Conference moira::parenting

    
    Colic is a term loosely used by doctors to describe a baby who is
    extremely fussy (my child screamed non-stop 24 hours a day).  Some
    children experience this only at certain times of the day, usually at
    early evening for a few hours, others are like this throughout the day.
    There are many "tricks" that parents can use to help the child.  A
    swing was invaluable for my brother's son - lying him face down on your
    lap and rubbing his back helped.  A front pack was also somewhat
    helpful.  But remember, if the child has a more serious problem none of
    these will help very much.  
    
    The two indicators which were crucial for us was the crying and
    screaming throughout feedings and nighttime.  A couple of sips of a 
    bottle then thrashing and crying, then more sips.  The second
    was when Samantha was crying at night or during her nap time, I
    suddenly realized she was still asleep while she was crying and
    thrashing.  This amazed me !
    
    IMO no child should suffer like this.  I don't fully believe in the
    concept of colic.  I believe there is a "real" problem.  Call it an
    immature digestive system which cannot digest certain items, whatever. 
    I truly believe that something should and can be done to help a child
    who is in this much pain.
    
    If the child is formula fed, I would suggest seeing a specialist
    immediately.  My daughter, we found out, has a problem digesting protein
    and certain sugars.  Additionally, it was discovered she has esophogial
    reflux which caused her to regurgitate (sp?), but not spit or vomit. 
    This, the doctor explained, caused more pain for the child because the
    acids sat in her esophogus.
    
    My daughter's formula was changed, tests were run, medication prescribed 
    and 80% of the problem was solved.  She still had her moments, but we 
    were finally getting some sleep and she was actually a happy baby.
    
    We saw a Gastroenterologist here in MA.  If you would like his
    name/number, please feel free to contact me off line.
                                                                      

    In addition to formula problems, if a baby is breastfed they may be
    reacting to something the mother has eaten.  
    
    I know that when I was breastfeeding Sarah I had to eliminate all
    tomato based sauces and anything else acidic.  
    
    What we found effective in soothing her was to turn the tv on to a
    station that was not broadcasting  (ie just snow) and that noise would
    calm her right down.  There's also the old running the vacuum trick (it
    didn't work for us but I sure got a clean house trying).
    
    Good luck to your friend, it's a horribly helpless feeling to watch
    your baby scream like that.
    
    Susan

Long discussions on colic in previous versions of parenting ...

One other thought about colic ... as far as a baby is concerned, a
stomach ache = I'm hungry, whether they are hungry or not!  So, it is
easy to think that a colicky baby needs food, and you are tempted to
give it more food ... which seems to be the last thing it really needs.
So, it is a good idea to stick with a fairly routine feed schedule and
not be tempted to feed more, either milk or water.

While    one is tempted to say that no baby should go through this,
there sometimes is seriously NOTHING THAT ANYONE can do.  If there were,
there would be remarkably fewer colicky babies in the world!

A baby swing is probably the best way to relieve colic that we found.

Stuart

    
    
    I have tried getting into the previous version to look for this topic,
    but I cannot seem to get into version 3.  I will keep trying and see
    what I can find.
    
    
    

    I'm usually a read only noter, but this hit so close to home that I
    just had to reply.  I has the same type of problem when my daughter was
    an infant.  She would wake up crying for her feeding about 4:30 am, and
    literally cry ALL DAY LONG (except when she ate.)  She would finally go
    to bed about 10:30 at night, fall asleep from exhaustion, wake about
    1:30 am for her feeding, go right back to sleep, wake about 4:30 am to
    start the whole routine all over again.  I called the doctors office,
    and they basically just said "an extreme case of colic" and gave me all
    the tips to try to help.  After another week of this, I called again,
    and the nurse I spoke to suggested that it was possible that it was the
    formula that was causing the problem (Similac with iron).  She
    suggested that I might try a soy formula (Isomil) and see if that
    worked.  Within 3 days, she was taking naps, not crying constantly, and
    sleeping the night through (9:30 pm to 5:30 am)  I was in heaven, and
    she's been great ever since (now 21 months)
    
    Of course, if this is a breast fed baby, this tip probably won't help,
    but it helped me to see that extreme cases like the one mentioned don't
    only happen to me!!
    
