Sun 18 Dec 2011
I am now convinced that Allie has colic. Mr. W’s solution to that is to ban me from Wikipedia, but that doesn’t change the fact that Allie has well over 3 hours daily of inexplicable fits of crying — in fact, she could cry 2.5 hours straight at a time immediately after a feeding. She’ll pull off me to cry. Her diaper’s changed, she’s burped and fed, swaddled and cuddled, but she’s angry about something we can’t fix. We finally just let her cry, unresolved, after 2 hours of unsuccessfully trying to calm her down in the wee hours last nite (altho after she did, she slept solidly and went 7 hours between nighttime feedings). The pacifier works intermittently, but within seconds she’d spit it out and wail. If she’s not asleep or eating, she’s screaming and crying. I feel bad for always trying to get her to sleep, but that’s the only time anything could be done when she’s not clawing and scratching the heck out of my chest and deafening me with her red-faced rageful wails. Supposedly colic self-resolves in 3-4 months. That seems like a lifetime away.
P.S. I told a friend today that “I’m doing okay. I’m convinced Allie has colic, and depending on how much rest I’ve had, it sometimes threatens to break my spirit. It probably karmically balances out the extraordinarily easy time I had with pregnancy and labor. Well, I don’t want to ‘owe the universe one,’ anyway. It might decide to take it in the form of a teenage Allie misadventure.”
It does sound like colic. But have you tried 1)cuddling her or 2)nurse her again 3)infant massage?
I can’t stand babies crying so I tried to do whatever to stop my son from crying although it doesn’t work all the time.
Sometimes the discomfort maybe gas. I am no expert on breastfeeding, but it could be possible if she partially latches while feeding, she’s sucking in air as well. So burping is really important. Once it starts moving through her system you have to wait it out.
If you are also partially on formula, I’ve also heard some kids cannot digest formula very well, and that causes some gas, and leads to discomfort as well. Not sure which brand you use, we switched to using Enfanmil Gentlease, but that’s a bit later stage for Allie. The effect is it’s partially digested, so it supposed to sooth the baby’s digestion.
Just my experience… if all else, wireless headphones worked wonders for us.
Jade – we’ve tried it all. I only started the infant massage yesterday. I guess we’re supposed to do that 3x/day for colic, but it’s slightly a challenge to find a time when she isn’t starving and screaming or full and screaming. She’d spit up if we massaged her when she’s full. Cuddling her means she screams in my ears until I go half-deaf, and nursing her repeatedly means she gets overfull, uncomfortable, spits me out, and screams. Plus I was directed by the doctors and nurses not to become her human pacifier.
Jimmy – she definitely has gas issues, and colic is often caused by gas and digestion discomforts. I do hear her sucking in air sometimes when she gulps during breastfeeding. I’ll have to be more diligent in burping her.
She hasn’t had formula for about 2 weeks now. I’m thinking it may still be food-content related, though. Maybe I’m eating too much cabbage.
You guys really used headphones?! Abby seems so calm and well-adjusted! When did she get over the crying?
My sister had problems with colic with my oldest nephew. She didn’t change a thing with her other two kids and they didn’t have problems at all. I guess my poor advice is that she will grow out of it, but what ever you do, don’t think it’s your fault.
Supposedly colic occurs inexplicably in 10-15% of newborns, but breastfed babies are supposed to be less prone to it. To what do I owe the pleasure? 🙁
I can’t help but think maybe it’s something I’m eating that I can eliminate.
My mom told my sister the same thing (even tho mom didn’t breastfeed) and it drove my sister crazy trying to find out what she was doing wrong. It’s one thing to make adjustments, it’s another to drive yourself crazy looking for what you are doing wrong.
If it’s any consolation, the crying does not stop. The fussiness from gas subsides over time, as her digestion develops. But there will be many more things she will cry over. Teething is a biggie and it will hit when you least expect it. Burping is more art. We kept Abby upright for at least 10 minutes to burp her, sometimes even 2-3 times. How do you burp her now?
When it came to “crying it out”, we got a set of wireless headphones. Seems heartless, but why should everyone suffer, when you can pop in a good DVD for yourself.
Hi Cindy,
I’m a new mother myself. I had my son on 10.30.2011. I have enjoyed reading your blog because I could totally relate with what you are describing 🙂 Have you tried to put her on a swing yet?
