s/o of crying it out - colicky babies

[StaceyinLA]

I'm just curious as to how many of the babies with severe colic were breastfed versus bottle-fed. The question isn't to be devisive, but I've always speculated that it had something to do with the iron in formula. It seems that formula is almost impossible to find with no added iron, and iron is extremely hard on tummies. I know years ago you could find formula without iron, but I think it's been quite a while since that has been the case.

 

Anyway, just musing, but I really wish they would have no-iron or low-iron formulas on the market for babies who struggle with tummy issues.

[zoobie]

I think some new research is linking colic to protein intolerance. Usually dairy or soy.

[maize]

I've known lots of breastfed colicky babies. In some cases the mother was able to put herself on an elimination diet and figure out something she was eating that was bothering the baby--dairy is a common one, with one of my siblings it was soy. In other cases nothing at all seems to help.

[Guest]

My fussy babies were exclusively breastfed, and there were no allergies at play. We weren't severely colicky, but several of them had inconsolable months. With the exception of the last kid it usually resolved by about 8 months so we were okay compared to some families I know.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Arctic Mama

[BooksandBoys]

My second was the colicky-est baby ever in existence. He was either eating or screaming for the first 9 months of his life. Ok, he did occasionally sleep for a 60-90 minute stretch before waking to scream again. It was torture. I don't have words for how bad it was.

 

He was breastfed. He has a long list of food sensitivities and allergies, and those were causing his colic (coming through my milk). When I cut all dairy from my diet and his (because he was 9 months by that time), he improved a bit. When I cut gluten, he improved a bit more. The list goes on.

 

Formula might have killed us all because it's full of the very protein that he was reacting to (casein in cow's milk). I have don't know what the added iron would have done to him, but given that he had horrific constipation through that period and iron can be constipating, it probably would have made things even worse (for him).

[Corraleno]

DS was exclusively BF, and was the colickiest baby ever.

 

I was bottle fed (soy formula) and was colicky. All of my siblings were bottle fed and none were colicky.

 

DD (adopted) was bottle-fed, had a casein allergy resulting in severe eczema, and not a hint of colic even when she was on the formula she was allergic to.

 

 

[Harriet Vane]

My colicky baby was exclusively breastfed. He was lactose intolerant. When I stopped ingesting any form of milk, his colic disappeared. 

 

My aunt's first child was unbelievably colicky. She screamed at the top of her lungs for hours every night. She was also exclusively breastfed, and she has no allergies or intolerances. They never figured out what made her colicky.

[lovinmyboys]

I exclusively nursed all four of mine. Two were the easiest babies. I can't even imagine easier babies. Two were very hard-one very, very hard. I don't think it had anything to do with their diet. I think it was personality. My easiest babies are my most laid back kids. My hardest baby is my most intense kid.

Edited May 25, 2016 by lovinmyboys

[The Girls' Mom]

My oldest started out BF and then was formula fed.  She was a cranky colicky thing no matter what she ate.  If I could go back and talk to my younger self, I would have tried an elimination diet.  (Later she tested allergic to several foods, including dairy and soy)

[SKL]

Of my mom's 6 kids, the screamiest one was breastfed for 2 years.  The one who failed to breastfeed was very calm.

 

I didn't have my kids from birth, but they were formula-fed AFAIK and they were fine when I had them at 3/6mos and then at 9/12mos.

[StaceyinLA]

Well, so much for the iron theory, although I do know breastfed babies can often be helped with elimination diets. My dd's have both gone dairy free prior to their births after my oldest dgs had a major issue when dd would consume any dairy. With the other 4 babies, my dds were able to consume some dairy within a few months, whereas with my first dgs having had issues with it, it was nearly a year before dd could have even a little butter or cheese.

 

None of the grandbabies have been what I would call colicky, but my first grandson was fussier than the rest until the dairy was removed from dds diet.

[Jenny in Florida]

I think some new research is linking colic to protein intolerance. Usually dairy or soy.

 

In my highly unscientific study with a sample size of two, I can say the following.

 

I breastfed both of my kids until each was at least a year old. When I was nursing my daughter, I was already a long-time vegetarian, but was still eating dairy. She had some colic for a few months, although not nearly as terrible as what others have described in the original thread. 

