Colick and Tummy Troubles

hey I had the same prblem with my son when he was born and the doctores told me the same thin but i went to a specialist and come to find he was lactose intolerant and my brest milke was to asitic for him my suggestion would be stope the brest milke buy enfomil lacto free and in a couple day youll see abig diffrence try that if you would like and let me know how it goes if thats indeed what it was.

I started with the formula the doctors and hospitals recommend with each one of my children. And each one of them had the same symptoms you describe. So I took them off Enfimal/Similac and put them on Isomil/Prosobee. And ta da! Gas started passing, tummies got softer, and everyone got some sleep. I know they will usually try everything before soy, but why? I switched them over myself just to try and see if it would make the difference. And it did. I still offered the clear kayro in water too. If you are on WIC most docs will write something for you that will allow you to get soy formula instead, if they still require a letter...
Laying them on my lap on their back, feet towards me, I would take their legs at the ankle and "jog" them up and down towards their bellies like they were running. That usually got the gas to pass. Best of luck and don't rule out soy formula.

My son had the same troubles and the doctors told me the same thing. I was not content with their opinion so I researched on my own and found that I had to find a formula with low iron. My son was getting too much but the doctor said it was normal. Despite it getting so bad there was blood in his diaper! Within a week of tring Gerber low iron formula, we saw a huge difference and it all together stopped after 2 weeks.

Hello from a mama of three! My last baby had colic. And I was in germany at the time. They suggested to drink fenal tea. Or you can get the essancial oil of fenal and place 1 drop on the front of the babies clothes.

I have gone through a course as a breastfeeding peer and found out some wonderful information! I would look in your area and see if you have a breastfeeding peer group. Or if you don't see if there is a 1-800 number for the La Leche league or something close. One thing I did learn is that there ARE WAYS to increase your milk flow. That way you do not have to do the formula. I personally would NOT give rice cereal until at least a few months older. Usually babies stomachs are not ready to digest it at young age. I also use homeopathic remedies for my son. You might want to see if there is a homeopathic in your area. We solved his colic in a week. (Plus I gave up chocolate and onions) But if you find the correct remedy it takes away the problem. I was able to introduce chocolate and onions back into my diet.

I tried malicon drops and it did not solve the problem at all.

H.

p.s. This is also my first formula baby. We switched due to life changes. He did awesome on formula, but my big BUT is that if the baby can not handle the formula it is hard to do.

Bless you and your husbands hearts! I feel your pain my daughter is now 4 but when she was little, my God. You are and have done just about everything we did and there was nothing that satisfied or helped her. Just have to wait it out with patience, you may cry with him, walk the floor, sing, or whatever you need to to get through it. It is rough, have you tried car rides? If he likes the car seat?=)Good luck and just know you aren't doing anything wrong
natashia

Have you tried different bottles??? I use Born Free and my boy does great with them. Also, you could look at your diet, some babies have allergies, could be milk, wheat, peanuts, etc. The way to determine what is bothering your baby, if he has an allergy, is to cut all possible allergens out for 2 weeks, then introduce them back into your diet one at a time. Wearing your baby is a good way to calm your baby while keeping your hands free, at The Red Hen in Carrboro the staff can help you try carries on. If you need any support with breastfeeding, or just support from other mothers, check out your local la leche league. Good Luck!!!

Wow, I really sympathize, that is tough!

I know Mylicon drops were a lifesaver for me, I put some in every bottle - but you are already trying that.

The other thing I know about is constipation can sometimes be an indication of Omega 3 deficiency, so maybe supplement with that in his bottle too or in his juice.

My friend is having a similiar problem. Document what you eat, everything that goes in your mouth! Talk to the dr. and let him see the list. My friend had to omit milk from her diet. Another friend of mine had a daughter with problems with gleutin. She is now on a gleutin free diet and it has done wonders. If he's gassy, lift him high on your shoulder, don't lay him down. If things don't improve, take him to a gastroenrolonogist (didn't spell that right) and make sure all is well. Good luck!!!!

FYI regarding the breast feeding. My milk slowed down so much that I had to supplement with formula for awhile. I did a half and half. If she was taking 4 ounces at a time I mixed 2 oz of breastmilk and 2 oz of formula together. It worked well and I also pumped nonstop for 6 months since she rejected the breast at 8 weeks. Try mixing the two and see if that helps.

