Colic!!

Mylicon and Donagel! I had to give up on the Doctor's advice and I made my son a symalac with cereal very thin and he was fine then. And I finally got some sleep!

Colic? Yikes...good luck with that. Here are some things that might help a little 1.) swaddling, 2.)the foot ball hold with a sway (put the baby's head at the the bend of your elbow belly down on your fore arm crotch in your hand, pat his back as you sway..and this works best stripped down to a pamper), 3.) lay him down on a warm towel or hotwater bottle wrapped in a towel, belly down, 4.) get a baby swing that lays completely down that you can put him on his belly in it and set the speed on high, 5.) get a babysitter for a couple hours so you can have a break. None of these things work 100% all the time, they just make things a little more comfortable. But keep in mind that it won't last forever. Usually by 3 to 4 months it's gone just as mysteriously as it came.

i have heard that the DR. Browns' bottles really reduce colic. but also try swaddling him in a big blanket. i know they say swaddling is for new borns but if you wrap him up really snug in big soft blanket it might help...the pressure on his belly might soothe him...have you tried the enfamil nutramigen formula? it's very expensive but it's hypo allergenic and supposed to be the gentleist formula on the market. you could also try laying him on his belly across your lap and gently boucing him...it helped when my baby had belly aches.

Have they checked for acid reflux? If he's fussing around the same time every day/night and vomits - not just spits up - it could be reflux. Also, a friend of mine suggested "Gripe Water" instead of Mylacon. Look it up online, it's supposed to work wonders.
Good Luck and hang in there:(

First thing to do is to STOP!!!!!!!!

Take a deep slow breath in...then out.
Realize that you are NOT going to be a perfect mom and you will NOT do everything perfectly. Once you free yourself of this unrealistic expectation and allow yourself to be human the better you will be able to deal with your stress and your baby.

Try a lactose free formula...my second child was lactose intolerant and that caused his colic. When I switched him to a lactose free diet his colic calmed down.

Second realize that your baby may need more loving at this time but this too shall pass. My third child would not let me put him down for more then 10 minutes for the first YEAR of his life. Grown adults would shake in their shoes at the very THOUGHT of being left alone with him! I kid you not!!! Not even Dad could watch him because he screamed non-stop when I wasn't holding him. The record was 4 hours while my husband and I went to dinner and a movie and my best friend watched him.

Try to get someone to watch the baby and you go to the store or somewhere quiet to study for an hour or two and try to decompress...know that you are not doing anything wrong...you did not cause this...you can't stop it...for some babies it is something that they have to outgrow as their digestive system adjusts to functioning properly. It's a hard time for the two of you but it does get better. Someday...far in the future...you will be able to tell your colic nightmare story and you will be able to laugh...very far in the future...

Good Luck!!!

It looks as though you've gotten a lot of Mom's who've gone through the same thing! REMEMBER THAT - You're not alone!

My first baby was an easy baby - so when my second one came around, we were quite due for some long nights of all out crying, fussing and projectile spit ups! A BIG difference from the first! We tried everything - changed formulas about every 5 days, different bottles and even 'gripe water'. I was at my witts end! I was also going through Post Partum Depression, so you can only imagine what a wreck I was! Anyway!
What finally had made a difference was Nutramigen from Enfamil. It's quite expensive, but it worked. He still spit up quite a bit, but the fussyness subsided and he seemed to be a much happier baby. PLUS, we only had to us it for about a month to a month and a half. Then we were able to switch him to Enfamil AR for the spitting up. Now he's on just Enfamil Lipil and we feed him rice cereal before bed. Our Dr. believes since he was about two weeks early, his enzymes in his stomach just weren't fully ready for digestion. So, to help him be comfortable, Nutramigen (it's hypoallergenic) will take out anything that would cause any allergy or intolerance. Then, when his stomach can better break down and digest the food, we were able to switch!

I am sorry this was so long, but I hope it helps! Even if it is just to let you know that you aren't the only one to have to go through it!

