All moms who have btdt with colicy babies. Our pastor's wife is at end of rope.

[msjones]

I also want to add, the mama should follow her instincts. If she has a feeling that it's more than 'just' reflux or 'just' colic, she should keep looking for an answer. I think mothers often know when something more is going on.

[JenneinCA]

My youngest screamed like that only once, but it was memorable. He had a hernia and ended up admitted through the ER and surgery the next morning. It is possible (even likely) that this is reflux, but it is also possible it is something else.

 

Please have mom call the baby's doctor.

[Susan in KY]

Cut out ALL dairy. Get some earplugs. Start a sign up sheet to give her a break so she can hear herself think. Poor thing. I remember those days all too well. :(

 

Oh, one more thing.... Wearing mine in a back pack worked wonders.

[Susan C.]

Ds cried the first three months of his life. I held him and cried with him (doctor said he was fine, just to quit nursing...), dh would come home from work, I would hand ds to him so I could go potty, eat, shower, etc. Ds was tongue tied, but no one said to clip it. Fast forward to when he was 16 and the orthodontist saw it, it really needed to be clipped. When researching on the internet, it said tongue tied babies have to suck a large amount of air to be able to nurse. Poor guy!!!

[blondeviolin]

Sometimes you have to drop dairy for a long time to notice a difference. It took three weeks of dairy-free to see the difference with Hyrum. My reflux babies had a certain way to hold them and we sang all. The. Time.

 

Good luck!

[busymama7]

I wasnt able to finish the whole thread so I hope this isnt a repeat. With my daughter, now 6, it was a yeast infection in her intestines. After repeated attempts to get help from the Ped, I took her to a natropath and she was the one who diagnosed it. She was getting it from me. Both my husband and I took a product called Candex and we had a new baby in 36 hrs. It was amazing.

 

It could be, not also could not be, related to thrush on mama's n*pples or in baby's mouth.

 

The product is at health food stores.

 

My SIL weaned her very fussy baby to a bottle thinking it would help and it did not. So now she had a fussy bottle-fed baby.

[MomatHWTK]

Mine had food allergies. When he was a year old we finally got some answers and found out he was allergic to 9 foods! Poor baby.

[FaithManor]

Thank you everyone!

 

When I arrived with the meal, she was walking baby outside and as long as she kept moving, babe did not cry. When she did cry, it was fussiness, but not intense and definitely intermittent.

 

I wrote down everything all of you suggested and she is willing to try ALL of it if necessary. MIL is going to check in tomorrow and do a little respite. I'm going over in the afternoon because it's going to be another beautiful day and take all of the kids outside. Babe can scream to the field if necessary, but mama needs the break and some sleep.

 

Mom has been dairy free for eight weeks. She's going to try gluten free as well as zero cruciferous veggies plus the many suggestions on the list...they'll see what the ped recommends on top of that and will also call the midwife who nursed all of her own children and has delivered a couple thousand babies to see if she has an idea.

 

My mom suggested a nice warm bath with lavender in the water. I hadn't thought about that but if mom and babe both got in and just soaked that might be very relaxing and lavender seems to have a lot of aromatherapy tension relieving qualities. I know someone who has dried lavender from their garden and makes bath salts out of it so I'll see if we can get some for her.

 

Sigh....it's so hard to see someone completely distraught because they can't help their baby. I keep reminding her that she's a great mom.

 

Dinner ended up being shredded chicken with peas, carrots, and a tiny bit of sweet red pepper (forgot that it was in my dried mix), sauted in coconut oil with a splash of lime juice, a small dollop of honey, a sprinkle of tyme, and a sprinkle of basil. I made organic basamati rice (I didn't know if they ate brown rice or not and didn't want to send something over that the two and five year old might reject) with a splash of lime and some sea salt, green beans, and peaches. Apparently, it was a big hit. Babe has been so hard to deal with the past few weeks, that they've been just doind mostly sandwiches, salads, and fresh fruit but not much cooking or meal planning. So, while it wasn't much, I'm glad it hit the spot and they have leftovers for tomorrow.

 

They were gone Friday at a conference and had to eat restaurant food. She tried to have grilled items and salad, but honestly, it's hard to say what was in that food too...eating out when there are potential digestive issues is just a nightmare! Babe started getting extra out of sorts on Friday evening, spent most of Saturday feeling rough but definitely not crying intensely, and then Sunday....BOOM! I wonder if the eating out could have triggered a build up to a bigger issue. It's just so crazy difficult to know.