I really dislike hearing the "breastfeeding ONLY" people. Fine if you can and want, but some women cannot produce enough NO MATTER WHAT. If you have to supplement with formula, then you have to supplement. No big deal. Guilt trips don't help anyone. Anyway, it sounds like he's sensitive to something you're eating or maybe the formula. 2 of my kids were sensitive to dairy, soy, and gluten. They couldn't break down the proteins. So that left pretty much nothing for me to eat when I was nursing, since I'm a vegetarian and wasn't about to start eating meat. If I'd eat a veggie burger, they'd shriek for hours. And I do mean shriek. They both ended up on Alimentum (which is REALLY expensive, but we got a prescription from our pediatrician which allowed us to get it through WIC). Try it. Nutraminagen is similar, just made by another company. A warning: it smells pretty nasty. Good luck!

T. E...

Get the DVD called the "happiest baby on the block"..it has how to soothe a fussy baby. swaddling, swinging in swing , sucking on passifier or your finger, soft background white noise in room while sleeping...like a fan! Also soft music works wonders and a dark room to sleep in. I really think the Enfamil is much better the lacto free kind to help stomach issues.

jen ###-###-#### if you need some more ideas.

Hi Tiffany,

I can't give you a whole lot of advice, but I can give you some light at the end of the tunnel kind of thing. For the first 13 weeks, my son cried and cried and screamed and screamed louder. There were nights he would sleep 4 hours at night, and then only 20 mins a few times a day. I was so exhausted. And, we also had my son back and forth to the doctor more times than I can count. And I went back to work at 6 weeks. I have no idea how I did it. But they do grow out of it. The stomach issues will make the colic worse, but IT IS NOT THE CAUSE OF COLIC!

I stress that because it is such an old wives tale. Colic is caused by a neurological issue. It's a stimulation issue. Basically (to make it simple) the baby's brain is developing faster than what the child's body can respond too. This causes an unsettled (again, to make it simple) in the baby's feelings and emotions. This is why babies who are colicy often turn out to be very bright, creative children.

My son is now 9 months old, and he is still a very high-tempered, high needs baby, and he has only slept through the night 3 times in his whole life. BUT, he is a very smart, creative, and advanced baby. Everything in his world needs to be explored. It is amazing to watch him. You get used to the lack of sleep, but the amount you get does increase over time.

One thing I caution, people have advised to get the Babywise book. From personal experience, this book does not work too well for colicy, high-needs babies. The book that helped me the most was The Happiest Baby on the Block, by Harvey Karp. I don't agree with everything in the book, but a good deal. It also gives you techniques to combat the colic..and what not to do. Also, Dr. William Sears has books on the high needs baby and child.

My only other suggestion is the type of formula. Have you ever tried Nestle Goodstart with comfort proteins?

Way to go on the breastfeeding. It is the best for your baby, I would say to start reducing the formula you give him, the more he suckles at your breast the more milk you will produce and will therefore not have as much trouble with low supply. Alot of times the stuff in formula just doesn't agree with babies. If you are having a lot of trouble with supply you can try pumping in addition to nursing, just to build up your production. I would also suggest attending a La Leche League meeting. They meeting here in Jacksonville the first Friday of the month. Check them out at http://www.lllusa.org/web/JacksonvilleNC.html. Good luck and just don't give up!

I experienced this with my first child, and it turned out to be a combination of things in our case. First, I was eating food that passed through my milk and gave him gas. I kept changing his formula, and giving him more "cures" and his body just didn't have time to respond. I would strongly recommend against giving him cereal or juice as that is difficult for such a small digestive system to breakdown.
I would suggest closely monitoring your diet and only eating bland foods for one week, while giving water (no juice) to help with the stool. During this week have no formula supplements if possible. This will help you pinpoint and rule out lactose intolerance or food intolerance from your milk.
If that doesn't have a positive effect, I would suggest the next week to go straight formula (I preferred Enfamil w/DHA as a supplement while breastfeeding with both my children. Similac and Isomil didn't digest easily with them and they were miserable.) while pumping/storing your breastmilk. It really helps to keep an itemized log of your diet while doing this so you know what is in your milk.
I hope this helps.

i'm sure your drs suggested all of that, but my drs never would have suggested giving rice cereal or juice to baby that young. have you tried adjusting your diet since you are breastfeeding? like cutting out dairy or other foods that may be making him gassy? there were things i could not eat because they would make my son gassy. if the supplementing formulas has helped, then that may be part of the cause.

also, mylicon only works right after or before eating. if it is colic, i've heard gripe water can help, but definitely check with a dr before that.

my friend had the same issues for a couple months with her son and it was colic. she lived though!!! you can do it!!!!!!!!!! i know it's tough, but you can do it!

