help - is this colic?

[conni]

my 12.5 wk dd has bouts of crying/screaming since being 4 wks old, usually around 13.00 for 1-2 hours and then around 18.00 for 2-3 hours.

she is clearly in pain, arches her back and throws her arms and legs backwards, i.e she does the opposite to curling up. she is inconsolable and we walk and rock her for hours.

according to osteopath this isnot colic, because colic involves curling up

opinions/your experience please, because if it is not colic is there an end in sight?

[JILS]

DS had bouts of crying as a young baby. THB he cried most of the day and slept very badly. We got him treatment from a cranial osteopath which definitely helped.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Suggest you find another osteopath, as yours is talking rubbish! Yes, it sounds like it could be colic - are her attacks generally soon after a feed too?

[spinach]

arching and stretching out limbs are definately signs of wind! get a new osteopath, a good one will help you sort this for your little one.

[JILS]

Actually, there is a condition called retained birth compression which can give colic-like symptoms. We were told time after time that DS just had colic, but I knew that something else was going on. A GP(a bit of a surprise) suggested CO. I was quite sceptical about alternative treatments, but, believe me, this worked. DS went from sleeping 6-8 hours out of 24, to sleeping 10 hours through the night and taking regular long naps (around 5 months old). As well as this, he was a much happier baby.

[rubyloo]

hi there conni. You sound like you're coping really well, but i know how wearing all that crying is. My dd had very bad colic, symptoms very similar to your dd, for five weeks (I found it very tough. My health visitor recomedned Cranial Ost, and I never looked back. It was like magic!! two treatments and someone being very sympathetic was incredibly helpful. If you are breast feeding, Ifound that some foods also made it worse eg cabbage, brocoli and cauiflower.
Good luck.
What I remember most was tired arms.. Have you tried a babysling?

[conni]

thanks, am going to try cranial osteopathy. she hates a sling, hence have to hold her all the time - incl when she finally falls asleep because otherwise she wakes up again. she does suffer froma lot of wind, although have now improved latch on plus give windypops and i think that it has improved, still has colic though

[rubyloo]

Conni, I dealt with this in the depths of winter, but given the light evenings (well hopefully soon!) i think getting out for a walk (even with her crying in the sling) is a good idea. Somehow it doesn't feel so bad outside of the four walls and I used to think when my dd was crying in her baby carrier I can't do any more for you.. Im doing my best.. youre as close as you could be.. and that made me feel better in a strange kind of way. That is untill Jo public commented on my screaming (and I mean screaming) baby!!!

It won't last forever...

[hewlettsdaughter]

My ds used to cry and arch his back a lot - I called it colic (although what does colic MEAN, anyway?). You have my sympathies, conni. Maybe you can find some useful info \link{http://pewari.may.be/2004/06/20/colic-resources/\here} (written by another mumsnetter)?

[CADS]

What times do you feed her? Does she spit up and if so does it smell acidic? Is she unsettled after her feeds?

It could be reflux. Both mine had similar behaviour and both had silent reflux. Also, dd was always unsettled after her feeds and had a startled look on her face.

[hewlettsdaughter]

Good point CADS. Actually, from reading mumsnet threads about reflux I have since wondered whether ds had it.

[CADS]

Yes, with ds GP said it was colic even though I insisted didn't seem like colic to me. He was only diagonised at 4mnths. Unfortunately, ds was thriving and putting on loads of weight so it was hard to get doctors to take me seriously.

With dd I noticed shortly after her first feed, while still in hospital, and she was finally diagonised at 6wks.

Both of mine were (dd still is) silent refluxers and thrived very well, their reflux was easy to treat and only meds they needed/need is rantitidine. Unfortunately, it was also link with cow's milk protein intolerance and some genetics.