Reflux?...colic?

[sa4ahlh]

My 5 week old seems to be in discomfort quite a lot of the time. It looks like trapped wind as she stretches her legs out and arches her back and strains and cries. It's really distressing as there's not much I do that helps. I have started giving her infacol before feeds and winding her a few times during feeds. She does plenty of burps - Do you think it might be reflux? She spits up after feeds but not a lot - just excess milk I think. She does have frequent hiccups too but she had that from when she was inside me! I have been told it will pass but any advice would be greatly appreciated. It's really horrible to see her cry so much and I've started feeling guilty feeding her as I think she will feel uncomfortable afterwards

[2princes1princess]

Hi hun im having the same with my 6wk old. They seem constantly full of wind! How are you feeding her? Im breastfeeding. I found infacol didnt do a great deal with my other two children so ive not bothered this time. It does pass hun and I think your little girl would be more put out not being fed than the discomfort afterwards. It is distressing to all involved when you see them in pain but just got to get through it and your doing everything you can so don't feel guilty. Sorry I dont have the answers but carry on doing what your doing xx

[Allyemo1985]

Dr brown bottles have been recommended personally I've never tried them but heard so many good vibes about them getting rid of wind and colic. Both my two previous now 6 and almost 5 had colic and we persevered was sick on sooo much... Ill be defiantly giving these dream bottles ago once I've had a go at breast feeding. hope you can sort it and if you do get them send me a message to let me know how you got on with them. Xx

[mummy2be2013]

Hi give he warm water she might not take it at first but try and get her to drink abit of warm water my little girl was the same and someone told me to try warm water and it worked just give it a try might help you out

[Hidden]

Does sound like colic! My little one is still cooking so don't have any 1st hand experience, however as a baby I had terrible colic. Mum swears by dropping a couple of fennel seeds into boiled water in a bottle. Leave it to cool then give it to baby to drink. Supposed to work a treat! X

[Megzey]

You poor thing, my sister had this with her little lad and it drove them both spare. He got diagnosed with Lactose intolerence and prescribed special powdered milk that she got from the chemist, it was a god send. They tried buying all the special bottles for colic & the drops but nothing seemed to work. His cry was piercing as he was in so much pain at the time.

[sa4ahlh]

Thanks ladies...I am bottle feeding her as she didn't latch on to breast which was upsetting enough - and now she's got this!! I have bought some aptamil comfort milk which is specially for colic and constipation so will try her on that, also will try some warm water. It is just so frustrating when they can't be comforted and you know they're uncomfortable or in pain! Have also got a dr brown bottle so will try that too. Fingers crossed one of them helps a bit! Have our 6 week check up at the gp then so will speak to them about it too. She's crying now xx

[Hidden]

Does she wake in the night and for no reason...I was going to say what megzey said cos that happened to my son I was beside myself even had him at a&e at 2 in the morning. ... and when he was put on the special Milk he was so much better. .. he would wake screaming in pain it was heartbreaking hospital didn't shed any light on it... it was only when a friend mentioned it, it all fell into place xx

[sa4ahlh]

She is actually not too bad at night. She's had one night that she was up ALL night crying with tummy pain but generally she sleeps for a good 3-4hours in between feeds. She seems to be at her worst in the evenings and last few days she's just been crying whenever she's awake! well that's how it feels! X

[sa4ahlh]

It is heartbreaking when they're crying and you know they're in pain but there's nothing u can do!

[Carren]

Sounds like classic colic, but it's so hard to tell, so I'd recommend discussing your baby's symptoms at length with your health visitor and GP. Unfortunately if it is colic, there's no cure, but if it's reflux or constipation or something else, something can probably be done.

Our son had colic, and we tried every "cure" the internet had to suggest--infacol, colief, Dr. Brown's bottles, switching formulas, baby massage--before we finally had to accept what the doctor had told us in the first place, which was that the only thing to be done was to wait for him to grow out of it, which he did, rather suddenly at about 11 weeks. I think if we had been able to reach acceptance sooner it would have been easier, but when your baby is screaming in pain it's impossible not to want to do something about it. (That's not to say that some of the products available aren't useful. We found that infacol and Dr. Brown's bottles helped immensely with winding, which didn't help with the colic, because colic isn't caused by wind, but when you're physically and emotionally exhausted from caring for a miserable child, anything that makes any aspect of that care easier is a godsend.)

