Colic Comrades

[bcmomsaysso]

Can we talk about colic? I feel like I'm losing it here today, this girl is just NOT happy.

Soothing tips? Colic remedies? Diet changes? Shoulder to cry on? Yes, please!

[bcmomsaysso]

Warning, this will be long...

So, after reading this article I definitely feel like we are dealing with colic, and nothing health related...however to be safe I made a ped appointment for tomorrow.

www.parents.com/baby/care/colic/colic-basics/

This is HARD, I have been through the loop with crazy soothing techniques. Sometimes something will work, and then it won't.

We've tried: rocking, bouncing, pacifiers, swaddling, side-laying, taking her in the bathroom with the shower going, taking her IN the shower, baths, going outside, walks, car rides, running the vacuum... Etc.

Any other suggestions or crazy ideas... Let me know. It seems like something will help for a little and then she gets "used" to it and the usefulness fades. I actually took her out and bounced lightly on the trampoline while holding her for a few minutes of sleep today.

She sleeps really well at night-3-5 hours, but during the day she fights it like nothing else!! Girl is not a napper.

We've tried gas drops, but they don't really help. I haven't tried any other medications... My neighbor mentioned some sort of "natural" over the counter colic remedy but I usually side-eye that junk. I'm not a big "medicine" fanatic.

Besides fussing, she is healthy. Eating great, wet/dirty diapers, no temp or sign of illness, normal spit-up, burps after feedings.

I just wish I could do something to make her happier :/ poor baby

[motownthrowdown]

This was a great article. I'm going to try the 5 S next time. I don't think Amelia officially qualifies as colicky, but she does get very fussy for no apparent reason.

It's exhausting to have to deal with a crying baby by yourself all day.

[ajetter]

The article wouldn't pull up for me.

I'm pretty sure DD is just over tired. If I manage to get her at the right time, and get her to nap a lot, she isn't all that fussy. But if she gets overtired she just screams and screams and then it turns in to this vicious cycle.

I think this thread needs a GTKY, strangest/most complicated/ridiculous, whatever you want to call it, thing you've done to soothe baby.

Mine would be putting her in her car seat and doing laps around my backyard while carrying it. She won't fall asleep in the car or stroller, but if just walk carrying it in my arms she usually passes out. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm a nut.

[heavenwhip]

I posted this on the MOTN thread

Sort of random but for anyone with colic issues have you thought about taking baby to a chiropractor? I've never tried it but two of my girlfriends said it worked wonders with their babies.

Also, I went to a homeopathic doctor when my DD1 had really bad infant Eczema and he asked if she was colicky at all. I was lucky and she wasn't but he said if I had any more kids and they were, to bring them in. For the record this doctor has helped me and/or my family a dozen times over (where MD's have failed us) so I highly recommend giving it a shot.

[amberlie]

I am joining this club. E is quiet tonight but last night she was screaming like someone was murdering her for hours. I tried everything I could think of before googling a white noise video on YouTube. I put it right next to her and she fell asleep within about 5 mins.

ETA the video is called "baby got colic" & I wouldn't recommend watching bc it's creepy but the noise was magic!

[zonagirl]

So my baby doesn't have colic (knock on wood!) But when she is in the witching hour, the only thing that I have found to help pull her out of it is to do all five Ss per Happiest Baby on the Block. sometimes when she is just a little fussy just one or two will work but when it is really bad it has to be all five. That book was written for colic though so I would recommend it!

[amberlie]

Have any of you ladies suspected a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance? I was looking up things about it and nearly every symptom points to that... and I also read that it could lead to a majority of colic cases.

[cupcakecutiern]

This dd doesn't have it, but my first dd did. She was awful. She would start crying around 6p and wouldn't stop until 1a when she finally fell asleep. Only thing that worked was me holding her. Not my husband or anyone else. She finally grew out of it around 3 months and it was like she was replaced with a different child. Like a switch went on.

[joi922]

Ugh, been there. C doesn't have colic, but J was close (he never went more than 3 hours at a time more than 3 days a week, so the doctor said she couldn't make it an official diagnosis... because 2 or 2.5 hours of screaming one day and 4 or 5 the next is so different?). I remember the 5 S's didn't work for us very well and that we said several times that Dr. Karp was full of shit. We were probably doing it wrong, but were screwed from the get go because J hated being swaddled or put on his stomach (it was months before he stopped instantaneously screaming during tummy time). So that was 2 S's gone. Really, we just had to sit in the bathroom with a loud fan on for white noise, rock him and wait it out. But the loud fan at least took us down to an hour or so before he'd pass out instead of 2.5 hours.

I don't mean to be discouraging - the 5 S technique probably works for most people. But if it doesn't work for you, just keep trying different things. Maybe driving in the car will knock the baby out, or walking around tightly held in your arms while you tell him stories because your voice is soothing, or running a vacuum or hair dryer. There will be something that helps.

