Is This Some Sort of Cruel Joke?...
Because I AM NOT LAUGHING.
Colic is no laughing matter. It's especially unfunny the second time around.
In fact, I'm f*cking pissed that I'm having to deal with all this again. It makes for a spec-f*cking-tacular day when the baby is either eating, sleeping, or incessantly crying.
I know all the "remedies" for colic. Let's see, Dr. Karp recommends the five S's...swaddling, swinging, shushing, side-lying, and sucking. Of course, you practically pass out from all the exertion required when you ever so carefully swaddle the baby with blankets that are never big enough, getting the baby on their side at the EXACT RIGHT angle, swinging vigorously from side to side with just the right amount of head movement, and shushing in their ear, continuously without breaks, for if you stop the screaming commences. If these steps aren't executed just so, then you can forget about quiet. As if lack of sleep doesn't exhaust you enough!
I've eliminated dairy and tomatoes from my diet so far. She is wearing socks. I try to never let her get overstimulated. I try never letting her get bored. I've used the swing, the vibrating infant seat, the floor, the sling. I tried rides in the car and putting the car seat on top of the dryer. I manipulate her legs, do "the backwards C" and The "I Love U" on her belly to make her fart. Gripe water, gas drops, and Mylanta have all been tried. I've also tried putting her on a schedule.
I've f*cking tried everything. I. Give. Up*.
(And, no I'm not suffering from Post-Partum Depression. I personally feel fine, I just have another colicky baby. If you've had one, you'd understand my frequent use of the "f" word. I did my best to edit the "f" words...I couldn't delete all of them!)
*I suspect that I haven't actually tried everything...and I don't really give up. Any other suggestions that you've tried?
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All I can say is I am so so sorry. My second baby was colic. She is 8 months now. My first was not (but as she was my first I still thought it was sooo hard), cut to, having my second with colic and I ralize WTF !!
I tried it all as well and nothing worked all the time, it was all about survival. I was nursing (still do as she won't take the bottle) and that was hell.
my first q is maybe it is reflux ? i believe colic is due to immature systems. i think the only thing that worked for us was SHHHHHHHH very loud and bouncy her, and my hubby used a sling where her legs were crunched up to her shoulders. it was hell. hell. curse away, good luck. i am putting you on my blogroll.
I (thankfully)have no experience with colic (just another in the ever growing list of reasons that I think I want to stop with 1 kid!), so all I can offer up is ((HUGS)). Hang in there, this, too, will pass.
Jennifer, I recommend the "F" therapy where you say and type "fuck" as often as you feel the need to and don't edit them.
I wish I had an answer for ya that you haven't already tried. I have nothing other than to say I'm so sorry you're going through this again and that I'm just a phone call & drive away if you need me!
SF was colicky. I don't even joke. it's not funny at all.
I'm sorry.
I put her to sleep in her car seat and changed her formula to Alimentum...After 4 whole months of crying....She stopped.
I second the use of "f" therapy. That's what blogs are for, right? I am so, so sorry. It really does not seem fair that you should have to suffer through it twice.
Dad says that Jack Daniels worked wonders for me at that age. Maybe that's wha... nah, couldn't be. :(
It used to help Tommy when I would apply a small amount of pressure with my index and middle finger on his back. It did this next to his spine on the stomach side. You can do this with them on their tummy or while you are holding them facing you. Sometimes i put baby lotion on my hands to make it easier to move in a circular motion. I wish I could draw you a picture, I don't know if this makes any sense. I tried it with a friends baby recently and he quieted instantly.
(somehow, it eased my anxiety and back pain too- I don't know how that worked)
I'm sorry. Hang in there.
I have absolutely no advice on what to try...just wanted to say, Hang in there!
My son never had colic, so I have no idea what to do. Sorry.
Ok, I haven't tried this, but am interested in the results.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Why_is_my_baby_crying
This lady also has a DVD, but it's expensive. Like around $50 or so. But this site shows you clips of the babies crying and what the cries mean.
