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Subject: misc.kids FAQ on Colic
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Date: 27 Nov 1996 22:55:26 GMT
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Summary: Remedies tried by misc.kids readers, for infant colic.
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Archive-name: misc-kids/colic
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Last-Modified: November 26, 1996
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                    Misc.kids Frequently Asked Questions
                         Colic

=====================================================================
Collection maintained by: Elaine Kiernan Olson ([e-mail])
Last updated: November 26, 1996
=====================================================================
Copyright 1996, Elaine Kiernan Olson.  Use and copying of this information are
permitted as long as (1) no fees or compensation are charged for use,
copies or access to this information, and (2) this copyright notice is
included intact.
=====================================================================
 *** Additions to this FAQ will be gratefully accepted!! ***

To contribute to this collection, please send e-mail to the address given
above, and ask me to add your comments to the FAQ file on Colic.  Please try
to be as concise as possible, as these FAQ files tend to be quite long as
it is. And, unless otherwise requested, your name and e-mail address will
remain in the file, so that interested readers may follow-up directly for
more information or discussion.
For a list of other FAQ topics, tune in to misc.kids and misc.kids.info.
=====================================================================

From: Elaine Kiernan Olson <[e-mail]>

What is Colic?
    Colic appears during the first weeks of life. Its primary symptom is
excessive crying. The baby seems to be inconsolable, and can cry for hours at
a stretch. He or she can appear to have intestinal discomfort, and can pass
a lot of gas. In spite of all this, the baby is healthy, and usually gains
weight well. According to the various estimates I have read, colic affects
from 10 to 20 percent of babies.
    Colic typically peaks in intensity at about 6 weeks and goes away by
3 months or so, although it can last longer.
    Some babies will cry at a certain time of day, especially evening.
My son seemed to cry more in the morning.
    Colic doesn't appear to hurt the baby in any way. However, it can
take an enormous toll on the parents emotionally and physically. To listen to
the cry of a newborn can be very stress-inducing. Especially when you are
exhausted, recovering from pregnancy and labor, worried if you're going to
"bond" with the baby, unsure of yourself in the role of parent, perhaps even
suffering from post-partum depression. You can run the gamut of emotions,
from despair to rage.
    There are many theories about what causes colic, none of them totally
proven. A couple of things are certain, though. The baby WILL outgrow colic,
and turn into a normal happy human being. Also, it is definitely not the
parents' fault!

*** WARNINGS, DISCLAIMERS CONCERNING THIS FAQ FILE: ***
    This FAQ consists of the personal experiences of misc.kids readers.
It is no substitute for qualified medical advice. The safety and effectiveness
of all the remedies suggested in this FAQ have not been verified by me
personally.
    If your baby seems to be crying excessively or is in discomfort,
please consult a physician! There are other conditions besides colic which can
cause these symptoms. The diagnosis of "colic" should be made by a doctor.
    Don't give the baby ANY medications or ANYTHING else (besides breast
milk or formula of course :-) ) without talking to your doctor.
********************************************************

That said, here are some of the remedies we tried with our son Patrick...

1. Mylicon drops - These are over the counter drops, containing simethicone.
   These did seem to relieve his gas pains.
2. Giving up milk products - I was breastfeeding, and the doctor recommended
   trying this. It made a world of difference! It's hard to do though, it's
   amazing how many foods contain milk or cheese. I took calcium supplements
   just to be careful.
3. Swaddling and using a "Snugli" - Patrick hated this!! He did not like being
   restrained in any way (he's still like that).
4. Walking around - My husband spent a lot of time walking up and down the
   hallway with him, this stopped him from crying, but was exhausting.
5. Going outside in the stroller - this worked. In our case, it seemed like
   the more stimulation he got, the happier he was. I've heard that it's the
   complete opposite for other babies, though. That's why I suspect that
   there are several "types" of colic.
6. The "Sleep-Tight" - I bought one of these things. This is a device that you
   connect to the crib, which makes it rattle like a moving car. You also get
   a tape of "white noise". It stopped him from crying when it was on, but he
   never fell asleep. So I'd have it on for maybe 10 minutes, and as soon as I
   turned it off he'd start crying again. Their number at the time was
   1-800-NO-COLIC, they do have a money back guarantee.
7. Running the vacuum cleaner - This made me fall asleep, so I don't know if
   it worked on Patrick too. :-)
8. Mechanical swing - I put him in somebody else's swing when the colic was
   nearly over. He loved it. If I had to go through it all again, I'd buy a
   swing right away.
9. Working his legs up and down to get the gas out - this helped a little.
10. Letting someone else watch him!!! I left him with my husband a couple of
   times, got in my car and wandered aimlessly around the mall. It was
   wonderful! When I came home, I felt recharged and ready to handle things
   again. I found it necessary to get completely out of earshot of him in
   order to relax.
11. I fed him a lot. He went from the 50th percentile to the 90th percentile
    in weight, in 2 months. Sometimes feeding him was the only thing that
    would comfort him.
12. I would sometimes put him on his stomach on my knees and pat his back.
    This would help sometimes.
13. When all else failed, I'd go in the other room and punch the walls.
    Fortunately I didn't damage anything. :-)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Nancy Jamison <[e-mail]>

A friend just had a baby, and he was driving her crazy, screaming ALL THE TIME.
Another friend in the group mentioned it might be a milk intolerance or
chocolate, which causes gas and contains milk.....  My friend stopped drinking
milk and eating chocolate, started taking the calcium supplements and the baby
was absolutely delightful.

