Strategies for coping with colic

[2labs]

Not sure if 'sleep' is the right topic for this, but it'll do...
ds (4 weeks old on Sunday) is so colicky since last week. He seems to be really suffering. Had advice from doc over the phone who says doesn't sound as if it's anything more serious than severe wind/colic, but it is so hellish. . Whenever he tries to sleep the pain wakes him up again and he now seems exhausted and miserable not just in the evenings when everyone says colic is supposed to be worst, but most of the day and night. I can't remember what he looks like when he's awake and not crying. Have been giving Infacol the last couple of days and hv says give it a bit longer. Been to cranial osteo this morning but can't see any difference (yet).
Dh is being brilliant and doing his share of the winding/rocking/holding, but we are both soooo tired. ds is finally sleeping at the moment upright in a sling but that means I can't nap at the same time. I've started to hear his cries in my head even when he's not actually crying!
I know there's not a lot else we can do (have searched all the colic links on the net!) but wondered if anyone has any tips on coping psychologically/emotionally. Have been out with the pram for walks etc but he tends to scream all the way. Am slightly falling to bits.

2labs - we had (have) the same problem as rainbowbear. There is no history of intolerances here, but dairy intolerances are actually quite common in babies (around 3-4% I believe) and most grow out of it by the time they are 2. Of those with dairy intolerance, 30-40% are also intolerant of soy, but thankfully we're not one of them!

The best way to investigate whether this is the problem is to cut out all dairy and soy for 2 weeks (it takes several days to clear completely from your system) and see if his moods improve. If they do then you could try re-introducing soy and see how he is then. The final step would be to re-introduce dairy and see if his moods revert back again, but you may be so convinced by that point that you don't want to cause him pain again!

You can get rice or oat milk in most supermarkets now which you can use as a substitute for yourself, but make sure you get one with added calcium so that you are not deficient.

Good luck, and if you want any more info on this topic then do post again - there are lots of MN'ers with dairy intolerant DCs who can help.

no neither of us. And I am not the sort to believe in all this sort of stuff anyway - I am usually quite sniffy about this sort of diagnosis.

when i switched from breastfeeding to formula went onto something called Neocate - no dairy or soy -

by 2 my son could have both soy and dairy - but at before one was violenty unhappy if he had either.

Our fab specialist said that a huge number of colic cases were intolerances to cows milk (whether through formula or breast milk) and if you were unlucky soy too. So do as Cant sleep wont sleep suggests - a process of elimination.
i was also told to try tiny amounts of yakkult first to see if this broke down proteins or whatever - god I am no scientist so this might be the wrong description. But the yakkult treatment didn't work after three days so we started cutting out cows milk from my diet, then soy.
As I said, I can be more specific if you CAT me - but it really is a route worth investigating if you can bear the hassle of a dairy and soy free diet (I gorged on whole roast chickens if I remember, I was so hungry!)

good luck. i took calcium supplements too by the way. essential.

this was yakkult in my diet - not babies! I think I had to have two a day.

My ds1 had reflux which was like dd1's colic but more sporadic and didn't go on for hours and hours - cutting out caffeine completely cured it. Worth a try? Other than that deepest sympathy - a Wilkinet sling was the only way I coped. It does pass normally at three months though I know three minutes is too long when your baby is screaming!

our dd had terrible colic from 8 wks till 14 wks. we tried cranial osteopathy, spent £500 on it, didn't help at all. Tried infacol and gripewater didn't help either. our saving grace was a cd with nursery rhymes, we played it for up to 20 times walking/dancing/singing along, after some time it calmed her, but the real benefit is now many months later the moment she hears the cd she instantly calms down. we also tried colief and windypops we think that they helped, but she still had colic though, but may be slightly less severe. it was really hard. good luck, it is true it does pass, but not necessarily at 3 months for us it went on till 14 weeks.

positions: we found tiger in the tree - ie over your forearm lengthwise and over the shoulder working best

Ds1 was very colicky and didn't sleep very much at all through the night. This continued until 9 weeks old and it nearly killed me (and dh)! As soon as i got him on a routine the crying dropped dramatically - would really recommend doing this. Didn't bother with routine with ds2 at first but he started to show "colicky" signs again at 2-3 weeks so got him on the same routine and had a much happier baby. Good luck whatever you do.