    Carolyn 
    

re .4:

Try using SCAACT:: instead of DLOACT::.

Typically the colicky baby's period of discomfort is late afternoon until
late evening, usually settling down again by about 1 to 2 am at the latest,
by which time the parents are exhausted.  The pattern is  very typical.
Legs will be drawn up during the crying fits.  Very little will console
the baby.  If fed during this state, a few mouthfuls of milk / water and
the howling will resume.

It rarely lasts past 3 months.

Stuart

    I'm not sure if our first son was colicky or not, but he certainly
    was cranky!  We found that holding him like a football and walking
    around that way seemed to calm him.   You place the baby on your
    forearm with his legs straddling your arm near the elbow and his
    head in your hand, then hold him close to your body and walk, walk,
    walk!  IT's very tiring, of course, but this was the ONLY thing
    that seemed to calm Matthew down sometimes.  Lila
    

>    We found that holding him like a football and walking

A minor digression here -- we were told that the "football carry" is the best 
way to carry any baby, any time.  It ain't too cuddly, but you have a free 
arm, and the baby's head is supported.

Clay

    If formula, breastmilk and medical problems are ruled out, you could try 
    putting the little one in a carrier on top of a washing machine, 
    dishwasher, or anything else that makes a good rumble.  this works for
    some babies.  Also sometimes it helps if someone other than the parents
    takes the baby for a few hours so the parents can get a break.  there
    is a tension buildup between some babies and their parents when colic
    gets established that tends to perpetuate the colic.  
    
    My first had colic for 6 weeks and I can really understand what the
    parents of colicky babies go through.  Along with all the normal
    hormonal upheaval, here is this little stranger who does nothing but
    scream and appears to hate you.  reminders that this to shall pass is
    very helpful to a parent, as well as an offer to take on the baby for a
    few hours so the parents can recharge.  (Don't tell them that the baby
    was a complete darling, even if he or she was.  It only adds to the
    inadequate feeling of a new parent.)
    
    Meg  

    
    Sometimes a drive in the car works for colicy babies.......
    
    

    
    ...until you come to a stop and shut off the engine 8-(

    
    <-- Which leaves you in the McDonalds commercial? (8  Once more
    around the block, dad.....
    
    

    Sorry if I am echoing previous replies, did not get a chance to read
    all.
    
    In India, the custom of massage is supposed to help with colic (in
    addition to Mom's diet in breast fed babies and other factors). Infants
    (and their Moms) get a daily massage and that helps Mom recover faster
    from child-birth and helps the baby ina lot of ways in addition to
    helping with colic (since the tummy is massaged very well).
    
    What I did (both mine were colicky) and what helped:
    
    1. I stopped drinking orange juice.
    2. I did not eat any fried foods.
    3. I did not drink coffee.
    4. Massaged the kids every day. You can use baby oil. My m-i-l made
    almond-ghee (almonds ground in milk and mixed with clarified butter).
    The clarified butter may be the key since I remember when I was about
    14 yrs old I had a bad attack of gas and had the worst tummy ache. My
    Mon rubbed some clarified butter on my tummy and massaged it a while
    and the pains were gone in a short time.
    
    Shaila
    
    Just my experience

    Along the same lines as the washing machine, my baby who is not
    colicky, loves to lay on my foot massager when she gets cranky. It's a
    Dr. Scholls foot massager - it produces a mild vibration. I just lay a
    towel on it and lay her on it on her belly. Quiets her right down.
    
    Pat

My second son was very gassy, and *very* cranky.  I switched from Similac
with iron to regular Similac and it really helped.  I also spent a *lot*
of time burping him, trying to get the gas bubbles out...  If he didn't burp
a *lot* , the gas would get trapped in his intestines and he'd be *miserable*...

    After eliminating every possibility from *my* diet, we resorted to the
    swing, the car (when convenient), and mylicon drops....The result was
    some relief, but the real relief came somewhere after the 4 month
    mark..
    
    beth

    Colic is known to last only for the 1st 3 months. The swing is a
    saviour. 

    >>Colic is known to last only for the 1st 3 months. The swing is a
    >>  saviour.
    
    
    And for those of us 'lucky' enough to have premies, it last until the
    adjusted age of 3 months!

    
    	All of these reponses have been aimed at the baby, please don't
    forget that the parents also need TLC with a colicky baby.
    