We loved our baby hammock. Have you tried chiropractic or cranial sacral therapy? I've heard great stories about these working.

Hello! I had similar problems with my son, and he was tested for EVERYTHING! It turned out that he had a milk allergy. Is your baby vomiting at all? Try laying off of dairy products for a week or so and see if that helps, because as you know, everything you eat, he eats. Even if he's not allergic to milk, he may be lactose intolerant. Hope this helps! :0)

I feel like you are bombarding his little body with too many solutions at once and that they are all trying to work on his very sensitive system at once. Can you imagine trying to do all these things to your body at once? I'm not being negative I'm just saying maybe you need to ease off on all the solutions. He's only 9 weeks into this world and his body is still trying to get use to life outside the womb. Realize that all the new things you have already given him are totally foreign to his new and developing system. It's normal for newborns to be fussy and irritable in the first few weeks. STOP all the remedies your trying and do a lot of cuddling and dealing cause I promise you things will get better. As far as the second opinion I think you are wasting your money cause any credible pediatrican will probably tell you the same things as the first one......I am telling you this with great experience in this myself......Infants need a little time to work out their bodies and its sometimes discerning for the parents.

My son was colicky. I feel your pain and exhaustion. I hope you are finding help, because I didn't have any. You need a break to prevent yourself from going crazy. Things finally got better for me after seeing a pediatric gastroenterologist and my son received a better prescription for upset stomach. He was 6 months old before his extreme colic stopped.

Oh, gosh. How exhausting! You must be so overwhelmed. It's just the worst thing in the world to have a miserable baby and no way to fix it. Doesn't it just break your heart? I know how desperate you must be feeling right now. :-(

In all honesty, most of these problems sound like poorly tolerated formula. Have you considered increasing your supply to be able to exclusively nurse? In nearly 5 years of working as a breastfeeding professional, I've only ever had one mother who could not (with the right tools and support) get her supply up to meet the baby's demand. I would be happy to help you do this. We could even talk on the phone, if you'd like. My heart breaks for your pained baby and his exhausted mother!

By all means, you should not feel pressured to exclusively breastfeed if you don't want to. I just wanted to let you know that (while overtired fussiness or cluster nursing is common in the evening for babies fed anything) most of the big gut issues you're struggling with are things virtually unheard of in exclusively breastfed babies. In fact, the clinical reference for medical professionals, The Breastfeeding Answer Book, says that exclusively breastfed babies simply do no get constipation. (Though they may go up to week between soft, plentiful bowel movements.)

Alternatively, you could try a truly dairy free formula (soy formula has diary protein in it, so you'd have to go with the very expensive actual hypo-allergic formulas, like Nutrimigen). If you're considering the dairy free route, however, you may want to also have dairy free breastmilk. It takes many days to weeks for the dairy to get out of your system, though. You can learn about breastfeeding and food sensitivities here:
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html

I also highly recommend The Fussy Baby Book. You can get it at Barnes and Noble, the Library, or online (LLL groups usually have it in their free libraries, too). It's SUCH a must have book for a mom of a colicky baby. The best thing it does is really help you understand that this is NOT. YOUR. FAULT.

This link is a really great place to start
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/T051200.asp

Here is one more;
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

You are a good, capable, caring mother. You know your baby better than anyone. Your baby is lucky that you are fighting to resolve this and there for him as he struggles, until then. One day at a time, Momma. For better or for worse, you'll never have these days again. :-)

Hello T.,

My name is Rebecca, I had two boys the first with the same problem and later in years worked for pediatricians for 3 years.

Let me first begin with how much I empathize with your problem. I never had much sleep with my first baby. Answer this question to yourself, "where you nervous or in high gear during your pregnancy? Are you a type A personality?

I was very highstrung and was having a hard time during the pregnancy therefore Joshua did. He also suffered from colic but, in actualitie it was the formulas he was allergic to. He needed soy formula instead that seemed to quite down his tummy. Also using a heating blanket wrapped twice with thick towels to keep baby from burning itself and of course never unsuprvised and never in the crib. But when you can use the heating pad for some reason the heated pad makes the gas move.

I hope some of this works. I would first try switching his formula and go from there.

