Crying Windy/Clolicky Babies Support

[Metrobaby]

I thought I'd start this thread off for anyone suffering with windy/crying/colicky babies. Maybe someone has some tried and tested methods - or failing that we can sit here and count down the weeks until they grow out of it.

Anyone care to join?

If I had another baby I would do cranial osteopathy from birth.

echo Hercules! This is only the day after the first session and already it's changed our lives - his and mine. Life is also better for those around me who have been tolerating a v fatigued, stressed and grumpy ogre lately!!

Count me in. Had one session of CO - hoping that we're going to start seeing the benefits soon. Mind you, counting down the weeks is probably the only thing I haven't tried yet

CO didn't work for me - ds loved it but it really made no difference. Not trying to rain on anyone's parade, just be prepared! They DO grow out of it, and then the memory fades - honest. Horrid though.

I've done the CO route. Ds is much better but we do get bouts of it - like the last couple of nights

what other things have you found helps? I think wind is part of ds2's problem (osteopath said his tummy was very hard indicating wind and he does seem hard to burp, gets quite squirmy... but I'm not sure it's full blown colic as he doesn't look in pain/draw his legs in when he cries), but not sure if I should be using something like infacol.

I think the hardest thing for me is how miserable it's making both dses. I feel bad that ds2 seems so unhappy all the time, and ds1 is getting more and more frustrated at the amount of attention ds2 is getting because there's no nap time to focus on him instead (or if there is, it's because I'm walking up and down with ds2 in my arms - hardly a position to start proper ds1 activities).

Hi Metrobaby, Georgina and others - my ds suffered badly with colic, and dd gets episodes of crying, drawing the knees up etc. We don't seem to be able to do much to help her when she's like that, although I have found the 'tiger in the tree' hold to work quite well at soothing her (do you know it?). We have done CO too (primarily for breastfeeding problems - don't know if it has helped the wind/colic). Also doing a baby yoga class - teacher recommends lying baby on back and pushing its knees up to its chest, either together or alternately. You can also put the soles of their feet together and gently push forward - I think this is called the 'butterfly'.
Know what you mean GA about your firstborn getting frustrated - it's hard to know what to do isn't it.

I actually think it might actually be colic now. He woke up this morning at 5.30am, wasn't hungry (he'd fed at 4am) but was really squirmy and looked in pain from the bubbles in his tummy, poor mite. In the end he fell asleep on my tummy for the rest of the night.

That said, we actually had a better day today. I don't know whether it was the cranial osteopathy helping or the Cuski comforter thing I started using today. First nap he didn't cry at all (I'm not sure he actually slept either - heard him making various noises and he was awake when I went back in an hour and a half later... he was pretty tired later too - but still a major achievement.

He was overtired by second nap as a result, but I did manage to get him to sleep in my arms for an hour and a half by walking him up and down the living room. Not really a long term solution, but encouraging because a few days ago it would have calmed him a bit but not sent him to sleep.

Next awake period he was actually happy for a bit, and I managed to get some chores done. Third nap he didn't sleep at all. But I think 2 out of 3 is real progress. I just hope it isn't a fluke!!

My mum and her boyfriend came to visit and took ds1 out which helped too. Although I had to put up with boyfriend's comments that I was "creating" his non-sleeping by walking ds2 up and down to get him to sleep - i.e. giving him the wrong sleep associations. I was obviously spoiling the baby and I should just let him cry for hours on end. GAH!

I'm a bit worried that this attitude is going to be common. Ds1 was a difficult sleeper, and a few of my friends weren't very understanding that he needed a fairly rigid routine for all our sanity. Ds2 being a worse sleeper I'm just holding my breath waiting for all the criticism to start pouring in...

Meant to say - I haven't heard of the "tiger hold" - is there an easy way to describe it?

AFter 16 weeks of colic with dd and about 10 with ds, I got the best piece of advice ever from mumsnet; someone suggested I let ds latch on, when the strong flow came in to take him off and let the most powerful srpay go into a cloth and then to reattach him. I know, it sounds all too graphic but I had 'power shower' boobs and the flow was probably too much for them and this really changed things for me, his colic just went.

The only thing now is that I feel so stupid that I didn't think of it for myself and they both went through so many days and weeks of agony.

I'm also angry that none of the health professionals I saw recommended it to me. Hopefully, other poeple saw the tip on here and found it as useful as I did.

ds is 9 months now but my sympathies are with anyone who has a colicky baby. x

mentioned on another thread recently about 'continuum concept'book by jean liedloff. she went off to the south american jungle to find out why the 'yequana tribe' have babies that don't cry continuum concept org it competely turned things around for me and my ds1 - very powerful book. it might help

For the 'tiger in the tree' hold, lie the baby face down along your arm with their head in the crook of your elbow and their tummy supported by your hand - your other hand can help support from underneath (you can always clasp your two hands together underneath the baby's tummy).
it doesn't always work with dd but when it does, it works like magic...

Pic of 'tiger in the tree'

Ah yes, I had heard of it - just heard it called the rugby hold or something like that? Tiger in the Tree is a much more descriptive name though, now I think of it!!

i know it sounds weird, but sometimes the only thing that would help ds was being put in basket in front of washing machine/tumble drier (when it was on!)...somehow, despite his crying and squirming the noise soothed him...maybe he didn't have colic, but he was v windy. thought it might be worth mentioning, but probably not...

