Please share with me your colic-relieving tips before I LOSE MY MIND

[ZuluWarrior]

DS2 (our third baby) is 4 months. He's always been a bit refluxy and colicky, but we've got to the stage where he's manageable during the day. He is BF but we've been giving him a bottle of formula at bedtime for the last couple of weeks (makes no difference to sleep but takes the pressure off me at chaotic bedtime).

He settles fine. Then wakes up an hour later screaming. We might get him to burp and settle then, or he might not go back to sleep til I co-sleep and feed him to sleep. He will then be awake every 1-2 hours overnight. I can hear the gas bubbling about, and he is clearly writhing about in discomfort.

But can we get him to burp properly at bedtime? Can we ARSE!

Please, oh wise MNetters. Share with me your advice. He has nearly broken me. I have cried almost daily with the sheer exhaustion, and the poor other two (and DH!) who get the brunt of it .

TIA

[ZuluWarrior]

Thank you workingtitle - I'll keep you posted! Congratulations on your boy and hope he settles down for you soon .

[workingtitle]

Ah yes, that got me too, it's very hard even if your DH is fantastic. It's just so relentless. the 'give your baby to anyone you can' resonated with me - I've nearly chucked him at the postman before!
He's 8 Weeks on Friday but was premature so I have to take that info account. I do worry that it will never ever end. He pretty much only relaxes and sleeps when he's on my chest or in the sling. Like you, I can just hear DS's guts churning and he spends all night groaning , poor beast is knackered.
I hope you have some change soon- let me know (ie give me hope!!)

[ZuluWarrior]

Bex, I am so looking forward to that day. I just expected to be earlier than four arsing months! I did almost feel sorry for the poor little bugger at 5.30am though, squirming around with a gurgly tummy. Then my other two work up and, ping!, back to anger .

workingtitle you have my huge sympathies. The thing that most resonated with that article was not taking it out on your partner. I think we're doing ok, and DH is amazing at sensing when I'm about to start rocking in a corner, but it's hard not to be snippy when you're exhausted. What age is your screamer?

[workingtitle]

I have no advice as I am fully in the midst of colic hell. I did like this (US) 'colic primer' though...
link

[Bex89]

Hey, feel you pain massively, think my dd has JUST got over colic, like literally two days ago (she's 12 weeks now) I tried just about everything, infacol, colief, aptamil comfort as well as breastfeeding, gripe water, osteopathy, rocking, swinging, car rides, pram rides, singing, white noise and bouncing.

Infacol (not much difference)
Colief (was expensive, pain in the arse waiting 30mins before feeds and expressing breast milk into a blooming spoon before feeding, gave up after a month because finally found out there was no point giving with comfort milk as does the same thing)
Comfort milk (helped slightly)
Osteopathy (really good, but like everything doesn't solve the problem)
White noise ( only thing that made a noticeable difference, mainly to take their minds of the wind pain and get them into a deep sleep, I used a high pitched one to stop the crying then a heart beat type one to get her into a deep sleep)

Like I said, nothing worked completely, they all just helped for a day or so. At four months your nearly there literally you could wake up tomorrow and all will be fine. GOOD LUCK :)

[Poppet45]

Cmpi has a host of symptoms as well as reflux and silent reflux. It also causes stomach spasms, vile smelly nappies and wind, loose stools or constipation, itching of the eyes nose and throat (like hayfever) eczema and v loud burbly tums. Its a spectrum of severity and for most eases with time. For many babies the colic part turns into a less screamt chronic phase.

[ZuluWarrior]

Thanks Poppet. He doesn't really have reflux now though, and to me this is a completely different thing. It's all stomach discomfort from gas burbling about, rather than a burning gullet.

[Poppet45]

My ds was like this for 12 weeks then a happy chucker and appalling sleeper for 16 months. Teething was beyond awful. I then had dd who because she turned up three months early cornered her own small nhs empire and the docs took one look at her symptoms prescribed omeprazole and told me to eliminate dairy AND soya from my diet and within a month we got our lives back. You have to eliminate the lot or it wont work and it needs two weeks to leave yr system and a further two weeks to leave dcs plus a little longer for the gut damage to repair but it was incredible. It would be v tough on a veggie diet though. Would you consider eating meat while bfing... Or using a hypoallergenic formulae instead? Dairy then soya are by far the most common triggers... But wheat and eggs can also result in the sort of gastric damage yr dcs suffering from. Colic and wind are old and lazy diagnoses that describe a symptom without getting to the cause. You have my sympathies because untreated reflux is hell for everyone.

[Turnipvontrapp]

Cranial osteopathy worked wonders for my 3 colicky babies. Wasn't expecting it to but it did. Good luck with it.

[ZuluWarrior]

It sounds like it'd be worth having a tummy tub just to watch the fart bubbles!

[iHateMrTumble]

I had a tummy tub bath for ds, everytime he was in it he would burp and fart the hugest fart bubbles it was very relaxing and he always slept well after. They are recommend for colic but I bought it when I was preg so i'll never know if he would of been as settled without it.

