Feel like I am losing my mind!!!

[italiatanyag]

I am a new member to this group and while reading all of the posts, I feel like I like with each and every one of you! My daughter, Ava is my third child. Her two siblings (Jordan is 12 and Mia is 3) were perfect babies. Never a peep!!! Ava on the other hand is different. Ava will be 12 weeks old on Friday...she has had problems since she was born. We started with a formula issue while in the hospital..Ava was started on Similac Advanced and it was too much for her belly, very gassy...she was switched to Enfamily Gentlease ...this gave her poor belly diarrhea ...she also was born with a horrible yeast infection on her behind...no one knew this was a yeast infection immediately, and it wasn't until it ate up her behind and she ended up with thrush in her mouth, did the docs realize it was yeast...she then were switched to Enfamil Prosobee, bc of the diarrhea...this was even worse!!! It was around this time that our colic started.
At first, she would scream for hours!!! One night, the screaming lasted 7 hours...my husband and I didn't know what to do to make her stop...we finally resorted to the car seat and left her in it all night long. This went on for weeks....from 3 weeks old until 7 weeks old the screaming wouldn't stop...we tried everything...gripe water, gas drops, colic calm, probiotics, swing, sound machines, you name it! It was horrific....we then switched formulas again...Similac Sensitive worked for a while...she began to gain weight...seemed a little bit better...we were hopeful...but that was short lived...she began having horrible gas pains...arching her back, screaming again...she then was put on Nutramigen...and after a few days stopped eating...we took her to the ER; Ava has an umbilical hernia, and we thought maybe the pain was being caused by the hernia...but the ER staff said nope, this is very common and it should heal itself within the first year!!! The PA we saw at the ER basically told us to just feed her and she will be fine..then proceeded to give us a bottle of Enfamil Infant formula. That formula last a few weeks until she started all over again...So, Alimentum was next...didn't do a whole lot of anything, except give her more gas... so, the only thing left to try was Gerber Soothe...we had three perfect days once we made the switch...she was calm, happy, slept better...it was wonderful...but now, we are right back where we started again!!! Don't get me wrong, the screaming has diminished...instead of hours of crying at one time (which was usually at night) she now cries throughout the day, but we know ways to intervene that calms her down...she only sleeps 3-4 hours during the night, wakes to feed, and like clockwork she is up again..some mornings she wont go back down and 4am we are up and at it again!
I am a college professor and have the semester off, so I am home with the baby and the 3 year old ALL DAY LONG!!! My husband is wonderful and takes over when he gets home but sometimes that isn't until 5-6 pm. I feel like I am losing my mind...all I do is research this d**n colic and hope that my baby is one of the lucky ones and it ends soon!! I have become depressed, lost interest in just about everything...I get high anxiety when I hear her make any peep....I hate feeling like this...this is not my first baby...I know what to do, but have no idea why I cant make it all go away. I feel resentful..miserable..I don't want to truly say how I feel bc it sounds horrible coming out of my mouth! I have never felt this way about my children...please, give me some hope...tell me it will get better...share some positive experiences...I just don't know what else to do!

[Pm]

Have you tried seeing a chiropractor? We brought our daughter and saw a difference.

[Pm]

Also probiotics worked amazing!!

[Aubreyjames]

Hang in there! I would try probiotics again. Poor baby and mommy! You guys both have had it rough. And you guys have tried every formula out there so it doesn't sound like allergies...hope someone out there has answers for you. I pray you both find some relief.

[rebeccaclaire]

I have a colicy Ava too! Atleast for me she sleeps at night but wakes to eat every couple hours then is right back at it at 6 am. She then spends most of the day crying or sleeping. Only recently has she startrd to calm down a little and be more content but she's only content for about 10 minutes then cries again. I have tried everything, gas drops, gripe water, changing formula, probiotics, colief, swinging, vibration, music, car rides. She doesnt want to be held for toolong or put down. I have found its taken me longer to bond with her than my older daughter (she was perfect) too since im always so stressed out from her crying. I don't want to leave the house with her bc i know she will freak out the whole time. My older one was perfect, she was so easy and still is at almost two, so i was not prepared for this. The only way i can get her to sto crying and sleep is in her rock and play. It's weird bc one day she will sleep all day and then the next she will scream all day. She's so unpredictable i dont know what the day will be like. But i wake up dreading it most of the time. She will be three months next week and i am praying things will change. Everyone says it will end, but they do not realize a day with a colicky baby feels like an eternity and one continuous day. These stories really make me feel a little better.

[Aml]

I'm so sorry to hear about your tough time! My daughter is 15 weeks old and I can say we are done with colic! But it was a long and stressful journey! Here are the things that helped us: soy formula was a huge difference, the chiropractor did wonders for her, and discovering that she also had reflex so medication for that! I truly thought it would never get better but it gradually is! She has her days of course but I can finally enjoy my daughter! You'll also get through it before you know it! Id try soy and the chrioprator for sure! Good luck!