Bat – I totally get what you’re saying, but at this point it’s a balancing act between driving myself crazy looking for what I’m doing/eating wrong, vs. the baby’s crying driving everyone crazy. Baby’s winning.
Jimmy – I tried your tactic of keeping her upright for 10 mins after eating. She didn’t burp (sometimes I just fail), but she didn’t spit up, either, and slept comfortably until her next feeding. I’ve tried sitting her up on my lap and patting her back as I support her head from the front (under her chin), or letting her lean slightly sideways against me as I pat her back, and I’ve tried placing her over my shoulder to burp. How do you guys do it?
I think Mr. W is at the wireless headphones point, but I’m not. I overheard him trying to give Allie away the other day. 🙁
T – hi, and welcome to the blog! Congrats on your son. Sorry to hear you can relate to this blog, cuz that means he’s keeping you up crying, too, haha. She’s in the swing right now as I type. It works sometimes and it’s a good rest for me, but it’s not foolproof. When something’s really needed (diaper change or a feeding), she’ll cry from the swing, too. I suppose that’s a good thing. Heck, she’s crying RIGHT NOW. Guess I’ll go check the diaper.
Cindy,
@hugs@ He did it for the first 4-week of life then my mother-in-law came to the rescue by purchasing the swing and another product named the ” Rest Assured Sleeper” by Summer.
It came with a vibration and sound unit that consist of four different melodies, two nature sounds and THE WOMB sound 🙂
You could research to see if the Rest Assured Sleeper will work for your baby because both of the swing and the sleeper put an end to the colic of my son.
Good luck,
T
Yeah, burping is black magic. I only burped Abby in the palm of my hands, supporting her chin behind my thumb and finger. Yes she was that small…
If you don’t think it’s gas, then the girl just wants to scream for the hell of it. We just gave Diana our copy of The Happiest Baby DVD, http://www.amazon.com/Happiest-Baby-Block-DVD/dp/0972179526. Teaches about the 4 S’s, Swaddling, Shushing, and two other steps that I don’t remember.
Swaddling is another art. If you can think big thick burrito, you don’t want the contents to explode all over you. The tighter the better, in principle, supposed to remind the kid of what it was like in the womb. constantly shushing in her ear mimicks the noises in the womb.
T – I looked at the Rest Assured Sleeper online. It’s very similar to something we already have, which is a cosleeper attachment on our Baby Trend Deluxe Nursery Playard; the only thing I don’t have is the “womb sound.” She alternates between sleeping in that and sleeping in her Fisher Price Newborn Rock & Play Sleeper (for when she can’t be flat on her back, like when she’s just eaten).
She does the same thing in both of them: wake up every few minutes struggling, grunting, straining and squealing trying to push out gas. 🙁 I’ve eliminated every gassy food I can think of from my diet, hoping that helps.
Jimmy – I tried that burping style this morning, kinda like clapping but only moving one hand, with a kid in the middle. Didn’t produce a burp for me.
I’ve seen The Happiest Baby; it was played at one of my BabyCare classes. The missing 2 S’s are Side and Sucking. 🙂 But she doesn’t always respond to the side thing and she doesn’t always want to suck; sometimes she needs to scream. I do think it’s gas.
I should practice swaddling more. Her daddy’s been doing all of that.
Cindy,
My mother-in-law bought the Rest Assured Sleeper because it has the womb sound 🙂 Can you call the manufacturer to see if they can sell you the vibration/sound unit? It’s a possibility because it is detachable…
I’m also breast-feeding like you and I have cut out green beans, brocoli, cabbage, chili which is very hard for me 🙁 My mother-in-law also cooked ginger with turmeric for me to drink.
If you are interested, let me know so I can let u know how to make it.
T.
Hi Cind —
I was told that Nutramigen by Enafamil is the best to use. When my friend’s daughter had colic and that’s what they used for 3 months and it was wonderful. It’s a little on the pricey side — Have you also looked into what you are eating? Perhaps Allie may be allergic or sensitive to something you are eating maybe?
Cindy, get one of those small bounce seats. I had one with morgan. He sat on the counter, on the dryer etc. Some of them have electronic bounce to them but at any rate, if you put them in it and turn on the dryer while you’re swapping the clothes, etc. sometimes that works. Here is a link to a bounce seat if you don’t already have one. http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2002&e=product&pid=56780&pcat=bgb
Hmmm, solutions get dicier from here. If you are convinced it is colic, and it is caused by gas, and normal burping and other soothing techniques will not work, there are over-the-counter solutions for infants.