 

By the time my son came along a little more than three years later, I had gone vegan. He had no colic at all. Nada.

 

Two different babies, more than three years apart. Could absolutely be chalked up to simple individual differences. But I have always wondered about the dairy thing, especially since I later discovered that I have a slight intolerance to dairy, myself.

 

Before I got pregnant with my daughter, I was on acid reducers because I had been having trouble with stomach pain for a few years. I had been tested for ulcers, which didn't turn up anything, and had tried cutting all kinds of supposedly problematic foods out of my diet. When my daughter was about 18 momths old, I finally went vegan (for ethical reasons), something I had been trying to make myself do for some time. Only about six months later, when I was cleaning out my purse and found the remains of a pack of the acid reducers crushed at the bottom of the bag did I realize that I hadn't needed to take them recently. 

 

Sometimes after that, we went out to dinner with friends and I unknowingly ended up eating some cheese. For the first time in almost a year, I had symptoms like the ones I had experienced before. It didn't occur to me to think about dairy (I had asked about the ingredients in the veggie burger and was told it was dairy free.) until something similar happened again a couple of months later. After the second incident, my husband called the restaurant and spoke to a manager, who did some checking and confirmed that there was, indeed, cheese in the veggie burger. 

 

Pretty much since that time, I've never had any similar symptoms unless I accidentally eat something with dairy in it. 

 

The "kids" (who are now 21 and 18) were both raised vegan, but my daughter has had a few experiences with upset stomach and pain only to find out that something she thought was "safe" actually included dairy of some kind. 

 

So, it's all anecdotal, but it seems like a pretty good working theory to me.

[Spryte]

My colicky baby (and that is putting it mildly - the peds GI said we were way past colic) had GERD, was on Zantac, and we finally settled on a hypoallergenic formula. We used Nutramigen, very pricey. Bottle fed. We adopted at birth, and though some adoptive moms can breastfeed it wasn't an option for us. He now has multiple life threatening allergies. Peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, banana, dairy, wheat, eggs. There is no doubt in my mind that the allergies played into his agony. And it was agony. He still has bouts with heartburn.

 

FWIW, we never left him to cry it out.

[Mergath]

If it was as simple as "formula-fed babies get colic and breastfed babies don't" I imagine someone would have figured it out by now. And for the record, my dd was only breastfed for a short time and then ff because of meds I had to go on, and she wasn't colicky.

[eternalsummer]

I have had 5 babies.  All were BF until 4 months; the last 3 were BF until 1+ year (not exclusively, of course, but no formula).

 

I've never had a baby who cried for any length of time at all.  I remember DD10 as a baby cried once for maybe 10 minutes and it was traumatizing (she was hungry and a terrible nurser, and I hadn't figured it out yet).  That was the longest for any of them and it was very stressful.  I can't imagine the horror that would be colic.

 

That said, I haven't had dairy in 5 years (nor have any of the kids) so it is pretty impossible for me to say whether a dairy allergy exists or would have caused colic.

 

If I do have a colicky baby an extreme elimination diet will be my first move, as I've read a lot of anecdotal evidence about it. 

[lauraw4321]

My youngest had the worst colic. She was EBF. First I eliminated all dairy and soy. She kept having weird poop, so I went on an elimination diet when she was around 4 months - turkey, rice, Apples and some green veg (.I think I've blocked this from my memory, it was so awful) were all I ate. Her poops and screaming got worse. So eventually I gave her a doctor - recommended probiotic. I had avoided it before because it was a milk product. 3 days later I had a different baby. No colic. Normal poop. I added back dairy and soy no problem. So now I am a probiotics evangelist.

[eternalsummer]

In my highly unscientific study with a sample size of two, I can say the following.

 

I breastfed both of my kids until each was at least a year old. When I was nursing my daughter, I was already a long-time vegetarian, but was still eating dairy. She had some colic for a few months, although not nearly as terrible as what others have described in the original thread. 

 

By the time my son came along a little more than three years later, I had gone vegan. He had no colic at all. Nada.