Good Luck. Good Bless

My goodness!! You have tried a lot, a lot of which I'm not sure is ok for a 9 week old!! (Rice cereal, Kayro syrup!!!) Did your pediatrician suggest all that? I would suggest that you could try a couple of simple things that don't require giving your child anything to digest. Babies digestion system are still developing and giving a baby rice cereal is highly not suggested until they are between 4-6 months old according to the American Pediatric Association.

Instead, try "wearing"him in a sling. There are several on the market that range in price and style, pick one you think will fit you and him. Dr. Sears recommends one that is easy to use and I also like the Baby Bjorn one. They can be a bit pricey, but are well work the support you get, especially when he gets bigger. Also try a white noise machine or some calming rhythmic music or motion that might help calm him. Driving around in the car (despite the price of gas) also helps with getting them to sleep.

Look into La Leche League and ask the leaders for some advice, despite what you are trying, maybe you're not supplying enough milk for him. Try pumping while he is nursing on one side or pumping in between feedings to increase your supply. Supplementing may be necessary, but also pump while he is having formula, supply and demand is important here. If he is getting his nutrients from a bottle, your supply is not needed and may decrease. Babies do like to "cluster feed", my daughter and son both during grow spurts would want to nurse every hour or so. All of which is normal.

Swaddle him at night and through out the day too, babies (usually) love being held close and tight. The mylacon drops are good, but they may make your baby constipated.

Keeping a consistent routine every night will help with some of the fussiness too. Massaging is a great way too to help calm your little one too. There are several books out there you can read or get from the library on the proper way to massage, especially for fussy ones.

I hope I was able to help you, check the web for lots of baby webpages that can provide information about fussy babies and what to do.

Good Luck
A.

My youngest daughter would scream her head off from 5:00 until she went to bed when she was about 6 weeks old until almost 3 months old. I thought I would go crazy, but I realized that she was crying whether or not I was holding her. (She was fed, burped, diaper changed, played with, etc.) She just wasn't happy. I just had to let her cry it out. I had a two-year-old at the time and I couldn't ignore her bedtime to handle a fussy baby. I feel that it is OK to leave the baby by itself for a little while. If you are going crazy, put the baby in its crib or a safe place and leave the room for a little while. (once you are sure that you have met the baby's needs) It is difficult to leave a baby crying, but if you can't console the baby, you are not the answer either.

I always read to my 2-year-old and I didn't want to stop doing that just because I had a new baby. I felt that my 2-year-old would remember her mother not reading to her, but that my baby would not remember being left in her crib for 20 minutes to cry.

The crying eventually stopped and she is a very happy 3-year-old now. She loves me more than anything and I love her so much (despite all of the crying - LOL).

When we started on milk, I realized that she is somewhat lactose-intolerant. I think that may have had something to do with all of the fussiness.

Hang in there. They usually start settling into a routine at around 3 months of age. The smiles start and it makes everything worth it. Don't worry to much. Try to enjoy your little fuss-pot! Best of luck!

We have been through this with all 3 children as well. A couple things that have helped immensely have been to remove corn from the diet (mine, and making sure it's out of hers too)--it is way more inflammatory than most people realize--and using a moby wrap. It is very comfortable to wear for longer periods and can keep the baby upright and snug, almost like swaddling.

Clara had colick. It was a rough 3 months. She would cry and tighten up, and I tried the same thing. Mylicon drops did not work. The only thing that worked was patience and time. I lost a lot of sleep.Try pumping to keep your milk up and cut out the formula if you feel like you can do that. They handle supplementing better at around 5 or 6 months. Clara outgrew it at about 10 weeks. Other friends said it can take up to 6 months. The swing and the sling were my friends. The sling they can ball up, unlike the carriers and it seems to be more comfortable due to the tummy issues. Clara is 5 and still has trouble with constipation. Rather than oral medication, I would give her a glycerin enema if she got really backed up as a baby. Now we control it will her diet and miralax fiber supplement if she gets too backed up. Ultimately you and your doctor figure it out. The only thing that worked for me was comfort until her tummy sorted itself out. Lots of nursing. At 10 weeks it was like a miracle happened. She passed gas, smiled and that was the end of it.Good luck. It is rough even when you don't have a colicky baby. Make sure you are letting someone help every once in a while, and letting you take a nap. You need to sleep too, or it will be a lot harder for both of you.