There is a medication, symethicone, an anti-gas, that you can mix in her milk. There is also a homeopathic medication, gripe water, that is also an alternative. Personally I don’t think these worked, though others swore by it.
When feeding with a bottle, we started with an entire set of Avent bottles, but quickly realized it was actually harder to suck milk from. This is the same design used by the born-free brand. We switched to the dr browns bottles because it was much better free flowing, but is a bitch to clean all the small parts.
Also, when Allie is crying, can you feel/hear her tummy gurgle? Is it tight from pressure?
T – what does ginger w/tumeric do?
Sandy – that’s what I was thinking, so I’ve cut out all the gassy foods I’m aware of. I also emailed my mom and told her about the gassy issue, and she basically said, “You can’t eat pizza either then!” I’ve had pizza once since I’ve been breastfeeding. =/ Today, she cooked, and she still put in onions and bean sprouts. I just ate around it.
KitKat – I can’t get your link to show anything, but I think I know what you’re talking about. A portable seat for her sounds like a possibility.
Jimmy – I saw symethicone at the pharmacy today and thought about it, but ultimately passed cuz her pediatrician approved the herbal gripe water but didn’t say anything about her taking other meds. I’ll keep it in mind as a last resort.
We have a couple of Born Free bottles, which Mr. W “hates” cuz he doesn’t understand the engineering/logic behind the design. He said it’s stupid and can’t see how it works so he doesn’t use them. If we’re bottlefeeding, we just slap a nipple on the little Medela collection containers and feed pumped milk to her directly from those.
Yes, Allie’s tummy gurgles all the time. It’s not too tight, and not distended, which is why the nurses and pediatricians who’ve checked her aren’t concerned about her lack of poopiness.
Cindy,
The drink helps the baby poop because you are drinking it and u are breastfeeding 🙂
it seems like you’re getting lots of tips and trying just about everything, but here’s some more unsolicited advice:
1) dr. brown’s bottles. they’re supposedly the best for reducing colic. do you want to try them? i have an entire box that of them that we never used. i can ship them to you.
2) do you try holding allie upright after feedings? you can let her fall asleep on your shoulder. sure, you can’t get a lot done that way (although i’ve become quite adept at preparing meals with one hand!), but it’s better than hearing the crying — for me, at least.
3) i know your peds said not to let her use you as a human pacifier, but did they say why? for me, if that’s what baby wants, that what (s)he gets. i’d rather give them a boob than hear them cry. it’s really great bonding time, too. and you can rest/sleep while she’s pacifying herself to sleep.
T – sure, I’ll try anything at this point.
flip flop – 1.) I’m not bottle-feeding much. The only time is if I’m stuck out on an errand that took unexpectedly long through a feeding time (like the other day I was at the mall in the morning, then the evening, I was out hunting down glycerin suppositories) and Mr. W, stuck home with the baby, feeds her some stored milk I’d previously pumped. He feeds it straight from the Medela storage bottle and just slaps a Medela nipple on it. Thank you for the offer, but let’s save your postage for now. I may change my mind later if colic continues as she’s bottle-fed. 🙂
2.) I started holding her upright for 10 mins after eating after Jimmy suggested it in this string. It does cut down on the spit-up, but she’s still often spit up if she’s flat on her back after 10 mins (like when Mr. W swaddles her). I followed your advice last nite and managed to tidy up the living room, rinse & put some dishes into the dishwasher, put a bunch of her towels (she had a bath) into her hamper upstairs, then bring up the changing table and random odds and ends upstairs, tend to the cat’s food bowl, all while holding her asleep on my left shoulder, and while Mr. W was on the computer doing his jailbreak stuff without ever turning around. And I put her straight to bed from that. Yay! Unfortunately, I didn’t swaddle her (I’ve never tried) so all her arm flails in her REM woke her up. 🙁 What do you do about those?
3.) originally, the human pacifier ban was to allow raw bleeding nipples some time to heal. Now, it’s to prevent her from using live boobs as a crutch to fall asleep so she’d learn to self-soothe. Self-soothing allows for easier independent sleeping later on.