 

Anyway, as always hive, thanks a million for the support and wisdom! You are the go-to group and it will make a difference for this mom and her babe; I'm sure of it. :thumbup:

 

Faith

[Momtoamayalilal2]

The arching of the back sounds like gas pains. My LC suggested I give milicon drops BEFORE a feeding to help get rid of gas bubbles ....worked awesomely!

[MariannNOVA]

I haven't read the other replies, but I would have to say that reflux might be an issue. The thing with reflux is that they always ask if there is tons of spitting up and if you say no, they rule it out.

 

But, sometimes, the baby doesn't have to have spit out constantly to have difficulty with reflex -- sometimes it just comes part way up and then goes down, which does burn and makes the baby scream like crazy.

 

ds11 would scream for 12 hours at a time.

 

This is what helped:

 

Gripe water -- I would start with that at 6pm every night.

The swing

The bjorn carrier

The meds they gave him for reflux worked initially but then stopped.

I know she is breastfeeding, but when I had this same issue with dd who is now 31, I stopped breastfeeding and switched her to Nutramigan.

[FaithManor]

Oh, and also...babe had a very greenish stool this afternoon. None of my babies ever did this so I'm not sure what to tell her.

 

Any ideas on that one???? :bigear:

 

Faith

[Momtoamayalilal2]

Oh, and also...babe had a very greenish stool this afternoon. None of my babies ever did this so I'm not sure what to tell her.

 

Any ideas on that one???? :bigear:

 

Faith

 

 

Baby is not getting enough hindmilk, which brings me to my point of gas. It sounds like she needs to block feed. Nurse baby as many times as baby wants to on ONE SIDE ONLY for at least 2 hours or longer if she isnt getting engorged. This makes sure that baby gets enough hind milk and less lactose from the fore milk. Btdt with 4 other babies...i have oversupply/over active letdown issues. Also see my abve post about giving milicon drops before a feeding.

[ktgrok]

Oh, and also...babe had a very greenish stool this afternoon. None of my babies ever did this so I'm not sure what to tell her.

 

Any ideas on that one???? :bigear:

 

Faith

 

It can be normal, but I'm wondering about a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Does she switch breasts each feeding? If so the baby might be getting too much lactose, which produces symptoms like colic, including green stools. The solution is to nurse on just one breast at each feeding, or at least on one breast until it is soft and empty and the baby wants the other one.

 

http://www.justmommies.com/babies/foremilk-hindmilk-imbalance?page=0,0

[ClassicalTwins]

1. Mylicon before feeding

2. Could be reflux...Enfamil AR worked wonders for mine once we realized it was reflux.

3. We had to keep our boys upright (head above belly) for about 30 mins after eating to keep them from getting gassy or having projectile spit up.

 

 

Best of luck...I sure don't miss those days with my twins....ugh.

[dsmith]

We didn’t get any colic relief until we switched to soy formula. After 3 days of soy he was a different baby! The colic traumatized my dh, lol. It was a rough time! Hugs to mama!:grouphug:

[FaithManor]

It can be normal, but I'm wondering about a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Does she switch breasts each feeding? If so the baby might be getting too much lactose, which produces symptoms like colic, including green stools. The solution is to nurse on just one breast at each feeding, or at least on one breast until it is soft and empty and the baby wants the other one.

 

http://www.justmommies.com/babies/foremilk-hindmilk-imbalance?page=0,0

 

Switches practically religiously and even if babe only nurses for a few minutes and then takes a break and wants to nurse again. I did talk to her about this and she had no idea about that. I never knew until all of you educated me. My boys were voracious eaters...they didn't give up until they'd emptied me on one side and they were like vampires...drained me in ten- fifteen minutes flat. So I never knew there was such a thing as this imbalance! I've learned something new and passed it on. This momma has enough milk to nurse a platoon of babies and we talked about that too...she is soooooo full and sore...way over producing. I'm not sure what can be done to end that problem.

 

Faith

[mommytime]

If this was abnormally bad, I would look into an ear or bladder infection, as well.

 

:iagree: I would definitely take baby to the ER and have her thoroughly checked out. Poor thing...she sounds like she's in agony.

