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Post by amy2fabe on Mar 7, 2011 13:20:04 GMT -5
My daughter has had colic since week 2. It has been exhausting. She is now 11 weeks and I have seen improvements but still so far from a happy baby. Does colic gradually go away or does it automatically go away one day?
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Post by debbief on Mar 8, 2011 23:56:55 GMT -5
It is a gradual process for sure. I think you really only have a couple more weeks to get through. I am a colic surviving mom. It will end!
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Post by mandimoore009 on Jun 1, 2011 9:25:14 GMT -5
That is a question that I wish I knew!! My son was born and he had colic right off the bat, he was miserable in the beginning, changed formulas 6 times, now we are one that seems to be working well for him, although he still has gas and is irritable most of the time. He is 5 weeks, I'm a new mom and I just feel exhausted, irritable, and feel like I'm more worried about when he is going to start a crying fit, then bonding with him. It seems to be getting worse. Statistics say that by 3 months 50 percent of babies are over colic, by 4 months, 90% and then there are the few and far between that go past 4 months, lets pray thats none of us People just dont understand how draining it is, and how jealous you get when other people talk about their babies, eating and sleeping, and being happy. It is soo hard, and I know we have no choice but to get through it but a day feels like a month, and a month feels like a year when you have a colicky baby. My advice is, get help!! Surround yourself with people you love and try not to spend this hard time alone. Its been 5 weeks, and at first I isolated myself, now each day, I try to find someone to spend my time with, mom, sister, friend, get my mind off things and do the only things my baby loves: car rides, and walking in his stroller. Dont spend all your time in the house, I feel like my baby is soo much better when you change his environment, if he is in the house ALL day, it means a bad day for me. The hardest thing is not knowing when its going to end for me because I've always been a control freak. I try to find answers, when there are none, except love your baby, dont take it personal, one day he or she will wake up and be smily and happy: and dont feel like a bad mom because honestly, those that deal with this, probably become the better moms Ive looked for answers everywhere, and there are none, I just would love to hear peoples experiences, what helped and what didnt, and to know that I'm not alone
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irica
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Post by irica on Jun 2, 2011 5:37:18 GMT -5
I'm right there with you ladies. My baby girl is 12 weeks old and while she no longer has all-day screamfests like she did at the peak of her colic (around 6 weeks), she's still an extremely fussy, high-maintenance baby who needs to be held most of the day and who will still scream bloody murder if the slightest thing sets her off. And by the slightest thing, I mean ANYTHING. She refuses to sleep without skin to skin human contact most of the time, which means she takes naps in our arms and sleeps on my chest at night as I crash on the couch till 5 am, when my husband takes his shift with her so I can get a couple of hours of rest. Also, my maternity leave just ended and I went back to work yesterday, so now I'm torn between guilt at leaving her and worry at how the nanny is coping, and relief at not having to be around a screaming/high needs baby all day. The difference is that in the midst of her fussy moods are more and more moments when she's smiling and happy and I can see glimpses of the happy baby she wants to be. That didn't happen when the colic was at its worst. Don't get me wrong -- she can be smiling and cooing one second, then go back to being fussy and on the edge of losing it the very next minute. But on this long dark and depressing road, it's like seeing a tiny ray of light way up ahead. I just hope that colic truly ENDS and that it really does get better -- because constantly trying to keep her from screaming is almost as stressful as the screaming itself. The things that made a difference for us: BioGaia probiotic drops Chiropractic adjustments (we went four times in about three weeks) Similac Sensitive for Spit Up (she has reflux and this helped settle it) Zantac (but this took about three weeks to see a true difference) And just time, time, time. Some things that she hated just a couple of weeks ago, like being put in her bouncy chair or BabyBjorn, she will tolerate for half an hour or more now. It is a long way from being perfect, but it is not quite as horrible. This board has helped me the most of all, and even though there are not as many members posting as there used to be during the older entries, I would really love to hear from others out there going through the same thing or ones who've made it through and how your babies all turned out. Sending you all good thoughts and support.