I realize this won't work in all cases, but it's definately good for a try?

nancy j.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Lynda Seehusen <[e-mail]>

Hi Elaine:  Ooo, the memories make me shudder.  I'll add what I can from my
experience with my daughter Emma's 6 month long colic experience:

1)  Once you have a diagnosis of colic it is very important to change your
mind-set.  *Accepting* that you have a baby with colic (the thing that I
was most afraid of happening to me!) will go a long way in your dealings
with your baby.  Say to yourself (over and over if necessary)  "my baby
is crying and there is nothing I can do to make this period go any faster.
This is NOT hurting my baby, I am the one who is having the problem with it."

2)  Accept the fact that all that crying really ISN'T hurting your baby.  I
was excessively worried that somehow Emma's crying would have a negative
impact on her bonding with me and my husband.  Talking with other moms who
survived colic (one poor woman had TWO children with it!) and seeing how
mentally and physically well the kids were today really helped.  My
daughter is now 2 years old and very happy and well-adjusted.

3)  If you feel like you are going to "lose it" if your baby cries for one
more second, put your baby in his/her crib, shut the door and do one or
more of the following:  Call a friend and cry to him/her on the phone.  Call
your mom :), take a shower and sing REALLY loud, go outside and breathe
deeply, find a good quality set of ear plugs.  Wear them.  Run around the
house.  Scream into a pillow and hit the bed (this was really great for me!).
When you feel like you can handle it again go get your baby.  Do NOT feel
guilty, there is nothing you can do anyway to make him/her stop crying.

4)  Remember that some of the things normally suggested to calm colicky
infants might not work for your particular baby.  Emma, for example, HATED
being wrapped tightly in a blanket (one of the usual suggestions) and it
made her even more angry.  She was greatly comforted by the swing (invest
in a battery-powered or silent wind one) and being taken for rides in the
car and in her stroller.  She hated being held still but if we walked around
bouncing her gently up and down she liked that.  She also hated her Snugli
carrier.

5)  Mylicon Drops!  One of the side effects of all that screaming is that
infants swallow a lot of air and get gas and that makes the problem all the
worse.  Mylicon drops (or other drops labeled "Infant Anti-Gas" drops which
contain Symethicone are life-savers for this problem.  My husband and I
have used them on ourselves on occasion and they work _really_ fast :)

6) Utilize friends and relatives to take shifts with the baby while you
get out of the house.  I had one wonderful friend who didn't mind listening
to Emma scream and would come over and watch her while Shawn and I went
out to eat and did other normal-people activities.  Don't try to be a hero
and feel you are the only one who can watch your baby!  Trust me, s/he will
cry with or without you :)

These are the top 6 suggestions I can think of that helped us survive
Emma.  Make sure your child gets a throrough eval. from your pediatrician
to rule out any allergies to formula or things in your diet if you're
breast-feeding.  I know of three cases where "colic" was caused by allergies.

Maybe I should add a point #7 to the info. I sent.  That is this:  The child
is worth every minute of screaming you have to listen to :)  One day you
will come home from work and your two year old will see you and her face
will light up and she'll yell "Hug!  Kiss!" and the memories of colic will
fade further and further away...

8.  Over-stimulation was a big problem in Emma's case as she was a 7 weeks
    early preemie and didn't process information well with her immature
    nervous system.  Putting her in her swing at night (she was worse in the
    evenings) in the darkened kitchen and turning off all other forms of
    noise, etc. really seemed to help soothe her.  A baby who likes to be
    rocked (Emma hated it) might also benefit from being held on a shoulder
    in a darkened room with a light blanket over his/her head and rocked.

9.  Excersizes were recommended to me by a friend who had survived a colicky
    baby.  Start by laying your baby on a flat surface.  Take one of her
    feet in each of your hands and slooowly stretch one leg out and push
    it back up until her foot touches her butt again.  Take the other leg
    and do the same.  Repeat about 10 times.  Then take both feet in one
    hand and make big circles with them (again, slowly and gently).  Next
    take one of the baby's hands in each of yours and, one at a time, bring
    each hand over to the opposite side.  Repeat about 10 times.  Finish by
    taking hold of each foot again and together stretching them out and
    bringing them up to the baby's butt.

    This helped loosen up Emma's gas and she also seemed to like the
    movement.

Lynda

_______________________________________________________________________________

From: Janet Kieser <[e-mail]>

I am not by any means an expert on colic (although I am on my third child
right now) but I find that mylacon (sp?) infant drops by mylanta is great
as is any grey noise (e.g. a vacuum cleaner running, an am radio between
stations really quiet, a car ride, and my VERY noisy computer fan) is a
great help, it distracts the baby from the discomfort and helps him to
sleep.

Good luck on getting other info, I'd be interested to find any
solutions... we had the carpet in our living room worn out from my
daughter's colic, thank goodness she's past that!

Janet

_______________________________________________________________________________

From: Betsy Perry <[e-mail]>

I had a colicky baby myself.  The most important thing I can say to other
victims is:

It's NOT your fault!

Second most important is:

It's natural to be angry, including angry at the baby.

The third, which is impossible to believe, but is nonetheless true, is

It gets better.

I wouldn't have believed, when my colicky baby was four months, if I'd
been told how much I could love him at eighteen months.  (I'd have been
grateful, but pessimistic.)

