6 week old, cries when he's awake

[C4ALR]

My little boy is 6 weeks old on Thursday and has been diagonosed with colic, how do parents cope with a colicky baby, I'm getting hardly any sleep he cries pretty much the whole time he is awake. It breaks my heart cos he looks like he is in severe pain, he has so much wind too.

Any suggestions on how to help, iv tried infacol, done nothing tried gripe water and he just chokes on it and it makes him sick, doctor had prescribed calpol but I can't give him that for the next 6 weeks every day surely.

Ah poor little thing and you - I know how hard it is.

Is he better when being held? If so invest in a sling and keep him as close as possible. My colicky baby liked being swaddled so you could try that (all babies are different though!)

Keep an eye out for any symptoms of silent reflux as well as often misinterpreted as colic and does cause a lot of pain but can be very effectively treated.

Look after yourself.

Sling
Tummy massage
Bicycling his legs
Warm baths.

Are you breast feeding on demand? They do have a 6 weeks growth spurt and need lots of extra feeding.

Colic/wind is very common. I think you just have to try all of the above and keep going.

If you think it is reflux, go back to GP.

I am bf fully and on demand, some days it feels like he is constantly attached to me feeding.
Baths help and u have brought a sling... Can't get on with it at the moment think just because it's new.

How do I tell the difference between colic and reflux? Sorry 1st time mum and not sure :/

He is better if he is held in an upright position or on his tummy. He won't sleep in his Moses basket so he's co sleeping with me at the moment which isn't ideal really but only way we can sleep . I was going to try him in his cot but I'm abit worried about him being so far away during the night ( at the bottom of my bed I might add) ha, my hubby thinks I'm mad but I said I can't just check him all the way down there :) x

Friends thought my son had colic but going through the questions on the infacol website it suggested he has reflux instead. He's only 5 weeks so early days but I bought a wedge for him to sleep on and he seems much more settled on that but can still really get very upset with his wind and sometimes refuses the boob. Far cry from my dd who would never turn down boob but then ds pukes quite a bit so he can't cope with being overfaced.
I'd try the cot, my dd never liked the Moses basket either

Silent reflux can be hard to detect as the child may not sick up their feed (hence the 'silent'). Symptoms (off the top of my head):

• unsettled/crying during or after feeds
• crying in pain
• bringing up milk after feeds
• feeding very often (as milk soothes the throat)
• Prefers being upright as acid travels up the throat when horizontal (my DD could literally not be laid down without screaming)
• failure to thrive (but not always)

But main symptom is baby is bloody miserable (so very similar to colic). Be warned though some GPs have never heard of Silent Reflux.

Don't feel guilty about co-sleeping, I so wish I'd done it with DD (did with DS).

But at 6 weeks being permanently attached to Boob is very normal I'm afraid. And some babies just like to be held all the time

Colief helped mine considerably. He was exactly the same and cried all the time he was awake. I was breast feeding, so I had to express a small amount, add the colder drops, feed this to him then breast feed.

Sometimes he refuses my boob if he's really distressed but sometimes I'm sure it's just a comfort. Iv tried to get him to even take a dummy but he doesn't like them at all just gags.

I think I'm going to have to try his cot, he will only sleep for a decent period of time if he's on his tummy which they say isn't recommended don't they

Did u try infacol and gripe water befor colief? Doctors won't prescribe anything other than infacol

We used the five S's which really helped when dd had colic.

