Colic-y kid(s)?

pregnantgingerx3

Well, what we thought was thrush, turns out to be a mixture of colic and reflux. How do you mix those up? He has the white film on his tongue, and after being on antibiotics since Saturday, it didn't get ANY better. When we were feeding him, he would take a couple sucks of the bottle and start screaming, as if he was in pain. Silly me thought it was the thrush putting him in pain. 

We've switched formula (again) to Similac  Comfort, adding oatmeal to his bottles, and propping him up when he sleeps now - all "prescribed" by our pediatrician. 

My question is, how the hell do you deal with this?! DS1 was the perfect baby, never got sick and was SO easy. I'm going out of my mind with DS2 and all these issues and I feel horrible because I can't make him feel any better  

Anyone else dealing with colic &/or reflux? Any words of advice? 

scgirl6113

I'm new here but want to say I'm sorry you are having those issues with your second! It is always hard but especially when you have another little one! Our DS2 had terrible colic for his first 5-6 months. I have never felt so helpless! I feel like doing bicycle exercises with his legs after feeding really helped to settle the food in his stomach and at least eliminate some tummy troubles. Good luck!

yellingbanana

My DD2 was a challenging baby for sure. The best thing for her was when I snuggled with her. But when she would cry for long periods  of time, I would set her in her crib, turn on her mobile, and go outside for a few minutes. Moms need a break sometimes!

erniebernie1

Lurking from November. Baby wearing has helped a ton for us, it helps by keeping him upright with his stomach pushed against mine. My first outgrew it at around 12 weeks, and luckily this time was much faster at around 8 weeks. There's also baby massage for their stomachs, and making sure to get lots of burps out after a feeding

l9i

I'm in the process of trying to figure out what works for reflux.  It's so tough when all the "tricks" don't seem to work...  

Mamax2

My ds was diagnosed with reflux and xolic as well. Our pediatrician gave us these tips to help:

-warm water bottle or rice sock wrapped in a blanket on their tummy

-swinging motion or light vibration

-when they're screaming due to discomfort, swaddle them and turn on some white noise. Pedi said to use the same white noise every time, and only when they are fussing in pain. Once the screaming/fussing stops, un-swaddle and turn off the white noise.

-warm baths

-DO NOT wear baby in a baby sling.

When it comes to feedings:

-make sure you break often (we do every ounce) to burp.

-make sure lo is sitting up pretty straight. We hold lo to where he is almost at a complete 90 degree angle. 

-hold lo or keep lo upright for 30-45 minutes after feeding. 

If I think of anything else, I'll come back and add it.

millerclanx5

I second baby wearing. Poor Eli has been miserable with colic! I try to keep him upright as much as possible! Plus he just loves it! 

Mamax2

@l9i do you mind sharing what all you have tried? 

pregnantgingerx3

@Mamax2 DS2 absolutely hates being swaddled

 I've been feeding him, adding oatmeal cereal to his bottles, sitting up and walking around with him afterwards. He's also sleeping in his bouncer, which seems to help at night. My Pedi said if he starts screaming in pain I can give him baby Tylenol - but that's only as a last resort. It seems like his belly doesn't start bothering him until right after lunch and only gets worse from there. There's been a couple times I've worn him around the house just so he'd fall asleep. 

silverfrost

My LO has reflux. I suspect he is colic-y as well. We have him on some antacid medicine prescribed by his pediatrician, because he always seemed SO uncomfortable... he now seems to be doing better (more comfortable, at least), but he still spits up more than the average baby. Overall he does better with feedings, is slightly less fussy before and afterwards....but we still have bad days. This morning I couldn't put him down without him crying like crazy. I don't have much advice to offer, since we're still struggling through this too, but I feel your pain!

Mamax2

MommaTake2 said:

@Mamax2 DS2 absolutely hates being swaddled

 I've been feeding him, adding oatmeal cereal to his bottles, sitting up and walking around with him afterwards. He's also sleeping in his bouncer, which seems to help at night. My Pedi said if he starts screaming in pain I can give him baby Tylenol - but that's only as a last resort. It seems like his belly doesn't start bothering him until right after lunch and only gets worse from there. There's been a couple times I've worn him around the house just so he'd fall asleep. 

My ds hated being swaddled as well. I tried it once during one of his fussy times though, and he actually liked it. It calmed him enough to where he was able to get some rest. Hopefully you'll find something(s) soon that will offer more relief. 

l9i

@Mamax2 Sure!  LO is now on meds to help with the acid and it seems to be helping, but I can tell he's still uncomfortable after eating, especially if he spits up a lot.  
We've tried:
- feeding him upright - I didn't notice a difference doing this
- taking breaks during feeding - This is a sure way to make LO raging angry.  Little man loves to eat!
- burping more - I haven't noticed much of a difference.  I feel like we were already burping him enough.
- Keeping him upright for at least 20 min after feeding - this has made a difference, but no matter how long you wait once you put him down he's uncomfortable for a bit.
- he likes being in my baby wrap which keeps him up and on my chest
- his swing and bassinet are both on slight inclines but I wonder if it's enough because like I said above, he still is uncomfortable when we lay him down.
- trying to soothe him with a paci is hit or miss.  He used to really like it and now it seems he will take it if it's not right after eating.  If it is, it seems to irritate him more.

Just some of the things we've done that I can think of off the top of my head!

pregnantgingerx3

@l9i are you breastfeeding? We ended up changing LOs formula from sim sensitive to the total care. He's spit up a couple times which is new, but he's not nearly as fussy. We also have him on gas drops (pedia care) to help his tummy since he's always gassy. His binkie is a hot and miss too... He used to love it and it worked for a while. Now he barely ever takes it. 

l9i

@MommaTake2 We're doing both breastfeeding and formula.  I haven't noticed much of a difference in one making it worse over the other.  We did just today switch to similac advanced sensitive.  Too soon to tell if that is a good change.  I do have a sample of the total comfort I could try too.  I haven't used gas drops.  We were using gripe water since before it got worse, I think that helps I just need to be better about giving it more frequently.

swhiddon33

Hey mamas! I'm one of your D16 pioneers here (totally a self-created title BTW). Recall my LO was 8 weeks early and born back in Oct. I just wanted to swing by to say that the reflux DOES GET BETTER!!! We are still dealing with mostly silent reflux symptoms (so maybe not as much actual spit as there is that choking glug-glug issue) but they're improving on the daily! We had ZERO spells yesterday for example! 

So please hang in there. Time time time time time! Give it time! ❤

kattyc-2

@swhiddon33 that's great! And thank you for the encouragement, we're in the midst of silent reflux challenges too. LO is almost 6 weeks old. Really glad to hear your LO is doing well. 

kattyc-2

@swhiddon33 any tips on sleep & silent reflux? Haven't been able to get LO to lay in her pack n play even w/the mattress elevated. Swaddling doesn't help either. 

swhiddon33

@KattyC after the requisite amount of time upright, my son sleeps in his rock n play. It's a lifesaver for nasty reflux spells!! We are sloooowwwly now transitioning him to his pack n play.