HELP...colic baby>>HELP!

[1sttimemom]

My baby is crying nonstop...seems to be gas?! I've tried everything...now going to give OVOL. Has anyone else used this? How did you find it?

She has been crying nonstop for 5hrs. I've tried everything and don't know what else to do now. HELP PLEASE


She is only 5 weeks old and breast feed. I try to avoid foods that cause gas. I've tried hot water bottle on stomach, swaddeling in warm blanket, burping in EVERY position, now going to try Ovol.....I just don't know what to dowith her...any tips PLEASE!

 

[Carley]

A lot of people say wearing a colic baby in a sling helps a GREAT deal, could you try that?

 

[1sttimemom]

I do that...she is in the peanut shell sling for a few hrs per day....?!

 

[Carley]

Here's some information I found, something may work worth a try right?

1. Play slow music
2. Place a bottle filled with warm water on the baby's stomach
3. Give a soft and gently massage to your baby
4. Give a pacifier to your baby
5. Rock your baby softly with a rhythmic motion (But Never Shake your Baby)
6. Keep close with your baby, huge your baby with love
7. Make sure your baby not thirsty or hungry
8. Make sure your baby's body is not fever/get cold
9. Make sure your baby's body is not wet or too cold
10. Wrap your baby's body with warm blanket
11. caress your baby's stomach with herbal oil
12. Give your baby a Gripe Water (traditional European remedy/homeopathic colic remedy)
13. Bathing your baby with a warm bath
14. Go walk with your baby in his baby Stroller
15. If walking is not enough, go drive around with your baby in his Car seat
16. Swaddling Your baby
17. Burping your baby
18. Sing a nursery rhyme song
19. Make a relax situation at the night
20. Don't take it personally!

 

[Carley]

Positioning While Awake

Each baby will have their own preferred position that makes them more comfortable. Unfortunately it may take a little trial and error to find the one that suits your baby best. Here are a few positions to try:

* Upright or with their head propped over your shoulder.
* Lying on your forearm with their head supported in the crook of your elbow and your hand holding their crutch. Create an angle of about 30 degrees.
* Seated in an upright position, do not allow your baby to slump in this position.
* Leaning backwards at about 45 degrees.
* Some babies like to lie on their tummy with their head propped up slightly.
* At nappy change time try to avoid lifting their legs up into the air. Roll them to the side instead and if possible change their nappy before a feed rather than after.
*
A front pouch or sling may allow some relief for baby while giving you the opportunity of hands free time.

Feeding a Baby with Infant Reflux

If you are breastfeeding there is no reason why you should introduce formula into your baby’s diet. “Breast is Best” even for a baby that suffers from reflux. It is thought that because breastmilk is able to be digested more quickly than formula that this may be better for babies with reflux.

If you are bottle feeding there are several formulas available that are specifically designed for a baby with reflux. Check with your childhood health nurse for more information. Thickened formula makes a dramatic improvement for some reflux babies, but for others, there may be no effect. Some may even do worse on thickened formula.

Positions for Feeding

* Some breastfeeding mothers find success with the “Twins position” (under the arm) or if your baby is a little older you could try feeding with them sitting in front of you sitting upright on your lap.
*
If you are bottle feeding your baby try to keep them in an up right position if possible.

Try to establish a feed/play/sleep routine to allow time for your baby’s milk to digest before lying them down for sleep. Avoid allowing your baby to fall asleep while feeding as this will probably lead to a catnap with your baby waking in pain soon after the feed has finished.

Some babies learn that the milk they crave is also the source of their pain and so are reluctant to attach or they may pull off repeatedly during a feed. Some babies learn that milk is soothing while they are drinking, and want to do so frequently (comfort feeding) Crying and back arching during feeding is common in babies with reflux.