 

Two different babies, more than three years apart. Could absolutely be chalked up to simple individual differences. But I have always wondered about the dairy thing, especially since I later discovered that I have a slight intolerance to dairy, myself.

 

Before I got pregnant with my daughter, I was on acid reducers because I had been having trouble with stomach pain for a few years. I had been tested for ulcers, which didn't turn up anything, and had tried cutting all kinds of supposedly problematic foods out of my diet. When my daughter was about 18 momths old, I finally went vegan (for ethical reasons), something I had been trying to make myself do for some time. Only about six months later, when I was cleaning out my purse and found the remains of a pack of the acid reducers crushed at the bottom of the bag did I realize that I hadn't needed to take them recently. 

 

Sometimes after that, we went out to dinner with friends and I unknowingly ended up eating some cheese. For the first time in almost a year, I had symptoms like the ones I had experienced before. It didn't occur to me to think about dairy (I had asked about the ingredients in the veggie burger and was told it was dairy free.) until something similar happened again a couple of months later. After the second incident, my husband called the restaurant and spoke to a manager, who did some checking and confirmed that there was, indeed, cheese in the veggie burger. 

 

Pretty much since that time, I've never had any similar symptoms unless I accidentally eat something with dairy in it. 

 

The "kids" (who are now 21 and 18) were both raised vegan, but my daughter has had a few experiences with upset stomach and pain only to find out that something she thought was "safe" actually included dairy of some kind. 

 

So, it's all anecdotal, but it seems like a pretty good working theory to me.

 

 

My sister and father both have acid reflux; neither would/will eliminate dairy entirely (they just take/took meds to mitigate) and on the occasions when my sister consumes dairy her reflux is bad.

 

I get terrible heartburn in pregnancy but I wouldn't know about dairy-induced reflux otherwise as I don't eat dairy at all (for ethical reasons).  The last time I ate dairy was 4 years ago when my dad died and I was so mad at the world I got cheese on my bean burrito just to spite everything.  I don't remember any heartburn but I don't know that I would have noticed it at the time.

[OneStepAtATime]

My DD was switched TO formula by our pediatrician because DD screamed and cried and hardly ever slept while on breast milk.  Formula didn't help either so I'm sorry we switched at all, but no, she did not start out on formula and she was very colicky.  

 

 

[Laura Corin]

I had a colicky completely breastfed baby.  Actually two, but the second one was diagnosed with lactose intolerance (which disappeared as he aged) and which was manageable if I didn't drink milk.

[Carrie12345]

My daughters were both HORRIFICALLY colicky.  Being 13 months apart, my brain works hard to avoid thinking about that time in our lives.  :scared:

 

Both were breastfed, initially.  I misguidedly tried to schedule their feeds, which was probably the main problem for dd#1, though there may have also been some reflux involved, since she would only ever sleep on her stomach.
Dd#2 had much more severe reflux, projectile vomiting, went through barium swallows, was on meds, had to be kept on an incline, etc.  In hindsight, we do wonder if the mold in the basement below our apartment was a factor, or if she had a mild (compared to her brother) dairy protein issue.

 

Both girls were fully formula fed by 4 months at the latest, which just happens to coincide with when colic tends to end.

[BlsdMama]

I'm just curious as to how many of the babies with severe colic were breastfed versus bottle-fed. The question isn't to be devisive, but I've always speculated that it had something to do with the iron in formula. It seems that formula is almost impossible to find with no added iron, and iron is extremely hard on tummies. I know years ago you could find formula without iron, but I think it's been quite a while since that has been the case.

 

Anyway, just musing, but I really wish they would have no-iron or low-iron formulas on the market for babies who struggle with tummy issues.

 

My only severely colicky baby was #4.  She was completely breastfed and didn't like food until she was over a year, nursed right up 'til about 2.  

Turns out, she is EXTREMELY sensitive to cow's milk.  When we switched her over to "real" milk, she actually began bleeding in her intestines.  We did not make the cow connection because allergy tests came back negative.  It wasn't almost two years later when an allergist told us to take her off milk that it stopped.  (In the meantime she had two colonoscopies and the area biopsied to try to determine cause.)  She was also labeled Failure to Thrive.  (She was just tiny - a few of my girls have been below the 10%.) 