    	Some friends of ours suffered (And I mean suffered) with a colicky
    baby for the full 3 months. It got so bad that the mother finally had
    to spend the night at a hotel just to get a break from the baby. I'm
    happy to say that the baby is completely out of this stage but it
    really drove home to me how much stress a colicky baby can be.
    
    	If I knew someone that was going through this right now I'd:
    
    	cook some meals
    	do some laundry
    	volunteer to babysit for a few hours (bring ear plugs)
    	bring over a flower or some prefume 
    	not bring my troubles to them
    
    	Child abuse is never justified but I could see where parents could
    just snap under that kind of constant strain.
    
    				Wendy

    RE:-2
    
    I did not think of the "adjusted" age for premies. Yikes!
    
    RE:-1
    
    Agreed 100%. My patience level had gone down considerably due to the
    colic in spite of all the help from my husband and my in-laws. Moms
    need care too :-)

    Chelsea had colic from 2 weeks thru 3 months.
    
    It was pretty much text book colic which meant it shut off like a light
    switch at exactly 3 months.
    
    First it was a four hour stretch of discomfort from 4:00pm to 8:00pm.
    Then she starting suffering in the morning and afternoon, so we pretty
    much ended up with all day colic.
    
    These are some of the things that worked for us:
    
    1.  Mylicon Drops (This made a radical change in her fussing.  The pedi
        told us we could give them to her 1/2 hour before feedings and
        up to 5 times in a 24 hour period.  
    
    2.  Walks in the front pack carrier.
    
    3.  Taking warm towels from the dryer and laying them on her tummy.
    
    4.  Warm baths - letting her lay on her tummy (bath sponge in tub)
    
    As another Noter pointed out, its very important for the parents to
    take time out.  My husband was out of the house 14 hours out of each
    day.  When he got home he was tired and so was I; we both worked hard
    all day.  Sometimes I felt so helpless and depressed, feeling like I
    couldn't comfort my baby.  My pedi was a great help in not only giving
    me ideas to ease Chelsea's pain, but also she was an abundance of
    support for us parents.
    
    On hard days sometimes I would just have to put Chelsea in her crib
    and walk out to the patio...do a ten minute deep breathing and smell
    the flowers break.  It was amazing how that really helped me take
    care of me and in turn I was able to take care of Chelsea better.
    
    Good luck!
    
    ..Lori

    Oh yes, the front pack.  I didn't have one when Lolita was born; they
    were "new" technology and I couldn't find one adjustable down to a baby
    uder two months.  The other two lived in a front pack, because it kept
    them quiter to be held close and I could have my arms free.  Atlehi is
    too big now, but the slings look like they might work even better for a
    fussy baby.
    
    There was an article in parenting on wearing your baby, regarding less
    colic and more quiet alert time last fall.  It might be worth a shot.
    
    Meg

    RE:  Wendy
    
    Where were you this summer when I needed you!!!!;^)
    
    beth

    
    Chris and Jason were both colicy.  Being our first, and having a pedi
    whose response was "Well, babies cry a lot", we pretty much just
    suffered through Chris.  He was the WORST by far, because he also hated
    to be held, so he'd be screaming and I'd be looking at him knowing that
    if I tried to pick him up, it would only make him feel worse.  The
    swing was our only peace with him.  In the end, a change in formula
    probably would have done the trick!
    
    Jason didn't have it so bad, and I had switched pedis to one whose
    feeling was "If he's crying, there's a REASON he's crying, and we
    should try to DO something!".  So first thing we switched his formula
    to lo-iron.  Then we switched him off of milk to a soy-based formula,
    and that seemed to help a lot.  The last thing we did which REALLY
    helped (which probably wasn't really "colic" that we were seeing wrong
    then), was the fact that he was just plain old HUNGRY!!  So he started
    eating (and loving!) cereal at about 8 weeks.  He was better for a
    while, then started getting REAL cranky again.  We were so upset that
    we were going "backwards".  Another trip to the Dr - this one turned out
    just to be an ear infection.  Phew!
    
    So, first eliminate the possibility of a medical problem.  The
    interesting thing when Jason got an ear infection, is that his crying
    and pain seemed to be VERY intermittent.  He could have one for a week
    before we'd realize - he'd only cry sometimes when he layed down, he'd
    only tug a little on his ear occassionally, they didn't necessarily
    occur after any type of cold or anything else.  Weird.
    