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Post by mamateach on Jun 2, 2011 18:26:41 GMT -5
It was so good to stumble across this board, my son has been fussy since he was born. Now that he is 3 weeks his colic is kicking up, breaking my heart, and stressing mom out :-(
It's nice to know I am not in this alone.
It's just hard when people say, "How is the baby?!!" and you want to be like, "Ugh, he's having a really rough time...he cries and cries." A few people I have said that to, but mainly I feel like I have to smile and say, "Great!" :-(
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Post by huttgirl on Jun 12, 2011 19:47:34 GMT -5
Hi, I have had two babies with colic. My daughter got better at 5ish months and it was quite a sudden improvement. My son is now 4 and a half months and has been like a new baby for the last fortnight!! He is happy, smiley and sleeping well at night and in the daytime. It is bizarre. He went from sleeping only half an hour at a time in the daytime and waking 6 or 7 times at night time to waking once at night and sleeping an hour and a half or more at a time in one day, I kid you not. Hang in there it will get better.
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Post by newbiemom on Jul 8, 2011 17:17:06 GMT -5
I am so glad I found this site! As I am writing, my son is in his swing quiet "at the moment." Being a first time mom, I was anticipating the moment when my precious son would arrive and we could enjoy our time together. Little did I know that our world would be turned upside down. I am like many of you trying to find "answers" in hope of finding anything that will work for my little one and in hopes that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Reading everyone's posts is the only thing that keeps me sane, knowing that I am not alone. My son is 10 weeks old and he has been colicky from what seems like the first night we brought him home. I could not explain the experience of having a newborn scream his head off for 3 hours straight on top of the exhaustion of just having gone through giving birth. My first thought was that this will pass. Well, it didn't. On top of the colic, he has reflux, which is an utter nightmare. My son will scream, literally scream like he is in pain, immediately after feeding and had projectile vomiting and cries and fusses after spitting up. We went through 5 different formulas (Enfamil Lipil, Similac Advance, Similac Sensitive, Good Start, Enfamil Gentlease) with slight improvement or worsening in his symptoms. We are now on Nutramigen Formula and Zantac, started about one week ago. While the projectile vomiting and screaming after feedings have slightly improved, I am struggling with the colic ALL day long. If he is not sleeping or feeding, he is the most miserable baby it seems. I am so jealous of all my friends with "happy babies" and hope that mine will be one soon. It seems that no matter what I do, not even holding him can make him feel better at times. He has episodes all day long of just sudden screaming, turning bright red, sweating, and just plain pissed off, as if something triggers him to just start screaming. I am constantly anticipating when the next episode will be and don't want to take him anywhere because of this fear. My frustration with not being to do anything except "wait it out" has gotten so high that I am now on the verge of tears. This is definitely not how I envisioned motherhood to be and definitely cannot imagine having another baby in fear of going through this all over again. I do occasionally see a glimpse of a smile at times that gives me hope, but it is short-lived and immediately followed by fussing. As far as remedies, one thing that may seem to help one moment may not help the next. It seems that my colicky baby is so unpredictable. He is not crying/fussing only at night but all day long. I have tried almost everything in hopes that he will get over this difficult time soon and something will help just a little. We are currently trying Nutramigen (in which we are still waiting to see the benefit), are giving Zantac twice a day (which does not seem to be working for his reflux yet but were told to wait 2 weeks to see the effect), are giving Mylicon with every bottle (in hopes that it is helping a little with his gas), and tried Avent and Dr. Brown bottles (but don't know if they are truly helping). I feel so helpless and do not wish a colicky baby on anyone. It is truly the hardest thing to go through and I hope we all get some relief soon! I guess until then, we just have to "hang in there." Easier said than done
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irica
New Member
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Post by irica on Jul 8, 2011 21:18:18 GMT -5
Reading your post just brought tears to my eyes because I could have written it too. My baby girl is now 4 months old and I guess you could classify her as "post-colic." The all-day screaming has stopped. I am able to actually put her down awake for short periods of time, and she will nap for hours in her swing. That would have never happened before. Also, we've moved from the couch back to sleeping in my bed at night, which in the grand scheme of things counts as major progress for us.
