Colic??? - Pasadena,MD

"Colic" is just a label for a fussy baby whose doctor has not figured out what is wrong yet. There is a reason for colic. It is just a matter of figuring out what is wrong. My daughter screamed for the first four months of her life until she was finally diagnosed with reflux and a milk allergy (the two main causes of colic). Give the Zantac some time to see if it helps. Also be on the lookout for blood in the stool (a sign of milk allergy). I went dairy free to eliminate all "milk" from my breastmilk. That, in combination with the Zantac, worked wonders for us. Your sister knows her baby best--if she feels she is in pain, be persistent with the doctors and get her some help. Good luck!

Hi M.!

My first daughter had that and it turned out to be gas. We always had mylicon on hand and when the gas got so bad that her legs were extending and her back arching we would give her some and we would lay her down and "pump" her legs to get the gas bubbles up. It turns out that the formula didn't agree with her. We switched from Similac to Similac Isomil Soy, to Good Start, to Enfimil and finally to Enfimil Lacto Free (all at the doctors suggestions so she does want to speak to the pediatrician). She was on the Lacto Free ready made formula until she was ready for milk.

I can tell you that when my daughter was on the other brands before Lacto Free I would have to put Kyro (sp?) Syrup in her formula almost every bottle to help her get the gas out and once on Lacto Free that wasn't needed. She had daily bowel movements and just the regular gas!

I do know that not many of my friends or friend's friends can be on the regular stuff these days (i.e. the regular Similac or Enfamil). Definitely ask your sister to talk to the pediatrician and see if she should make the switch also. I can tell you that the mylicon and Dr. Brown bottles were our life saver before the Lacto Free worked.

Good luck to your sister!
S.

A friend of mine had the same problem with her baby and she kept pressing the Dr, went to a specialist and found out the baby was severely allergic to the formula and had basically created ulcers in her poor little stomach. I would say if she can, try exclusively breastfeeding and see if it helps (I know you said she had some problems with that though-but she can look into getting milk from a milk bank from other moms). As far as the wanting to be held all the time, my son went through that and it ended around 3-4 months. I would suggest getting her to wear the baby in a sling or a wrap. It will allow the baby to be held comfortably and your sister to do other things that she wants to get done or for herself! A great sling is at www.kangarookorner.com or you can try the moby wrap.

M.,

It sounds like your sister is a wonderful mother. Tell her to keep up the good work, and the breast feeding will get easier for both of them.

Some things to consider/try with regards to what looks like an obvious reaction to the formula and/or mommy's diet (colic is almost always linked to allergy or stomach issues caused by allergies).

Gripe water for the tummy aches. Works wonders!!

Probiotics for the tummy will help eliminate the need for zantac (which is dangerous for babies and can lead to issues later in life). Look for something that contains at least Bifidobacterium infantis. I can get you a list of products if you'd like.

Also, I would most certainly suggest that she change formulas. Soy isn't always a better option, but she can try looking at the two formulas offered here <http://www.naturesone.com/products.php&gt;. The formulas are listed as Toddler, but are complete for infant nutrition (I have spoke directly with the company on this topic). These are the two BEST options available commercially.

It would be best to keep the baby on breast milk, of course and there's a great resource available she can look into for that. It's called MilkShare and it's a way for mothers who want to provide the best for their babies but can't for WHATEVER reason to do just that. Here's the website <http://milkshare.birthingforlife.com/&gt;

Finally, if your sister consumes a large amount of dairy in her diet, have her cut it out completely. See a post of mine for a wonderful list of better non dairy options for calcium <http://www.mamasource.com/request/recent/17356/1171977501...;

Blessings for your sister and her new little one. And for you to care enough to ask.

Rolinda
Wife, Mother, Friend

Hi M. - my son is now 17 months, but I went through a similar situation. He was suffering from gas from the formula so I cut it out completely & just breastfed him & he was like a new baby. Now at that age babies do go through a stage where they cry...sometimes A LOT, but it only lasts a few weeks (I know it's very difficult to go through, but it does end!) Tell your sister to watch what she's eating too...anything that makes her gassy is going to have the same effect on the baby. She shouldn't cut food out of her diet, just eat very healthy & drink LOTS of water while breastfeeding. If she drinks LOTS of water she might not need to be on medication for her milk supply (the meds she's on might also be causing the baby some discomfort...just a guess). Also, I've worked in Clinical Trials for a large pharmaceutical co. & I do believe in modern medicine for some things, but to put a 6 week baby on Zantac really concerns me. SOOOO many products that the FDA approves are taken off the market due to complications that people begin having after the drug is out for a while....it's just scary. I'd try to go the natural route before putting a baby on meds unless the baby ABSOLUTELY needs them.

Just tell her to be patient & give him lots of TLC...they're only little for a very short time. I know it's so difficult to see your child crying especially when it seems like he's in pain. One other thing that worked when my son was gassy was to lay him on the bed on his back & very, very gently bend his legs & gently press them to his chest & then side to side(ask your DR. to show you how to do this properly!!) You could actually hear the gas releasing from him & he would always feel better (I don't think they really can "push" at that age so they're relying on you for a little help) Please tell your sister I wish her lots of blessings with her beautiful new baby! Kind regards, G.

definitely contact your local la leche people for advice. it's possible that the formula is causing digestion issues---even the best formulas often do. breastmilk doesn't. my own daughter had reflux as an infant, but never needed medication; they usually just outgrow it. nursing in a slightly more upright position can help. if she is taking her formula from a bottle, that alone can defeat her learning to suck effectively at the breast. it's a different type of sucking pattern. if it is truly necessary to supplement with formula, there are special supplement feeding tools that can be used. they could even be filled with pumped milk rather than formula and the baby would then be spared the challenges of digesting the artificial milk. it is relatively rare that low milk supply is organically caused; most often it is due to not nursing often or for long enough at a time. i strongly recommend speaking to la leche as they deal with all sorts of nursing issues and are less likely to tell her to put herself and/or the baby on medication, and truly understand the dynamics of breastfeeding, which sadly many doctors and pediatricians do not.

Your nice will be OK soon. Get babies magic tea for both baby and her mom. Your sister will drink this tea to pass it to her baby through her milk and also give it to your niece. It's safe and healthy tea fit for newborns.

it is good to read the update. she is very dedicated and sounds like she is doing all the right things. my sons were very big eaters and as their needs became more demanding and my milk supply developed it created a "less full", less comfortable baby. It all takes time and at about 6 weeks is when we really got our groove for our nursing routine.
She may want to approach a local LLL group. There is also an upcoming Regional Conference April 19th that would be a huge source of information for her and baby.

best wishes.