Betsy Perry

_______________________________________________________________________________

From: Vasuki Narayan <[e-mail]>

There is a product called "Gripe Water" that seems to be available
everywhere but in the US --- it worked with my son.  My mother was not
too happy about my using it, as she thought that it was just a placebo,
but she came around when he stopped crying so much.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Vasuki Narayan

_______________________________________________________________________________

From: Kerry Dalley <[e-mail]>

Do you want references, or just experience?  I think the Fussy Baby by
William Sears is excellent.  I think colic is helped a lot by avoiding
dairy products.  Evening colic is a different thing though.  The best
thing for evening colic I found was 'the baby dance'.  I could not
comfort my children, their father could.  Leaving one breast really empty
and using it as a pacifier helped.  They wanted to suck, not feed.

Kerry
_______________________________________________________________________________

From: Edward Segall <[e-mail]>

-Tight swaddling (arms and legs).  It is essential that he can't get
loose. Our child is pretty happy until he works his arms out, then he's
miserable.  Unless he's really hungry - then he cries anyway, as you
would expect. FYI, he gets his arms out by kicking until the blanket is
loose.

-Calcium supplements:  I haven't seen this one go by, but our doctor
suggested Mom take supplements (500 Mg, 3X/day). He says it helps
sometimes. The specific brand recommended was OSCO, though I have no idea
if their formulation is supposed to be significant.

Note 1: He made this recommendation knowing that my wife gets plenty of
calcium from dairy products.

Note 2: Using these techniques, we have not yet found it necessary for my
wife to reduce her diary intake.

-Very throrough burping after every feeding, and in the middle too if he
seems to be swallowing air.

-Simethecone drops in the middle of (or after) every feeding.  We don't
bother using these until afternoon, since Martin is pretty happy until
late evening.

-Some reduction in Mom's consumption of gas-inducing vegetables at
dinnertime (she eats these at lunch instead, as many of these are very
important for nutrition (e.g. cruciferous veggies).

-Pacifier when all else fails and we can't stay awake any more up to walk
with him (we have to rest, too).

We don't know which of these is the most important, but since we started
doing all of them, he's much happier (and so are we).

--Ed Segall

_______________________________________________________________________________

From: K. A. Weiss <[e-mail]>

Our daughter had colic, and would cry non-stop (or nearly so) every
evening from about 5 to around 9.  My husband worked most evenings, so I
usually had to deal with it on my own.  Her colic was caused primarily by
overstimulation, we think.  There didn't seem to be any digestion-related
problems, but she did tend to scream whenever she was faced with any type
of new situation, at any time of the day.

The best advice that I can offer to parents with a colicky baby is to
keep in mind that crying alone does not hurt the child in any way.  (It
might cause gas temporarily, but that passes quickly.)  After you've
checked for all the possible reasons for the screaming (hunger, a wet
diaper, uncomfortable clothing, gas...), there's little more you can do
but let the baby cry.

If holding the baby seems to help the screaming,  then do it. But if it
doesn't help (or if, as in our case, it makes it  worse), don't feel
obliged to hold the baby.  Put him/her in a safe place and do your best
to ignore the screams.  Do check on things every once in a while, if
you're not in the same room.

Some remedies that worked for us on occasion were taking a walk (even in
very cold or wet weather), a long drive in the car and getting her
completely undressed (indoors, of course). Some things we tried with NO
success were "womb" tapes  (recordings of womb sounds, with or without
music), rocking  her in the rocking chair (which she liked at other times of
the day), and Mylicon drops (for gas).  The one thing that worked the
best for us was her infant swing.  When the screaming started, and after
I'd changed/checked her diaper and tried to feed her, I would just put
her in the swing and wind it up, then go fix dinner.  Usually by around
8, she would start calming down, then I would feed her and hold her for a
while before putting her to bed for the night. By the time she was 3
months old, the colic had started tapering off, and we started recording
days without screams on her calendar.

Kimberly Weiss
[e-mail]

_______________________________________________________________________________

From: Paula E. Burch <[e-mail]>

There is a claim that 50% of colic cases are due to cow's milk protein,
either in formula or from the mother's diet; I believe the actual number
is closer to 25%. At any rate, any mother with a colicky baby would be well
advised to give up dairy products for a week or two as a test. (Just
a day or two won't do it--it takes some time for the body to be rid
of the milk proteins). Note that soy formula bothers a large fraction
of cow's milk formula-intolerant babies, so soy formula is not necessarily
an answer. For formula-fed babies, expensive hypoallergenic formula
would be a better test.

I wished that cow's milk was at fault in our case! Eliminating milk,
cheese,
etc. from my diet helped not at all. In fact, the only thing that helped
was
to just let the poor little guy cry. He was not happier when we put him
down (this is something that helps some babies), so we held him as much
as possible while he cried. We couldn't make him feel good, but at least
we could let him know that we cared. The only way to stay sane while
holding a crying baby for hours is to get earplugs, the good foam kind.
You can still hear everything, but reducing the sound by 29 decibels
makes it possible to endure it.

It was possible, by trying some of the zillion and one hints you read for
colicky babies, to get him to cry less during his fussy period, but
then he would sleep poorly that night. It became clear that, for this
particular baby, crying for three hours everu evening was simply
necessary and fulfilled some real function.

The most important thing to know when you have a colicky baby is that
parenting will get a lot better very soon, usually by three months.
Repeat again and again:  It will get better, it will get better, it will
end up being worth all this suffering.
My colicky baby turned into a very easy-going toddler. Colicky babies
do not stay high-need, necessarily. I think there's no connection
between ordinary colic and being a high-need child later.