Good luck!
L. O

I have heard of the video Ellie has mentioned and heard nothing but wonderful things. You can also read the book "Your Fussy Baby" by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. It talks about how to soothe your collicy baby.

I know milks have a ton to do with it, but what about the bottle. Have you tried bottles that are supposed to reduce amount of air intake. I know with my son we have been through almost every kind of bottle made and finally found one that works. Reduces spit up and also gas with belly aches. Seriously think about trying this also before you go with the automatic milk change.....A lot of Dr.'s just like to treat the problem and don't like to find the cause!!!! Hope this helps :)

Also like the other lady mentioned....reflux!!! My son is finally on Enfamil AR Lipil for babies with spit-up problems. Think about in us how heartburn hurts us....it does the same in babies!!! My son has actually been through surgery for acid reflux (GERD) and currently takes zantac to control the amount of acid. The Dr. said in the surgery that his esophogus was so red, inflamed, and irritated that he took a biopsy of it!!! It was from spitting up!!! Now at 5 months old he is doing much better....thanks a lot to the Zantac and Enfamil AR. We will find out tomorrow for sure when he returns for his check-up with ENT!!!

Try Dr. Browns bottles, you can get them at Toys R Us. Their a little more expensive than regular bottles, but their worth it. That's what we switched to when our son was having stomach troubles, and they helped. We still had to use gas drops every once in a while. There is no garauntee on anything that will help. Usually they have to just grow out of it. Usually after 3 months they clear up. Try putting him/her on the washer or dryer when its running if he's crying badly, that helped with my nephew. A ride in the car seat is good too. My son was "stopped up" I guess you could say. We took him to the doctor and they took xrays and his little tummy was full of stuff on one side (I still have a copy of the xray!!). Try a little bit of prune juice, but not too much. Just put about 1/2 an ounce to an ounce in his bottle then add water and see if he'll take that. Or you can try Karo Syrup. Add one spoon full to a full bottle and shake, that helped a little with our son. I hate to say it, but it may be something you have to wait out. Believe me I know how hard it is trying to keep the house, do school work and take care of him at the same time. Hope this helps, let us know how it all works out

Although I did not exeperience this with my daughter sy sister did with her children. She used Gripe Water and said it made a world of difference. We can buy it at the local grocery store. It's all natural and they say it helps with everything from gas to teething.

My daughter had the Milk protein allergy the first 6 months she was born and her doctor put her on Nutramigen. I would check with your doctor first before trying it. You could also try Lactose free formula also. The Nutramigen took my daughters colic away immediatly. It truely was a life saver. If soy is not working my guess is that your baby has the allergy. My daughter had it really bad with blood in her stool. If I were you I would call the doctor if you've tried everything else.

I can understand your situation. Once, I was through the same phase and nothing was helping to settle my colicky baby. A friend suggested babies magic tea and since the day I started this tea our baby became soothed.

Have you tried Alumentum? My Dr put my daughter on it because she had a milk protein sensitivity. It's a little expensive but worth it! They sell it in prepared bottles for about $8 so that would let you try it before droping $25 on a whole can of it!
Good luck to you!

Watch "The Happiest Baby on the Block" video and learn the 5 S's technique for soothing a colicy baby. It's like magic. It totally saved our lives those first 4 months. It's by Dr. Ben Karp who is a famous pediatrician. They sell it on line, at Baby's R Us and check it out through most decent public library's.

E.

C.,

I am a new mother with a 5 month old. The best advice I can give you is to stop trying to do everything right. It is impossible to do it all. Sounds like you need a break, maybe just letting someone watch the baby 1 night would help. I know it doesn't seem like much...but a break could rejuvenate you for a second round.

I hope it gets better!

C.!

Please, go out and get the book - 'The Happiest Baby in the World, calming crying infants and helping babies sleep longer' by Dr. Harvey Karp.

He's investigated cultures around the world that do not have colic at all in their babies and shows the methods the cultures use in order to keep it that way.

You can also look him up online for the quick tips on how to make it lesser or away at all. But read the book, too. We got it from a family member and our baby was never colicy after we employed the methods.

Good luck. Please e-mail me if you're having trouble.