Here are a few suggestions for feed time that may work for you; trial and error is the key until you find one that works for you both:

* Lengthen the times between feeds or alternatively shorten the time between feeds and offer less.
*
Try feeding from just one breast.
* Or offering both breast with a short break in between sides.
* For older babies follow the feed with a small amount of solids, this is thought to help to keep the milk down. Younger babies may be able to cope with a small spoonful of thickened milk (formula or breastmilk).
*
If you are breastfeeding you may wish to avoid some foods that may pass through your breastmilk and affect your baby. Some foods that are thought to have some affect on reflux in your baby are dairy products, caffeine, spicy, fatty or acidic foods. You may wish to follow an elimination diet, speak to your doctor for more information.
*
Reflux babies are often more easily distracted during a feed so try to feed in a quiet environment, or a darkened room. You could try feeding your baby while they are still half asleep following their nap.

Sleeping a Baby with Infant Reflux

Many babies with reflux also suffer from a very disrupted sleep pattern. Lack of sleep for both you and your baby can exacerbate the general irritable feelings you experience. Here a few tips for sleep time:

* Always sleep your baby on their back.
* Raising one end (head) of the cot may be beneficial in helping your baby sleep. You can do this by placing phone books, rolled up towels or pillows underneath the mattress. If there is no noticeable improvement, there is no need to perservere.
* Possibly using a dummy at sleep time may offer some relief.

Massage

Infant massage is a wonderful tool to use for developing a bond between parent and child and has proven benefits for your baby suffering from reflux. Here are some of the benefits to your baby.

* Relaxes your baby.
* Helps to develop a bond of trust.
* Massage can improve your baby’s sleep.
* Helps to boost the immune system.
* Improves blood circulation and skin condition.
* Massage can aid digestion.
* Massage can also give relief to babies suffering from colic and reflux.

 

[Carley]

I found a swing would work wonders!!!

 

[Carley]

I do that...she is in the peanut shell sling for a few hrs per day....?!

Does that help? Can you try different positions if it doesn't?

 

[1sttimemom]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
I will try everything. Something's gotta give. She is now sleeping-Thank God. She had .4 Ovol and almoust 3oz of expressed breast milk. She has hardly slept all day...I hope that doesn;t mean I'm headed for hell night again.

She has always had terrible reflux but lately I've been noticing that she's been pulling away from the breast...I guess it's cause for the gas?! I am so tired and worried about her...thank you for replying so much great info and so fast. I'll be sure to let you know if it works.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Carley]

I hope something helps hunny, I have other ideas if nothing works.

 

[LaDY]

Have you tried infacol?

 

[coz]

just wanna give u big my baby has colic and is very hard, i use infacol but it doesnt seem to do much ive used dentinox and gripe water and didnt do much either the other things i try and just winding in different positions, rubbing belly , lifting legs towards belly helps, sitting on your lap and moving your baby in a circular motion round , winding in between feeding aswell as after, ive heard baby massage is brill for colic too. Have you got a baby bouncer they seem to help and taking out in pram or in car think the jiggling about seems to help xxx

 

[sonny]

Hi are you sure she hasnt just got herself overtired?
I thought tabs had colic but now im not so sure,she was screaming and screaming every night. I used colief and infacol and that really helped but also at the same time was rocking her etc and she was falling asleep.off the colic meds now.
its got a bit better now but still not sure if colic or over tiredness so now i always look for her yawning thats a first sign of over tired,follwed by rubbing eyes,clawing at face and squirming and turning away from active stuff.usually that is when she has her meltdown and its hard to settle her after that.so i try to get her to a quiet dimly lit place with nothing active to look at and just put her over my shoulder and do the sh's and tapping her back.sure enough most of the time she falls asleep,but she isnt a big sleeper and usually just has a nap
Try this at the first signs and see if it helps?

 

[mickey]

we do ostheopathy for the sleeping problem we have atm and it does magic.
heard it helps for colic as well.

 

[KarenLV]

One night Skyler was also screaming constantly and I noticed his nose was blocked,I removed the dirt and he stopped crying immediately...check inside his nose.

 

[Ratty]

Does you baby's stomach feel bloated at all?

I struggled in the beginning. First tried Telament drops which helped him get his burps up, but didn't stop the gas forming inside his tummy. Then I tried Buscopan which helped with the wind and stopped a lot of the crying, but was unfortunately making him slightly constipated.

