Colic remedies?

[8-guage]

My wife and I are at our wits end.
Have you ever tried anything that works?
Our 2&1/2 month old boy has colic and colitis now too!
Incessant, uncontrolable, SCREAM crying for weeks and weeks!
He is clearly in agony. His cry is quite different than the normal cries and he tries to stretch his body out to escape the pain but it is always there. I feel horrible for the little guy.
Doctors say it happens in about 30% of babies, there is no known cure and only suggest temporary remedies which we do but, they don't really work. They say it usually dissapears in most babies by 3 months but some have it much longer.
We have tried so many things including, no sugars, no dairy, no spicy foods, no caffeine, no fun of any kind for mother(mothers are amazing) and for baby, peppermint tea, spearmint tea, swaddling(part of my new vocabulary,) singing, soft music, LOUD music, shhhshhhing(first I ever wrote that,) swinging(not my wife and I,) drops of cinnamon water, heating pads, cloth wraps for stomach, car rides, special water and much more! The only thing that has worked is to put a shot of Pure Everclear in the bottle and then hand it to dad.
It is probably the most stressed I have ever been and my poor wife is with him much more than I am! (He's sleeping right now.)
Any suggestions are appreciated.
By the way, are there any "pulling out their own hair" icons? Didn't see any here.
Thanks,

[Fast Water]

Sucks, don't it.

We tried infant anti-gas drops on one of our kids and it seemed to work IIRC. Not to sure about the Colitis :depressed:

Hope things turn around soon.

:smile:

Colic
Published by BUPA's Health Information Team
October 2003

Colic is when a baby cries for longer than three hours every day for more than three days a week. It is the extreme end of normal crying behaviour. The condition is harmless, though it can be very distressing for parents or carers. The cause is not known, but there are ways to help calm a baby down.

About infant colic
Colic is uncontrollable, extended crying in a baby who is otherwise healthy and well-fed. Every baby cries, but babies who cry for more than three hours a day, three to four days a week, may have colic.

About 20% of babies get colic, and it equally affects boys and girls, first-born children and those born later. In general, it appears at around two to four weeks of age and can last for three months, or longer in some cases.

Causes
The cause of colic isn't known. In the past it was thought to be related to the digestive system. However, although painful abdominal gas may contribute to colic, there is little evidence to prove it's due to gastrointestinal problems.

Another possible cause of colic is a combination of the baby's temperament and an immature nervous system. The baby's temperament may make him or her highly sensitive to the environment, and he or she may react to normal stimulation or changes to the environment by crying. Because the baby's nervous system is immature, he or she is unable to regulate crying once it starts.

Symptoms
The main symptom is continuous crying for long periods of time. Although this crying can occur at any time, it usually worsens in the evening. Although colic is not thought to be due to pain, a baby with colic may look uncomfortable or appear to be in pain. Babies may lift their head, draw their legs up to their tummy, become red in the face and pass wind. Some babies refuse to eat. Difficulty falling and staying asleep is also common.

Normally, colic is not a serious condition. Research shows that babies with colic continue to eat and gain weight normally, despite the crying.

The main problem with the condition is the stress and anxiety it creates within the home. Parents and other family members may find it difficult to cope with the constant crying, so it's important to have support and to take a break now and then.

When to see a doctor
Colic does not need medical treatment. However, any parent or carer who is worried about their baby's crying may want to get advice from a healthcare professional to make sure there is no serious problem.

Before visiting a doctor, all other possible causes of crying should be eliminated. These include:

hunger
tiredness
lack of contact - some babies want to be cuddled all the time
startling - eg due to a jerky movement or sudden noise
undressing - most babies don't like the feel of air on their skin
temperature - is the baby too hot or too cold?
pain - is there an identifiable source of pain, eg a nappy rash
Before going to the doctor, parents should take note of when the baby cries, eats and sleeps, as well as the pattern of bowel movements. This will help the doctor determine the cause of the crying. The doctor will examine the baby and ask about the symptoms to help exclude any other disorders that may be causing the crying.

If the doctor diagnoses colic, there are many things parents can do to help the baby - and themselves - through the next few months.

Treatment for colic
There is no single medicine or proven cure for colic, but there are several measures that may help. Different babies are comforted by different measures, and parents usually need to try various methods to see what works.

Parents who bottle-feed their babies may want to try a different formula. For parents who breastfeed, it's a good idea to continue this because weaning the baby from breast milk may make the colic worse.

Some women find that certain foods in their diet seem to make colic worse and they may find that cutting these foods out helps. These might include cruciferous vegetables (eg cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts and parsnip), beans, onions, garlic, apricots, melon, spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol. By reintroducing foods gradually, women may be able to identify which food, if any, is causing the problem.

If there is a family history of milk sugar (lactose) intolerance, breastfeeding mothers could try eliminating cows milk from their diet. Sometimes babies are not able to digest lactose well - this improves as they get older.

Some parents who bottle-feed their baby try changing over to soya-based formula, but there is no evidence that this is effective at reducing colic.

If the baby seems to have a lot of wind, make sure he or she is burped frequently. Babies who are bottle-fed may swallow air from the bottle: try feeding the baby in a different position, or using a bottle and teat designed to reduce the amount of air the baby swallows during a feed. These include curved bottles, bottles with a collapsible bag inside or bottles with a vent.

To soothe babies with colic, the following techniques may be helpful:

carry the baby in a front sling or back pack
wrap him or her snugly in a blanket (this is called swaddling)
keep the baby moving in a baby swing
place him or her near continuous noise or vibrations from household appliances like the dishwasher, vacuum cleaner or washer-dryer
take him or her for a car ride or a walk outside
give him or her a dummy to suck on
give him or her tummy or back rubs
take a shower together - the warm water may be comforting
Medicines
Medicines are not used to treat colic. However, medicines may help to relieve abdominal symptoms. It may be worth trying "colic drops" or "gripe water", which are available without a prescription. A medicine called dimeticone (eg Infacol) is available to relieve trapped wind.

