Colic?

[ladybugamber]

anyone think their baby has colic? I read that you can tell if your child has colic by the 33 rule.... cries for 3 hours a night for 3 weeks... for no reason really at all... nothing seems to help him... I swaddle him.. rub his tummy... do the bicycle... nurse him... but he still cries...

I'll be honest... It is finally getting to me... I feel like I'm loosing my mind... I have a 16 month old also and its finally getting to the point where I feel like I'm not being a good mother to my older son because I'm having to take care of this new little one... My husband works 3rd shift so I'm at home alone during "colic hour"

Any suggestions??

[Hippiemommie]

I've read infant probiotics can help

[QuestionGal]

try the 5 S's... Dr Harvey Karp, Happiest Baby... there's a DVD that explains the specifics QUICKLY.

Other than that... I'm sorry you're having to deal with it.

[HarperRose]

chiropractor.

[cherubess]

We lived through this as well just two years ago but our baby was our firstborn. Cycling did nothing to ease his discomfort.

I used to lay my DS tummy down on the inside of my forearm so that his tummy would rest on my forearm and carry him around that way.

It gave him relief for the most part.

sorry this is happening to you and your baby.

[HeatherB]

I'm totally with Dr. Sears on the idea that "colic" is simply a catch-all term for baby pain of an unidentified source. The key here is there is a source, and if you can find out what it is, you can help ease the pain.

My first DS screamed for hours and hours on end. It was terrible! Sometime in the evening I'd start dreading nursing him, because I knew he'd be arching his back, pulling away, and screaming inconsolably. I lost many nights of sleep thanks to his crying and inability to sleep. I finally dug up enough information that at 9 weeks of age, I called the pediatrician and told him my baby had reflux. It was "silent reflux," and he didn't spit up constantly. However, I could hear the refluxing into his throat quite often, and if he did spit or I heard that, he'd start screaming. We put him on an antacid (declining the one to move things through the stomach better, for fear of side effects), and while he didn't stop spitting, he stopped screaming, and that was huge! (He continued to have some issues even after his 2nd birthday, though that's highly unusual.)

When my 2nd started exhibiting similar symptoms (more spitting up - 2-6x/day, but less screaming), I took him to the chiropractor. It made a HUGE difference! This time, we've already been seeing the chiro starting at 2.5 weeks old, and it does seem to be making a difference now.

Another potential cause of colic is food allergies. I tried dairy elimination with both of my older boys and it didn't help any, but for MANY kids it's the culprit. I've known some personally, as well as online. Of course dairy isn't the only big food allergen, but it's the biggest. It can be tricky to weed out ALL dairy (look at ingredient labels for things like casein and whey), but it seems that eradicating MOST dairy for even just a few days can make a big difference. The full effect may not be seen for 2 weeks or more, though.

So, I'd look at your diet and see if there's a correlation between what you eat and how he does. If so, try an elim diet. If not - and maybe regardless - go to the chiro.

Hope you're both feeling better soon!

[bygones75]

My first screamed for 8 hours a day for 6 months.

I agree with all the suggestions here: chiropractor. Happiest Baby. Reflux. Is he spitting up? Thomas had that as well, and homeopathic ipecac helped a lot. The big cause for Thomas's colic though was vaccines. We stopped them; he stopped screaming.

James does not have colic, but was quite gassy and cranky until I stopped dairy. Another possible culprit. Give it a try.

If you can afford it, I'd also recommend craniosacral therapy.

Colic was seriously one of the worst things I've ever experienced. Ask for and accept as much help as you can. You absolutely need it. Big hugs to you and I hope it gets better soon.

P.S. 1800homeopathy sells a "Baby Calm" remedy that also might be helpful.

[ladybugamber]

Okay I have done some research and my husband and I are considering doing the infant probiotics.. not only for the new one but the 16 month old also... problem is that I have no clue what kind is best... where to get it... being that we dont have a natural store around here so I'd have to order it online... anyone know a good site to get this from?

[TinyBabyBean]

i have had one of my children have colic. nothing really helped. we did do the 5 s's by dr. harvey karp and that seemed to be the only thing that provided some relief. swaddling really tightly (miracle blanket is a must have), white noise machine or vacuum, pacifier (she would only take soothies), laying her on her side, and bouncing quite strongly (although sometimes swinging would work).

But, it had to be ALL 5 THINGS, done TOGETHER, at the SAME TIME, or it would not work. She was a tough one. And pretty big born at 9 lb 7 oz so it was not always easy to keep bouncing her etc.

I also did cut out dairy and that seemed to help. We also used a colic remedy from the health food store that helped. She seemed to have this from birth up till about 4-6 months old. We are still not sure of the culprit but I had colic as a baby and so did my DH's first son from a previous relationship. I wonder if it has something to do with genetics.

[levismom]

Happiest baby, probiotics, chiro, all are great ideas. Jarrow brand is good for probiotics, get an infant type, you can put it on your nipple before the baby nurses. Also, sticking an electric toothbrush (on) next to the baby can give good white noise and vibrations. If it was a more traumatic birth for baby, the homeopathic remedy aconite is great for birth trauma (both to mom AND baby). I would also recommend EFT, an accupressure tapping on points, no needles, for info I found great resources at www.emofree.com .
Sorry it's been such a rough start! hope everyone's suggestions help you guys quickly so you can have peace and rest!
JJ