The problem is that she's still a very fussy baby who doesn't sleep well at night and needs to nurse on and off at all hours. I feel like I've fostered all these bad habits to get through the colic because I was in survival mode, and now I have to deal with how to break them. Sometimes I just get so depressed -- you go through months of colic hell, easily the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and once it's over? You still have to deal with the repercussions.
But to those in the very midst of it right now, however, I'll say this: every day that passes is a day closer to it being over. Every day you figure out a new way to cope or a slightly different tool in your arsenal. If you can find a way to get more sleep at night, somehow, your outlook will improve. Try to find little things to enjoy (for me it was the iced decaf coffee I would have while strolling my screaming baby through the park) or simple goals to attain (for me, it was taking a shower every day, even if it was just a quick rinse while she wailed in her crib). Even though she is a long way from being easy, there are so many things now at four months that are easier. It really improved once she could hold her head up and see better, be more curious about her surroundings. You will get through it. One day at a time.
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Post by newbiemom on Jul 10, 2011 14:41:40 GMT -5
irica, I am glad to hear your little one is getting better and can totally see how depressing it can be to have to deal with the repercussions and trying to break the habits. All I can say is that anyone that has or has had to experience having a baby with colic and/or reflux is truly a strong individual and an even stronger parent. Your words are very encouraging and you said it exactly, one day at a time. Keep up the good work! I am also trying to be positive during this dark time and trying to shed some light to get through it. Hang in there! You're doing all you can!.... Baby steps are better than none at all!
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irica
New Member
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Post by irica on Jul 11, 2011 21:27:52 GMT -5
Thank you! I just want to add that this site was amazing for information on things to try. I would sometimes just pick a page at random and read all the posts. There seem to have been a lot more members a few years ago and lots more activity, but reading the old threads were a real inspiration. The best part was checking up on what happened to those same people months later and finding out that their babies grew out of it. As yours will too.
By the way, someone just told me about a formula called Neocate that apparently has been a lifesaver for a lot of people. It's not only lactose-free (like Nutramigen) but totally dairy-free. It's really expensive, but in some states insurance will cover it if your pediatrician writes you a prescription. We have an appointment on Wednesday, so I'm going to ask about it and report back!
Will your baby nap if you take him for a walk? That really started getting better for us at around 10-12 weeks.
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irica
New Member
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Post by irica on Jul 11, 2011 21:32:03 GMT -5
P.S. Also, probiotic drops REALLY made a difference in her reflux/colicky symptoms. I saw an improvement in about two-three days.
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Post by Meghan on Sept 6, 2011 23:11:04 GMT -5
I am a first time mom and just discovered this sight it is nice to know I'm not the only one with a crying screaming baby all day long. For her it started around 2 weeks, we thought it was just the reflux because she was choking really bad we took her to the dr and started her on Zantac. The dr said give it a week, the crying increasingly got worse so I called the dr and asked what to do. He said changing her formula and gas drops. So we did the formula first we went from similac to similiac sensitive. She literally cried for 48 hours straight I called the dr back and asked if I could change formulas so quickly he said try soy. I decided to try enfamil first and she was better on that but still cried all day. My husband wanted me to try the soy just to say we did she actually cried while she ate it so after exhausting all formula options we are sticking with enfamil. we also tried the gas drops they seem to make her worse. Now on to my bottle story we tried six different bottles first being dr browns which she choked severely on even with premie nipples. We ended up using playtex ventair. Now at 6 weeks we have come out of denial and accepted the fact we have colicy baby. I still have a hard time with it and get depressed but this week I decided I'm going out of the house I have made plans to visit friends and it has helped. I'm extremely worried because I go back to work in 6 weeks and I have to put her in daycare and no daycare is going to old her all day long like i do, so I am praying this ends in the next 6 weeks, I never thought my maternity would be like this, I remind myself daily she's healthy and that's all that matters.
On an earlier post someone said they feel bad saying they have a crying baby all day when people ask how's the baby? Im here to tell you dont. I used to lie also until one day in walmart the cashier said oh what a pretty baby how is she and I replied BAD! I have to tell you all it felt so good like I let out a demon I was keeping inside.
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