Mamas with "spirited" babes, help!

[bonjourmama]

So, I need some suggestions.

DD is 6 months old. Everyone kept telling me, oh wait until she is 4, 5, 6, months old and she will be done with "colic". I am sad to report that she is still as unhappy as ever. When she cried she sounds like a big girl, not a baby. She will scream and scream for hours. She doesn't really like to cuddle  But I still hold her, wear her, etc, while she is upset.

I need some suggestions about what you do when you little one has a break down and you feel like you might just do the same thing (if it affects you like it does me). Do you leave? Do you walk? Do you sing? Dance? WHAT???

I am a bit overwhelmed and need some suggestions. It is really taking a toll on me.

[Calliope84]

My DD is 8 weeks and I've really helped her "colic". I am BFing, and I discovered she was allergic to dairy and soy so I cut it out of my diet. Some of the colic continued so now I've cut out spicy stuff and onion and garlic, too, to try it out. Two nights ago, I started immediately wearing her and entertaining her or letting her nap while wearing her as soon as she started getting fussy (around 5:30-6pm.) It is tiring, but better than her screaming. She usually starts crying / fussing around 6pm and is hysterical from 9-11:30. I fed her constantly... every 1/2 hour to hour until bed time. She seemed to want to and it comforted her. Both nights, she did not cry, except a little when DH changed her and I had to get ready for bed. She was asleep by 9:45 last night. We will see if this works again, tonight.

Have you ruled out reflux and all food allergies? I read this book called Colic Solved and while the author annoyed me, he stated he believed most cases of "colic" end up being dairy allergies and /or reflux.

[sublimeliving]

My dd is seven years old, and for the first year of her life she cried. I just found out that she is allergic to soy; which is in practically everything. I breastfed too, and wish I'd known. It is so severe, that she can't have soy lecithin (in almost all chocolate/gum) or anything that was made in a facility that produces products using soy. I hope this helps. : )

[gradstudentmommy]

Are you sure your baby isn't hurting?  I would look into food intolerances and silent reflux (if your baby doesn't spit up much).  I didn't realize my baby had reflux at first because he never spit up. I didn't realize you could have reflux and just keep swallowing it instead of spitting it up. My baby is also sensitive to all dairy and soy in my diet. He is sooo much happier when I avoid these.

I'm not saying your baby has reflux or food intolerances but if my baby was screaming throughout the day, I'd be investigating all of the possible causes and reflux and dairy and/or soy protein allergy are very common reasons for unexplained crying/screaming.

I second the "Colic Solved" book.

Before my baby's reflux was under control, I did have to take occasional breaks for my sanity. I would put him in the bouncy seat and take a shower or just lay him in his co-sleeper for a few minutes with his mobile on. I hated to let him cry but I was getting sooo exhausted and even just a 3-5 minute break made a huge difference in my ability to cope. It's extremely difficult to listen to your baby cry, especially if they don't want to be cuddled. It's torture like no other.

I hope you can track down the cause of the crying. It's so hard. Hugs.