As a mom of 3 and a PP doula/lactation consultant, and former peds nurse, I have both professional and personal views here....LOL...I have to STRONGLY agree with the idea of going back to exclusively BF if at all possible, and with the possibility that overloading baby's system with "solutions" is only preventing his body from learning to adjust to outside-the-womb feedings. I also personally and intuitively do not like the use of H2 blockers (zantac, prilosec, etc) in a child with what could be kind of a "slow gut", which we call decreased motility. I have seen reglan work wonders however, as it works in a completely different manner. I wonder sometimes if the acid that is blocked by such drugs is necessary for proper digestion.(these are my personal opinions, which the docs I work with would probably disagree/ridicule) Also personally I had better results with a product called "Tummy Soother" i think...it's in a light green bottle. I bought it at Walgreens. From a medical standpoint, 1)babies don't need to have a BM everyday, 2)continued problems past ~6wks should be evaluated by a specialist (IM<professional>O) 3)you should consult a lactation specialist if you would like to BF exclusively, who can help you determine if your supply is truly too low. (Reglan can be used to boost that too, as well as the herb Fenugreek) Feel free to PM me if I can be of any help to you.

My son was the same way. He would projectile vomit every feeding. The Dr. put him on Zantac twice a day and Reglin twice a day and that seemed to help. I quit nursing him and he was put on Isomil soy. That seemed to help. As far as the bowl movements, he had to be stretched two times before his BM's became regular. Yes his rectum stretched. After he was 3 months old, all the symptoms were gone and he was a new child. Hope this info helps. I have two kids 8 year old girl and my son will be 3 in March.

When he starts teething, use Hyland teething tabs they are all natural and will not hurt baby. They are lifesavers!!!! They sell them at Walmart.

Melissa

My son is now 4 months old. We went through all of the same thing you have. Unfortunately I never produced enough milk to nurse, so we have played the formula game. We have found that he seems to be allergic to milk. After switching from regular enfamil to gentle-ease and then to nutramigen (hypo-allergenic) we saw a huge difference in his temperment. He really cried his first 2 months, if he wasn't eating or sleeping. He is so much better now. Talk to you dr. about allergies. Nursing you can also control what you eat and see if that makes a difference. Try avoiding the high allergen foods like milk, soy, and wheat. Hope this helps.

Hey I agree with the last response. I am mom of 3. ages 4, 3, and 1. Yes Im busy and pretty much an expert with how the Dr. thing works. The more you take them to the Dr. they'll finally cave in and give them something. All of my kids went through the same thing. and with my Mom in-law's advice, I switched to Prosobee Lipil. No more problems. You are giving the baby too much stuff now that could be worsening his condition. I WOULD NOT give him Zantac unless he had really bad reflux. (My daughter used to spit across the room. We started rice at 2wks and Zantac at about 2mos. She used it for 4mos it helped but did not solve the problem. It was solved once she was old enough to eat solids at 5-6 mos old!) So I would try switching the formula 1st (Give it a few days to work). Ease off on the meds, juices, karo etc and see how he responds to the formula. If needed add back slowly. If no change then what use are they anyway??? Your baby's body is learning to work. Also the cereal could be constipating him. Why stop him up just to give him stuff to relieve it?Lets not confuse by overloading his system. Oh yea I'm sure there are some natural cures for colic as well. If you would like you can e-mail me at ____@____.com

My daughter is now 17 months old and we dealt wtih acid reflux up until her first b-day. A couple things I would say is try Miralax in his bottle. It is a stool softener, maybe a laxative, not sure now. Of course ask your doctor first but it is now over the counter as of a few months ago, no prescription needed. Of course the dosing is way different for a baby so definitely ask your dr.

Second, my daughter was worse with the Zantac. Mainly because it has alcohol in it which will causes the reflux to sort of flare up so to say. They switched her to Axid and it was like a miracle had been performed.

Good Luck!

Hi! When my daughter was young (she's 17 1/2), I was stationed in Germany and they have a thing called Bebe tea. (baby tea). Anyway, it's the same thing as our Sleepy Time tea that can be found at WalMart or such. Get the mint or mint medley. It's all natural, no caffeine, no additives. Talk to your doctor first if you like.

My daughter had a lot of gas problems and digestive issues and crying and not sleeping, etc. I also have a 2 1/2 year old son that had the same problems.