    Now with #3 (4 mos old), he started getting fussy, maybe colic, but I
    sure couldn't figure what was wrong with him.  Made me nuts.  He'd be
    gurgling one minute and wailing the next.  Well part of it must have
    been what I was eating - so I stopped breastfeeding him, and switched
    to lo-iron formula.  Part of it was the milk in the formula, so we
    switched to soy formula - which doesn't come in a "lo-iron" form, so
    we're still battling with his intolerance to iron.  Part of it was a
    severe case of thrush, part was an ear infection and a cold, part was
    the fact that you THINK about putting a t-shirt on him and he gets
    really hot, and he's the only baby I've known to cry if his diaper's
    even just a little wet (personally I think he just prefers 'getting
    some air').  And when he cries he gets real wound up.  Fortunately he
    calms right down when he gets what he wants, but sometimes it take a
    while to figure out what that is.
    
    The final saviour was the Mylicon Drops.  They're an anti-gas, which
    just absorb the gas in his stomach/intestines etc.  It's better if used
    before meals, but it works fine if you have to do it after.  It is
    EXPENSIVE (~$8.00 for a LITTLE bottle!), but the good news is that CVS
    makes "their own", and sells twice as much, for half the price, and it
    seems to work just as well.
    
    And check with the pedi, might it might be worth trying a little
    tylenol, just to help the baby relax a little.  Sometimes when they get
    going, they end up crying mostly because they WERE crying.  Go for the
    Tylenol Grape-flavored *suspension drops* - they're TONS easier for the
    baby - Tylenol should get a Peace Prize for that one!!
    
    Good Luck!
    

    Patty,
    
    It sounds like Jason may not have been colicky, so much as other
    GI problems.  There is definitely a lot of confusion between
    colic, fussiness, and GI problems, and it's understandable, which
    is what makes colic SO frustrating and results in pediatricians like
    your first.
    
    I presume that Mylicon drops are Simethicone drops ... in various
    parts of the world, known as Ovol.
    
    We could give our first Ovol drops, she'd suck them out of the
    dropper happily enough and then start bawling again ... they had
    virtually no effect.
    
    Stuart

    Patty,
    
    Great reply, info-packed!  Alex was a "barf baby" rather than a "cry
    baby", but I sure would have liked all that first-hand information on
    file just in case.
    
    Loved the bit about the Tylenol Peace Prize!
    
    Leslie (a former classic "3-month-colic" baby, according to Mom)

I heard on a health-related radio show that a Chiropractor can take care of 
as much as 80% of colic problems in babies.  I was never able to verify if 
this is true or not.

/Mario

    Hi Mario ...
    
    I've heard that chiropractors can cure nearly everything on radio
    shows!  (You listen to almost anything when travelling across the
    American Mid West and Prairies!)
    
    Call me skeptical ... Stuart

    	20/20 (or was it 60 minutes, I always get those numbers mixed up)
    recently did an expose on Chiropractors and children.

    	Although there certainly are reputable chiropractors out there, the
    ones they focused on were for the most part not.

    	The claims of curing children's health problems were fast and
    furious. The techniques used (seen with a hidden camera) were
    charlatan-ish at best.

    				Wendy

    I go to a chiro.... and my kids did for years.  I agree, there are some
    who can "cure" anything, just ask them!  The best thing to do is ask
    people you know who go to a chiro, to recommend one.  If this is how
    you want to go.
    
    I HIGHLY recommend chiro help!  I know of many success stories, where
    hope was basically given up.
    
    M-L

    The front pack was a savior for both my son and I.  He hated the swing
    and would just get more worked up when I put him in it.  The long walks
    in the front pack (although I used it this past November/December when
    the weather was much milder) put him to sleep as soon as we stepped out
    the door and helped me to walk off frustration and enjoy the solitude
    of our closeness.  It was much better than both he and I crying all day
    at home.  There were some days I was willing to walk to the ends of the
    earth if it helped!
    