The DVD's are called: The Secret Language of Babies: The Five Cries of Newborns
The woman behind the research is Priscilla Dunstan. Good luck. I feel like I'm going to go through the roof with just an hour of crying. I can't even imagine.
Maybe this will help...
My son was the same way (or so we thought). One night I accidently froze us all by turning the air WAY down. He slept through the night. It ended up that he did not like to be tightly swaddled, clothed, etc. He did not like to be hot. Oh, yeah and I tried putting him on his stomach and that worked great! So, stomach sleeping in a VERY COOL room in just a diaper and onsie worked for us!
I recommend ear plugs, booze, swearing as much as you want to, and a time machine.
Here's the advice my mother gave me: if you take a shower and/or turn off the monitor they stop crying ;)
And...I'm so sorry!
crap this sucks! Stinkerbell was colicky. She was MISERABLE while I breastfed. I could have eaten only crackers and drank only water and she would still have screamed. The Mighty Hunter's grandmother (88 at the time) kept cooking to "help me out". Yes, she did. She was great. Wonderful, tiny, little, old lady. But she cooked PINTO BEANS! PINTO BEANS that I told her I didn't like anyway and PINTO BEANS that would have made my baby even MORE DEMON-POSESSED COLICKY - IF I had eaten them.
Try some formula. Start with the cheapest type and then move up toward soy-based ones. She may be lactose intolerant. Stinkerbell's bfs (best friend sometimes) was colicky and it was milk allergy. The MOST EXPENSIVE soy formula was all she could take. But - good news, promise - she outgrew the allergy quickly and the more good formula she got, the less she screamed.
Things for you to try - that have multiple good side effects - a little wine, tums/gaviscon, benadryl. The wine may help you relax and will possibly help her to relax and relieve her discomfort too. same with tums/gaviscon. The benadryl is purely for your sleep.
BIG OL' HUGS from your Auburn Gal. Been there, done that, got the wrinkles and gray hair to prove it. Remember, this too will pass. Punny, huh?
Sounds like reflux. Did Peanut have reflux?
Here's what we did:
1. Zantac -- Sweet Boy's been taking this since he was about a month old.
2. Formula with oatmeal in it, yes even as a newborn, the oatmeal helps to keep the formula down so it doesn't feel like it's coming back up and/or doesn't actually come back up (projectile vomiting, anyone?).
3. Stomach sleeping, as Jamie suggested. Even though the pediatric gastroenterologist wouldn't give us her blessing on this, she did suggest ways to make it safer ... cool temps and most importantly, get rid of the bumper pads!
4. Keep baby upright for a good 30 minutes after feeding. Upright as in putting her in the bouncy might not even be upright enough. Yes, it was a royal pain. I remember having to sit in the car for a half hour after a feeding because putting Sweet Boy back in his car seat wasn't even upright enough.
5. Nighttime sleeping in the carseat worked for a short time.
Good luck, Jennifer. I hope you find something that helps.
I really really feel for you.
My son has reflux and not only a milk protein, but a soy intolerance. I have now cut out both from my diet because he won't take alimentum or nutrimagen, the only two formulas that are ok for him. But we only found out when he was five months old (I had been cutting out dairy at the top level - cheese, milk, etc until then and had to go down to the ingredients) so I think he was old enough to be fussy by then. But that's unusual so I wouldn't assume that's what's going on here or anything.
Some things that helped with us. Really big swaddling blankets - my mother in law made us some that were 3 feet square. We also bought the Miracle Blanket and we really liked that.
Something that was sort of annoying to do but almost always calmed him, sitting on an exercise ball and bouncing.
The hairdryer was magic on really bad days.
Slings, wraps, etc. If I strapped him to me and did stuff, he was ok and would sleep.
We did eventually put him on medication for reflux which helped a lot too.