If your baby does have colic, your job is just to comfort comfort comfort. Most of it will probably seem to be in vain, as she continues to scream, but if you were in pain, you'd rather be cuddled than not, right? Remember the five S's, though don't push anything that doesn't work--our son hated swaddling with a passion. One of the hardest things for baby I think is the cummulative sleep deficit that colic leads to, as she screams through nap time or possibly through some of what should have been her night time sleep, causing her to be increasingly grumpy even when she isn't having a colicky episode. So you must do everything in your power to help her sleep and protect her from anything that disturbs her sleep, such as grandparents desperate to play with your overtired child. Parents of non-colicky babies around the same age will probably tell you all about how they put their baby down in the Moses basket calm and awake so they learn how to drift off to sleep on their own. Don't worry about anything like that until little'un outgrows colic--if the only way to get your daughter to go to sleep is to walk up and down the hallway with her for an hour sshing her, or pushing her around the neighborhood in her pram in the middle of the night, or whatever, then you do that. You will be able to train her to go to sleep on her own later, I promise. The book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth has a very informative if not particularly well written chapter on colic.

There's a helpline for parents of babies who cry excessively--Cry-Sis. My husband and I didn't call it, but in retrospect we probably should have. One of the hardest things for us was the sense of isolation as no one seemed to believe us. "Babies cry," they'd keep saying. We got that a lot from my mother-in-law, until finally one day he had an episode at her house and she totally freaked out and wanted to take him to hospital. "This isn't normal," she kept saying, and all we could say was, "Well, it is normal for him, and has been for hours on end for the last six weeks!" If your baby is diagnosed with colic, know that you're not alone. It happens to roughly 20% of babies, and it's not because you weren't able to breastfeed--it happens to breastfed babies too. Also, most babies outgrow it by 12 weeks, and pretty much all babies outgrow it by 16 weeks, so keep your eye on that light at the end of the tunnel--this, too, shall pass.

Good luck and hang in there!

[ShivB83 in reply to Carren]

I was looking through for advise as I am in the same position with my LO. Thank you for your advice & realising I'm not alone with this.x

[sa4ahlh]

Hi Carren, thanks so much - it does help to know that it's nothing that I'm doing that's making her like this! Also that a lot of babies have it. My friend also said hers had it for 12 weeks and although 12 weeks seems a long time I just need to keep thinking that it will come to an end and then she'll be ok i guess it also seems so much worse when you're sleep deprived! Xxx

[Carren in reply to sa4ahlh]

You're welcome. Don't worry--the time really does go by faster than you think it will. My son is now five months old, and I have no idea how I've ended up with this huge baby who beams and laughs all the time, goes to sleep on his own in his own room, and doesn't fit in his baby bath anymore. It's been a complete whirlwind!

[sa4ahlh in reply to Carren]

Aww...that's so nice to hear! fingers crossed in a few months ill be able to say the same about my daughter! Xxx

[gemmw]

Sounds just like my son.. He' 6weeks and has been like it for about 3weeks.. Didn't find infacol work so I've got him on gripe water which seems to be a bit better... But I think he's got colic and reflux, he tend to projectile vomit after some feeds! All over my bed last night! try winding her before, during and after feeds I found that helped too X

[sa4ahlh in reply to gemmw]

Aww..colic and reflux! Poor thing! Fingers crossed it eases off soon! Can't be nice for him or you Hun. I have gripe water as well but haven't used it much - maybe I should...we should keep each other updated with the bubbas progress xx

[gemmw in reply to sa4ahlh]

Yea hate seeing him in pain it makes me cry... I'm doing combination feed so I breastfeed at night and once in the afternoon but formula in the day so I give him gripe water with ever other bottle.. Seems to be doing the job.. He still struggles sometimes but farts like a trooper! Hahaa.. Yes we should xx

[sa4ahlh in reply to gemmw]

Hi gemmw

Just thought I'd let you know that I went to the gp yesterday and she prescribed infant gaviscon for Remi. It's worked so well as it thickens the milk and keeps it in the tummy and generally settles whatever is uncomfortable! She's so much happier now and we got sleep last night! have you tried infant gaviscon for your little boy? Xxx

[gemmw in reply to sa4ahlh]

Oh brilliant! No I haven't .... we have our check ups on Monday so I will try and remember to mention it x

[Megzey]

When she cries does she scrunch her legs up to her chest?

With my sisters little one the only thing that cured him was lying him on his tummy over your knee and rubbing his back. I wouldn't wait till your 6 week check up I would book and app with the doc asap and get them to diagnose her or your life is gonna be a misery. It is horrible, I really feel for you.

[sa4ahlh in reply to Megzey]

She doesn't scrunch her legs up but she does stretch them right out and arch her back. I have tried lying her on her tummy and I think she likes the position but it doesn't really get the wind out. Her check up is in the next few days so its cool. She's actually been a bit better today and has slept a lot - no bouts of crying yet but it's always worse in the evening. She'll start soon!!

[sa4ahlh]

Thanks Amanda but I posted this 2 years ago - I have had another one since then! 😆

[sa4ahlh]

Thanks! 😄 Yes hopefully someone may benefit from your response, I didn't want to just ignore you so thought I'd reply. Second one had slight colic but was much better than the first thank goodness! She's still an easier baby 10 months on! X