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NOW CLOSED Let's talk colic. Share your stories and comforting tips with Infacol. You could win £100 Love2Shop voucher

114 replies

KatieBMumsnet · 10/12/2012 10:37

We've been asked by Infacol, the UK's leading infant colic remedy, to find out what Mumsnetters know about infant colic. Here's what they say: "Infant colic is a common condition affecting around 1 in 5 infants in the first month of life. It is often associated with crying fits, which can last up to three hours at a time and be distressing to both child and parents."

Do you or have you ever had a baby who has suffered from infant colic? How did you know what the condition was? What symptoms did your little one have and how old were they?
Please share anything in particular that helped to comfort your baby. What could have helped you during this period? What effect, if any, did colic have on you or your partner?

If your child doesn't or didn't suffer from colic, what do you know about the condition? Do you know what the symptoms are and would you know what to do if you thought your DC did have colic?

Everyone who adds a comment to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £100 Love2shop voucher which can be used at over 85 leading retailers!
Your comments may be used (anonymously of course) on Infacol's Facebook page, website or other marketing material.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

OP posts:
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piprabbit · 10/12/2012 11:05

My DC1 had colic, it developed within a few days of birth. I was struggling with everything at the time (hormones, feeding, lack of sleep) and simply assumed that DC1s crying was down to my failings.

Luckily my MW visited, took one look at DC1 and said that she had colic. He told us to get some Infacol, try nipple shields to make me more comfortable and to have a shot at expressing some milk. It was wonderful to realise that the problems probably weren't my fault and there were things I could to try and improve the situation.

TBH nothing worked as an absolute cure, it really was a case of waiting and allowing time to do it's thing. But at least I felt more in control and less helpless. That MW's visit was a real turning point.

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StellaNova · 10/12/2012 11:22

Both my sons had colic, which I believe is defined as crying for no apparent reason for a certain amount of time, a certain number of days a week - can't remember what, but I know they met those criteria and some. It was very very difficult. I find it hard to remember even though it wasn't that long ago, and everyone around me says now "it wasn't so bad" - but I remember MiL in tears at DS1s crying and DM used to pass DS2 back to me after about five minutes saying "he's hungry" which he wasn't. I breast fed both, and both I feel had too much even though they say you can't overfeed , it seemed to give them tummy aches.

It was like they were either awake and screaming or feeding or asleep - there was no in between. I tried Infacol with DS1, I dont' really know if it made things better or not! I tried cranial oesteopathy - lovely and relaxing but no effect. I drank bucket loads of camomile tea - slight effect. It was basically a time thing. I wonder now if they were lactose intolerant or something and I should have cut things out of what I was eating.

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StellaNova · 10/12/2012 11:23

Just to point out the oesteopathy was for DS1 but I had some too, that's why iut was relaxing!

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Tyranasaurus · 10/12/2012 11:25

My baby had colic from about 2 weeks til 3.5 months. Symptoms were hours and hours of crying and farting (literally!) hundreds of times a day. We tried all the different colic remedies on the market and none of them had any effect. The only thing that worked was waiting it out.

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mamij · 10/12/2012 11:31

Dd1 had colic from about 2 weeks until about 2 months. The worse episode was crying from about 1am until about 4am! Two tired parents trying everything from feeding, sling, singing, music etc didn't help. Day time crying was terrible too when DH was at work.

We tried both infacol and colief, not sure if either actually helped. Funnily, the colic stopped when I stopped mixed feeding and solely breastfed and cut out dairy from my diet.

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Djembe · 10/12/2012 12:07

DS had colic, we switched to Dr Browns bottles and used Infacol religiously and the combination seemed to help. I don't think he was too bad, he didn't cry for hours and hours, but the poor little mite was just inconsolable at times after a feed, I'm sure it was wind. I think 'colic' is a catch-all term for a lot of things, which annoys me a bit. I suspect most of the time it's wind or other digestive issues, which Infacol can help with, but when HCPs brush serious crying off with 'oh it's colic' it's not good, like the poster above who suspects that it may have been due to intolerances. It's a bit unfair on babies having to suffer because they can't tell us what hurts!

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WowOoo · 10/12/2012 12:15

Ds had colic, but only for about a week. It was reassuring to know what it was - but I'm still not sure what it is really. I suppose it was trapped wind that made ds so uncomfortable.
I remember that it was horrible to hear screaming that went on for hours. One thing that could have helped would have been to have a relative or friend to take him for a while to give us a break.
I'm not sure that Infacol had any effect. The only thing that gave me hope was someone telling me it sorts itself out, so we just waited.

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coffeeandcream · 10/12/2012 12:26

I am expecting my first baby at any time (currently 8 days overdue!) and colic is something that I'm quite worried about.

I know that it is lots of crying, for no clear reason, for several hours, several times a week at least. I'm worried that I will feel as if I'm a bad mother, that I can't respond properly to my baby's needs and that somehow I'll be failing him. I know this won't be the case, but it is something I'm worrying about, the feeling that I'm useless and my baby will hate me because I can't make him 'better'!!