 

It was milk in my diet.  Even to this day (now 14) she is still very sensitive to drinking cow milk straight.

 

My formula fed babies (#5 and #12) were content, fat, little happy things as were most of my breastfed babies. (Well, they were content, but most were very small.  I only ever had a couple babies that were breastfed that could remotely be called chubby.) 

 

I suspect I am more the exception than the rule, but it's interesting to note. :)

[SparklyUnicorn]

Well, I'd buy that except they do have special formulas that are free of anything known to cause tummy trouble and that didn't make a difference at all.  That's one of the first things they try with colic (eliminating stuff in one's diet and/or special formulas).

 

My kid did have reflux as well and took medicine for it, but that didn't help with the constant crying either.

 

Believe me, they try.  I think part of it is that although it feels like colic lasts 10,000 years for a parent it doesn't. It's a matter of months.  So they try this, that, and the other thing and eventually it just stops. 

 

 

[Ausmumof3]

Those I know with colic babies were all breastfed and later turned out to have lactose intolerances.

[ktgrok]

All three kids breastfed, no formula ever. First (my one with Aspergers/ADHD/SPD/etc) was the colicky one. Oh my, it was awful. He was just uncomfortable in his own skin from day 1. Other two have different father, barely cried. Don't get me wrong, they wanted to nurse 24/7, but if you gave them what they wanted they didn't cry. That's hard, but not traumatic, even if I was sleep deprived. 

 

With him, nothing helped. I will say, it was probably way worse than it had to be because I believed I should only nurse him on a certain schedule, and would sit there with him crying saying"It's not TIME to feed him yet, he can't want that" when probably he did. But sometimes that didn't help either, often that didn't help. Anything that did help helped for a short period, maybe 20 minutes, then didn't help. Best things were sitting int he bathroom with the shower running or going outside. He needed lots of stimulation, but the right stimulation. 

 

I'll never forget realizing at only a few weeks old the child was, for lack of a better word, bored. Yes, bored. What worked that time was holding up some black/white/red pattered blocks, and letting him look at them. I'd hold one in front of him, and he'd stare and be calm for a bit, then start to fuss so I'd turn it so he could see the pattern on the other side, he'd calm for a few minutes, then fuss and I'd turn it again, etc etc. 

 

But mainly, he cried all the time to the point I barely heard it anymore. I remember holding him, bouncing him on my hip talking to someone and they were like "is he okay?" I hadn't even noticed the crying, because it was so constant. I just kept bouncing him and knew that was the best I could do. He did have bloody poop around 5 months old, and it did coincide with me eating more dairy so we dropped that, but I don't know that it was really the issue, as I barely ate any in the early months (former vegan) and he was till colicky then. 

[ktgrok]

FYI...breastfed babies are not lactose intolerant, they have a reaction to the protein in cows milk. Not the sugar. Even if a mom never had dairy in her life her breastmilk would still have lactose. It's the normal sugar in breastmilk, and only in a VERY rare, life threatening situation can a baby not digest lactose. Dairy protein, on the other hand, is known to be difficult to digest, and can be passed through breastmilk. Similar symptoms, different cause. 

 

I mention it because in that situation lactose free won't help, it has to be dairy free. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

All three kids breastfed, no formula ever. First (my one with Aspergers/ADHD/SPD/etc) was the colicky one. Oh my, it was awful. He was just uncomfortable in his own skin from day 1. Other two have different father, barely cried. Don't get me wrong, they wanted to nurse 24/7, but if you gave them what they wanted they didn't cry. That's hard, but not traumatic, even if I was sleep deprived. 

 

With him, nothing helped. I will say, it was probably way worse than it had to be because I believed I should only nurse him on a certain schedule, and would sit there with him crying saying"It's not TIME to feed him yet, he can't want that" when probably he did. But sometimes that didn't help either, often that didn't help. Anything that did help helped for a short period, maybe 20 minutes, then didn't help. Best things were sitting int he bathroom with the shower running or going outside. He needed lots of stimulation, but the right stimulation. 