Paula Burch
[e-mail]

_______________________________________________________________________________

From: Teri Rhan <[e-mail]>

The one thing that has worked 90% of the time for me and my circle of
friends, (in-laws, extended family, girlfriends etc.), for relieving a
colicy baby is getting breatfeeding mom OFF of dairy products.  I never
would have believed what a difference it made if my knowlegdeable
friends hadn't convinced me to try it. And so far everyone I've
recommended this to have also seen a vast differnece in their baby's
disposing. There are plenty of other sources of calcium and the other
stuff found in dairy that just sometimes take a little more imagination
to fix.
Removing dairy from your diet should see results in your baby in about 2-3
days.

$.02
Teri

------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Mike Deliman <[e-mail]>

I'm not a parent, but i am a godparent of two beautiful children, a boy
(21mo) and girl (6mo). Both have had colic.

With the boy, we traced the colic back to two things (it would seem): his
mom was on antibiotics after the birth, and their presance in her milk
upset his stomach. He did well on formula for about a week, then the
colic started in again. Some things which helped were pepermint water,
gas drops (mylecon?), and holding him in "burping" position, rocking back
and forth and up and down (yes, all at once, GENTLY!). (this had to be
done in such a way that he could watch T.V. !)

We finaly had to try neutramagen (sp?) soy formula. This did the trick.

He's okay on yogurts, chease, etc, and can now drink milk. Early on
(5 - 6 months) he was able to have yogurt&fruit juice, but milk would
still bring on colic. At about a year he was able to take goat's milk,
but not cow's. Colic (milk sensativity) in some cases can be outgrown.

His little sister also has colic problems, also only on milk-based
products. The same remedies help with her.

    -mike

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Heather Madrone <[e-mail]>

The most common colic foods are tomatoes, nuts, cabbage family (including
broccoli), coffee, chocolate, onions, cow's milk, citrus, seafood, eggs,
prunes, excessive fruit or fruit juice, beans and highly spiced foods.

It is common for babies to be sensitive to some of these foods, but usually
not all of them.  My older daughter had especial problems with tomatoes,
citrus, peanuts, caffeine and chocolate.  Both of my girls had problem
with beans and cabbage family vegetables.  My younger daughter couldn't
handle lettuce.

> For the past week I have basically stopped eating garlic,onion,spices,
> anything with caffeine.  This means I have a really bland diet.  Does
> anyone have experience with this?  Any ideas on what to eat and how to
> help him with his pain?

Has it been helpful?  In my daughters' cases, their food sensitivities
were obvious.  I'd eat substance X and, 2 - 12 hours later, they'd be fussy
or uncomfortable.  A month later, I'd eat substance X again, same thing.

Usually, babies grow out of colic by 3 - 5 months of age.

There are a kajillion recipes for soothing a colicky baby.  Things that
worked (sometimes) for mine:

1)  Hold them up over the shoulder so my shoulder is pressing on their
abdomen while I walk.  Dance around gently, rubbing their backs and singing
to them.

2)  Nursing.

3)  Giving them something to brace their feet against if they're having a
problem passing stools.

4)  A walk outside (almost a sure winner)

5)  Daddy dancing (this defies description, but I think most dads develop
an effective colic dance at some point).

6)  Holding the baby face down over my forearm and flying them around the
house.  Or turning the baby face down over my lap and rocking in a rocking
chair.

7)  Aforementioned rocking chair, baby over the shoulder or facedown or
sitting up.

8)  Bath with a parent.

> 2)  Because of problem number one we have been picking him up and holding
> him for large periods of time, now that I have stopped eating the above
> foods he doesn't seem to be suffering from colic.  When we put him down
> to sleep he basicaly won't sleep, all he does is cry, the moment we pick
> him up he stops!  This means that I can't do anything around the house
> because he is in my arms!  I fear that I'm spoiling him but don't know
> what to do about it.  HELP!!!

You're not spoiling him.  He's uncomfortable and you're letting him know
that you're right there and you care.  His little body is so new at all of
this and basic systems like digestion still aren't completely working.
It's difficult to have a high need baby, to feel guilty when you have to
put the baby down to go to the bathroom.  I think you're doing the right
thing.

I think it's important to get as much help from dad as possible in these
situations.

Hang in there.  It _will_ get better soon.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Tracy Hill <[e-mail]>

When my son was born he had colic until he was 14 weeks old.
He was bottle fed, we went from formula to formula.

We tried mylicon drops, it helped a tiny bit.

We took him for a ride in the car, he was fine until we stopped.

He literally lived in his swing the whole time, that is where he was the
happiest.

All in all, very few things helped, he grew out of it, FINALLY!
This experience almost kept me from having another child.  I did last
year and she was not colicky at all!!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jon Bradley <[e-mail]>

Just one more suggestion for the Colic FAQ, for those who bottle feed.

We tried switching from the standard cows milk formula feeds to Soya milk
formula.

Hey Presto!  No colic since... :)))

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Jennifer Fai <[e-mail]>

For those of you who have a chiropractor that you feel good about, I
suggest that you discuss giving your baby an adjustment to reduce colic.
It worked like a charm for me.  From birth, our baby cried and cried and
cried and was only sleeping about 12 hours per day, at about 6 weeks I
went in to have my back adjusted and my chiropractor suggested that the
baby get adjusted as well.  He basically put him on his knee and pressed
gently on the baby's spine (not at all like an adult's adjustment, more
like massage).  After the adjustment he slept 18 to 20 hours a day and he
stopped crying.  It seemed like a miracle.  Another friend of mine had her
baby adjusted for colic, and she too said that it worked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------


From: James and Marilyn Rogers <[e-mail]>

Dear Elaine, my wife and I are currently suffering through the experience of
raising a colicky baby. We decided to search the Internet to see if anyone had
posted any information related to colicky babies. We also hoped to find
similar experiences in order to reassure us that others have gone through the
same ordeal!