You make a cup of the tea just as if you were going to drink it, sweetened. Put 1/2 in the bottle and then dilute with water (the other 1/2 bottle). Give them sips throughout the day/night or as they'll drink it. The mint really aids with digestion, indigestion, gas, colic, etc. You will be amazed. Try it for a week and see how it goes. Hope this helps!

Hi T.,
I am a mom of 2 and a health care provider. Just a word of caution, I would not recommend Milk of Magnesia for an infant for long periods of time or any time. If your baby has been fussy and not feeding well, consider trying an elemental formula like Alimentum or Nutramigen. They are easily digested and less likely to cause constipation and a upset stomach. If zantac has not been enough for reflux symptoms, then your pediatrician could prescribe prilosec in place of zantac or in addition to it. Babies canbe fussy and they canbe challenging in the first 3 months, but make sure there is not any other reason(s).

Breastmilk alone is the easiest thing for babies to digest.Formula even if it is sensitive is hard for infants to digest. The best thing I have found is to make sure your baby is burped properly. You may have to burp him several timees during his feeding. Feed him some and then burp him and feed him agian and then burp him again. Sometimes the baby is going to cry, it will get better with time. Also he is a bit young to be eating baby cereal but that is a personal choice you have to make. I have a 2 year old daughter and a 5 week old son. You are welcome to send me a personal message if you have nymore specific questions
Jackie

T.,

Sounds like my first son (he's 9 years old now). I would encourage you to try to find a way to boost your own milk supply at it is so much easier to digest than formula... Talk to a local La Leche League leader about how to do this. If your supply is low - also think about what you are putting into your body - with my first, I too had to supplement because I took antihistamines not knowing that they dry up a mother's milk. Doctors know amazingly little about breast feeding, so again, La Leche League or a Lactation Consultant would be better versed in the subject.

My first also has a lot of sensory integration issues (and has since birth, though I didn't know that until he was about 4 and got found some other people with similar issues). The child came out screaming and didn't stop until he was two... It was awful and I'm not sure how I ever had another baby after how challenging he was. He was this cute little bundle who I just couldn't get to be happy. The only place he would sleep from about 2 months to about 6 months was on my chest, on his belly... I was deliriously happy when he would finally lay in his own bed!

My 2nd and 3rd children didn't have any of the same issues. There was some constipation when I introduced solids to them at 4-6 months. They really were happy little babies. The ONLY thing I did differently was refuse to supplement until their little digestive systems were ready. My 2nd had daily BMs, my 3rd had every 3rd day BMs for the first 6 months. They weren't terribly gassy (unless I ate broccoli, too much dairy, or too much red meat).

I honestly think most of my problem with number one was probably my diet combined with his sensory issues... I think if I had cut out dyes and dairy (and not taken antihistamines), he would have not been as fussy. He still has a reaction to some dyes and dairy foods.

Steph S. Homeschool Mom to almost 4 kids... (Due in May)

Hang in there, been there too!! Read the book On Becoming Baby Wise. It will help you get your baby on schedule, but it will not make it all better, just time will!! Take a deep breath and know that this too shall pass and he'll be okay.

I have a 13 mo old son who had the same problems plus other medical issues. Currently I am trying to get him into seeing a specialist. The only thing I can think of to tell you is to keep being persistant with the doctors and keep your head up. I know it is stressful when you cant do anything to help him. Good luck with it all and just be patient with it.

WOW! You sound like you are a very informed parent and are trying everything. Unfortunately, I don't have any advice that isn't listed above other than..... my daughter was similar (she's 2 now) until about age 3 months old. She was on gripe water, Zantac, etc....-- I did not breastfeed-- she was totally formula-- I changed to soy and that helped as well--- but we just had to ride it out. Unfortunately, at the time, my husband traveled for work and was not home much during the week and I had a toddler in addition to her-- so I got a "Mama' helper"-- a young teenager in the neighborhood that came from 5-8pm every night and helped me with the kids during this time. Hopefully it will get better soon-- I wish you luck.

Dear T.,

You did not mention if the doctors performed any diagnostics. I would suggest asking for an Gastro intestinal scan to see if a)an intestinal blockage is present or b)gastroesophageal reflux is the problem. My 9 week old son has B. We have all but solved his problems with so-called 'lifestyle choices'. This means we feed him upright (at a 30% angle or more). We keep him upright after sleeping for at least 30 minutes. We have sleep wedge in his cradle to keep him at an angle sleeping. We do smaller, more frequent feeds and interrupt for more frequent, mid-feed burps. We also do baby massage for tummy problems. Gently raise one knee to the chest, then the other, then the first one. Repeat. Then raise both at the same time, then back down. Then gently lay your hand on the tummy on the left side and more your flat hand in a clockwise circle around the tummy (direction of intestinal path).