[ZuluWarrior]

sheep I may yet get that desperate but I'd like to exhaust other possibilities before spending money on something I'm sceptical about. I'd be very happy to be proved wrong though .

lagoon I'll have a look - sanity is a scarce resource in this household at the moment, as is patience.

rockin - bloody hell! I suppose I could start with the additives. I too crave cheap jelly sweets but I guess switching to chocolate wouldn't be too much of a hardship . I hope alcohol isn't one of the things I need to cut out!

[Rockinhippy]

I had this problem with my own DD, thankfully I have a good friend who is a very eminent naturopath & she specialises in DCs - her advice worked like a dream :) though in my case it was 2 fold & DD is still intolerant even now at 11

What YOU are eating could well be the problem as its going though your BM

You need to temporarily cut our ALL ...

layered foods -, onion, lettuce, sprouts, leek etc etc

Spicey foods



Any foods containing artificial sweeteners, MSG, Benzoate preservatives & artificial colours maybe ongoing..



You could try additives first if you are eating stuff like this - especially if he has skin trouble too - my DD turned out to be very sensitive to these & it affected her ski. & stomach - she still is today - my craving cheap jelly sweets whilst breast feed was to blame

If this doesn't work - & you will know very quickly - then avoid anything spicey - next try the layered foods

You can try the layered foods again in a couple of months when he is stronger.

If its the additives, then it's something he will be sensitive too for at least his younger years so you will need to avoid until you finish BF,

It sounds difficult to do, but if it means he's pain free & you get some sleep, trust me it is easier than you think

Good luck

[lagoonhaze]

This is a mix of sshhing and tiger in the tree.

Hairdyer, hoover and extractor fan hood also saved our sanity instead of ssshhing

[sheeplikessleep]

Op, I know you need convincing of cranial osteopathy, but I have seen amazing results on my babies ... Twice. Anecdotal more than statistically significant granted.

Likewise, they both slept much better, ds1 started farting for the first time after the session and unsettledness massively decreased. It's all about ensuring muscular and skeletal systems are as they should be. It is worth looking into, it really is.

[ZuluWarrior]

Thanks all so much. Nothing has really changed except I've gone and got some dentinox drops to try, we've been doing lots of TITTing and pumpy leg.

But the big thing I've found is that I feel oddly empowered and less helpless by starting this thread. Onwards and upwards. And bedwards - hopefully .

[youaremychocolatecake]

I know someone has recommended it further up but osteopathy definitely worked for my first born. He was a c section baby and terribly colicky and bad reflux (brought almost every feed up violently) was put on gaviscon by gp but it had little effect. In a moment of desperate 3am googling I read about it and the next say booked us an appt at the British school of osteopathy in London. We were seen by one of the senior osteopaths Walter Mckone (sp) and observed by students. It was all a bit strange and didn't look like he was doing much. He asked a lot of questions about the birth (emergency section) and said his ribs were slightly out of alignment and would be causing some discomfort. After the first treatment I picked him up off the couch and he did a huge burp and slept solidly for 4 hours (first time) and we were able to go out for a walk and dinner (miracle!) went back a week later and after that session he improved enough that he gaviscon went in the bin. A final session 2 weeks later and we were given the all clear and told to come back for any football injuries in the future. It totally cured him and in total cost £30 as it's a teaching school. I actually taking my 2 week old new son tomorrow for a check over even though he seems fine. As he was another section baby. Thought it could do no harm. Definitely worth a try x

[ZuluWarrior]

omu that's fabulous! The power of Mumsnet indeed.

jilted great article. We already call it the witching hour in this house. DS1 would only settle to the Sex Pistols (or so DH claimed).

BikeRunSki I know what you mean about superstition. It's why this baby was swaddled for much longer than I originally intended!

[omuwalamulungi]

My DS has actually been suffering the last few days with really bad wind and constipation. Just tried what was described as 'pumpy leg' upthread with him and it worked so well! Massive hilarious baby farts and away back to sleep he went. Thanks!

[Jiltedjohnsjulie]

zulu have you read this on ask moxie?

[BikeRunSki]

Just remembered - tummy massage, gentle clockwise circuits p tummy, light pressure. I was never convinced by Infacol tbh, but too sleep deprived and superstitious not to do it.

[mamicar]

yy sorry ds was much older when on front and could comfortably and easily lift his head x

[Jiltedjohnsjulie]

For my very colicky DS it was tt and upper lip tie. If you suspect an intolerance have a read of this on kellymom and this on allergy uk.

Just in case anyone is lurking, please don't put your baby to sleep on their front as this is a SIDS risk.

[ZuluWarrior]

Thanks things. I wouldn't even know where to start with my diet. Do I just eat porridge then add new things one day at a time? Sounds like even more torture!

mamicar for once I can't wait for weaning! I normally hate it because it's such a faff.

[mamicar]

hes three in Jan still not the best at sleeping but least he only wakes once a night. the colic symptoms did go once he was fully weaned though. there us hope