Just a thought, could it be reflux aswell as colic? that can be as equally as painful and might account for the whole day of crying rather than just the evening. Sorry if anyone else has mentionned this, haven't read all the posts

Both my girls were colicky I found infacol worked although you have to use it for a few days before anything happens then take them off it and then start again. Also rub there back on there left hand side (side there tummy is) dont pat as it upsets the milk and can make it worse. I also bought a habherman feeder which was brilliant as they can drink as much or as little as they want remember babies drink alot slower and the slower the better. just think it will end one day.

don't know if you are BFeeding or FFeeding but Dr Brown bottles really helped my dd, and infacol - but it had to build up, took about 4 days to noitice the difference

I hope you're having an ok evening?
All the advice on here seems great...
The reason why I mentioned breast milk is because it is supposed to be easier to digest than formula. I bf for as long as i could then had to give it up. I used goats milk formula as i was advised that was easier for them to digest.. but this prob won't be relevant for you if you're completely bf.

Oh I so feel for you. My dd is now 5mths but had colic from 2wks till around 16wks. Nothing really helped, definately not infacol for us! Just very expensive! The main thing I found was actually avoiding doing little comfort feeds, as in they turned out to be a short term fix, and left me with long term probs. Instead she ended up sucking on my finger and always calmed down which seemed to ease the pain. Admitadly now 5mths on, she only goes to sleep at night with the use of my finger!!! But she is contented now and in time I will wean her off. I think the other key point for me was to try to not let it stress me. I did break down a couple of times, but realised it did her no favours. Remember it's NOTHING YOU ARE DOING WRONG and baby will get over it! Thoughts are with you.

just know that whilst it feels like hell and never going to end - it will. The first 24 hrs after the 1st sesssion of cranial osteopathy was I remember probably the worst and I thought i had just poured more money down the drain after trying everything else my health visitor recommended. However we saw a real improvement after the 2nd session so i would certainly recommend sticking with it. With this next baby, I'm taking no chances, daren't risk going under again and cannot bear that total sleep depravation, I have heard wonderful things about the Dr Browns bottles. Obvioulsy havent tried them myself yet but heard great reviews and lets face it anythings worth a try - good luck. If its any consolation, after wishing i'd never had a baby cos I was so sad to have this thing that cried constatntly with colic, my DS is now 4 and an absolute delight. No terrible 2's, no tantrums, so i think a bit a Karma kicks in later on to make up for the bad time your having now.

I just want to ditto what bumpmt said - the key point is try not to let it stress you - but i know that is easy to say and not always easy to follow...i noticed that often whatever position i put my crying baby in she wouldn't be soothed and sometimes just sitting her in her chair in front of the washing machine would be all i could get away with - as mine seemed to be in pain no matter what i did sometimes it was better to leave her alone even if still crying. The things i did -
1 infacol - didn't help
2 colief - helped take the edge off it-v expensive BUT you can get it on perscription-hurray! Bit of a faff as have to give it on teaspoon with some expressed bm
3 washing machine
4 cranial - 4 sessions -thought it helped for a bit but in long run nooo..
5 homeopathy - YES yes yes! I was sceptical but that really worked for us - worth a try if others fail
6 taking out in car when really bad late in eve
7 a dummy - helped at times
All said to us it would get better after 16 wks - when ours didn't that's when i slowly realised it had been colic but now it was reflux-that was REALLY hard but after 5 mths she's so improved & now she's great! I'm sure the homeopathy helped mature her digestive system.

Hows it going?My first baby was great but no 2 had horrendous colic and silent reflux(dx at 5 months after numerous trips to gp and eventually refusing to leave surgery until someone believed it was more than colic at 5 months!!!) You have my complete sympathy as it is horrendous.It will get better,honest.Can only reiterate what others have said.Things I found helped a little:
Sling
Propping books under cot and pillow under matress so dd was at a tilt.
Winding after feeds and sometimes half way through if she started to fuss at boob.This could take a good half hour for a burp!!
Taking for a walk/car ride
Gentle tummy rubbing/massage

Some people say if going to a cranial osteopath it takes a few sessions.Didnt try so dont khnow but hth.

It gets better HONEST

The only thing that ever worked for my ds was Colief, you put drops into their milk and within a few days his colic had gone.

Thanks for all the support; it's much appreciated. Another not too bad night and a great day yesterday. Bit of a horrid time this morning - he's feeding now, so it's peaceful at the moment! I'm in a dilemma about demand feeding, as he seems to want to feed so much but as several people have said I worry it doesn't help his digestion, but I am also worried about whether he's thriving... At his last weighing 10 days ago (when he was 2.5 weeks) he was 6 pounds 11 oz, which was the first time he'd put on some decent weight (6oz) from the previous week. He lost an awful lot in the days after birth. And everyone who sees him says how tiny he is - I know they mean well but it is really playing on my anxieties... no one says 'oh he's grown!'. And my mum and gran keep saying how skinny his arms are and am I sure I have enough milk, etc. I feel like I do as I drip everywhere , but am having him weighed tomorrow and am a bit scared what he'll be. I can't see how I can bf him any more than I already am. Don't want to supplement him with formula if I don't have to but after tomorrow will decide that I think.