Our child "Alex," is 8 weeks old today. He is a formula fed baby. His colicky
condition began at 3 weeks of age. He didn't exhibit any of the signs of milk
intolerance. Here are the symptoms that we experienced from Alex:
    1) His hysterical crying would go continously for hours during the day
           and evening and especially after feedings.
    2) Alex would arch his back during feedings and cry and scream in a
           "HIGH PITCHED" voice during burping and after feedings.
    3) He absolutely couldn't stand lying on his back.
    4) He would experience frequent bouts of abdominal pain.
    5) His high pitched screaming would sometimes diminish when held
           upright.
    6) He would draw his legs and knees up to his chest.

The only way we could get him to sleep at night would be to place him in a car
seat, propped up on a pillow, or placed in a battery operated swing.

We initially turned to our pediatrician who informed us that sometimes babies
are fussy. The pediatrician adopted a very patronizing attitude and informed
us that as long as he was gaining weight and not violently spitting up, that
there is nothing that could be done, except possibly changing to a soy based
formula such as Isomil and Prosobee, or a predigested formula such as
Nutramagin. After two weeks of this (my wife and I absolutely on the edge of
hysteria) he finally consented to changing Alex's formula to a soy based
formula. Changing to the soy based formula seemed to work for about two days.
The pediatrician explained to us that first time parents are overly sensitive.

I had heard from work that babies that are breast fed aren't as colicky as
babies that are formula fed. My wife, willing to try anything at this point,
called a lactation specialist to inquire about getting her breast milk going
again.

EUREKA!!!!! The lactation specialist asked my wife why she wanted to get her
breast milk going again, and my wife explained what we were going through.
After describing some of the symptoms, the lactation specialist diagnosed Alex
with Gastroesophageal Reflux (GER)! (by the way my wife had diagnosed this
condition when Alex was 4 weeks old by reading about the condition and
symptoms in "The Baby Book" by William Sears, M.D. & Martha Sears, R.N. pages
358-359. The old pediatrician had dismissed it however because Alex wasn't
violently spitting up.)

GER is often diagnosed as the hidden colic! "Normally when your child eats,
the food goes down his/her esophagus or food pipe and into the stomach. At the
end of the food pipe there is a valve called the lower esophageal sphincter
that works to keep acid and food in the stomach. With GER the food and acid in
the stomach come backup into the food pipe and cause a feeling of heartburn,
indigestion and pain. Stomach acid can also cause ulcers to form in the lining
of the esophagus or food pipe.

GER can be a serious problem if undiagnosed, because your child is at risk for
aspiration, or sucking stomach contents into his/her lungs, which may cause
frequent pneumonias or periods of breath holding (apnea)." Note: see Cardinal
Glennon Childrens Hospital (Gastroesophageal Reflux) pamphlet. 1465 S. Grand
St. Louis, MO. 63104 [phone] !

We changed pediatricians and it was properly diagnosed and the condition was
in fact verified. GER is often undiagnosed and grouped under the title of
colic. In 50% of the cases the children will simply outgrow the condition
within 6 months. However in some cases there is a minor surgery that is
performed.

There are steps to help control the condition. We are not pediatricians and
recommend that you seek medical advice before taking these steps to alleviate
a suspected GER condition. DO NOT TRY THIS WITHOUT CONSULTING YOUR DOCTOR
FIRST!

    1) Hold baby upright during feeding and 20 to 30 minutes after
feeding.
    2) Feed your baby slowly and burp frequently after every ounce.
    3) Thicken formula with rice cereal as instructed by your doctor. The
average thickening needed is one     tablespoon of rice cereal for every
two ounces of formula.
    4) Do not place your baby in a swing, car seat, infant seat etc.
(pumpkin seat) for at least 30 minutes     after feeding.
    5) Try smaller amounts of formula but more frequent feedings.
    6) Elevate the head of your baby's crib or basinet at least 12 to 24
inches.
    7) Our pediatrician prescribed Zantac, which is given 3 times a day to
control acid which may have been     regurgitated into the esophagus.

The above mentioned treatment has helped to alleviate the most severe episodes
and has drastically reduced the number and frequency and duration of Alex's
colicky episodes.

Since using this treatment, we now have some of the normal colicky symptoms
such as fussiness and crying mostly in evening from 5pm to 8pm. The swing,
walks, car rides, holding and bouncing gently, drops of Mylanta, holding over
the shoulder and gently patting have all helped with this fussy period. It
does seem to be related to over-stimulation, such as a tv, barking dog,
lights, dish washer etc.

Has anyone else gone through this, and how have you handled it? Have you gone
back to work and had your child in day care? Our day care service that we had
lined up, wouldn't take him because of the special feeding attention he needs
for the G.E. Reflux condition.

Our choices were either using an expensive nanny service, or my wife or myself
quitting our jobs or possibly taking a leave of absence. We are fortunate to
have a close personal friend who is a stay home mom and has volunteered to
care for Alex. We hope that this will work out, but just in case it doesn't,
we would be interested in hearing of individuals that have used day care
services for a colicky baby and their experiences with this.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Cheryl Barr <[e-mail]>

I am no expert on this subject but I have some recent experience.  I
have twin sons, now almost 6 months, that both had colic from 3 weeks to
12 weeks.  It would always occur at the same time for both of them and
last for exactly the same amount of time - from 8:00 to 11:00 pm.  The
only thing worse than colic is colic in STEREO.

