July 2015 Moms

Anyone w/ colicky baby ?

nemRNnemRN member
edited August 2015 in July 2015 Moms
LO will be 7 weeks old on Wednesday and colic started around week 3 - prior to that breastfeeding was a nightmare ( over-active let-down drowning and choking baby) and her days and nights reversed ... I feel like since day 1 with this baby ( though I love her to death and am so grateful for her) it's been non stop stresss, exhaustion and frustration. 2 hours of sleep is a victory! My husband and I argue all the time bc were so tired, Colic is no joke- there's nothing harder than having a screaming, writhing, clawing baby on you for hours on end, she refuses to be put down in anything and I spend my days with her in my arms all day. I sprint to the bathroom to pee if I can! On top of this she is the gassiest baby ever and grunts and strains non-stop. Hubby went back to work after 1 week so I'm doing this on my own majority of time. Just wondering if anyone else's experience has not been all sunshine and rainbows ? Please don't misinterpret that I'm ungrateful to have her but colic is so isolating and I feel so bad when I read about everyone else's angel baby's bc I feel like this baby is never happy ... Just looking for someone out there going through this with me and if they have any words of wisdom/ tips/ help !

Re: Anyone w/ colicky baby ?

  • Just looking for someone else out there is is going through the same :-(
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  • While my baby is not necessarily colicky, he is a difficult baby. He fusses a lot and requires constant stimulation when he is awake. He can never just relax. He is constantly wiggling and kicking. He is also very gassy. We use Little Remedies gas drops. My pediatrician said we could use the gas drops at every feeding if we had to and they seem to help. DH also went back to work after week 2 and frequently works the night shift, so I feel your pain on doing this basically on your own. Luckily, they are doing a daddy/son night tonight so mom can have a girls night. It will be a much needed break for a couple hours.
  • My niece was very colicky, she would scream hours on end. Although I do not know first hand what it is like, you are doing a good job, momma! Hang in there, this too shall pass!
  • I feel for you! I don't think my LO has colic, but his is almost unbearable during his growth spurts. He cries when he's awake and though he will sleep well at night he won't nap at all during the day. Nothing (and I mean nothing) soothes him. On top of that I'm breastfeeding so everyone just thinks he hungry. He could be off my boob for 3 minutes and be crying when my husband will say he's hungry (that's always his answer). His mom just randomly facebooked me yesterday to ask if he was eating better?! I was like he's not had a problem eating he eats like a champ evey hour and a half. Now she misinterpretes very frequently but apparently my husband mentioned that he was hungry to her so now she thinks he has problems eating. It's so frustrating because on top of a screaming baby I have people doubting my ability to provide him the food he needs. And my husband thinks he needs to 'cry it out' I keep reminding him that our son is 5 weeks old-he's too little to 'cry it out' he needs reassurance that we will try to calm him down no matter what. So yeah I've yelled at him once or twice when I'm trying to fold laundry or do something productive after he gets home feom work and I see our son screaming in his swing while his dad plays on his phone. Obviously the swing isn't helping pick him up! Don't get me wrong he is really a great dad, but he doesn't put in enough effort trying to calm down the screaming newborn. Then he says things like 'he only stops crying for you'. First off he cries all day while he's at work and while he's home and second I try for more than 3 minutes to calm him dow. And even when I get him to stop crying it only lasts a couple of minutes. So yes I understand. As much as I love my little bundle of joy he can be very stressful. I just told my friend the other day these first 5 weeks have almost felt like one long growth spurt with a few decent days in between. Best of luck to you and tey to remember it is something they grow out of.
  • @ChelcLynn123 my LO also constantly wriggles and never relaxes ! I think it's them trying to work out the gas - we have also tried the little remedies gas drips but I don't think they do much for her :-( the one thing I could recommend is the Windi made by same company as nosefrida - it does help get some of the gas out !

    @keri0426 for your kind words !