[Momtoamayalilal2]

Switches practically religiously and even if babe only nurses for a few minutes and then takes a break and wants to nurse again. I did talk to her about this and she had no idea about that. I never knew until all of you educated me. My boys were voracious eaters...they didn't give up until they'd emptied me on one side and they were like vampires...drained me in ten- fifteen minutes flat. So I never knew there was such a thing as this imbalance! I've learned something new and passed it on. This momma has enough milk to nurse a platoon of babies and we talked about that too...she is soooooo full and sore...way over producing. I'm not sure what can be done to end that problem.

 

Faith

 

This is what her issue is and what I recommended on the other page is precisely what helps. I have the same problems with over supply. Staying one one side for a longer period of time is what has resolved my issues as well as all of my babies issues.

[Amy in NH]

tWo thoughts are hindmilk/foremilk imbalance (easily fixable with block feeding) ... IN the meantime, gripe water is over the counter and helps with both.

 

:iagree: I don't know what gripe water is, but I gave my oldest ds Simethicone drops when he was very gassy/colicky as an infant. I also held him with his knees pulled up to his chest, or did deep belly massage holding his legs up like I was changing his diaper. Those things really seemed to help the bellyache. I tried the elimination diet, but nothing I changed in my diet seemed to make a difference, and then he suddenly stopped colicking when he was about 3 months old. Now that he's 17, he still has a gassy belly - you can hear it from across the room gurgling and growling even when he's not hungry.

Edited March 19, 2012 by Amy in NH

[VeganCupcake]

Switches practically religiously and even if babe only nurses for a few minutes and then takes a break and wants to nurse again. I did talk to her about this and she had no idea about that. I never knew until all of you educated me. My boys were voracious eaters...they didn't give up until they'd emptied me on one side and they were like vampires...drained me in ten- fifteen minutes flat. So I never knew there was such a thing as this imbalance! I've learned something new and passed it on. This momma has enough milk to nurse a platoon of babies and we talked about that too...she is soooooo full and sore...way over producing. I'm not sure what can be done to end that problem.

 

Faith

 

Block feeding will help with both the foremilk/hindmilk imbalance and the oversupply. Start with a block of 2 hours feeding on one side only (expressing just a bit from the other side if it gets uncomfortably full), and then increase the length of the blocks gradually until the symptoms improve. Some people have success with 2 or 3 hour blocks, a few have to go to really long blocks like 5 or 6 hours.

[goldberry]

My friend had a great experience with an infant chiropracter. In my own case, nothing helped. It was bad. Couldn't-leave-the-house bad. Eye-twitching, could only eat in the other room because otherwise I couldn't swallow my food bad.

 

Between 12 and 14 weeks it totally disappeared and she became a perfectly normal baby. Not much help, but :grouphug:.

 

And yes, it did contribute to our decision to only have one!

[learningmama]

Block feeding will help with both the foremilk/hindmilk imbalance and the oversupply. Start with a block of 2 hours feeding on one side only (expressing just a bit from the other side if it gets uncomfortably full), and then increase the length of the blocks gradually until the symptoms improve. Some people have success with 2 or 3 hour blocks, a few have to go to really long blocks like 5 or 6 hours.

 

:iagree: I would say get to the dr tomorrow too. I know it's no fun. Both of mine had reflux and I would start there.

[ktgrok]

Ok, with the switching constantly and overproducing it REALLY sounds like a foremilk issue, at least partly. The solution is to only nurse on one side for a few hours...gradually lengthen the time as needed. She can hand express a tiny bit on the other side if she gets engorged, but don't pump. The idea is to let the other side get full, which sends signals to the body to make less milk. Meanwhile the baby is getting less lactose and more fat on the other side while nursing.

[ElizabethB]

:grouphug: for mom.

 

Our daughter had colic. Mylicon drops and nursing on one side, no switching, helped. Also, she did better if she nursed more at a time but nursed less often...so I got her on a schedule, drawing her nursing out to less often and all at once in the beginning, that helped, too. One side, nurse for a while and then done, play, sleep (sometimes on her stomach when it was at its worst), then nurse on the other side. (I think it was every 3 hours when she was that age, then 3 1/2 hours when a bit older...she was a fat baby, so I didn't worry about her not getting enough food.)

 

She was so loud we had to put in ear plugs. She did grow out of it somewhere between 3 and 4 months!

