Comforting baby with Colic

[LibbyAndRoma]

I've decided I need to stop being selfish and come to terms that my baby has colic. Does anyone have tips on how to comfort a colicky baby? I keep offering my breast so she can suckle but I know this isn't a solution. Also if anyone has any Colic stories (how often baby screamed, when it started/ended and how many times a week) then please share with me. I've cancelled all plans for the next 3 months as I'm aware that that's how long it usually lasts for 😩 I'm just going to live on my sofa in my PJs! Did anyone buy a sling and find it successful with a colic baby? Thanks in advance for comments

Prop the cot up at a slight angle. My colicky baby is 13 soon so the infacol and a thing called lactase drops are probably now outdated.

Can you go to the doctor if it's really bad?

My first baby had awful colic and screamed every night for hours for weeks. As soon as my second baby started, I took the advice of a few friends and removed all stimulation during the daytime. I made the day as boring, and dimly lit as possible - dark rooms or kept the baby under a snoozeshade when out and about. The two or three occasions I failed to do this always resulted in an evening of screaming but every other evening was fine. For me it was just too much of a coincidence. If you google colic caused by overstimulation and also the belief that it is now an early manifestation of migraine, you will see what I mean. A dummy (comfort sucking) and really loud white noise also helped loads to keep her asleep and content.

This article and this one are interesting reads.

My DD started screaming crying one afternoon, I can't remember how many weeks she was now but she's only 19 weeks atm! I researched colic, having never experienced it before, and read that it may be over stimulation. They recommended 're-setting' baby by going back to womb like conditions, keeping her in a dark bedroom, holding her and rocking her and feeding on demand etc. This worked for us and it settled very quickly after only 2 or 3 evenings like that. On days we knew she would be passed round (all the newborn visits) we just planned for a quiet evening in the dark again and it seemed to help her. She's now a very contented and happy little baby.
We tried infacol too for a few weeks but stopped as she had settled so much.

We had to throw a lot of things at the problem, but combined, they worked and although DS still had colic, it vastly improved.

White noise was a godsend, the hairdryer especially! Also, shock horror, we gave him a dummy which comforted him. We also used infacol before each feed and gripe water in the middle of feed. DS was bottle fed so we also changed to MAM anti-colic bottles (not that you can change to anti-colic boobs )

DS used to cry for about 5 hours a night starting at 9pm! Not every night but 3 or 4 times a week!

There is no such thing as colic. It just means unexplained severe crying. However there is always a reason for severe crying.
The usual culprits are
Overtiredness/overstimulation
Reflux or silent reflux
Allergies such as lactose intolerance or CMPA
Hunger

There is no such thing as colic

There is. Colocynth granules sorted it for our kids OP. Cost a bloody fortune (£10 for a tiny bottle) but they were worth their weight in gold!

Bottle feeding and getting them to sleep before 7pm stopped the fussy evenings for us.

I suspect he was hungry and knackered.

Colocynth is a homeopathic herbal preparation. It is not proven safe and is in fact banned by the FDA.

I would suggest to start with ensuring your baby is not at all overtired or overstimulated. How old is your baby? Before 6 weeks they can manage 45 mins awake and before 12 weeks only 1 hour max.
Then I would look for any signs of reflux or silent reflux such as back arching, spitting up, bubbles around the mouth or unsettled feeds.

It's readily available in the U.K. in pharmacies and on prescription. You can't just decide a recognised medical condition doesn't exist because you say so.

It's not a medical condition. If you look up ANY authority such as the NHS or the NCT they will describe it as periods of unexplained and prolonged crying.
I am saying there is always a reason and a cause and suggesting things that the OP could try to improve the situation.

Colic doesn't exist, it's merely a descriptive term. Homeopathy is also utter bullshit and a waste of money. A wrap sling and medicating for reflux helped us. Other people found it was due to overtiredness and once they reduced stimulation in the day and improved naps things got better. It's shit, but it will pass. If it's really bad I can recommend putting baby in the sling, pop on some noise cancelling headphones and pour yourself a glass of wine. One of my friends husbands did this every evening for weeks!

Cranial osteopathy worked for my 3

DDs "colic" turned out to be an egg and dairy allergy. She was also a baby who was easily overstimulated so we had to keep her environment calm and structured.

The Boba wrap sling saved my sanity and getting out walking with DD. Walking for literally hours so she slept - "sleep breads sleep" really was true in our case.

Headphones is definitely a good idea. A big park, baby in sling and put on an album you love or a podcast and walk.

Nobody told my dd that homeopathy was a load of bollocks, which was handy as she stopped screaming every time we have her camomilla.

OP get the book 'colic solved' which is actually all about reflux. Written by a paediatric gastroenterologist who also had a child of his own with reflux/colic (so pretty damn qualified!!)

I found it sooo helpful with my DD who was tongue tied, colicky, allergic to cows milk protein and soy and had severe silent reflux.

See a GP to get these things ruled out.

I agree 'colic' isn't a medical diagnosis and there is usually a reason.

If not any of the above then it can even be trapped wind. My DD had terrible trapped wind due to her TT she didn't match properly and swallowed lots of air.

Sympathies it's hell but you will survive this!!!

Just do what you need to to survive and get some sleep

This thread should help you. It has loads of advice from mums who have survived colicky refluzy babies (I posted some advice under same username too)

Good luck!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2398021-AIBU-to-be-struggling-with-my-newborn

Oh and yes get a sling!!! I used the NCT close caboo and it was a lifesaver!!!!!!!!!