We stopped zantac and special formula on the first week, and he has gained 5 pounds in 9 weeks and sleeps 7 hours at night.

Try the above stuff, but don't settle for a colic diagnosis, as this is a blanket term and often means a physical problem like the two I mentioned.

Hi T.,
Boy, I have been right in your shoes. My son had extreme colic where he cried ALL day long- hour upon hour. I had the opposite problem as you though. I was breastfeeding and had a horrible oversupply problem that caused him to be gassy, green stools, etc. I started supplementing him on formula around 6 weeks in an attempt to regulate my supply. It didn't matter... the colic continued. We tried it all- the gas drops, gripe water- nothing made a difference. He eventually outgrew it around 16 weeks. I know that this does not help your plight very much right now, but just know that it WILL get better. With him being 9 weeks, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!
Let me just add that NO ONE knows what causes colic- there are many theories. Many people assume that it is intestinal/stomach problems, but I know this was not the completely the case with my son. He is 17 mos and still is a high-need baby. Breastfeeding may help with colic, however, this too is just another theory. The only cure with colic is TIME!
If you suspect it is tummy woes, I have heard that probiotics help in some cases, so I would ask your pediatrician about this. Also, I found that ready-to-use formulas were much better with my son's stools. They are mixed perfectly and for some reason just made his stools more normal. Ready-to-use is more expensive, but to me it was worth it in the end.
As for the crying, we found that white noise was a lifesaver. For us, it was the fuzz/static from the TV in combination with a cradle swing (side-to-side kind) turned on the highest setting. Constant motion is a must for colicky babies. We would put the fuzz on surround sound and would turn it up until he stopped crying. Then we would ease the volume back down. Like magic, he would drift off to sleep.
Try everything until you find something that works. There is a site called www.colicsupport.com with message boards where you can get advice or just vent.
Good luck and hang in there!

Hi T.. I feel for you. My son wasn't colicky and I was a total wreck anyway. I think you're doing a great job taking him to doctors, getting second opinions, and trying everything you can. I have also heard that there are ways to hold a colicky baby that could help relieve some of the discomfort. It isn't a cure, but it might help a little. Here is the website that I found, but maybe other parents would know what would work best. http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_hold-colicky-baby.html
I know this sometimes doesn't help to hear, but it will get better. (I used to want an actual date to shoot for.) I hear that colic eases at 3 months. I know you'll make it! Good luck!

T.,

My little girl went through this and the only formula we could find that would settle her down was Nestle Good Start.

I hope things get better soon.

Hi T., My daughter was the same way. I tried everything that you are doing now. She was lactose intolerant. She started drinking Soy milk and that helped alot. Good Luck!! Tami

T.,
Try soy formula - we used Enfamil. My daughter had a lot of digestive problems that the doctors couldn't figure out for the first six months. We tried everything, even lactose testing. They tried putting her on the zantac, too - and that didn't work too well either. However, as soon as we tried soy formula everything got better for her. Good luck!

I have not had a colicky baby, but i do have friends that testify regular visits to a chiropractor did miracles for their child diagnosed with colick. I say anything is worth a shot, just make sure you get an experienced chiropractor that has worked with children/babies before.

My little boy had tummy trouble also. I ended up watching what I ate and that helped a lot! I would drink mostly water and nothing else plus I stayed away from foods that would cause a lot of gas. I am a first time mom also and I am 32. I hope your baby feels better soon. My Brody will be 6 months on Feb 6th and he has no tummy trouble now!!!!
Michelle

T.:

tightly wrap your baby in a receiving blanket; keep his/her feet and hands warm - if you hold her/him while you have her/him wrapped or gently turn on stomach and pat back. my neice took her little boy and girl and placed them on her arm with their face laying in her hand and their little legs hanging over her arm near her elbow (know how I mean?) you will be surprised how much that helps them. they looked like they were clinging to her arm since they were on their stomachs with their legs and arms wrapped around her arm. They cried often because they were premature and very small. It helped greatly - give it a try can't hurt!

S.