Good luck!! I'm happy to offer more tips if you want some, I have a zillion ;)
I got nothing but a big "GOOD LUCK" for ya!
I went through a reflux baby, and the ped kept asking was - are you sure it's not colic? It sounds like people with colic babies get asked if it's reflux.
My reflux baby was also fussy even when he was properly medicated, he was just fussy in a different way. If he wasn't in a bjorn (he hated slings) he was listening to white noise at extremely LOUD volumes. I listened to the hair dryer and vacuum cleaner track on "For Crying Out Loud" more times than I care to admit.
I heard a piece on NPR about a colic institute. Early studies there show the use of a particular probiotic may help:
www.thebostonchannel.com/asseenon5/10654878/detail.html
You can google NPR and colic and get more info on their findings.
Good luck and drop the f-bomb as much as possible! This sucks!
I have one suggestion that doesn't help in the meantime, but it's something to see you through nonetheless. When #2 was a screamy, always-at-the-tit, fussbudget, I took a red sharpie and figured out how long it would take us to get to the magical 12-week mark, and then each day that passed, I x'ed out a day on the calendar. It was a way of telling myself that time was indeed passing, and that this colic, unbearable though it was, definitely had a shelf-life.
Hang in there. it's easy to say from my perch of having a 4-year old and a colic-free toddler. But it will pass, and in the meantime, feel free to swear as much as you want.
Okay! So I don't have a baby so I thought "what would make me stop screaming if I started for no obvious reason?". The best I could think of was watching old Saturday Night Live re-runs and eating ice cream. Sorry Jennifer, that's all I got.
Good luck.
My friend did a warm pack on her son's tummy and said it worked... Wish I had more for you!
I read about the same study LauraC did, and was going to reccomend also that you check it out. There are some probiotic drops you can get that they said made a HUGE difference after about 4 weeks. Something to do with good bacteria in the gut, and it makes sense since they suspect colicky behavior stems from abdominal pain. Check out her link.
I don't have colic help, but for swaddling try one of those blankets with velcro. Amazing.
http://www.kiddopotamus.com/p_swad.php
Good luck.
I don't have any experience in that area but I definitely wish you the best. I imagine it can be frustrating.
Here' a suggestion , have a family member come over and care for her and then you go out and drink lots of booze and "forget" for a while.
:)
I am so sorry Colic is awful. I have no advice for you. Bailey had it and all we could do was take turns running away from the house so we could keep our sanity. And for some reason she liked my dad and he could sooth her.
Hopefully it passes quickly!!
I am so sorry - I wish I had a magic cure to pass on to you. Can you drink a glass or six of wine? Just know there are a lot of moms out there cheering you on!!
I thought the 5 S's worked great! Of course I was the one swaddled and laying in the swing....
Oh I am so sorry! The only thing that worked for Jo Jo was putting her in her car seat and putting that in the stroller, then pushing her around our living room--this of course did not help when WE needed to sleep. I wish you lots of luck and hope that you find a good remedy soon!
Oh, Jennifer. That sucks. I know. We went thru the colic/reflux with Middle. Stopped breastfeeding and switched him to Enfamil with Nutramigen (which insurance thankfully paid for for the entire year!) and Zantac.
I am so sorry.
Sound like you are breastfeeding, but with mine once I switched him to a Lactose Free Formula he turned into a new baby.
My pediatricians daughter also had colic and for them the only thing that worked was the sound of the running shower. She said I didn't even want to see her water bill.
I totally feel for you, good luck and hang in there.
I'm the wrong person to ask...I gave up and started bottle-feeding.
Good luck!
I have no idea, but I definitely feel for you.
All I know about babies is that they feel what you feel, so if you are frustrated, chances are that she will be too :)
you poor thing! incessantly crying babies are very very stressful. fuck. exactly. what else is there to say?
Only thing that helped my little screamer was zantac and sleeping on her belly. Oh, and I turned off the monitor at times. Lots of times. I know that sounds awful but when you've done all you can do and you have others to take care of (not to mention yourself!)