 

I'll never forget realizing at only a few weeks old the child was, for lack of a better word, bored. Yes, bored. What worked that time was holding up some black/white/red pattered blocks, and letting him look at them. I'd hold one in front of him, and he'd stare and be calm for a bit, then start to fuss so I'd turn it so he could see the pattern on the other side, he'd calm for a few minutes, then fuss and I'd turn it again, etc etc. 

 

But mainly, he cried all the time to the point I barely heard it anymore. I remember holding him, bouncing him on my hip talking to someone and they were like "is he okay?" I hadn't even noticed the crying, because it was so constant. I just kept bouncing him and knew that was the best I could do. He did have bloody poop around 5 months old, and it did coincide with me eating more dairy so we dropped that, but I don't know that it was really the issue, as I barely ate any in the early months (former vegan) and he was till colicky then. 

 

Oh funny about the bored thing.  There were some rare instances where he would not cry.  Usually it was when there was a lot going on.  For example, we used to take him to an Austrian club on Friday nights.  So all the people talking and then a band playing.  He'd sit there wide eyed and quiet.  We joked he couldn't compete with the noise. 

 

[TravelingChris]

I formula fed all three of mine, and none were colicky.  The first one we tried on milk formula at first but he had projerctile vomiting with that so we switched to soy.  We just did the other two on soy straight off since both dh and I had to be on soy when we were little too.  We weren't colicky either.

[HomeAgain]

Breastfed, colicky, not allergic to protein.  He was just one of those kids who bounced from angry to intense and back again.  There was no sleep training in our house - the child would go from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds and launch himself out of his crib within 10 by the time he was 7mo.  We had air mattresses on the floor of his room.

 

However, he was one of those kids who loved having chapter books read to him as an infant, picked up the game of chess at age 2, learned to read completely within 3 months, figures out languages easily, and skips through math like it's Candyland.  He has never stopped being intense but once he got out of babyhood he channeled it into a different direction.  I think he honestly was just ticked off he couldn't function yet. :laugh:

[Mimm]

My second was colicky. She was exclusively breastfed for her first two months, when I finally couldn't take it any more (not just because of the hours of screaming every day) and weaned her, and the colic got a lot better. In hindsight, I think something was off with my milk and bothering her, but I didn't realize it at the time. I fed my youngest formula starting in the hospital (and some breastmilk for the first couple weeks) and she was happy as a clam.

 

[Lolly]

Two of mine had severe colic. Both do have dairy issues. I also cannot tolerate dairy, so my eating it wasn't the cause. Exclusively breastfed once they were home from NICU. They did have the special preemie formula there sometimes.

[StaceyinLA]

If it was as simple as "formula-fed babies get colic and breastfed babies don't" I imagine someone would have figured it out by now. And for the record, my dd was only breastfed for a short time and then ff because of meds I had to go on, and she wasn't colicky.

That really wasn't my thought. I have just always been suspect of formula with added iron, and how it affects tummy issues.

Edited May 25, 2016 by StaceyinLA

[SparklyUnicorn]

That really wasn't my thought. I have just always been suspect of formula with added iron.

 

It's just not true though.  They make special formulas for these issues.  Except it's really not safe to never give a baby iron.

[wendyroo]

All three kids breastfed, no formula ever. First (my one with Aspergers/ADHD/SPD/etc) was the colicky one. Oh my, it was awful. He was just uncomfortable in his own skin from day 1. 

 

...

 

But mainly, he cried all the time to the point I barely heard it anymore. I remember holding him, bouncing him on my hip talking to someone and they were like "is he okay?" I hadn't even noticed the crying, because it was so constant. I just kept bouncing him and knew that was the best I could do. 

 

:iagree:

 

This.  Exactly.

 

Peter, my ASD, ADHD, anxiety kid, cried for 6-8 hours every day for the first 5 years of his life.  He was exclusively breastfed, did not have any allergies or sensitivities, but was just extremely unhappy with life in general.  He was actually a pretty good sleeper, I think he liked escaping from everything, but would scream from the moment he woke up until the moment he managed to scream himself to sleep.