[Sarah]

I also feel like I'm loosing my mind. My baby boy is nearly 6 weeks old & he's my first child. I knew it would be easy but still obviously had unrealistic expectations of what parenthood would be like. I hoped I'd spend days playing, walking the pram, nipping for coffee with other new mums & attending baby classes. Instead I daren't leave the house & dread it when it's essential due to the tears & fear of being judged a bad mother who can't calm her own baby. He has horrific & temperamental colic, high pitched continuous screaming, arching, screwing his legs up, red face, howling & nothing soothes him for longer than 10 minutes. He also has reflux but the medication can constipated him which we want to avoid so it's a case of trying to guess when he's suffering bad & giving a half dose. One medication treatment seems to cause another problem, it's a joke. People keep saying ride it out, the magical 3 month mark and things will be better, it's hard but keep going. It's all good for them to say this but divert hour is like a year & I'm deadlier ate in the nights with nowhere to turn. I feel useless, like a rubbish mum & feel so sad for my baby who is obviously in such pain. It's odd the practitioners seems to accept there's nothing that can be done when it's do detrimental to a mothers confidence, self esteem, and tolerance, not to mention so upsetting v for the baby. Why can't more be done?? I'm devastated my experience as a mother so far has been so difficult, I feel so guilty despite doing my best. It's the hardest thing ever. Doesn't help that my friends babies have never suffered, so whilst they don't mean it, I always feel judged & have distanced myself from people. I can't wait for it to end.

[sarah]

Feb 15, 2014 23:09:48 GMT -5 Pm said:

Also probiotics worked amazing!!

hi...what kind of probiotics? how helpful were they? did they dramatically reduce symptoms? Thanks

[Laura]

Sarah, I used BioGaia with my little screamer. I think it works best for colic cases where the child doesn't have the bacteria in his gut to break down milk. If that's the reason behind the colic, it's a miracle cure. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't the cause.

[ariasmom]

Sarah, I think dr.s just see it has a temporary problem for us. I always felt as though my ped did not understand what I was going through emotionally. She would just tell me about babies and their different types of demeanor and that her kid was the same as mine and never slept and she was in med school bla bla. It's also that it feels like everyday is a constant failure and people telling you it will pass is not helpful when you are in agony. Yes riding it out, ends up the only solution. What a lonely place that the details of colic leave you. My friend just had a baby a week ago and she is inviting me over for dinner and all I think is what a mess I was with a 1 week old screaming all the time. I literally long for the day it happens to one of my friends so I don't feel so alone about it. How horrible of me but it's true.
I tried the probiotics and actually while it didn't cure the colic I really think it was the only thing that helped. I used FloraBaby off amazon and mixed it with breast milk or formula in a bottle. After a few days it started regulating her. She had minor reflux and took Zantac and went thru a few weeks of constipation, never thought about it then but maybe it was the Zantac which she stopped taking around 3 months. But yea the FloraBaby was very helpful.

[New mom]

I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time. I have a colicky baby boy (now 6 wks) and am resenting friends with happy babies, him, and myself. Just wanted to throw some love your way.

[OceanJulie]

I have TOTALLY been in your shoes and I just want to say I know what it feels like and you are not alone!!!! My son had SEVERE colic (if you could even call it that)since he was 2.5 weeks. He cried from the time he woke up in the morning until the time he went to sleep at night. He was soooo uncomfortable and NOTHING I did helped him. I literally paced around the house, shushing, rocking, swaying, singing, wearing, everything I could for the first 4.5 months. What worked for us was: 1) switching from breastfeeding (even though I was doing a VERY strict dairy-free diet) to a hypoallergenic formula (Similac Alimentum) I saw you tried this before... :/ 2) having him sleep in a "nap nanny" (it's like a baby lounger chair but for use on a secure place or floor only) and 3) baby acupuncture. He was a COMPLETELY new baby within 48 hours. It was CRAZY. The nap nanny helps with reflux because they are elevated. Just make sure you are placing the nap nanny on the floor or in a very secure place where baby can not tip off of it. We used ours until 5.5 months old and he slept 11 hours a night! I have heard that some babies do not grow out of stomach issues until a year. We tried to switch our guy to a less expensive formula at 6.5 months but he is still not able to tolerate it yet. So we will wait a few more months and try again. It is expensive but sooooooo worth it!
I hope one of these things works for you, even if just a little.
I TOTALLY understand all the feelings you are experiencing now. I had the exact same too. I am just starting to come out of that and am so grateful to be able to see the light again! I still get such a physical reaction when he cries hard (sweating, anxiety, clenching teeth) but each day that I see he is now consoleable, lets me let go of the 5.5 months prior! I did NOT enjoy those first several months much at all. but he is so amazing and comfortable now and I know your little one will be too. Until then, know you are not alone and try anything and everything! Every baby is so different but if any advice any of us have works just a little for you and your little one, it will make all of us so happy!!! Thinking of you!!! xoxo