I bought some Infacol weeks ago and have it ready just in case.

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wheredoistartmrs · 10/12/2012 13:10

my daughter had colic from birth,permanent wind,found it difficult to burp. every evening 2 hours crying and 2 hours head butting me. infacol worked ok but things like rotating there body ehrn burping trying to get the wind up, sleeping in a raised cot.

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Tamoo · 10/12/2012 13:24

My son had colic and his agonised screaming would start on the dot of 5pm every day. I knew what it was because my parents told me, and they also told me it was only temporary and there would be an end to it. This was the most comforting thing for me, knowing that it was finite!

He would cry and cry for approx 2 hrs every evening and though he would try to feed during this time (prob for comfort as much as anything) there was little I could do to help apart from cuddle him. This is the hardest thing, I think, as you expect to be able to 'solve' all your baby's woes pretty promptly, especially as a new/inexperienced parent. Some things you have to just do your best and ride it out.

What helped DS was to be held in my arms face down. I don't know if the position was just 'different' and distracted him on that basis but kind of floating him around the room with a bit of an accompanying sing song would (sometimes!) help.

I didn't medicate in any way although I know people who relied on remedies such as Infacol.

Am I right in thinking that gripe water was once used for colic? I was given it as a child and I remember it was still in our cupboard for years afterwards, because I used to sneak a swig aged seven or eight!

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PaddingtonsMarmalade · 10/12/2012 13:38

Both DD and DS had (what I think of) as bloody horrible colic from 8 weeks to about 12/13 weeks in both cases. They were both pretty similar in that they would cry from about 5/6pm through to about 11pm/12am with very little respite. There might be occasional pauses but you could say it was pretty much 4-6 hours of crying every night for 5/6 weeks solid.

We didn't know for sure what it was with DD but a bit of reading got us to the point that we sussed it was colic. When DS was 8 weeks spot on he had his first colicy evening and my DH and I nearly crumbled as we knew what was likely to follow. The sort of cries they did with colic were unlike any other they'd done then (or since).

We tried loads of different things to help them. White music played at ear splitting level would help both to differing degrees. Infacol - although to be honest as I was BF both on demand I found it almost impossible to get the timing of it right and I was a bit het up about not ruining their gut by introducing anything that wasn't BM (I had PND with both so had problems with anxiety and their health). We tried rocking, singing, walking, driving them places, walking in a sling, passing to willing grandparents to see if it was because we were so tense. Gripe water seemed to work for DS who used to belch in the most fantastical way when we gave it to him (and it seemed to settle him and work but we weren't sure if that was just because it was going to stop anyway IYSWIM).

Thank god neither of them can remember being colicky but DH and I can remember and it's one of the many reasons why there will only be 2 of them! It was extremely distressing to see them in what seemed to be considerable pain and not be able to do anything about it. It impacted on my PND and was extremely difficult for DH too who just wanted to be able to solve it and felt hugely powerless.

If anyone's reading this who is dealing with colic at the moment you have my abolsute and most hearfelt sympathies.

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WomanlyWoman · 10/12/2012 13:53

MY DD had colic and reflux. She cried more than she slept. We tried all sorts of suggested remedies to little avail. The best thing was putting her in the car and taking her for a drive. We tried different ways of holding her; she would sometimes calm if being walked about in a sling, also if DH held her with his arm under her tummy and rocked her, but he couldn't put her down. She also calmed if DH, (too painful for me after birth!), gently bounced with her on a gym ball. It was hard, we were exhausted. DH was very supportive, it wasn't unusual for him to come home from work and find us both crying. DD breastfed, a lot, one of the few ways of calming her. I experimented with my diet, cutting out various foods to see if it would help, (I checked with health professionals that this would be okay), but it didn't make a difference. Sometimes white noise seemed to help, other days it didn't, (the washing machine filling, hoover, radio static). Between 5 days and around 14 weeks it was utter hell, she calmed a little bit after that and finally, when she was around 6 months old the reflux also calmed down and we were better able to cope. I think different things will work with different children, you just have to experiment. The best advice I could give to anyone going through it is just to hold on in there, because it really will get better.

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SantasHugandRollintheSnow · 10/12/2012 13:53

Both my ds' had colic but ds2 was far worse.

He would start screaming at 7pm until around 11pm from 4 weeks to 12 weeks. Dh and I would take it in turns to walk the length of our house with him in our arms. He also screamed a lot during the day.

There are 4 years between ds1 and ds2 and the colic caused awful issues in our family while dh was in work. Ds1 hated his brother, said all he does is scream and asked us to take him back. I was totally stressed, had have PND (I'm now on sertraline). Dh would come home to the three of us in tears.

We used infacol as although it didn't get rid of the colic, if we ever forgot to use it the screaming would be 10 times worse. I recommend infacol to all new or expectant parents.

Ds2 is now the most laid back baby going thank god.

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PetiteRaleuse · 10/12/2012 14:24

DD1 never had colic. Dd2 is 7 weeks old and we're in week 2 of regular colic most evenings from 9pm on. She's very quiet the rest of the time. The only thing that calms her is no tv or radio noise, dim lighting and being walked up and down. It lasts three hours almost exactly every time.