 

I'm keeping my mouth shut on the CIO thread, because Peter was a baby that pretty much demanded I leave him alone to cry.  He hated me rocking or bouncing or walking him when he was tired.  He refused to nurse himself to sleep.  All he wanted was to be left alone...which has been the story of his life for the last 7 years.  If I tried to "help" him fall asleep he would just get more and more upset until he was apoplectic - red-faced, screaming, bashing his head against me, trying to fling himself off my lap.  Instead, I had to just swaddle him up tight (and once he graduated from the swaddle he needed a weighted blanket) and leave him in a pitch-black room with white noise.  He would scream for a couple minutes, whimper for a few more and then blissfully slip into oblivion which was the only time his mind was able to be calm and relax all day.   :(

 

Wendy

[MotherGoose]

All three of mine were bottle fed and are happy and healthy with no allergies of any sort.

[StaceyinLA]

It's just not true though. They make special formulas for these issues. Except it's really not safe to never give a baby iron.

Actually, there probably is SOME merit to it. Iron is hard on tummies. I didn't say to never give the iron, but it can wait a few months until babies can tolerate it more easily (if they have issues).

 

I hear of people all the time trying formula after formula. I just wonder if they'd get one with no iron, if that would be necessary.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Actually, there probably is SOME merit to it. Iron is hard on tummies. I didn't say to never give the iron, but it can wait a few months until babies can tolerate it more easily (if they have issues).

 

I hear of people all the time trying formula after formula. I just wonder if they'd get one with no iron, if that would be necessary.

 

Yes they require a prescription.  I tried...it did nothing.  And these formulas are VERY expensive. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

On top of that the doctors told me not to feed him any solid food until after a year.  So I had to spend money on these useless overpriced formulas for a year.

 

It cost me about $150 a week for his formula (over 14 years ago). 

[cintinative]

Did not read the other replies but both of mine were fussy and ended up having reflux and dairy allergy. I breastfed both but had to be off all dairy for DS1 and for DS2 I was also off eggs and wheat. I am allergic to soy so I didn't need to worry about that one. They were also both on medication for the reflux because even with the dietary changes I made (and I WAS super strict--no proteins at all) they still had trouble.

 

My mom always said my brother and I were colicky but I think this was our real problem.  Both of his kids were the same way.  But it was the 70s, you know?

 

I'm not sure I understand what true colic is, so no offense intended to those dealing with actual medical colic. 

Edited May 25, 2016 by cintinative

[StaceyinLA]

Yes they require a prescription. I tried...it did nothing. And these formulas are VERY expensive.

Well I appreciate that it didn't work for YOUR baby, but I wonder if, in general, babies may have less tummy troubles without iron.

 

A LOT of babies are fussy and colicky, but not a lot are to the extreme that some of you seem to have dealt with. Perhaps those babies would benefit from not having so much iron so soon.

[coralloyd]

My 3 oldest did not have colic at all. My 4th was very colicy. Of the first 3, two were breast fed for only 2 months. One was bf for 4 months. My 4th was bf for 16 months. I guess your theory doesn't work in our situation. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Well I appreciate that it didn't work for YOUR baby, but I wonder if, in general, babies may have less tummy troubles without iron.

 

A LOT of babies are fussy and colicky, but not a lot are to the extreme that some of you seem to have dealt with. Perhaps those babies would benefit from not having so much iron so soon.

 

Although do you really think that nobody has thought of that? 

 

I mean sure, I was really hoping I'd figure something magical out, but I did not.  I would have probably won a Nobel Peace Prize if I had.  LOL

 

Now my second kid had regular formula and had absolutely no problems whatsoever. 

[StaceyinLA]

Although do you really think that nobody has thought of that?

 

I mean sure, I was really hoping I'd figure something magical out, but I did not. I would have probably won a Nobel Peace Prize if I had. LOL

 

Now my second kid had regular formula and had absolutely no problems whatsoever.

Do you want my honest opinion? I think even if doctors did attribute some of the fussiness to the added iron, they may or may not recommend you change it.

 

I mean obviously all babies are different and what affects some won't affect others (even within the same family). Mine were all breastfed and never had issues with anything. My grandbabies have all had varying levels of dairy intolerance while nursing.

 

I know a lot of people whose babies have had to be switched around with formulas for months before finding one that worked. Maybe those babies would have benefitted from having less or no iron initially.