Colic is no fun. I hope all your babies get past this stage soon!

[bcmomsaysso]

Sept 10, 2015 3:24:32 GMT -5 amberlie said:

Have any of you ladies suspected a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance? I was looking up things about it and nearly every symptom points to that... and I also read that it could lead to a majority of colic cases.

I've suspected this. I have a bit of oversupply at nighttime. I started pumping for just a couple of minutes before our first night feed. After she is back asleep, I'll pump a little more and that's my "stash" supply. I don't pump at any other time during the day.

She does get "foamy" poops sometimes and I remember someone mentioning that being a sign of imbalance.

Eta. Dr said foamy poops don't indicate anything. He said green poops could mean an allergy.

[bcmomsaysso]

@yogisews mentioned the exercise ball on the randoms thread...THANK YOU SO MUCH. Currently peacefully napping

It's really easy to transition from the ball to her bouncer and keep her blissfully happy and snoozing.

[swimlib]

We are dealing with colic over here. L will cry basically all day 3-5 days a week but then sleep great at night. One thing I have found is music tends to help if we have tried the 5 S, car rides, stroller walks, being worn in the Moby, and anything else that we can think of. For some reason she really likes folk music so it gets put on whenever she is really upset, sometimes it helps. Otherwise it's just a countdown to hopefully being done with this in about 2 months.

[karlamo]

DS1 had it and thankfully it went away at 3 months on the dot. We spent our entire maternity leave soothing him all day and night. The best trick we found was bouncing on the yoga ball, wearing him, and nursing at the same time. Yes as ridiculous as it sounds that's what enabled us to survive those 3 months of hell.

So far my wife and I are holding our breath that this LO is spared. At 2 weeks he isn't showing signs where DS1 was well in the throws of it at this point. Colic is emotionally and physically hard on you. If you need a break from soothing, then take it. Sometimes we needed to set DS1 down for 5 min just to catch our sanity. Know that while it's hard now it will go away.

[bcmomsaysso]

Sept 10, 2015 10:01:03 GMT -5 swimlib said:

We are dealing with colic over here. L will cry basically all day 3-5 days a week but then sleep great at night. One thing I have found is music tends to help if we have tried the 5 S, car rides, stroller walks, being worn in the Moby, and anything else that we can think of. For some reason she really likes folk music so it gets put on whenever she is really upset, sometimes it helps. Otherwise it's just a countdown to hopefully being done with this in about 2 months.

We are the same way with nights being fine, but crying all day. When I called the nurse line she seemed amused about that. I guess it could be worse, at least she sleeps.

[twinkbrite]

Yeah, Ava has this! We do a lot of rocking, bouncing, shh-ing, singing, playing music. I suck at swaddling and she hates having her arms swaddled so I usually don't bother.

[swimlib]

bcmomsaysso, yeah at least most nights she sleeps. Last night it was brutally hot and humid here so no one slept well. Hopefully tonight she will get back to her nice sleeping of 5 hours in a row and then only waking up to feed and have her diaper changed.

[twinkbrite]

Also I think some of the issue that gets her going is I have a hyperactive letdown and oversupply problem so I think she swallows a lot of air and might not get enough hind milk so she gets really gassy. Been messing around with different things to try and help that.

[flippinchica]

Sept 10, 2015 8:55:48 GMT -5 bcmomsaysso said:

@yogisews mentioned the exercise ball on the randoms thread...THANK YOU SO MUCH. Currently peacefully napping

It's really easy to transition from the ball to her bouncer and keep her blissfully happy and snoozing.

Yessss. The ball is amazing. I'm so glad she suggested that.

[bcmomsaysso]

Yesterday was better, but the evening was right back to screaming and fussing.
Went to the ped. Good news is - she's healthy. It is just "normal" colic. Dr recommended probiotics, specifically gerber soothe. Picked some up, sort of pricy but if it helps I'm game.

[heavenwhip]

Sept 11, 2015 10:21:28 GMT -5 bcmomsaysso said:

Yesterday was better, but the evening was right back to screaming and fussing.
Went to the ped. Good news is - she's healthy. It is just "normal" colic. Dr recommended probiotics, specifically gerber soothe. Picked some up, sort of pricy but if it helps I'm game.

fxfy that the probiotics work!!! Colic sucks!

[blakely24]

Sept 11, 2015 10:21:28 GMT -5 bcmomsaysso said:

Yesterday was better, but the evening was right back to screaming and fussing.
Went to the ped. Good news is - she's healthy. It is just "normal" colic. Dr recommended probiotics, specifically gerber soothe. Picked some up, sort of pricy but if it helps I'm game.

Where did you buy those from? I think I need to look into that.

[abvintage]

B doesn't qualify as colicky really but he was getting super gassy and fussy for awhile. We switched to Dr. Browns bottles and they seem to be really helping. Also vibration seems to help and swaddling. I'm assuming it's because it's tight across his belly.