Colief
Get yourself a tummy tub to bathe him in
Swaddling
Late night drives in the car
These all worked for me, to a degree. We had ranitidine in the end for silent reflux, then worked out her worst times were when I had eaten fish. So cut that out of diet.
Its a matter of working it out by which time and after a few tearful trips to the docs (couldn't stand to hear dd in such pain) most of them have bloody gawn n grown out of it!
In the case of silent reflux though the symptoms will continue so most docs prescribe gaviscon sachets first, then work up to medicine that actually works. They may possibly claim that there may be dairy allergy. Its a bit hit and miss in some cases.
Based on my own experience, prop baby up, 30 degree angle I think it was, an keep a food/drink diary see if there are any food triggers
And yes, look after yourself.. It drives you mad hearing baby in pain coupled with lack of sleep x

Our doctor prescribed colief .. Maybe different areas have different care plans

Six weeks is a nightmare! Ds was very similar, and he slept upright on me until about 7 weeks. He was prescribed Gaviscon for silent reflux which did help.
He spent all day, when not feeding in a sling which helped keep him calm and out of pain, so do persevere. If you don't get on with what you have, try a different kind. Baba slings and Close caboos are pretty cheap on eBay and worth a go.

And get yourself a wonder weeks app/book. 6 weeks is a huge developmental leap. Watch yr lo closely and see how many new things he is learning each day.

My ds colic calmed down by 8 weeks and I was also able to start laying him down to sleep, although on his side not back as this seemed more comfortable for him. Try propping him up with little towels so he can't roll.

and cuddle him lots, he just needs you :)

Have you talked this through with a BFC C4? Is there a Bfing Support Group you can get to or have you called one of the Bfing Helplines?

No I haven't been to any bf groups there are some near by but a few different midwives have seen me feeding and say he attaches well so didn't really think about going to any.

Also to reply to others.. Iv bought a baba sling he looks not very comfy but I'm probly doing it wrong :(

Also what is a tummy tub bath ?

We had gaviscon for silent reflux, it worked wonders. Also propped the crib up. And our crib was at the bottom of the bed; for a while I slept with my head at that end so I could be closer to LO - we just slung our pillows down to the foot end

That is a good idea, I just don't like the thought if him so far away when he's still really little. Silly really I know. Doctor hadn't even mentioned reflux or gaviscon

I have to admit I don't like the baba sling, never got on with it, there are others, wrap types, which there are reviews for on here but I don't know where, I've got a stretchy wrap - bobo I think, it was sodding expensive and I don't get on with that either, so see if you can get to a sling library or try some in some other ways until you find one that suits you and little one.
A tummy tub is basically a bucket shaped bath you put the baby in upright and if dd is anything to go by, she loved it and her farting in it made it like a jacuzzi lol
I have to be honest, I think it made a difference, but she may just have grown out of colic by the time I got it.
You can get them second hand and new on eBay.

Will second the tummy tub, my dd loved hers.

As for the bfing support group, you don't have to have problems with bfing to go along. Lots of mums and mums to be just go for a cuppa and a chat but in your case, I think it might be worth going along and talking through how you are feeling. There is some information on Bfing Support here

I'm assuming the tummy tubs are for wen they can securely hold there head up?

Poor you!

I know this might sound a bit obvious but are you winding him properly? I didn't with DD (DC1) and am now convinced this is why she cried all the time. I just used to feed her when she cried but when I had my son and could recognise the signs of wind more easily I realised that I don't think I did this properly with DD.

Another thing is that I thought Infacol takes a while to work properly, so it might be worth persevering with that. Friends whose babies had colic swore by it.

Hope it gets better soon. I would second a BF support group if you can get to one, even just to have a moan.

There are two very local groups to me so might give one ago.

I think I wind him properly but he is so hard to get a burp from, I could be winding him for 20 minutes and nothing. He farts ALOT all the time. He does sometimes bring up burps but majority of the time he doesn't.

Also I tried infacol every feed for 8 days, friends of mine have said try colief but it's about £13 a bottle and can't get it from the doctors :(

Ah ok - if Infacol doesn't work could you talk to a doctor and see about Gaviscon like a pp said?

If you aren't get a burp though it could well be wind-related. Mine would always bring his legs up in pain unless I had got a burp, though Infacol is supposed to help with that. I found this age awful with my first so really sympathise . Colic does seem to get better at about 10/12 weeks though so hang in there. And def find a group for some RL support.