Sorry to ramble on - so many issues going round my head I'm not sure what's what at the moment.

My DD had colic too from about 3 weeks. We went to stay with my parents (it was over Christmas) and my mother got her addicted to sucking on a finger. I then found out that apparently a babies sucking mechanism provides them with pain relief. I hated the idea of giving her a dummy but sucking on a finger really helped, she spat out most of the dummies we tried until we got a special dummy from the USA called a soothie (look them up on ebay). It's basically one piece dummy with a long thin nipple that is more finger shaped. She loved it, and had it till about 5 months, we then took it off her and now she does her own strange self-soothing motion with her tongue!

You poor thing - re the weight gain, a friend's little girl was smallish, didn't appear interested in feeding and didn't put on weight. She was called in to have extra sessions at "Plunket" - NZ babycare society, etc. etc, extremely stressful. However by the age of about 9 months she was completely the same size as everybody else and is one of the tallest in the antenatal group and definitely the healthiest. I think she's had one cold by the age of 4. They are very long, anxious days in the beginning, but, as everyone says, it does get better. I would suggest, if you are worried, get your baby to a paediatrician. Then you can get him checked over by an expert and the worst part - your worry and confusion - should be allayed.

As far as the colic goes - my kinesiologist (which uses homeopathic stuff I think?) told me that his favourite patients are colicy babies as it is easy to treat and the parents are eternally grateful and regard him as some kind of demi-god thereafter because they have come out of such hell. If my second child has colic I will be down to one quick-smart.

Good luck.

hello - sorry you are having such a horrible time. It will pass, honestly. I am a very old mum, but used to be a midwife/HV. You can learn an awful lot about what is going on in babies' tummies by what comes out at the bottom end! A 4 week old breast fed baby should be producing soft, mustard type poos that smell like yogurt. Anything from once to 5 times a day is normal. anything green, frothy, smelly, liquid, explosive, less than once a day or more than 6 times a day can be an indication of a problem with the amount or content of what is going in the top end. Has your HV discussed this aspect of things? Colic can be due to overactivity of the gut, constipation or spasm. These can be linked to feeding, allergies or neurological causes. What works will depend on the cause, which is why sometimes what works for one baby doesnt help with another. Sorry to go on at length, as it doesn't give you any quick and easy solution, but does any of the above ring any alarm bells? I won't write an essay, but if you want to post a msg about the contents of the nappies I could try to make some more suggestions. All the advice on here is good, though, not trying to contradict anyone. My first 2 sons were colicky and it is absolutely exhausting when you are in the middle of it. You have my total sympathy.

thanks 3littlefrogs - I'd say he does about 5-6 poos a day though sometimes more if you count a couple that are barely more than a stain. They are yellow but pretty liquid I'd say. Does that sound like there might be a problem?

Also they are quite explosive... we always hear them happening!

Well, the colour and the frequency sounds normal. Liquid - how long does he feed on each breast? the first 2 or 3 minutes of a breast feed consists of sugary watery milk. Then, as the feed progresses the milk gets thicker and richer. it is important that the baby gets enough of both kinds, therefore needs long enough on one side to get this combination. if you switch to 2nd side too soon, the baby gets too much of the first kind and can get loose stools, tummy full of liquid, but not satisfied, hungry again an hour later. Explosive - very common, means theres a fair bit of gas mixed in. Gas can be very painful, especially in a small tummy. Is he swallowing air when feeding? Check the latching on and sucking. Is he gulping? Windy babies often benefit from the "rugby ball hold" for feeding. Tucked under Right arm for right breast, if you see what I mean. Can be held more vertically this way, so air doesn't travel down into the gut so easily, stays near the top and comes up more easily. Letting him have a kick in a warm bath can help move the gas along. This may sound a bit of a hassle, but worked for me when I was desperate: Provided you are not still bleeding, you can have a shower,so you are clean, then get into a warm bath with him, lay him on your tummy. He can hear your abdominal pulse, its the nearest thing to being back in the womb, and he might relax enough to pass the wind. You might want to think about your diet - dairy products have been mentioned as a possible cause of irritation, i used to find that peppers, onions, grapes could come through in the milk and sometimes caused a problem. They do get used to all these things as they get older and their gut gets used to the whole process of digestion. Does any of that help?

be careful not to let him get cold though.

v helpful thanks. He does usually feed for quite a long time (20 mins or so per breast) and I always wait till he's either fallen asleep or just doing v light suckling before I take him off and wake him up and offer the other side. He feeds at least every 2 hours during the day (start of feed to start of next) though he often roots around in between times and if I can't calm him any other way I'll usually nurse again, when he'll feed for a much shorter period. Perhaps it's these shorter feeds that are causing a problem.