Colic support - hand hold/what helps?

[BoomyBooms]

DD is just over two weeks and exclusively formula fed since end of last week. Completely the right choice for us and fully supported by our midwife and health visitor.

However, now DD seems to have developed colic, and it just feels like the worst thing in the world Since starting the formula, she had been a happy and content little thing and we were just starting to feel confident that we knew what she needed, how to keep her happy etc.

Sunday night she screamed hysterically inconsolably from 3.30pm until 3.30am, passed out for a couple of hours and resumed again in the morning.. we were so concerned we went to a&e who diagnosed reflux and started her on gaviscon. This seemed to help, and we had a really great Monday afternoon and night with DD back to her happy self.

However last night at 8pm it all kicked off again and she was screaming horribly until 4am. This time she was straightening her legs stiff and shaking her arms sround. We could only cuddle her and wait it out.

This morning she isn't crying but is unsettled still and not sleeping properly - she's on me now and keeps asking whilst trying to sleep. I can feel all the wind in her tummy but baby massage seems to make her unhappier. We have started infacol and we have a doctor's appointment later this morning where I plan to ask about cows milk allergy.

Does this sound like colic to anyone else? I thought it was meant to last a few hours a day not most of the day. DH and I are feeling really low that this could be how we have to live for the next couple of months - chronically sleep deprived and holding a screaming baby. Honestly I could cry but am trying to keep it together.

Any support/remedies/hand holding welcome. Maybe some other colic mum's will join and we can try to feel less alone with all this!

Aw hugs to you both - so so tough. Is it possible it is just adjusting to the formula - would a different formula maybe suit better?

@Pebstk thank you, it's feeling pretty horrendous. The GP has said not to switch formula right now and to focus on giving the gaviscon a good go.

Hand hold OP. DD was very colicky too and it's incredibly hard. If you think it's coincided with the start of formula I would switch brands despite what the GP said. It can't hurt to try? How are her nappies?

My second had colic (but no reflux). The tried everything before coming across Colief drops. Absolute miracle worker in our case!

My now 7 month old had colic (ie screaming all day long) and we tried treating for silent reflux, tried infacol, coleif, etc. Unfortunately it was just something he had to grow out of. It felt like forever at the time but it does pass. You just have to do whatever you need to survive in the meantime - we found walking with him in a sling the only thing that calmed him and took it in turns so one of us could have a break from the screaming.

My baby is nearly 9 weeks and has colic, she got it around 4 weeks and we was advised by doctor to change milk, so we switched to aptimil and also changed to dr brown bottles, we also use cooled drops which seem to help a lot.

She has her good and bad nights you just have to ride it out unfortunately, we tried infacol and that didn't seem to do much. She does sleep right through some nights but other nights can be up for hours unsettled.

I've heard that Hipp organic milk is brilliant for colic and I'm thinking of switching again to that and give it a try, but yes I would 100% recommend colief drops.

My doctor did say colic should go by around 12 weeks so hang in there!! X

My baby had colic and it was incredibly hard. BUT it will get better; hang on in there. Things that helped:

• walking around singing repetitively, taking turns with OH.
• dummy.
• swaddling at night.
• I was breastfeeding, but later found MAM bottles to be the best for us.
• ranitidine from GP for reflux
• trying everything to stop them getting too tired. Relentless bouncy chair rocking. Ideally, they needed asleep every hour or so at that age (although easier said than done).

Oh and super thorough winding, tummy massage and bicycle legs to help pass wind. Lots of videos of you give.

On YouTube that should be!

One of mine had bad colic. What ended up working was comfort formula, colief drops and the 'tiger hold' (basically lying on their tummy along your forearm with head in your hand). We still had 3-4 hours of screaming every night and two other kids to sort out - we took it in shifts, sometimes singing loudly with headphones on whilst doing the tiger hold! It literally stopped in the 13th week!

My DS had colic and although mostly breastfed, I did find mam bottles helped. What you’ve described does sound like it could be CMPA so I’d agree with others to discuss switching formula with the doctor.

Definitely change to a dairy free formula. Insist with doctor, don't ride it out. Re introduce dairy rather than trying meds, colief, fifteen different formulas etc. Neocate is vile but the younger they are the better as taste not an issue. Also Pepti is a hydrolysed formula which still had the milk protein in and suits some but honestly if I were you I'd go dairy free straight away and build up to introducing milk protein. Been there- four babies! It's not worth seeing them suffer and treating them like an experiment. CMPA is often the root cause of reflux.

Hiya, this sounds just like my little man, hes now nearly 8 months. First 2 weeks he was happy and content, after that a switch was flipped and like clockwork every night 7-9pm he would scream.. and I dont mean a bit I mean like blood curdling, constant screaming that nothing would calm him down. Eventually he would tire himself out. He also had eczema and tummy troubles.

My mum was the one that pointed out maybe cmpa, as I also had it from a baby. Dr agreed and wr have been under a dietician since 3 months. After a few different formulas and skin prick test for allergies. He has a dairy and soya allergy. So now is on dairy free formula. Sleeps happily all night, happy and relaxed during the day. He also has reflux and on gaviscon.

The reflux in itself causes issues and you need to make sure to keep them upright for 30mins after a feed, so where possible change the nappies before a bottle.

If you need a chat, then I'm here. It's a rough road but it will get easier, take any help you can get so you get a break xxx

I formula fed too on SMA pro and my little one had colic but I resolved it by letting him feed upright and then leaving him in an upright position for 10mins after feeding

And voila - never had a colic problem again.

Because I got tired of holding him upright for 10mins I invested in a baby bouncer chair to rest him on while he digests his food

How are you getting on with your little one OP?