Hi, My DS was very similiar. I didn't sleep for 6 months(not to scare you) I just couldn't use CIO methods until then. He only slept in 45 minute increments and that was on my chest. I tried every no cry sleep solution possible. Things improved after 3-4 months. He was diagnosed the same. Zantac twice a day until that seemed to not do any good and then moved to Prilosec & Reglin around 4 or 5 months. The only difference is that he didn't have bowel movement problems. I EBF because I refused to use formula. Stubborn I guess. I didn't have that super supply of some of my friends, but I pumped while I was feeding him. I had a really helpful lactation consultant. His reflux was not the projectile vomit kind. He would feed and then pull off. On and off the breast all the time. Smaller feedings more often worked for him. Every 1.5 to 2 hours. Not knowing your full circumstances, I would say don't listen to the just give it time diagnosis. Is it really acid reflux or just this colic idea? I'm still not sure but I could never ask them to run the tube down the throat either. ???? I wish I could impart more wisdom having been there, done that. Some books that helped me are "Happiest Baby on the Block", and "Colic Solved". Hope this helps in some way. :) Oh, by the way, if it is truly acid reflux, breastfeeding is the best thing you can do because our milk digests much faster than any formula.

I was wonderin what kind of formula you are on? My daughter is on nutramigen. Also people at the Breast Feeding is Best program told me to lay off of all dariry products and thaat help my daughter alot!!

My second son was very similar to your son. He cried a lot and seemed to be in pain. I, too, did the Mylacon (FYI, the Target brand is the exact same stuff and much less expensive) and the gripe water. I was breastfeeding and after almost 4 months of him crying, I quit breastfeeding him (but continued to pump and freeze) just to see if that was what the problem was - I didn't know if it was what I was eating or not. Before stopping, I gradually cut things out of my diet to see if it made a difference. The first thing I cut out was dairy, then whole grains. In the end, he did so much better just on formula (I used Similac Sensitive, too) so I quit pumping. At week 13, the crying stopped (was it just time and the colic behavior stopped? or was it because he wasn't breastfeeding anymore, who knows?) and a happy baby emerged. I loved breastfeeding and loved that time with my baby (I breastfeed my first son for 10 months), but I had to think of him and my mental health. Hope this helps.

A lactation consultant might be a big help. Just to make sure that he's getting enough (you mentioned running low and supplementing) when he is nursing. He also could be gulping when nursing causing more air in the tummy, (my oldest did this)

I have two boys who both had Colic. We tried everything. I breast fed both boys and was told to give up dairy completely. With my first son, I gave up dairy for a week with no results. His colic lasted 12 weeks at which time it gradually went away. The pediatrician suggested that I give up all dairy again with my second son. After researching online, I learned that sometimes you have to remove dairy from your diet for up to two weeks before improvements are seen. With my second child, this was the case and after 2 weeks with no dairy, it was like someone flipped a switch and I had a happy baby for the first time, ever. I breast fed for 6 months and gradually started adding dairy back in after the 4th month and it worked out great.
Good Luck! I know how hard and frustrating it can be to have a colicky little one.

I have a child with many medical issues. I have had my share of puzzles when figuring out her digestive issues. I can only provide suggestions in hopes you find a new lead. Reflux is a possibility and Zantac may not be the proper med; however, the symptoms will make themselves apparent and do not keep your child on the medicine if not needed. Also, typically developing children usually outgrow this problem. For constipation we had allergy testing done for milk and soy with no positive results. After visiting Peds GI in UNC we consulted a GI at John Hopkins. He acted as though the issue was easy to solve and we have been successful for 6 months now. We used an OTC laxative by Fleet (used before colonoscipy) to clean out her system entirely. We fasted her for 24 hours with only clear liquids or jello/popsicles until the elimination was pretty clear. If it is not pretty clear after 24 go 36 but that is it. Administer the laxative every twelve hours, so either 2 or 3 times depending on length of fast. Skip a day then begin Miralax. Get a prescription from your pediatrician to save some serious money. Give the miralax 1 time a day WITHOUT FAIL. Start with a full dose and then adjust accordingly. Feel free to email me with additional questions as it is too much to write all out. Good LUck!

Two things to note. One is look into a Miracle Blanket....it worked wonders for us. Tons different than any other swadle blanket out there. Call whole foods and ask about Boiron's colic homeopathic med. I cannot remember the actual name, but the box is white and has a koala bear on it. Usually, colic eases up around 3 months. So hopefully you are almost there. Good Luck!!
You can also try having him sleep in a bouncy or an infant carrier if you have one.