 

I guess there is also a difference between true colic and stomach issues caused by other things that can be identified, but any stomach issue tends to be lumped into the "colic," category.

Edited May 25, 2016 by StaceyinLA

[SparklyUnicorn]

Do you want my honest opinion? I think even if doctors did attribute some of the fussiness to the added iron, they may or may not recommend you change it.

 

I mean obviously all babies are different and what affects some won't affect others (even within the same family). Mine were all breastfed and never had issues with anything. My grandbabies have all had varying levels of dairy intolerance while nursing.

 

I know a lot of people whose babies have had to be switched around with formulas for months before finding one that worked. Maybe those babies would have benefitted from having less or no iron initially.

 

I guess there is also a difference between true colic and stomach issues caused by other things that can be identified, but any stomach issue tends to be lumped into the "colic," category.

 

They try these things right away.  I'm talking after a week of regular formula and constant crying he was on special formula.  They try the less expensive special formulas first (like dairy free), but then work their way up to the super duper special ones.  So this was not months.  Babies are barely babies for "months". 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Not that I don't get your point Stacey.  I'm often convinced that some stuff we are told to do isn't the best.  But the ingredients in formulas are a definite thing doctors consider when there is colic.  This is also considered when one breast feeds.  It is absolutely the first thing they try when addressing the issue.  And this isn't after months.  I can't imagine a person going months with a baby who screams all the time before going to a doctor to try to figure it out. 

[StaceyinLA]

Yeah it was probably weeks rather than months. I'm sure I exaggerated that a bit (feels like months with a miserable baby I'm sure). However, a lot of young people don't know that the formula could be an issue and it can go on a long time before being dealt with.

 

And as far as making connections, when dgs was having his issues in the beginning, the first thing the doctors wanted to do was put him on meds for reflux. There was no mention of dd's eating dairy being a potential problem. Luckily, I was a LLL leader for years and we did some reading and she ditched all the dairy - took a solid week before she saw any improvement, but it got tremendously better.

 

Not every doctor makes the connections quickly or correctly. And btw we LOVE this pediatrician, so I'm not bashing her.

Edited May 25, 2016 by StaceyinLA

[SparklyUnicorn]

They did put DS on meds for reflux too, but that was not the first thing tried.  We were sent to a specialist for that too.  That didn't help either.

 

It felt like 10 years.  My dad to this day mentions my colic from time to time.  I'm 41 and he's still not over it.  LOL  I guess payback is a bi*ch. 

[slterry]

Both of my kids had colic as newborns- from about 1 month until 3-4 months, crying non-stop, especially at night. I found out with my second that she had a dairy and soy protein allergy and it all made sense. My oldest also had it and I had no clue. I felt horrible, because I was able to fix it by changing my diet. They were both 100% EBF, not a drop of formula, so iron was not the issue for us. 

 

We also thought reflux with my second at first- then came the green and mucousy diapers, and then blood tinged and it clicked in my head. My oldest never had the blood, so I didn't make the connection. As soon as I cut out the dairy/soy, she was feeling better in 3-4 days and grew out of her allergy at 8 months.

[ktgrok]

I think one thing often overlooked with distressed babies is foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. It can cause similar symptoms as dairy allergy, with green mucuosy stool and even blood. But it's from too much lactose, from too much foremilk. I think I had that going on for sure with my oldest, because I was timing feedings and switching breasts constantly. To this day I'm not sure he ever even had a milk allergy, and he now as a teen eats dairy products with no issue at all. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think one thing often overlooked with distressed babies is foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. It can cause similar symptoms as dairy allergy, with green mucuosy stool and even blood. But it's from too much lactose, from too much foremilk. I think I had that going on for sure with my oldest, because I was timing feedings and switching breasts constantly. To this day I'm not sure he ever even had a milk allergy, and he now as a teen eats dairy products with no issue at all. 

 

Yeah my colicky kid has no problem with dairy now either. 

 

Although he is an insanely picky eater.  I don't know what that means exactly, but I wonder.  I've talked to doctors about it, but he's healthy in every aspect so what's there to do or try?  KWIM? 

[goldberry]

Exclusively BF.  Did elimination diet with no results.