Horrendous colic

[jane93]

Hi, I need some advice! My son is 6 weeks old and he seems to be suffering with HORRIFIC colic! I've tried infacol and gripe water. Anything I use seems to give him relief for about 2 days then it seems to be back with a vengeance! He's suffering reflux aswell apparently but it's all just guessing games from the doctor as no one will see him due to the pandemic! He's been on baby gaviscon which constipated him so he was put on to carobel milk thickener (1 scoop every feed) and his wind seems so much worse and is explosive pooping once or twice a day it's like a thick mustard paste! He cries out the most soul shattering cry and is absolutely inconsolable! He had about an hour and a half sleep during the day yesterday because he strains like he's trying to push wind out and just can not settled! I'm at my wits end any advice will be appreciated so much!

Have you tried baby massage for colic?

A sling for some daytime naps is a godsend - you can get stuff done and they drift off to sleep. I use it for daytime naps when DS won’t sleep. The overtiredness can exacerbate the screaming.

Look after yourself and swap with your partner if you can too

OP this sounds like DS. He also had colic, reflux and in addition cows milk protein allergy. From 7 weeks - 14 weeks he screamed pretty much non stop.

We found the thickeners useless for the reflux - he had 2 separate medications for it instead which worked much better (ranitidine and domperidone I think they were called). For the cows milk allergy he went on to a prescription formula called Aptamil pepti.

With regards to the screaming can you pin point it timing-wise? With DS the ‘colic’ was continuous screaming from 7-10 each night for seemingly no reason.

The reflux meant that he was uncomfortable immediately after a feed for about an hour and screamed the whole time. We had to keep him upright for ages after each feed to help this. Then the discomfort from the cows milk allergy seemed to kick in around 90mins after a feed. You could tell the pain for him was lower in his body than the reflux pain because his legs used to curl up. Then by the time that screaming finished it was time to change him and start all over again.

Not good timing-wise but I’d say you need to actually see a doctor, or at least follow up on the phone and push them. In my experience they can be fairly dismissive about all the excess screaming - especially if you are a first time mother.

Happy to try and help further if you have any other questions. I really feel for you because I’ve been there and it’s fucking horrific. Sending hugs x

Yes I've tried baby massage, he never seems relaxed enough to lay down long enough for me to give him a proper massage he just cries again! Luckily my partner is good and we do swap, or just support each other through the episodes :( unless he's at work and I'm on my own with Jenson for 10 hours. It can be so rough I ring my mum crying!!

Basincut - I was intolerant to cows milk when I was a baby this is at the back of my mind constantly. The thicker seemed like it was working the first two days but it was either coincidence or it WAS working and is now constipating him or causing more gas! My doctors are useless, and I am a first time mother and I agree ... they just ignore it when I mention his constant crying! He can't even settle for more than 30 mins tops and he's crying again! I keep him upright as long as possible, got a sling which seems to settle him well. He cries during a feed sometimes, sometimes afterwards :( and his worst episodes I'd say are around 4-5 o'clock and the length of time they go on for depends. Generally an hour up to about 4 :( thanks so much for your replies! It's so difficult!

Comfort milk

Have you tried colief?

A few people have mentioned the comfort milk. Do I need advice from a gp or anyone before I try any new formulas?

Yes tried colief didn't seem to make a difference :(

I wouldn’t bother with the comfort milk, it’s just thickened formula and the Gaviscon and carobel will have done that.

I think you need a conversation with a doctor. Book an appointment, even if a phone one. Make some notes about exactly what is happening and things you notice such as timing of screaming around feeds, slight differences between what you identify as reflux screaming and anything else. Tell them you need to try something else other than the thickeners.

You will probably have to fight for it but you need a solution. Make sure the GP knows you will not be fobbed off.

Thinking about this time in my DS’s life still makes me feel a bit sick and teary and it’s been almost 7 years. Doing it during this lockdown I can’t even imagine.