    We did finally find out that it was the formula.  Started with Similac
    with Iron, switched to no iron, and finally ended up on Isomil.  The
    problem was solved.  I came back to work a month sooner than planned
    because I couldn't deal with it any more.  A couple of times my mom
    came over and relieved me for a few hours - I just took a drive and got
    out of the house and was "unattached".  I highly recommend it! 
    As much as the baby is miserable - the parents are too.  You have to
    make sure to take care of yourself because it helps you to work with
    your infant to make him/her more comfortable.  If you're stressed out
    all the time the infant feels it and will make him/her stressed.
    
    I think I'm finally over the feeling of "my life is over" and we are
    really enjoying our four month old more than I could ever have
    imagined.  In addition - find someone to talk to, someone who will just
    listen and reassure you that you are not going out of your mind.  I
    didn't buy the "it will get better, just wait - when the baby is
    three months..." (mine was a month premature) because at the time you
    can't see past the present day.  But it does get better - much! (now that I
    can look back). 
    
    Holly

    I had a baby in July 93.  She too had colic.  The final cause was the
    formula.  We went through 6 weeks of Baby Hell.  This is a very
    stressful time for the parents as well as the baby.  Some of the things
    that helped us were: 
    
    	1.  The Hair Dyer, (the vacuum didn't work)
    	2.  Sleeping on her stomach on your lap while you rub her. 
    	3.  The sound of running water. 
    	4.  The White noise of a computer room, a truck running, a ride in
            the car with a loud muffler.
    	5.  We changed her formula 4 times in six weeks.  We ended up with
    	    Prosoybee, Isomil still gave her stomach cramps.
    Some advice for the Parents, 
    
    Try to remember this won't last forever.  My doctor said sometimes when
    the baby reaches 11 lbs the colic goes away.  I don't know if that is
    true but its a theory.  Also, trust your own instincts.  The first
    doctor we had was no help.  He really made us feel inadequate.  (I even
    started to cry).  The next doctor we used was much better and found out
    the solution.  (Jennifer didn't sleep for almost 48 hrs straight! She
    just screamed!)  The baby having colic isn't a reflection on you. 
    Accept help from friends and family. Don't worry about being bad
    parents.  Just try to find what will work for your baby and go with it
    no matter how bizarre it may seem.  (like running a the bathtub for an
    hour at 2 am!)  I can't believe that the baby we so enjoy now was the
    screaming wonder a few months ago.  One thing the experience of having
    a colicky baby did was bring our marriage closer together.  If you work
    with your spouse you'll do ok.  I now know why people shouldn't have
    babies to save a marriage.  If my husband didn't love each other so
    much I'm not sure we would have survived.  
    
    The main thing is we are all happy now and thinking about having the
    next one.  (Here we go again!)
    
    RE  
    	

    
    	I had read an article in one of those women's magazines that said
    that the thing that helped one woman's  colicky baby was running a fish
    tank filter (obviously in the water) near the crib. You know that
    buble, bubble bubble sound? I've always kept that in mind should this
    terrible fate ever befall us.
    
    				Wendy

    I heard about someone who put the baby's cot on top of a tumble clothes
    drier running in cold air mode!  
    
    There are ALL kinds of possibilities for things that may or may not
    help!  And the thing is to just keep trying.  We once just went for a
    drive to help quiet things down .... of course because we were looking
    for it to work (when drives always seemed to otherwise be soothing)
    this time it didn't!!!
    
    Stuart

    Our daughter was colicy into the 4th month.  It didn't just disappear,
    it slowly got better and went away.  The swing was a real savior,
    nothing else would calm her, even holding her and walking her didnt
    make her feel better, sometimes it would distract her for a while.
    Our doctor put her on LEVSIN drops.  They are a combination of
    alcohol/phenabarbitol.  He said it is used often for colic.  It didn't
    cure her but it calmed her down for a while.  We gave it to her 4 times
    a day.   We could never lay her down to sleep, she would just start
    screaming.  For the 1st 6 weeks, she slept with me, for the next 6
    weeks she slept upright in the swing.  At 12 weeks we were finally 
    able to move her to the crib at night.   Those were trying times.
    I was breastfeeding and I tried eliminating dairy from my diet, that
    didn't help either.  She is almost 6 months old now and you would
    never know it is the same baby, she is so happy all the time.
    Many times I thought I was going to lose my mind from the constant
    crying and never sleeping.  It gets better with time.