Hurrah ds has finally gone off to sleep. Although my shoulder is killing me from carryng him around for ages

Today was a better day. I decided to follow twiglett's advice on your May thread georginaA and not jiggle him around or pat him too hard. I winded him this time simply by sitting him up as soon as he has finished his milk, and stroking his back gently and hey presto a burp comes up within a few minutes

He was still unsettled this evening though, but tbh I couldn't figure out what is was - whether it was overtiredness or wind or general crankiness.

GeorginaA - I really sympathise with you. I hope that the CO works for your ds. It definately helped my ds - but has not completely cured him. He gets windy as whenever he feeds he takes huge gulps. I also had to stick to a rigid routine with my dd when she was a baby as she used to get overtired so quickly and then once she reached that stage she couldn't get to sleep and would scream. Even though she is older now, I still have to make sure her bedtime isn't delayed by anymore than an hour otherwise all hell breaks loose with her. I think that is just the way she is.

HewlettsDaughter - the pic of the tiger in the tree position is v helpful. Thanks !

cue choirs of angels singing hallelujiah

After a very restless night where ds2 was clearly in pain again, he settled PERFECTLY for his first daytime nap - not a whimper, and he was awake but drowsy when I put him down into his cot. Repeat performance for his lunchtime nap. I have had an hour's quality play time with ds1 AND managed to clean the downstairs loo! I feel so much more relaxed...

I'm hoping it isn't just a fluke because he's knackered from last night. Don't know whether it's the cranial osteopathy, the Cuski or the Infacol that's made the difference as we started trying all of them around the same time - I'm guessing they've all contributed. I'm just hoping this lasts...

Anyone know how long you can safely use Infacol for? A week? Two weeks? Until they hit 4 months old or so when they're digestive system gets more robust?

oh god, I wish so much I'd known about mumsnet when ds was a newborn. He had horredous colic and I felt so low about it and so isolated. For anyone suffering with crying difficult babies just to reassure that it WILL end.

The only thing that helped ds was crianal osteopathy and that wasn't a miracule cure although it did seem to help.

GeorginaA - as far as I'm aware you can give infacol as long as you want to, DS had it religiously for 14 weeks.

my ds2 (16wks old) has been terribly colicky throughout the whole day until about 11pm.........with 2 other toddlers around, the day gets a bit fraught to say the least......i changed his formula milk and that used in conjunction with 'colief' drops (you put them in the bottles or expressed breast milk) it has been a godsend....ok he is still a bit grotty but the change has been miraculous

I used infacol with dd1 from 3 weeks until she was about 12-14 weeks and the colic went. We also used gripe water from 4 weeks.

So far dd2 seems to be a bit better than her sister. she manages to burp after a feed although she does get a bit windy when she needs to fill her nappy, draws up her knees etc but after a little bit of screaming that passes with a lovely loud filling of nappy, lol. One thing I've done differently this time is cut out all fizzy drinks. I've been drinking water for 2 weeks now, not sure if that has made any difference to my milk or not but so far it's all been ok.

after typing this she will probably get colic now.

hi guys - good luck to you all
ds2 was royal pain in the for the first 11 weeks although I'm not sure why - colic, ventouse birth, natural temperament? then it just stopped at 11 weeks as if by magic so if nothing else, count down the weeks and know that it will pass
it probably had nothing to do with these things but this is what I did that might help
I stopped drinking milk, fizzy drinks, spicy food and drank lots of camomile tea - some countries also give this tea to their babies so you could give that a go although my hv was horrified at the mere idea
tiger hold was very good, also I let him sleep in my arms or on my stomach for the first 2 months and rocked him to sleep - now at 3 months (god how long ago it all seems!)he goes down in his cot fine so it hasn't given him any wrong sleep associations
don't listen to other people saying you are spoiling your baby by rocking him etc - just do whatever feels right to you
when desperate I put him in a sling and went out for walks with ds2 and to the swings/other outdoors stuff - it really is only for a few months then you can give your first kids more attention so don't feel bad - believe me I understand though!!
I also found that ds started needing to go to sleep by himself and I was just irritating him more by rocking him etc - that was at 10 or 11 weeks and that was when I started putting him down to sleep by himself and picking him up every time he cried then putting him down calm - this was every second or so the first day then every minute or so the second then every 5 mintues the third and then he was pretty good from then on - i'd get a friend in to look after your other kids if you can though for this sleep routine as it took a few goes of over an hour in the bedroom, lights off etc before he got the message
about infacol I personally didn't use it because it has sweeteners in it that i worry about, one hv was very positive about it, another doctor told me to avoid it, don't know what current research is on it, but my instinct is to avoid anything apart from milk the first few months if you can
tick off the days and good luck

cry I spoke too soon.

Had a great day during the day yesterday, then in the evening he wouldn't settle. By late evening it was fairly clear it was full blown colic - horrible screaming cry, writhing with pain, completely inconsolable. So upsetting watching and not being able to help.

At 2.30am dh was a saint and took him downstairs so I could try and get some sleep. Apparently he managed to settle ds2 around 3am then fell asleep on the sofa himself, intending to bring ds2 back up to me next waking. Only, I woke up at 7am and realised both of them were still downstairs!

Am completely shellshocked and so hope this isn't the pattern of things to come...

Here we go again.

A quick question. If I introduce a dummy during his most fractious times (if anything to reduce the noise level, even if it doesn't actually help him sleep!) is he then likely to want a dummy at all naps? (something I want to avoid, as he's settling by himself well during the day).

goergina a, i was also wondering the same thing. sometimes dd just wants to suck but im afraid to give a dummy encase it then becomes the only way shell sleep.