After trying everything under the sun (including all of the "remedies"
listed above) my husband and I decided to just let them cry in their
cribs - of course checking up on them every 15 minutes and picking them
up if necessary.  It made us nervous wrecks at first to do this but
after their crying spells they were given their 11:00 feeding and then
went to sleep without any fuss until morning.  I almost think that these
crying bouts served some sort of purpose, because they were very calm
afterwards - as if they had just gotten rid of some sort of pent up
nervous energy.

In any event, at approximately 12 weeks the crying suddenly just
stopped at the exact same time for both of them (they are fraternal
twins) and that was the end of it. Naturally they have fussy periods,
but on the whole they are very happy little guys who are growing like
weeds and love to laugh and play.

One of the things you do not find very often in your basic baby rearing
book is that one of the most important things you can do for your baby
is to keep you OWN sanity.  I think that most of us know instinctively
how to do that - and if walking a screaming baby(ies) around the house
for 3 or more hours is incompatible with this notion, then by all means
feed them, change them, make them safe in their cribs, and then leave
them to cry for a while.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

From [e-mail]

Colic is a difficult problem for new and old parents. We suggest any parent
who has a colicky baby try 1-900-HUG-BABY ($1.29 / min).  They had alot of
helpful info including a stress relief section that saved my husband's
sanity.

Comments on previous notes:  We found that offering the breast over and over
caused too much feeding and made the colic worse.  Cruciferous vegetables can
stay in Mom's system for more than just a few hours.  If you want the
nutrition, try a spinach salad with lemon juice, or just plain peas.  Also,
we found it took about 5 - 6 days before the removal of dairy products had
any effect.

In addition, as so many others have said:  IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!  It is
natural to get angry once in a while.  Just put the baby down in a safe place
before you do something you will regret.

Amazingly, having a colicky baby can deepen the love between you both.  I
swear, that baby can tell there is someone there who cares.

Good Luck!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: James Morehead <[e-mail]>

I've read the colic faq and don't want to duplicate...

Here are my suggestions (our colic experience, in progress, takes place
every evening from approx. 6PM - 10PM).

1) Get out of the house! Take the baby out, do things that involve
motion (our baby loves to be in motion).  Fresh air combined with motion
can be helpful, but a stroller ride can quickly become a carry baby all
the way home if you're not careful...

2) Take off his/her diaper.  Our baby loves to be diaperless and this
sometimes helps.

3) Take advantage of friends who don't have babies and love taking care
of them (even colicky babies).

4) ALWAYS wear ear protection... since our baby is inconsolable during
her colic time, I just hold and rock her, wear ear protection and log on
(through my powerbook) to the net...

5) Count the days to 12 weeks (when it will get better... right? we're
at 7 weeks right now...)

6) Celebrate the end of colic with a family vacation (we're going to
Disney World at 4 months, colic or not!)... not for the baby, but for
the parents.  Colic survivors deserve to celebrate!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: GINA ROWAN <[e-mail]>

My daughter had colic for a very short time, only three weeks, but that
was long enough for my husband and I to search for every remedy
available. We used mylocon drops and changed formulas. Our doctor, who
is originally from Pakistan, perscribed "GRIPE WATER", which can be
purchased at speciality stores, i.e. health food stores, chinese
groceries, etc. It seemed to help somewhat. The best thing that we did
was use our clothes dryer. We placed our baby in her infant carrier and
then put it on the dryer. It usually settled her within 15-30 minutes
and gave us a needed break. We took turns sitting by the dryer. Riding
in the car also helped. The best advice I can give is to take turns
caring for the baby with your spouse or a friend and to take a break
from the baby when you are at your wits end. Colic does end eventually
and the memories of late nights and screaming cries fade quickly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Ivor Blumenthal <[e-mail]>

My wife and I have found the following two options really help with our
daughter.

She is 10 weeks old. Since two weeks we have been taking her to a
Chiropractor and with regular adjustments her posture, and her reactions to
the "very real" pain of cholic seem a lot more about management than about
learned helplessness.

In addition, she is on a very strict regimen of Homeopathic Treatment and
there is no question that she has an immediate and dramatic reaction to the
powders and homeopathic formulas which have been prescribed.

Robyn and Ivor Blumenthal
South Africa
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: [e-mail]

unless you can run the vacuum cleaner 24 hours a day, i found that
Nutramigen formula by Mead-Johnson was a miracle remedy...it's well worth
the expense!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: [e-mail]

My wife and I found that our son was soothed by "white noise," particularly the
sound of water running, either in the sink or the bath.  So we got an "endless"
tape cassette-- a tape that repeats the same thirty seconds over and over-- and
recorded the bath running and then played the tape for him.  It worked pretty
well and was _a lot_ cheaper than actually running the bath all the time.  You
could also record the vacuum cleaner or dishwasher or whatever works for your
baby.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


From: Jeanie Stewart <[e-mail]>

I used Hyland's homeopathic colic tablets which you can get for
about $4 in health food stores. This worked fairly well for my
son, but I understand that Cell Tech's digestive enzymes are even
better. Just open the capsule and put a speck of the powder on
the baby's tongue -- I'm told the results are instant. I take the
enzymes myself to help my own digestion, particularly for milk
products, beans, etc. -- so it makes sense that it works for
babies too which react too Mom's food or formula. I think it's
particularly good with kids who's parents have a lot of allergies.

(Cell Tech distributes by mail order only -- for more info, e-mail
me at [e-mail]. And good luck, it won't last forever!)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Trelawney Shaw <[e-mail]>

Our son had colic for six months - we're still mystified by this so called
"three month colic" you hear so much about!

