We have a 6 week old and she is driving us nuts with her constant crying, the Doc says it's colic and?

Question

it's going to have to run it's course, time will fix it, but meanwhile we are going out of our minds with this screaming and we both are stressed and we have no family close by so we are on our own, any ideas to help with a colic baby?

This is my 4th kid, but 1st colic baby,.

Gripe water is illigal here in the usa because of the alcohol content.

Answer 1

::::HUGS:::: I have a 5wk old with a touch of colic and thrush on top of it so I feel your pain!!!

Have you tried Mylicon drops?? If not try giving them to your baby every hour and then burping. Or you can try this stuff called Gripe Water (you may have to Google where you can get it, becuase I've never been able to find it). My dr suggested trying it, its got herbs in it for colicy babies.

Answer 2

breastfeeding or formula? breastmilk is said to help but if thats not an option, try a different formula, my daughter was colic and around the 6 week mark I changed her formula to Nestle Good Start and it seemed to help. I also bought new bottles, Dr. Brown or something like that, theyre kind of expensive and a pain to clean but could be worth it. Also try burping after every ounce of milk. The more often the burps the better. Sometimes when the baby is crying, (I know this sounds rediculous but it works) take off the diaper and kind of open the bum hole a little bit, it will help the baby push his gas out. Also massages are said to help so after bath time with the lotion. Also sometimes lay the baby across your lap on their tummy and rub their back and bounce your knees a little bit. Also rides on the washing machine (strapped and secure in the car seat, make sure the baby is stable) walks in the stroller, drives in the car. There are lots of things to try, dont give up. If all else fails, take a 5 minute break from the crying if you need to. This too will pass and by the 6th-8th week you will have a completely different baby. All smiles. You'll see.

Answer 3

The very first and most important thing for you to do is try to soothe *yourselves*. Colic happens, it isn't your fault, and it's okay to sometimes just to let the baby cry. New parents (even if you're new to this particular child, and have had kids before) :-) often have that anti-cry reaction -- they feel the need to hush the baby immediately. But sometimes - especially with colic - the baby isn't crying because of anything you can do to help it. It just needs to cry! So put it down for a bit, alternate taking naps, have some tea, and so forth. You need to take care of *yourselves*. If you always put your baby first, you'll go nuts. I can't even imagine your current stress levels. So please, please, remember that you deserve some peaceful time.

So, once you've gotten into a somewhat better state, here are some things you can try, culled from the websites below:

+ try a pacifier, a rocking swing, or a rocking chair
+ place your baby tummy-down on your knee (or onto a hot water bottle) and pat and stroke her back
+ try taking her for a car ride (this can really work), or settling her on a moving washing machine - the rhythm can be soothing
+ try some fresh air outdoors
+ run a hot shower in the bathroom, and hold your baby in the steamy room - the warm wet air and water sounds can be soothing
+ do plenty of burping during feedings
+ play music tapes
+ walk around with your baby in a pack or sling
+ try an infant massage, focusing on tummy, thighs and back
+ walk around holding her facing outward, with your arm under her ribcage (decreases pressure)
+ try vaccuum or dishwasher noises, they can soothe - white noise tapes can help too
+ try giving her a dummy nipple
+ this method: http://www.babycolic.com/distress.html

Also, diet plays a big role - read more about altering the diet here: http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/babyills/colic/3160.html

Best of luck, keep us updated, and happy soothing!

Answer 4

Although there is no completely established cause of colic, there have been several different theories ranging from gas, to formula intolerance, etc. One of the theories has been mental over-stimulation (on the plus side, this also usually means a very intelligent baby, but I know you're not really caring to think about that at this very moment). Studies on this have suggested taking the baby to a quiet dark room, no noise, no lights & just walk slowly with her, no bouncing & no music unless very very soft music. Try this for about 10 minutes at a time. If she still cries, lay her down in her crib & leave the room, still no lights or noise unless very soft music - put in some ear plugs if you must, in order to give your mind a rest & help you not be so tense - don't feel bad to let her cry sometimes - as long as she is fed & her diaper is changed & your doctor has seen no reason why she might be in pain & she is in a safe & secure place, let her cry, and you & mom take some moments of rest.

Answer 5

Have you tried hold the baby over your arm like a football? Or laying her over you rlap and gently rub her back from her bottom to her head, like you are pushing the bubble out of her mouth? Also a girlfriend uses Gripeseed water. It is on the pricey side but anything for sanity.you should be able to get it at a health food store of a natural vitamin shop. If no luck then look on line. I have tried Gentle Naturals Tummy Soothers. It works well for easing tummy irritation. Sometimes if you move their legs like a bicicle it helps with the pressure too. I hope you get throught this rough time it will soon pass. Around 4 months I think. You can do this. I know you can. Just be as patient as you can and rest when she does so that you don't get grumpy or even sick. God Bless.

Answer 6

I can relate.....My son is 8 months old...we went through the same thing with him....and we didn't have family close by either...

First of all....keep your patience with eachother.....I know sometimes my husband and I were so stressed that as hard as we tried, we ended up taking it out on eachother....Try your best to give eachother little breaks for some plain old "alone time"....

For the baby...There are a TON of things that people suggest....Does the baby take a pacifier? Try getting her to take a pacifier and wrap her up really tight like a burrito in a little blanket...I had to stand with my son...the screaming would not stop unless I stood and rocked back and forth....

I also used the anti gas drops because sometimes I guess we didn't realize this but even tho' he burped....he needed to burp more....once we started using those, the crying seemed to settle a bit...

Good Luck....I know it can be hard.... I hope something I said can be of some help....

Answer 7

Ideas you might try:
potato water, meaning boil some potatoes until they are done. Let the water left in the pan cool, but not completely. Put it in a bottle and feed it to your baby. It sounds old world but it has been very effective for our family. It was suggested to us by an old doctor who has since passed. He claimed that the natural starch in the potato water is very soothing and has several uses that people no longer use.
My sister is dealing with this right now. She has found luck in taking the baby for short rides in the car and also in setting the car carrier on top of the dryer and letting it run.
These are ideas that have worked in my family. We tried them when we were at our wits ends and the OTC remedies didn't seem to help enough.
My son would go through bouts of that and the only thing that would calm him was to stand outside with him. Luckily the weather was usually cooperative.
Hope it works out for you guys. Good Luck.

Answer 8

You will have to try a bunch of different things to see what helps with your own baby. Rocking, swaddling, turing on the washer and sitting the car seat on top for the motion and sound, vacuum cleaner. If you can't find something right away just keep trying and please if you are getting so stressed out you think you might do something to that precious little being - walk away for 15 minutes - into another room whatever. The baby will be fine crying and you need to get yourself back together. Take turns too. It gives you both breaks during the day that you will need.

Answer 9

My son was "colic" but no anti-gas stuff worked and I tried EVERYTHING POSSIBLE!! The only thing that did work was swaddling and letting him sleep with us(which he doesn't anymore, it was just useful for the first 3-4 months b/c he liked the closeness). I highly recommend "The Happiest Baby on the Block." It gives good techniques to calm them down(swaddling properly is one). Other than that, you just gotta keep your head down and plow through-you've got other kids so you know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Good luck!

Answer 10

1) There is no alcohol in gripe water.

2) Colic means "we don't know what is wrong so we are going to tell you it is colic". If it were gas pains they would call it gas pains and you would be able to treat it. But if it were gas pains it wouldn't happen only at a certain time of day. If it were reflux they would call it that. Gas can make colic worse, but that isn't what colic is.

Here is some info on how to cope:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t051300.asp