That just sucks. I have nothing to offer but sympathy. And brownies.
I don't have any answers, just wanted to virtually stroke your hair and give you hugs. Hang in there.
If you've ruled out any medical issue like reflux,I'm not sure what to add except to say I'm really fucking sorry, and ITA with the pp who suggested lots of f-bombs, booze and whatever helps make YOU feel a little better.
Baby Diva was colicky AND she had a heart condition so I had no choice but to try EVERYTHING.
1. White noise. Get a CD. We have one that sounds like the ocean. Better than ordinary shushig and you won't pass out.
2. Lots of carrying in the sling.
3. The Miracle Blanket. I tried about a bazillion of them and this was the only one that worked. They gave us two to give away this month and a coupon, so come on over if you are interested.
Turned out she also had reflux...2 days on Zantac and things were vastly improved.
During the height of the colic, though, I used to have to put her in the sling, then swaddle her, put her in the swing still swaddled, give her a paci, put on white noise and rub her belly all at the same time. And many times that didn't work either.
Oh, and she HATED the car..what's up with that.
It was a long three months before her operation.
But seriously...try the Miracle Blanket. Maybe you'll even win one on my site.
? maybe talk to the ped about the zantac prevacid combo in case she has that silent acid reflux ... there's also a sedative type med the ped can give you for colic ... it will just make her sleep ?
prayer?
many sympathies, ashley
Oh Jennifer...you poor thing!
Before Logan was diagnosed with GERD, we thought he had colic. The only thing that I was told to do that you haven't tried is infant massage...by a registered massage therapist. We looked into it...my MT offered a course in it. For $80 she comes to your house for 3-4 1 hour sessions. It supposedly helps a lot.
But if you think your little girl isn't getting better, or has symptoms other than the usual colic stuff...you might want to talk to your doc about GERD. We struggled with Logan for so long...but when we finally got him on the right medication, it was like heaven!
If you have any questions about it, let me know...cateslife@gmail.com
oh colicky I know ye well
what worked best for me? Only nursing on one side per feeding - baby gets the fattier hind milk in bigger proportions. Cuts down on gassiness and can help them feel full longer.
Bubble B Gone and gripe water worked fucking miracles with my 1st colicky baby. This time it has been Hylands colic tabs.
AMBY BED. My son is now sleeping in this- SLEEPING!!
The swing? My son could only handle the cradle style swinging at first. Back and forth just seemed to make him froth at the mouth with anger.
Bouncy seat? Nope, hates it.
Sling, loves it but only sitting straight up and down on my chest, no cradle hold for him in the sling.
WHITE NOISE!! We have a hepa filter in our bedroom. Not only is the air cleaner but the noise helps him sleep and cope. My 1st colicky one liked the sound of the fan over the stove and the shower running.
Feel free to email me, I could tell you more but well this would turn into a chapter book if I let it.
fidgetblogs [at] gmail [dot] com
I hope you can find SOMETHING that works
Just wanted to let you know that as I type this I am also jiggling a colicy baby...my second one, so I feel for you.
So far nothing has worked twice. The doc put her on prevacid but I don't see a difference yet.
Good luck, hope yours ends quickly.
I, too, am very sorry. I completely know what you mean. I could've written your post! And when people hear me, I always know when it's someone who has never dealt w/ colic themselves, because the only thing they say is that they thing I have PPD. NO! Try a bbay that does nothing but scream at you ALL DAY LONG!!
I don't have any other suggestions, other than assure yourself it WILL pass, as you know from experience. I know it's so hard. Our 1st was colicky for 4 months-the worst 4 months of my life. It started to seem that way this time around, too. (baby is 6 weeks old) Everyone raved about the gripe water-it didn't seem to do any good. And I had so much hope!
I sure hope things get better for you soon. Zantac and Reglan truly seemed to help my oldest.
Hang in there. And like the others say, vent away as you need to!
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