It's important to get your child diagnosed as having colic by your doctor as
soon as possible so you know what you're dealing with.

As the colic lasted so long we tried umpteen remedies - here's a few
suggestions:

1.  Administering Infacol drops 20 minutes before a feed (the instructions
don't explain how you know when those 20 minutes are!) - this is the most
popular method in the UK and recommended by most doctors and health visitors
(didn't work for us unfortunately).

2.  Failing above, Nurse Harvey's Gripe Water - again very popular (no good for
us sadly!).

3.  Laying the baby on your shoulder which flattens his tummy and also lying
him across your knees, face down and massaging his back gently to ease the pain

4.  One method, which we knew nothing about at the time, was in consultation
with your doctor, switching to soya milk formula (such as Wysoy).  My son was
diagnosed as having milk intolerance at 2 years so it's worth a try!

5.  Another option (again which we didn't find about until several months
later) is the possibility of consulting a qualified cranial osteopath - a few
babies following a difficult labour/birth suffer a slightly unaligned spine
which causes them a great deal of pain which the osteopath can diagnose and
treat if appropriate.

Most importantly of all is to ask for SUPPORT!  As tired, first time parents we
weren't assertive enough to ask for more help - we felt it was our problem.
Health visitors are supposed to support parents, so don't be afraid to ask for
further assistance if their suggestions aren't working.

The colic (and the memories!) will fade.  Good luck.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Delon Paul Kathol <[e-mail]>

Hi, my name is Delon Kathol, and I was a colic baby.  I just wanted to
say that in no way was I affected by it and am currently a student at
The University Of Nebraska, Lincoln.  My younger sister also had
Colic, so I know what it is like to see a child with Colic, but to
parents with kids that have Colic, don't worry about your child crying
all the time.  They Won't hold it against you.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Martin Jutras <[e-mail]>

Could you please add these to your FAQ on Colic? They might save some new
parent's sanity (they might have saved mine if I had known!).

First of all, switching to soy base milk (such as Isomil or Nursoy) isn't
the miracle you're looking for. My daughter is allergic to cow's milk (even
through breastmilk), so I stopped breastfeeding when she was 2 weeks old.
Since then, she has had Colic from noon to 10:00 PM almost every day (it's
been better for the past 3 days, and she is now 11 weeks old, so we're
praying...).

The only things that have helped, apart from those that have already been
listed, are the following:

1) burp her, WITHOUT FAIL, after every once. If your baby will not burp
after a few minutes, insist! (you can quit after 10 minutes);

2) don't try to feed her formula when she is very coliquy.  In our case, she
would most likely choke, and if she did manage to swallow some formula, she
would vomit half an hour later. Try giving her some sterilized water
instead, one or two onces every few hours.

The only additional advice I can share is: DON'T DESPAIR

Also, if something apparently very successful doesn't work with your child,
don't worry, something else will.

GOOD LUCK!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Mich <[e-mail]>
Hi there,
     Now that I am a survivor of colic, I just wanted to post a letter to all
of those still suffering. When my son was 2 weeks, the colic began and I found
myself going back to this FAQ page every week to find out if anyone had posted
responses to dealing with colic. I was desperate. My biggest obstacle that I
had to overcome was realizing that my baby did indeed have colic. I listened
to too many people telling me that I could have a baby who was allergic to
milk, an extended bowel, a hurting back. No one wants to believe that their
child has this incurable colic. By the time I started to get used to the
crying, it stopped. Around 5  months or so. The best thing you can do is give
yourself a break every once in a while. I took up running and am
actually going to run in a race this spring. We tried the soy formula,
the car rides, the backrubs, everything! The one thing that did seem to
make my son happy was his bath. So, I would let him soak in warm water
at least 5 times daily. I only gave him a "real" bath once daily because
I did not want to dry out his skin. But, he would soak in the tub all
day long if I would let him. It seemed to relax him and so I let him
soak. Jake is now almost 7 months and is a changed baby. He giggles and
plays. You would never guess that 3 months earlier he cryed all day
long. Good luck to all the parents out ther with colicky babies, I
really feel for them.  The one good thing about colic is that it does
end.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Samantha Hoover <[e-mail]>

Natasha, my baby girl, is getting better from her colic with this herbal tea
called Steady Stomach from Herbal Comfort. It is a combination of herbs that
are good for the digestive system. It contains: peppermint leaves, spearmint
leaves, fennel seed, ginger root, anise seed(good for gas and has a calming
effect like chamomila)and alfalfa. It seems to be very soothing. Also, I
found that she is getting a little better with a homeopathic medicine
Highland Colic Tablets. Homeopathic tablets that disolve instantly in her
mouth. With my hand clean I hold the tablet in her mouth until it is
disolved, which is less than 5 seconds. When she is hysterical I give her 2
tablets every 15 minutes, than every 2 hours until she is better.
I hope this info can help other colic parents. Good luck.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Cheryl & Mike Polia <[e-mail]>

I just was reading your FAQ regarding colic as I am trying to soothe my
infant son (2 1/2 weeks old). I am finding that not only are car rides
soothing to him but simply placing him in the car seat as if he is going
for a ride will soothe him and often cause him to fall asleep.
I don't know why this works, but it does for him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Katherine Murray <[e-mail]>

I do not believe in "colic," and here is the reason why.  My
pediatricians swore my son had colic, until the day he stopped
breathing at one month old.  After several tests in the hospital, he
was diagnosed with reflux, which is easily corrected with medication.