We then put him onto Bennetts Colic Mixture and what a difference that made. Initially we gave him half the recommended dosage before every feed, now he only gets 2ml's once a day and is a very happy camper. Its expensive, but imo definitely worth it so have a calm happy baby.

 

[Ragirl]

Well, Carley already pretty much said it all First off- you need to take care of yourself and find someone who can take a shift with her to give you a break- if you are stressed she will detect this and become more upset and it can be a viscious cycle. One thing I read really just stressed the importance have having patience and not taking it personally- they really don't know what causes colic and some say it's just an underdeveloped digestive system and there is really nothing you can do but try to comfort baby as best you can until the system catches up (I say this not to make you feel hopeless but rather to help you not blame yourself if nothing seems to be working- she just needs to grow a little). A couple of things- 1) Massage the calves and feet in particular as these are pressure points for the bowels if gas is the issue. 2) I nannied and studied infants for many years and what Carley posted about finding a position that works is really true. One of my profs had to set up "stations" around her house- she would set the baby at a station and she would calm, but would then start screaming again after about 1/2 hour, at which point she would move her to the next station. She set a bouncer chair on dryer, used an infant swing, put her in sling and walked, set her in bouncer chair next to the running dishwasher, laid her in cradle on stomach, and some others I don't remember.

When I nannied, my first few days with a new baby were always hell- them crying like mad inconslably (sp??). Make a list of any and every position you can think of and then work through that list- you need to give every position a 2 day try- patience is the key here. When my son was born my hubby would get frustrated when something didn't work on the first try and he would immediately try something else. I explained to him the most likely, nothing is going to work on the first try and you only upset baby more by constantly switching things up. So try one position for 2 days, if it doesn't work, then move on to the next one. My "magic cure" so to speak was to do the following: Hold the baby either in a cradle pose or up on a shoulder- some position where baby's eyes are not facing the ground (like football hold). In a calm, sing-songy voice, start cooing to baby- but do it in such a way that you match the baby's tone when crying (a higher pitch) and then bring your voice down to a lower pitch (I wish I could put a recording on here as it's difficult to explain). Psychologically what you are aiming for is to show the baby empathy by matching the pitch of their voice but then as you bring the pitch of your voice down she will experience a calming effect and start matching your pitch. Then, I would do all of this in a completely dark room with the door open only an inch. I would then sway (slowly) with baby such that the light from the door would cross their eyes- so it becomes this rhythmic light-dark sequence across their eyes- kind of mesmerizing like. I found swaying to work more often than bouncing because it's more like what she would have experienced in utero. I know it all sounds crazy but it worked more often than not on even the most difficult babies I dealt with. And if you go through all the stuff Carley gave you and nothing has worked, there is always my grandmothers generation's way of dealing with colic- a few drops of whisky in the baby bottle (which, btw, is how my mother cured my colic. Not that I'm condoning this practice). I really wish you good luck- I know dealing with a colicky baby is maddening and feels like it will never end. Take care of your yourself

 

[tinytoes]

my baby seems to be colicky on occasions - strange it's only sometimes so I assume it could be linked to my diet but I've tried avoiding pretty much everything?!? I find my baby tends to have trapped wind down below rather than need to be burped. I find that lifting his legs helps - interesting as the advice quoted above says to avoid lifting the legs when changing baby. I in fact find that this helps get some wind out!

 

[Ragirl]

my baby seems to be colicky on occasions - strange it's only sometimes so I assume it could be linked to my diet but I've tried avoiding pretty much everything?!? I find my baby tends to have trapped wind down below rather than need to be burped. I find that lifting his legs helps - interesting as the advice quoted above says to avoid lifting the legs when changing baby. I in fact find that this helps get some wind out!

Same here- when my son was gassy I would bend his knees and push them toward his head and he would toot, I would straighten and bend again...toot...sometimes if there was enough gas we'd make a little song out of it I guess maybe it depends on if it is trapped high or low.