only formula that worked for us was the enfamil nutramigin (sp?). It is a bit pricier than the general formulas, but it was worth every penny if it soothed her. Good luck and know that the colic WILL go away eventually.
We had milk lactose intolerance in our family so I used soy based formulas. My kids never had any crying problems, but I wish now that I had never used soy. I have read so much about soy being estrogenetic, and causing hormonal problems in fetus's and infants.
One thing I wish I had given my babies is Cod Liver Oil. I have read so much good stuff about it! I do give it to them now, but my kids are 12 and 8, and I missed a good opportunity to give them a superfood when they had the most development.
I know many babies are put on drugs for crying (colic)and reflux. I would advise you against that. Here is what I read about Antacids in babies:
An increase of 600 % in pharmacutacles given to infants and children for GERD in just the last few years. Many of the meds have not been appropriately tested in children at all so very few of these drugs are approved by the FDA and are given "off label". They can cause development delays, severe vitamin defeciencies, absorption diffculties and failure to grow. Once the meds are stopped the problem usually returns. Many times colic is a symptom of a food or substance intolerance of some kind.
Here are just a few examples of med problems:
Mylanta/malox- nurotoxin (has aluminum in it) depletes calcium and phosphorus.
Zantec- Depletes calcium,folic acid,,iron,,b12,D ,and zinc.
Tagamet- decreases stomach acid, males can get enlarged boobs (estrogenetic) and prone to pneumonia.
My breastfed daughter cried every evening for 4+ hours for the first three months of her life. Like others we racked our brain for a cause, but ultimately she outgrew it on her own. I think some babies get overstimulated really easily. If it was a feeding issue, you would expect that the crying would happen throughout the day, not just in the evening.
Some things that worked for us (besides nursing) were:
1) getting her on a nap schedule (never kept her awake longer than 2 hours) -- this helps baby not get too overtired/overstimulated by end of day.
2) swing
Our daughter hated her carseat and baby carriers so those were never an option for us, but maybe would help you?
Good luck!
It may take a few tries to find a formula that works best for her (becareful in switching too quickly which causes constipation). Unfortunately there is no magic formula that will help with colic. You should run to the store and purchase "The happiest Baby on the Block" DVD, there are some awesome techniques that may instantly soothe your daughter and help her with any discomfort. Also if she seems gassy try doing bicycle legs for her and gently press her legs/knees into her stomach to try and releive any built up gas. Mylicon is about as good as giving your baby water, it is not clinically tested so not worth your money. The 5 S's in the DVD will hopefully be a great start.
Good luck!!
Steph
Easy; Similac Isomil Advanced Soy formula. Guaranteed to reduce colic and gas.
Try Nutramigen. My nephew was prescribed that for the same reason.
I don't know about formula but have you tried giving her Gripe Water? It works really well. We buy it at health food stores but I have seen it at the drug store in the baby aisle too. HTH!
Amanda, It has been 14 years but seems like yesterday. The colic was so difficult I would've loved to have answers sooner. I was breastfeeding, it was my first child, and I didn't know one thing I coulc do to help my baby feel better. Sadly, she was miserable for about 12 hours a day instead of 3-5 hours like most. Daytime was almost as bad as the evening and we were desperate. It seems like we got a lot of pressure to keep breastfeeding her, even though the crying and misery were unbearable. Finally, someone (a nurse, I think) took pity on us and advised me to quit nursing and feed my baby a formula called 'Nutramigen'. (not sure if it's spelled right, but it's close. I doubt it is still marketed by that same name anymore--but perhaps it is, or something like it is sold. I was told that the proteins or fats were in simpler form (or broken down) and this would relieve some of the gas and pain. She took her first bottle with comfort and slept for four hours immediately after drinking it down (she had never had a bottle and slept without crying for 1-2 hours first. So, I was thrilled and kept her on this formula. I was a much more 'sane' and peaceful mom after that. She still had some digestive issues like excess acid and horrible diaper rash from the excess acid. But that was small compared to the pain she had after every bottle before the formula change. She ended up with no residual problems with digestion, no allergies of any kind whatsoever, and very healthy overall. I wish you the best in your search for a 'cure' to your baby's colic. --Karen T
i dont know much about colic and nothing at all about formulas, but i will say that a few months ago my newborn was doing the same thing as yours and i could not quite pin it down to upset tummy. yes, he is gassier than many, but i just thought there was more to it. what i realized upon slowing down and looking at my baby's needs was that he was way overtired. evening in my house is hectic -- three year old dinner bath bed routine -- and i was not realizing how much time had passed since last nap. my baby can not stay up for more that 1 or 2 hours without need for sleep. if he does not get put down at right time, it will take him hours to wind back down. its always worth a try. before her usual fussy time, make sure she is fed, put her in a sling and take a walk outside or try something you know will get her to sleep if she needs it. at the very least, doing something pleasant like getting fresh air may help her if she is in pain!
Amanda
Call your daughter's pediatrician before you make anymore changes.
Ann
Hi Amanda,
I had great luck with doctored up goat milk. We added a powder probiotic, fish oil, and folic acid. Goat's milk has molecules which are smaller and closer to the size of human breast milk so it's easier to digest than cow's milk. The ingredients in over the counter formulas are sub-optimal in quality so I preferred making my own formulas at home. It was at the suggestion of our pedi and we had great success. If your interested you can email me and I can give you the specific measurements and recs on which ingredients to buy. Best of luck to you and baby!
Hi Amanda,
It is frustrating to see your baby not well with any thing going on with them. My granddaughter was colicky and I found giving her pimag water and putting her on a magnetic pad all of her discomfort went away.
If you would like to learn more go to www.nikken.com/ninamarie
Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Have a happy and safe holiday.
Nina Marie
Be careful and don't any funky formulas with goats milk when you don't know what your doing...ask your pediatrician. there is nutramigen, enfamil gentle ease, and soy products...ask your doc. you don't want to be continuously changing your infants food. There is gripe water made by wellements at whole foods, it worked for our daughter.
For colic, gas pain and constipation, I have used babies magic tea for my baby and got him soothed.
Give him babies magic tea. It worked wonder for my colicky and reflux baby.