When do you know it's Colic??

[MummyK]

My LO is 13 days old and due to a traumatic experience I had to switch to bottle feeding which wasn't part of the plan so I did very little research beforehand. I started him off on Cow & Gate first infant formula but then someone suggested Aptimel. So after a week of c&g we switched to Aptimel for hungry babies as he was having 90ml per feed but sometimes wanting another 90ml after half an hour. Since swapping I've noticed he has struggled to settle and doesn't like it when you lay him on his back. He doesn't scream or cry but goes very red and wriggles a lot and whimpers. My gut feeling is telling me it's nothing serious but should I change his formula back to c&g?? It also takes quite a while to wind him...sometimes over an hour and a half. Is there an effective way to relieve him of trapped wind? I have tried, sitting on my lap, whilst rubbing or tapping. Rolling him in a circle. Lying him over my shoulder, lying him on my chest and over my knee....but he just can't release it

[Hidden]

Hey! Congratulations! Sorry you had a traumatic time! Bet he is worth it though eh!!

It does sound like colic if you can't get wind up and he is uncomfortable on his back.

My boy had horrific colic on breast milk. Swapped to aptamil comfort which is formulated for colic and constipation. Worked a treat! He went from screaming for 15 hours solid to happy and content little Angel! I later learned that cow and gate are identical... and I mean identical, down to the box design, factory it's made in and even customer helpline!! The ingredients are just listed in a different order on the box! Aptamil is a good £3 more expensive though!!

Maybe try the comfort milk?

Xx

[Lovestar in reply to Hidden]

Hello, the ingredients on things are always listed in amount order - so the first ingredient is the largest component in the recipe and the last ingredient is the smallest component. If the ingredients are listed in a different order that means the recipe is different, the ingredient amounts are different if you know what I mean lol

[Hidden]

hey, I wud stick with the milk ur using as changing again might cause further discomfort, my son had bad colic, I used infacol and gripe water without much effect but I then found colief which worked for us and is suitable frm birth, if u do get it get it on prescription as its expensive.

do u hav a swing for ur baby as they like the movement.

its a very trying time and is hard but I found having my son upright helped and I did hav to co sleep for a while so we cud both sleep, it will get btr I promise xx

[MummyK in reply to Hidden]

Hi, yes he has to sleep in our bed which when I did I could hear the gasps of horror from F&F but he won't fall asleep in his basket...even as I type this he is on my chest happily snoring away....but if I try and lie him down....world war 3!! Xx

[Hidden in reply to MummyK]

does he hav periods of screaming usually in evenings and there is nothing u can do to console them, my son is nearly 6 months now and has 3 naps a day but he is currently laying on my chest too xx

[MummyK in reply to Hidden]

To be fair the only time he screams u controllably is when you change his nappy or clothes....he whines for his bottle and then whimpers and grunts with wind. He also wheezes after feeding...is that normal??? Xx

[Hidden]

I haven't experienced the wheezing..is it only after feeding? Maybe hes just got trapped wind..try moving his legs in a bicycle motion and a little tummy massage in a warm bath xx

[Armywag]

Colic generally hits early evening (from what i've been told by midwives, health visitors and on the net) and they are inconsolable for hours. Mine has never suffered thank god and those who go through it have my sympathy as it sounds awful for both baby and parent.

Hungrier baby formula is not recommended by many - it is a heavier formula and just sits in their stomach for longer giving them the illusion of feeling full. It could be that this is not suiting your lo. My HV told me to avoid it at all costs and if my daughter was still hungry, give her more of her normal formula.

C&G and Aptamil are made by the same company and are the same product - there might be a very small difference hence the price. The comfort formula may work for you. I use SMA Gold - I tried Aptamil (and Aptamil Comfort) but she just didn't like it. I realise it's one of the more expensive ones but she gets on great with it.

Oh, I know Boots don't give you points on first stage formula but Superdrug do

My daughter has reflux and when she hasn't had her gaviscon and / or ranitidine regularly, she can wheeze (and cough & hiccup) - maybe mention it to your hv at their next visit if it doesn't settle.

[ktm2014]

Hi my hv said she could tell my son had colic from his high pitched cry going red in the face & drawing his legs up to his chest. I also had to stop breastfeeding & bottle feed after 1 week I am using aptamil first milk. I asked about changing to comfort milk but hv said just give him time to get used to the first milk as changing milk could upset his tummy more. When he's really colicky the only thing that settles him is a dummy or holding him upright while walking around but its more of a distraction than a cure.I use dr browns bottles which helps him not to gulp down too much air and infacol before every feed, to wind him i put over my shoulder while rubbing his back and he burps normally within 10-15mins. I know every baby is different so I hope u find what works for you and your little one x

[Thirdtime]

I think it just sounds like normal newborn! They'd rather be held than laid down to sleep quite often and feeding is erratic the first few weeks. Two bottles in an hour, then nothing for 5! I've had three and they all did it! Winding seems to take forever when they're tiny too. But unless they're screaming for hours in the evening like ktm2014 just said, it's likely to just be normal hard work little baby! It'll get better soon!

[ez1988]

Hungry baby milk is very heavy and isn't recommended by many HV your better to up the Oz's given than bulk them up with a heavier milk.

I would imagine that his tiny tummy is finding the milk very uncomfortable which is causing him to whine.

My ebf 9wk old has colic and the symptoms you have described don't sound like what he has got.

I would suggest switching back to a lighter milk as he is only tiny still and his tummy is still getting used to having milk in it.

[Gail0608]

My son is formula fed and we have had similar struggles with trapped wind and problems digesting. We also tried changing formulas but in our case it made it worse. Hungry milk is much harder to digest than regular formula for a start, then it could be he is struggling with the lactose on which case some colief could help. We started using colief in every feed and we notice the difference quickly, less writhing around, pulling legs up etc so obviously less pain. It's very expensive though but for us gripe water and infacol didn't work at the time. After 4/5 weeks of having the colief we gradually started reducing it to not having it at night and using gripe water in the day to help with winding, then we stopped colief completely and stuck with gripe water and touch wood he has been much better as he got a bit older (is now 8 weeks).

I would say that if you are introducing over the counter stuff to do them individually as you need to be able to see which is working. Also my GP said that any change in formula is very hard for the gut so to do it very gradually with one feed a day. Whilst they all seem to be the same they are in fact quite different and so it takes a while for the gut to deal with the change.

I also tried the aptamil comfort milk for colic but mt boy didn't drink it for some reason, I think its thicker than regular!

Good luck. It's awful seeing them in pain but he will get better soon!

[lisaloulou84]

this sounds very similar to my little boy who is 3 and a half weeks. I've had to bottle feed from day one as he was in special care and I'm not producing much at all. He's on Cow and Gate infant milk, ready made at first but now the powder. He's been really windy and waking between feeds because of it and similarly doesn't like lying on his back. I've found that if I burp him on my shoulder and rub his back for a good 15 mins he'll fall asleep and then transfers to the basket easier. I've also tilted the basket with a cushion underneath so he's sleeping a little upright. he's been much better since this.

Hope this helps

x