How Do I Know If My Son Has Colic or If It's Just a Growth Spurt? PLEASE HELP

Sounds like colic to me. I too had one with colic, cried so much the first 3 months. It brought tired me to tears at times, too! What worked best for us to bring on sleep, calming and/or quiet was riding in the car, swinging in a baby swing, or..this one will sound weird but it always worked..turning on the vacuum cleaner! I guess something about the sound of the motor was soothing.

If possible, get as much rest as you can. The colicky crying is so much more stressful on you if you are tired. Also, is there someone who can come give you a break, even if only for a 15 minute walk in the neighborhood. Also, be sure to tell your pediatrician. I promise the dr. has heard it all and can give suggestions for you to try.

I know it seems like this stage will never end but I promise it will! You can do this, hang in there!

Hi - like JC, I would need to know how old your son is. I did have a baby with colic, but this was when he was an infant. In the end, we figured some stuff out.
I also had periods of a week or two where my kids all were fussy in the evenings. That passed.

What are the 5 S's? Mine are a bit older so I might be out of touch :)

ETA: Thanks for the added info. Ok, now remember the 5 s's! That takes me back.

My first born had colic. We tried everything - those gas drops, me making sure I wasn't eating anything that would make him possibly gassy (I breastfed), etc.

I did not have a bouncy seat that vibrated for him. With my others, it was a lifesaver. I used to walk him in his stroller, and at night my husband would walk him in his car seat (swinging it up and down our hallway), we'd go for drives, etc. He liked the sound of running water (it would soothe him) so if nothing else, I'd run the tub. It was very hard. I remember.

I went and had him completely checked out to make sure it wasn't anything physical. She told me about a book where you had a system, wake, feed, play, nap - and said he'd do better on a strict routine. In a way it worked, but I felt chained to the clock, being rested helped him from getting fussy, but he wouldn't sleep at night because he was sleeping so much during the day. So - it was one or the other. In the end, I biffed the book and just did what felt right.

The only thing looking back that we didn't really know about was our son had bad ears - fluid in them. He ended up needing tubes. I've always wondered if the excess fluid was bugging him at that very young age. Just something to consider.

My best suggestion would be to get help for you (someone to take him) because you will feel emotionally drained. It's ok to take a break if you absolutely have to. A few times I had to put him in his crib and he cried while I took a few minutes to myself. I felt terrible doing it, but I felt I had no choice. Bouncy vibrating seats and swings are a must. Some like carrying them in a snugli.

It will go away - just when I thought motherhood was for the birds, it got easier. It's not you - it just happens to some babies.

Probably normal.

It's always a good idea with newborns to talk to your ped, just to make sure and to rule out any possible problems. I would just give a call and tell the nurse your concerns. They usually have a series of questions to ask to rule things out.

Other than that, you could try a bouncy seat or a swing. My boys loved the swing.

The first few months are really hard. It really does get easier when baby gets more used to being outside the womb.

Has the doctor witnessed this? Is the baby's tummy hard like a rock, in knots?

If the doctor tells you that there is no danger, try wearing the baby in a sling or something like it and walk around or sit with him. And more than anything, relax and don't be stressed. Your baby can feel your stress and nervousness and that can make him cry even more.

If indeed this is colic, you need a break and you can put him down and walk away. It's okay. You need to take care of yourself too...

Does he show any signs of discomfort? For example, is he gassy? Does he spit up a lot? One of mine cried a lot until I figured out that he was intolerant to cow's milk. I was nursing, and I once I went dairy-free in my diet, he was a happy baby.

One of mine cried a lot because he had reflux. There wasn't much I could do about it until he grew out of it.

I hope you can find his trigger. Good luck.

growth spurts are really nothing like colic.
it sounds as if your little fellow is going through a fussy phase.
if you are really concerned, your pediatrician should check him out.
but from what you write here, it's a newborn going through a grouch, and an exhausted stressed new mom.
have your husband take the fussy fellow (fed and dry) for a drive so you can get some sleep without hearing the crying.
khairete
S.

I know how frustrated you are. Mine had such a hard time and that was years ago when we were just told to ride it out. I have never been as tired as I was during those days.

Rule out anything major, rule out reflux & gas, talk to the pediatrician or nurse about gripe water, let them show you how to fold the legs up to the chest to help relieve the pressure and move those gas bubbles along (can't hurt even if there's no gas), baby massage, etc.

Car rides and stroller walks are good, so is white noise (vacuum cleaner, air/allergy filter, etc. but don't use a fan unless it's pointed away from him because the air bothers them), and we had a teddy bear with a heartbeat sound - all helpful to provide constancy and drown out extraneous noises when a baby can't calm down.

And hire a mother's helper if you can just to give yourself a break! Sometimes there's just stuff going on that you can't fix. You're not a bad mom if you take care of YOU sometimes! It's frustrating but it's a lesson in parenthood that you'll use for the next 18 years in one way or another!

you could have a chat with the pedi. just to make sure everythings ok with him and baby s not suffering from reflux or something else.

What you're describing doesn't sound like colic to me.
To me - colic is non stop long haul inconsolable crying -for much of the day and it goes on for weeks- and you get so stressed when nothing works to help ease it that you're crying yourself.
My Mom tells me I cried non stop for the first 6 MONTHS of my life.
And then I was over it.
Kids will cry sometimes just cause they are bored - this usually doesn't last long.
Your child sounds fine and normal to me - and you're doing great!

Call the nurse at your Pediatrician's office for advice.. it could be nothing or they may want you to bring him in.. I relied on no one else for this kind of thing except my sons pediatrician when he was so young.. he also was my only..

How old is your son? If he is old enough to play then I don't think it is normal to sleep all day. If he is still under 10 weeks old...then that's what they do, eat and sleep.

Growth spurts don't make a baby cry. Upset tummy or something wrong does make the baby cry.

Try some simethicone drops before he eats and see if it helps.

What has your pediatrician said?