[blakely24]

We've got something going on, but I have no clue what it is. She literally cries every second she's awake that she's not eating. She never cries the 3 hours in a row because I can soothe her to sleep for a nap. But then the second she wakes up she's crying again. Help :-(

[abvintage]

Sept 11, 2015 15:56:56 GMT -5 blakely24 said:

We've got something going on, but I have no clue what it is. She literally cries every second she's awake that she's not eating. She never cries the 3 hours in a row because I can soothe her to sleep for a nap. But then the second she wakes up she's crying again. Help :-(

Does she have fever? Congestion or other cold symptoms? The only time I've ever seen babies cry that much was an ear infection. Even the colicky ones.

If you prop her on an incline (either put a towel under her mattress or if you have an RNP) that might help. FX!

[blakely24]

Sept 11, 2015 16:02:45 GMT -5 abvintage said:

Sept 11, 2015 15:56:56 GMT -5 blakely24 said:

We've got something going on, but I have no clue what it is. She literally cries every second she's awake that she's not eating. She never cries the 3 hours in a row because I can soothe her to sleep for a nap. But then the second she wakes up she's crying again. Help :-(

Does she have fever? Congestion or other cold symptoms? The only time I've ever seen babies cry that much was an ear infection. Even the colicky ones.

If you prop her on an incline (either put a towel under her mattress or if you have an RNP) that might help. FX!

No fever or cold. Her only real symptoms besides crying are just spitting up, arching her back, and that weird gurgling noise that happens when she clears her throat. The doctor started her on Zantac a couple of days ago but I haven't noticed any improvements. If I had to guess maybe her reflux is a little worse than they suspect and she might need something stronger. I hate putting her on meds this young but I'm thinking it might be necessary.

We went on a car ride today and she stopped crying, but kept coughing, clearing her throat and gurgling. So much and so loud that I kept praying she wasn't choking back there and was still breathing. We do have a RNP but she gurgles and coughs in that too. The only way she sleeps soundly is if I'm sitting up and she's laying on her stomach on my chest. She's doing that right now and is so calm and breathing great- you wouldn't know anything was wrong!

I guess my plan at this point is to keep her on the Zantac for now, wait it out this weekend, then call and talk to a nurse again on Monday.

[econmarie]

Ugh, yes...I go here. Thanks for the article, unfortunately we meet all the criteria and then some. I feel like he is just over tired. Today I was contemplating going back to work early to get away from the screaming (DD is also being a pill, so if DS isn't screaming, I'm screaming at DD).

As amberlie said, I'm thinking it might be a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. He has the foamy poops, throwing up, gas, and screaming at the boob. I'll try to finish each boob before switching to see if this helps.

Good luck everyone!

[abvintage]

Sept 11, 2015 20:40:04 GMT -5 blakely24 said:

Sept 11, 2015 16:02:45 GMT -5 abvintage said:

Does she have fever? Congestion or other cold symptoms? The only time I've ever seen babies cry that much was an ear infection. Even the colicky ones.

If you prop her on an incline (either put a towel under her mattress or if you have an RNP) that might help. FX!

No fever or cold. Her only real symptoms besides crying are just spitting up, arching her back, and that weird gurgling noise that happens when she clears her throat. The doctor started her on Zantac a couple of days ago but I haven't noticed any improvements. If I had to guess maybe her reflux is a little worse than they suspect and she might need something stronger. I hate putting her on meds this young but I'm thinking it might be necessary.

We went on a car ride today and she stopped crying, but kept coughing, clearing her throat and gurgling. So much and so loud that I kept praying she wasn't choking back there and was still breathing. We do have a RNP but she gurgles and coughs in that too. The only way she sleeps soundly is if I'm sitting up and she's laying on her stomach on my chest. She's doing that right now and is so calm and breathing great- you wouldn't know anything was wrong!

I guess my plan at this point is to keep her on the Zantac for now, wait it out this weekend, then call and talk to a nurse again on Monday.

Poor baby FX they have answers for you Monday

[bcmomsaysso]

blakely24 that sounds rough I'm sorry you and your LO are going through all that.

The gerber soothe drops are actually helping. She's only had two doses (5 drops daily) This morning I put her in her swing awake and she fell asleep on her own! She was still a little fussy at night last night but nothing compared to what we had been dealing with.
I don't know if it's the drops or she's just outgrowing it coincidentally but I'm so relieved!

Eta. I bought mine at Walgreens

[blakely24]

bcmomsaysso Okay I don't know why I waited until now to actually go out and get some of those drops- I guess because they were kind of expensive. But wow- I would pay $100 for them! They are miracle drops. No kidding, I really did notice a big difference the very first night we gave them. How are these not more common?

I would DEFINITELY recommend these!