Care for the parent or carer
Having a colicky baby can be very stressful, frustrating and challenging for any parent, particularly if it is the first child. Babies may pick up on anxiety around them, and this may make colic worse.

It's important for the parents or carer to have time to themselves. Parents who feel overwhelmed should take a break. Ask a partner or friend to take over for a while, even for an hour or two.

Further information
National Childbirth Trust
http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com
0870 7703236

CRY-SIS
Helpline for families having difficulty with a crying baby
020 7404 5011

[happybrew]

We haven't had any "colicky" babies, but due to our schedules early in our marriage we did have bouts of extended crying at inopportune times.

Crying is not harmful to a baby. A frustrated parent can be. If you ever find yourself at your wits end, just put the baby in the crib, close the door, and walk away for a little while. If that's what you need to do, then do it.

I'm surprised the rides in the car didn't help. It did for us. This period of time will pass, although I know it seems like it won't. Sleep when the baby sleeps is the best advice I can give, and close the door and walk away if you ever feel so overwhelmed you can't stand it. The baby has to sleep sometime.

It sounds to me like you have been trying a number of different things. Perhaps you are trying too much. Children in general, and babies in particular, thrive on a stable environment. The environment is everything that surrounds and affects the child. If you keep trying different things, you may not be providing that stable environment. Keeping to a stable routine and doing everything the same every time provides that stable environment and might help your child to feel comforted. When your child knows what is going to happen next, it will feel comfortable. Let your child know you love him every day. Do everything the same way every time, and give your child time to adjust.

How do I know about this? I'm the oldest of 10, and have six kids. I've been around babies my whole life.

happybrew

[duckboy]

good advice, sounds like happybrew is well qualified.

I have no children, but i feel for those of you that do, especially colic kids

[6wapiti6]

I know this sounds crazy, but our son liked the vacum cleaner running? for some reason white noise tends to soothe them a bit....might be worth a shot. Also we used this stuff called gripe water, some natural stuff that seemed to help some as well....we only had to deal with colic for about three weeks, and then it was like someone fliped a switch and he was fine. Hang in there...it will get better and you have a lot of great things to look forword too!

[StickFish]

Keep it simple. I don't know about all herbal things, but a nice massage worked for our first. Kaiser put on the infant massage class and it helped us greatly.

[8-guage]

Thanks to all!
We are very routine with him and we talk a lot to him and give him LOTS of love and attention.
He does smile and talk often in between the bouts but that usually gets interupted by crying again and it is sad to see because he is obviosly TRYING to be happy.
We didn't try everything all together.
This has been going on for over 6 weeks and we gradually tried something to see if there was even a subtle relief.
Honestly, the best results are from holding snugly and bouncing and from warm baths. Bounce and baths bounce and baths.
I will go get some gripe water today and see if that doesn't get some relief.
Thank you again,

[suckerfish]

Get an electric swing that puts out white noise. Babies are content with some swaying and a little noise. My Brothers wife hadn't figured that out until well into a seriouse case of distress from a colicie baby.


Good luck

Rick

[Jettin' Fool]

Our Pediatrician told us to try Fennel seed Tea. Get the Fennel in the spice aisle and a tea seeper. Seep a light tea with the fennel and a little sugar for taste (or they wont drink it!). This is the only thing that actualy worked for us

I can feel your pain. Give this a try...IT WORKS!

Jfool

[ryleysmom]

Let me give you a little of advice, and I used this for my son and it seemed to work. I chose the herbal remedies and you can use Chamomile or Fennel they are both a herbal remedy and you can not over dose your baby with this stuff as it is all natural! Also give your little one a nice warm bath and there is a baby wash from Huggies and it is Chamomile and Lavander, smells lovley, give your little one a warm bath with this also.
I dont know were you are located but I suggest that you go to your local herbal store and talk with them. I find that the small ma and pa herbal shops are more educated and can give you better advice then the big chain herbal stores.
I hope this helps and please remember that it is okay for a baby to cry, I know first hand that it is hard for a mother to listen to, but sometimes the best thing when you are at your wits end is to put the baby in the crib and go outside and get a breath of fresh air...

[Mikeymoto]

I got 3 old school homecures from my mom in Az.
1-Peppermint oil rubbed on the bottom of their feet.
2-Very weak hot toddy 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp brandy, 1 cup of warm water, mix in bottle and feed the little one.
3-1/2 tsp peptobismo and rock the baby.
Use at your own risk. I have tried the first one and it seemed to settle their stomach. You could smell the mint on their breath a shore time after rubbing their feet.
Good luck.
MM

[OceanBlue]

If your wife is breast-feeding, consider switching to formula. My son was colicky and we dealt with it for 2 months... Tried everything. I did notice that some foods I ate made it worse (apple juice, was especially bad for some reason), but nothing made it better.

I asked the doc, "What if we go to formula". Doc said, "oh, that would just make it worse." Well, hats off to ya Doc, wrong-o. I switched to formula and NO MORE COLIC. Seems my chemistry was just not good for baby.

When my son got older, he'd have these gastric attacks that were much like appendicitis. Seems that his intestines would kink up or something. We started using ice packs on his belly. After about 15 minutes of cold compress, he'd pass gas and be just dandy. I know it sounds weird, but cold will actually relax those smooth muscles of the intestines and causes them to work. Heat will do the opposite.

Just be careful to keep the rest of baby warm (head and feet especially) if you're going to ice the belly and of course, never put cold compress directly on the skin.

Good luck. I feel for ya.