I think you're right. I will ring first thing on Monday, the doctor I last spoke to hardly listened to me anyway, kept speaking over me and then decided he was trying thickener... she's just switching him from one thing to another. To shut me up I guess, sometimes I just cry because the screams he does and the tears rolling down his face and just the whole sad face it kills me! Thanks so much for your replies @BasinHaircut they've helped me a lot!

I'll say something like I don't just want you to put him on something else without listening to what I'm TRYING to tell you! It worries me that I'm missing something else but I guess it's just bad colic/reflux crying or he could well be intolerant to cows milk like I was. Considering taking him to a pharmacy today and seeing if they can advise anything... maybe a cow milk free formula to try or something? I wish there was one simple solution. I feel so sorry for him x

Colic is fucking horrific, I'm sorry your going through this. Anyone who says there baby cried alot so they know what it is like has no idea, it's not crying it's agonised screaming and it's relentless.

Yes go back to the doctor. Speak to your health visitor, a good one will be sympathetic even if it is just a listing ear on the phone.

Also try the charity cry-sis, they may be able to suggest something different, or to support you in getting help.

For what it's worth, it does pass, and my now 9 year old had no lasting trouble. I did go on to have a second dc (several years later!), and they didn't suffer from colic.

I have just text my health visitor. She's fab but again it's like she won't give me any advice, when I asked about using gripe water she leaves the option as mine but doesn't give me any advice really it's only if I suggest something. Does this make sense?

God I agree with you. My friend says her baby was a cryer and I said jenson isn't a cryer he has colic!! X

You are very welcome @jane93 as @Stickyjack says unless you have been through this you have no idea so I always try to help people if they are suffering similar, even it’s just with some understanding.

It does get easier and the colic will most likely be gone by 12-16 weeks so just try to think of it like that. The reflux will probably hang about a bit longer but does ease off as they start to spend more time upright. Not much help now mind, other than to give some hope!

My health visitor was worse than useless but my GP surgery at the time had one amazing doctor that I worked out fairly early that we needed to see to get anywhere and not just dismissed as a worried first time parent.

Let us know how you get on on Monday

My dd was terrible with this. She used to scream all day and night. Wouldn't sleep even if you walked her around the pram. Her little tummy was like a football. And she'd flail her arms and struggle terribly. She ended up on ranitidine and was much better. She was also much happier in a sling which I just had her in all day.

Does he have any other signs of CMP allergy? Dry skin, rash, eczema, bloody in stools?

Doctors will try the cheapest fix first and work through all the options.

My SIL had a horrendous time with my nephew, he was so unhappy all of the time. She was passed from pillar to post, made to feel like an anxious new mum who didn't know what she was talking about.

In the end she bought some CMP free formula, which was £35 a tub. The difference was instant, he was like a different baby. He is 3 now and still can't tolerate large amounts of dairy as it gives him tummy ache and sets off his eczema.

My advice......kick up a stink, stand up for you and your baby!!! You know that something isn't right so make them listen to you.

Good luck

@BasinHaircut just been to pharmacy and he says it sounds to him like it's maybe milk intolerance, especially if I suffered with it (though I don't know how likely he is to have the intolerance just because I did, I don't know how it works) I still get eczema flare ups if go mad with dairy and I'm 27.

@snowone he does have dry skin but only on his face. he gets a little rash on his face when he drinks his formula but it goes away as quick as it appeared really but no bloody stools or eczema that I've noticed. He has little spots on his face but i assumed they were milk spots?

I'd happily pay £35 a tub if it helped him if it helped. I'd pay £100!

@daisydaisydoodle the pharmacist has suggested I try and get ranitidine for him, his belly is like a football too. Poor little things it's so awful

@jane93 ranitidine was really good for my dd. I tried infacol and coleif and baby gaviscon but no good. With ranitidine you have to up the dose as they gain weight to keep on top of it but it's literally just a tiny syringe in their mouth. Tastes rank but dd actually loved it and used to open her mouth for it. I hope you find a solution too. It really is so difficult when you know they're in pain