    @randa923 our babies sound very similar ! My husband also doesn't seem to understand the urgency of LO crying like I do and will finish whatever he's doing before he picks her up it drives me nuts ! He seems to think we need to teach the baby we can't always get her right away before she is in daycare in a few weeks - it's heartbreaking - I tell him it's too early for cry it out but I'm also afraid that when she is in daycare in a few weeks who is going to be able to pick her up and hold her 24/7? and yes it does feel like one long horrible growth spurt ! :-( so you are not alone my friend and we will get through this together !
  • @nemRn to put you at ease a little bit my sister's youngest is in daycare and I've picked her up a few times. There's a tiny baby there (probably 6weeks maybe 8) and every single time I go there Sara (the daycare lady) is holding that baby. So I think your little one will be just fine with someone picking her up and trying to calm her at daycare. I don't know why men think it's acceptable to let a newborn 'cry it out'. They are just too little! And it is heartbreaking.
  • My LO will be 4 weeks on Friday and began fussing quite a bit just over a week ago. It happened occasionally at first and we thought it was gas pain. Then it would happen each evening. Now it happens regardless of the time of day although it can be worse in the evening. He wails and screams and is inconsolable. It breaks my heart and I often end up in tears along with him. My in-laws are in town visiting for a couple of weeks and my MIL is convinced he has gas pains and needs gripe water. He has had it twice now and I don't think it does anything and I'm not keen on giving it to him (although she keeps pushing it). My FIL helpfully says he is just exercising his lungs. It usually seems to happen after a period of calm alertness and he seems to get overstimulated and work himself up into a fit. I've been reading "Happiest Baby on the Block" which has been the most helpful so far with the combination of swaddling, swinging him on his side, shushing and now using a soother too. Also, wearing him in a sling also seems to help calm him and put him to sleep. I'm concerned though because it seems to be getting worse and I hear that colic often peaks around 6 weeks.
  • When my LO is gassy, gas drops haven't worked just gripe water. I'll lay him on my chest too bc being on their tummy helps with the upset stomach. If I was breastfeeding from the boob I would wonder about how much milk LO was actually getting. Because 1-1.5 hour seems very short. I pump and bottle feed so I can keep track and it helps me narrow down if he is hungry, overly tired or whatever it may be.
  • I went through the same things.. I bought some grape water for my baby. Then I searched on YouTube and found that if I breastfeed her laying on my abdomen that the let down would be less. And it worked! ! Also putting pressure on the lower portion of your breast while sitting up straight will help. Apply pressure until fast flow stops, then remove pressure for second flow to began. Hope this works..
  • Overactive letdown can be a sign of oversupply. I had that with my first and did block feeding. It helped a lot.
  • Mine does this but it's because he gets overtired. He Loves gripe water too, it seems to calm him
  • My experience is quite similar. Had hubby for one week, then back to work and because of this I have the day shift and the night shift. Hubby generally has one hour in the evening. Its hard, exhausting as my boy doesn't sleep more than two hrs at night but yes love him to bits and just keep telling myself that everyday uis a day closer to him sleeping more and hopefully crying and screaming less.
  • Don't feel lonely, you're not alone! My baby is also gassy and has been cluster feeding and colicky since 2nd week, breastfeeding issues, no sleep, etc. My baby doesn't like to sleep in crib or co-sleeper, she prefers my chest 24/7, so neither I can lie down or turn on my side. And she didn't wanna go to anyone except me for the first week. I had forceps delivery with episiotomy and intense amount of pain, and had no choice but to sit on my buttocks day and night.

    I can't handle my baby's crying especially when she's colicky and I can't comfort her ( feel inadequate). I feel horrible that she has to go through this but it's part of growing!

    What helps me when baby is cluster feeding and colicky:
    1. Acceptance- trying to stay positive and saying this too shall pass!!!
    2. Trying different strategies like- gently massing baby especially tummy and back, exercising baby's legs and arms (bicycle), laying baby on her tummy ( cannot leave her alone for safety), walking with her this keeps her upright and may help with releasing gas and if nothing works gripe water.

    Sometimes I have used all these strategies and they didn't work, I simply had to put her down and take a breather before I went back or hand her over to my hubby and take a break!

    Stay positive and good luck!

  • I too have overactive letdown and oversupply ! Which I feel is contributing to the colic or causing it , I did block feeding for a week and I feel like it has helped even things out and she chokes less, now I'm just waiting for green poops to go away ... Geez it's just one thing after another ! I find myself counting down the days too until the colic will cease but at the same time look at her and want time to stop !
  • Yes! I have the same situation as you. Baby will be 4 weeks tomorrow and we have been dealing with colic & extreme gassiness for two weeks now. The only things that have helped at all is the gripe water & me drinking a cup of chamomile tea in the afternoon that he gets through the breast milk. The chamomile helps to calm the evening meltdowns.
  • Have you asked your pediatrician about the baby's symptoms? I thought my little guy had colic because he's usually upset and wriggling around. Turns out he has reflux which you can get medication for. I always thought that spit up was a necessary symptom of reflux but his doctor said that sometimes the stomach acid just comes up to the chest/throat area, not always up to the mouth. They want to eat all the time because that suppresses the acid. Just thought I'd mention it in case it's something you want to look into.
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