However, even with the medication, his all day screaming continued.
We changed medications many times, and I got off all dairy and egg
products while nursing him.  Things got much better, and he finally
stopped his screaming at 7 months when he was put on Pregestimil, a
non-dairy, soy, egg product that is hypoallergenic (and VERY
expensive) and predigested.  Even with all this going on, some docs
CONTINUED to tell me my son had "colic," which he obviously did not
have.

I work for a children's hospital, and can tell you this.  Just about
every nurse here agrees that 90% of all children diagnosed with
"colic" have either reflux or an intollerance to dairy.  I agree
100%!  I have two boys with both reflux and milk allergies, and heard
the word colic more times than I can remember.  As soon as I took
care of both problems, the "colic" disappeared!

Please visit these wonderful sights, the first of which supports my
theory:

http://www.ami-med.com/mhc/top/000978.htm
http://www.ami-med.com/mhc/top/000817.htm
http://www.ami-med.com/mhc/top/000276.htm
http://www.ami-med.com/mhc/top/000265.htm
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/heartburn/heartburn.html
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/lactoseintolerance/lactoseintolerance.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Sue Maur <[e-mail]>

I never thought our son's bout with colic would end, but after 5 months
and one week (but who's counting!?!) it really did.  We tried it all
(bland "caveman" diet for me, swings, noise, etc.), then finally resigned
ourselves to the fact that there was little we could do.

The most effective coping skills for us were long walks, just standing on
the front porch, triple doses of Mylicon (per our pediatrician) and
finally a prescription from the pediatrician for Levsin, which we never
could allow ourselves to use.  But just knowing we had a prescription
drug in the house if we absolutely needed it was comforting.

The hardest part for me was the lack of understanding from others (none
of our friends had colicky babies) who kept telling us that all babies
are fussy!  This was not fussy!  I had a very difficult time coping some
days...

But now he's 7 months and so much happier.  Amazingly you do start to
forget how awful it was... Hang in there -- we know how hard it is for
you.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Sue Ellery <[e-mail]>

Hi!  Now this is a topic I can sink my teeth into.  I have four girls of
which the first three were colicky.  My first was not the worst if you can
believe it - although at the time I thought it was.  My husband and I almost
didn't have more children.  Every evening from 4:00 to 11:00 and sometimes
well into the night my oldest would scream.  My mother came over almost every
evening and walked her in our little town - everyone knew her and her
screaming grandchild.  Even walking didn't stop her but, at least I didn't
have to listen.  I would sit comatose in a chair not knowing where to begin
as I was always behind in washing and housekeeping.  At the time we lived in
a small two bedroom apartment and it was a pig sty cause I had no energy left
in me to clean it after she would finally fall asleep.  She stopped screaming
around four months I think - it's hard to remember because she started
teething right after that and it just didn't seem to end.  When we finally
got into the parenting thing she was 18 months old and had gotten me up 6
times in one night.  I was drained and exhausted and fed up enough to finally
take the bull by the horns and deal with my high maintenance child.  I went
to a bookstore and bought a book called, "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problem"
by Richard Ferber, M.D.  Within three nights my child was sleeping through
the night with the help of this book.  Alot of colic babies become high
maintenance infants because of the stimulation they become accustomed to.
This can be very difficult on new parents.

My second child was a "dream boat" compared to my first.  Dealing with her
colic was still difficult however the sleeping techniques I learned with my
first through the book were incorporated at a very early age - also he loved
her soother (most colic babies will not even entertain it).

My third was the absolute worst colic I had ever seen or heard about.  By the
time she reached three weeks of age she got me up at 5:00 a.m. and kept me
going until 11:00 p.m. at night.  Her little catnaps, so characteristic of
colic, only allowed me enough time to take a shower and put my pyjamas back
on.  At my three week "baby wellness" visit to the doctor I broke down and
requested the colic drops - Bentylol.  I only had one child in school 1/2
days and the pace in my home was frantic.  At this point I utilized whatever
disposible income we had to get a housekeeper 4 hours per week with some
babysitting on the side to get groceries and the like.  My little excursions
outside the home kept me sane.  Everytime I came home the babysitter had been
walking the floor the entire time I was out.  My older children were very
good thankfully.

My fourth child is sitting on my lap right now - she is 8 weeks old and is
not a true colic baby.  Whew!  It took 4 girls to get a normal regular baby
and we are enjoying it.  I have read three books on colic in the middle of
the night with blurry eyes and they all tell you the same thing - they don't
know what causes it - possibly some intestinal disorder.  There is nothing so
far to suggest that it is hereditary however, it would be interesting to know
if there is a link - I was extremely colicky as a baby.  Hence the reason my
mother helped me so much with my first (she had moved away by my third).  I
have read most of your website and agree wholeheartedly with most or all of
the suggestions made.  Dairy products is a biggy!  I have become a believer
that colic is not something solved by omitting things in your diet though.
It is either there or it isn't and you must deal with the emotional
repercussions with yourself and your spouse.  It takes its toll on you
physically also.  The child will outgrow it - you just have to survive.

My only offering to this page is experience and get the book to help deal
with the aftercare of a colic baby.  It will save you months of sleepless
nights.  I don't know that you can start the process offered in the book
before 6 months though - nutritionally your baby wakes up and feeds on demand
before this time.  After 6 months they should be able to sleep through
without getting up.  Good luck!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Danse Productions <[e-mail]>

I don't know if you are still interested in colic remedies or not.  My wife
and I developed a cassette tape, that is a studio produced sound, simular
to white noise. We found it very effective and it also puts the baby to sleep.
If anyone would be interested in it they can e-mail us for the details

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--

    [e-mail]