 

 

Switches practically religiously and even if babe only nurses for a few minutes and then takes a break and wants to nurse again. I did talk to her about this and she had no idea about that. I never knew until all of you educated me. My boys were voracious eaters...they didn't give up until they'd emptied me on one side and they were like vampires...drained me in ten- fifteen minutes flat. So I never knew there was such a thing as this imbalance! I've learned something new and passed it on.

 

My son sucked down the milk like that, too! He probably would have been fine switching, but it helped so much with my daughter that I nursed him one side at a time, too, I was mildly paranoid.

Edited March 19, 2012 by ElizabethB

[MathGirl]

I'm sorry I don't have time to read all the responses, but I've had 2 babies who have had issues very similar to what you're describing. The first was due to a dairy allergy. Make sure the mom eliminates ALL dairy (read every label of every single thing she puts into her mouth, including vitamins, etc.) for AT LEAST 3 weeks, 4 would be better. The strictness and the time period are very important.

 

My second baby had similar issues and I thought it was a food allergy again, so I tried eliminating all major allergens and it didn't help her. That's when the doctor diagnosed her with Acid reflux/GERD. We gave her a low dose of a baby-safe medication for it and 2 weeks later, she was a completely different baby-a happy baby! We were able to wean her off of the medication by 9 months of age (by the time she started being upright most of her waking hours) and she is completely fine today. From what my doctor said, this is a fairly common issue in babies.

 

I hope the pastor's wife figures out what's wrong. I remember crying daily out of frustration and helplessness. And I felt so terrible for my babies because I knew they were in pain.

[Susan in KY]

Oh, and also...babe had a very greenish stool this afternoon. None of my babies ever did this so I'm not sure what to tell her.

 

Any ideas on that one???? :bigear:

 

Faith

 

When it happened with my eldest, the midwives (in Britain) told me it was overfeeding. As soon as I added water, it went away.

[Shellydon]

Oh, and also...babe had a very greenish stool this afternoon. None of my babies ever did this so I'm not sure what to tell her.

 

Any ideas on that one???? :bigear:

 

Faith

 

Sounds like a hind milk/ fore milk imbalance. Easy to fix by block nursing.

[Shellydon]

Switches practically religiously and even if babe only nurses for a few minutes and then takes a break and wants to nurse again. I did talk to her about this and she had no idea about that. I never knew until all of you educated me. My boys were voracious eaters...they didn't give up until they'd emptied me on one side and they were like vampires...drained me in ten- fifteen minutes flat. So I never knew there was such a thing as this imbalance! I've learned something new and passed it on. This momma has enough milk to nurse a platoon of babies and we talked about that too...she is soooooo full and sore...way over producing. I'm not sure what can be done to end that problem.

 

Faith

 

This is the entire problem. I will post links on how to fix it if no one else has once I get on my computer.

[fairfarmhand]

Cut out dairy. All dairy. Going to formula will not help-even soy formula has dairy unless it's prescription formula. Mom needs to cut dairy. Those are classic signs. I have had 4 kids with this issue. However you have to be very careful and it can take 2-4 weeks for issues to clear.

 

If she has done this, then I would suggest getting baby checked out for a blockage and/or GERD. Is baby having enough wet/dirty diapers? Mucousy or green poop?

 

How long has this been going on? Is it mostly at specific times? Like before bed, etc.?

:iagree: She has to read labels rigorously, since they sneak it into everything.

 

Also, She may want a pediatric gastroenterologist. She should ask her dr to test stool for blood (in my babies it was visible, but often it is not)

[Pretty in Pink]

I have not read all 9 pages.

 

Does she practice baby wearing? Is she home with baby or does she work outside the home?

 

My daughter would be described as colicky, I suppose. She gets extremely fussy at about 5 p.m. every. single. day.

 

The only thing that she wants is for me to park my behind on the sofa with her. I have to lay down with her and pretty much stay put for two to three hours. So long as I do that she is fine, pretty much, and fusses minimally.

 

Some babies want to be held 24/7. Is mama doing that or is she tying to occupy baby with swings, bouncers, other people, etc. Does she expect to put baby down or pass her off, or is she willing to hold her constantly? Has she tried that?

[Shellydon]

This is the entire problem. I will post links on how to fix it if no one else has once I get on my computer.

 

 

http://www.breastfeeding-problems.com/foremilk-hindmilk-imbalance.html

 

Here is a link. As someone else said, she needs to feed from only one breast at each feeding and maybe even two feedings. DO NOT SWITCH. If she will do this, there is a good chance that this will stop the crying within 24 hours.