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Willemdefoeismine · 10/12/2012 14:33

Both of mine had really bad colic which started at about a month and then suddenly miraculously disappeared at about three months....You don't really realise it's suddenly stopped (too sleep deprived by this point) until you emerge from a sleep-deprived fug and realise why you feel better and that the baby is sleeping a lot better.

I think the main remedy is some very calm, cool and collected adult who is not sleep deprived to just radiate calm and comfort around the colicky baby. DP was brilliant at playing soothing music (Massive Attack and Moby worked very, very well) and just 'being' with both DCs.

When I see cute looking babies and get broody, colic is the thing that I use to convince myself not to go down that route....

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Hopezibah · 10/12/2012 15:20

colic is so horrid for them and for parents who are left at their wits end not knowing what to do. With each of mine it lasted for about 6 weeks then improved. We called granny round for help- sometimes you just need someone else with you to help you keep your sanity.

Just do your best to comfort them and remember it doesn't last forever.

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firawla · 10/12/2012 15:38

luckily none of mine have had it, from reading the other people's replies it sounds really hard.
i did give infacol to my ds1, i think i just thought oh i better give him it it might settle him after feeds - even though he didn't have colic Confused Blush - it didn't seem to have any effect on him at all, but that probably cos he did not really need it.

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StuntNun · 10/12/2012 15:57

Only my first DS had colic, the other two escaped it. I just remember crying without end in the evening. The only thing that stopped the crying was driving him around in the car and as soon as you stopped the crying started up again. I used Infacol from early on and I hope it made things easier for him. One baby with colic was definitely enough!

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MakeTeaNotWar · 10/12/2012 15:59

Fortunately neither of my DCs had colic - at least I don't think they did. There were some extended periods of crying which I always attributed to being overtired so would treat my offering comfort feeds, lots of cuddles, rocking and swaying. With DD I did sometimes give Infacol after a feed as I thought i was supposed to as it seemed to be in every new Mum's arsenal of baby kit but I'm not sure what it did.... probably nothing as she didn't have colic so with DS, I didn't bother to stockpile it this time.

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NowBringUsSomeFriggyPudding · 10/12/2012 16:41

My middle child suffered badly from colic, we went through many bottled if infacol. She would curl up her legs, be dark red and screaming fairly soon after every feed. After 3 weeks of this agony, I read an article about soya milk and how far more gentle it is on the digestive system. (I realise this is a controversial issue) I mentioned it to my GP, who gave me a script for some, saying I would know in a few days if it made any difference. After one feed she was a different child, laid back and gazing round peacefully. It was amazing. She was never allergic as such, just sensitive to dairy. After a year I introduced dairy and she's fine. Not saying that's the solution for everyone but surely worth considering. She was a big baby but her system was not able to tolerate it so soon. Whether infacol worked I can't say, but it was worth a try in those desperate days.

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Boggler · 10/12/2012 17:23

Both my dc's suffered with colic my ds had it mildly for a few weeks but dd had it really really badly! With dd I was only getting an hours sleep every 4 hours at night and it was the worst time I've ever been through. We tried everything infacol, colief drops, massage warm bath to name a few. The only thing that saved us was my persistence with the hv and dr that there was a problem eventually reflux was diagnosed and appropriate meds prescribed. I think there is a tendency to use colic as an excuse for more serious problems.

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Mindingalongtime · 10/12/2012 17:54

Infacol wasn't around in my day, my doctor prescribed Merbentyl, it was subsequently withdrawn due to association with cot death Sad but it worked like a dream.

DS had chronic colic, right from the day he was born according to the nurses who pumped his legs up and down after feeding to release wind!

He did sleep through from 5 weeks old, but from 5.00pm to 7.30pm he screamed!

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Nemoandthefishes · 10/12/2012 17:55

My Ds suffered horrendous colic and with him being my first I had no clue at all what it was. It was only from talking to other parents that I discovered it was colic. I can still remember him being about 4 weeks old and screaming so much for hours that I phoned NHS direct as both my husband and I did not know what to do. After we were told about colic and realised it matched his symptoms I went out and bought Infacol. It was like liquid gold, he was soothed and settled for the first time in ages.

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KelleStarOfWonder · 10/12/2012 18:14

DD suffered badly from a few weeks old until she was almost 5 months. It just suddenly got better and then we noticed the peace and quiet. Nothing worked for us. Infacol/Gripe Water/Colief/dentinox where the brands I remember trying. We just adjusted our routine to cope with it. Though it frazzled my nerves hearing her cry like that. We even went to the osteopath, she enjoyed the sessions but not sure if they actually helped or not, we went fortnightly until it passed.

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FrillyMilly · 10/12/2012 18:25

My DD had colic from a couple of days old until around 12 weeks. Every evening she would cry and cry and pull up her legs. We used infacol and comfort milk when I stopped breastfeeding. We would spend hours pacing up and down with rocking her until we bought a swing. A dose of infacol and in to the swing really helped to soothe her.

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