Any Advice?

[rsampson]

My son is five months old, and all he does is cry. It makes me feel like a bad mother, but i know it has something to do with his stomach because when he eats he gets stomach aches every time and he will cry and stretch out his legs and just scream. Nothing soothes him. We have him on special formula and it doesnt help. Doctor says they cant do anything and it will pass. i think i need a second opinion. He has trouble sleeping, because he will wake up out of his sleep just screaming then when it passes just go back to sleep. Ive been stressed to the max and would love advice from anyone who has had a similar problem//

[Daphne at Parenting.com]

Is it possible he has colic? http://www.parenting.com/article/Baby/Health/Colic A cause for it may be Gastroesophageal reflux (GER), babies can get some sort of heart burn.

[rsampson]

its possible. i suppose. but what would i do to help him with that

[angelgracerice]

First of all, I understand how you feel, and your not a bad Mommy, bad mothers don't go looking for answers on how to make their littles ones better. If not for my wonderful Doctor and My Mom I would have spent the first year of my daughthers life feeling like a bad mom, so don't give up hope it gets better. Now for babys tummy----
Here is a good and safe place to start. Try melting a couple of peppermints or small candy cane type candy in a 4 oz bottle. My first daughter had tummy problems when we went from nursing to bottle and it helped her alot. Something about the peppermint settles little tummies with out medication. My doctor actually told me to try this and if it didn't work to bring her in, but it helped her alot and we had much less screaming. My other thought is does he have regular dirty diapers? if not try just a tiny bit (about 2 oz) of apple juice and see if that helps. If he doesn't go every day, he may be just a little constipated and with little ones just a little can hurt alot. Hope this helps!

[Tom321]

I would recommend you put your baby to sleep on it's stomach.

Back sleep causes social skills delays at 24 weeks, motor skills delays at 24 weeks, increased episodes of sleep apnea (lack of oxygen to brain), deformational plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome), torticollis (shortening of neck muscles), shoulder retraction, TMJ, and less sleep duration. Stomach sleep causes none of these negative effects and also helps prevent hip subluxation, lessens acid reflux, increases sleep duration by 8%, decreases sleep awakenings by 43% and shortens sleep awakenings when they happen by 40%. Prior to 1993 over 70% of American babies slept on their stomachs, 13% slept on their backs, and the rest slept ontheir side. Also, the SIDS prevention Back to Sleep campaign statistics are misleading, overstated, and not even applicable to 99% of infants.

Also, some of the negative effects of back sleep are associated with other negative health effects. Sleep apnea is associated with infants who are overtired but can't sleep as well as emotional and learning problems. Deformational plagiocephaly is associated with delayed mental development and motor skills delays are associated with speech and language delays and disorders. Since 1993, when the Back sleep campaign began, there has been a 500% increase in deformational plagiocephaly as well as a huge increase in children with emotional problems, learning disabilities, and speech and language disorders. Look at all the babies now wearing orthotic helmets and going to physical therapy as well as all the kids in Special Education.

I personally feel that stomach sleep is far healthier than back sleep. Everyone from babies to Parents needs to go through several sleep stages in order(4 Non-Rapid Eye Movement, 1 Rapid Eye Movement) every night. These 5 stages together are known as a Sleep Cycle and last about 90 minutes and then repeat. Getting proper restorative sleep is very important for physical, mental, and emotional health and it sounds like neither you or your child are getting proper restorative sleep. Personally, I think stomach sleep is far healthier than back sleep considering the negative health effects caused by sleep stage fragmentation. Also, tummy time may help with motor skills improvement and lessening plagiocephaly but it will not lessen the negative emotional and mental effects caused by the sleep stage interruptions. Also you may want to have your baby checked for sleep apnea. If your baby is making grunting sounds, loud snores, or gasping it's likely she has sleep apnea which is worsened by the back sleep position. If it turns out your baby has sleep apnea I would recommend she be put on an nCPAP (nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. Good Luck.

http://www.oandp.com/edge/issues/article...

http://cgi.thescientificworld.co.uk/cgi-...

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/article...

http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/...

[stullpj]

My daughter did not sleep a wink (either did I) for the first two weeks of her life. Constant screaming and spitting up. I felt like the most aweful mother in the world because I was extremely cranky from no sleep and having to also deal with a toddler during the day. Doctors seem unwilling to step in and really help sometimes to get to the root of the problem. In addition, I had no idea what was going on with this child and how to stop it. She had GERD. Sounds like you have either colic or GERD going on (I tend to think it is more a severe colic in your case). They ended up giving my child Reglan and Zantac.

There is also something called Levison drops which help greatly with severe gas. You might try to get a prescription from your doctor for that. Although I like to treat things naturally, I was desperate! I know "Little Tummies" makes gas relief that is natural. Have you tried any Mylicon? If you have and it doesn't help, the prescription Levision is a lot stronger.

My child also went on Enfamil AR (Acid Reflux), but Enfamil also makes a formula that has the milk broken down so it's easier to digest. But sometimes even a special formula is not enough by itself.

I like the peppermint idea posted by angelgrace. I have heard this suggestion from many people.

Most children do eventually grow out of it, so take heart.

[WilliamnJacksmom]

My first son was the same way. He would just cry and cry and towards the end so would I. I had no clue what to do or where to turn The doctor said he was fine, that there was nothing wrong with him yet all he would do was scream. Since the doc wouldn't help, I turned to a homeopathic fix called Colic Tablets. Once he started these he was like a different child. I couldn't believe it. Don't get me wrong he still had tummy troubles but when they would rear their ugly little heads I would give him two under his tongue and he was good. My sister in law swears by them also. It is worth a shot. On another note, hang in there. I was like you too, starting to doubt myself, however unlike you I had people instilling that idea deeper in my head. I finally had to realize that I am not perfect and he was not doing it on purpose. You are just going to have to work with him to see how you can fix it. It is a hard road, but you are stronger at the end!!! I have two sons now and the rough patch I went through with William helped me with Jack! Hang in there it will be alright!!!

[AE]

Our son is 6 weeks old. We are having problems with his stomach. He spits up and has extreme stomach aches. I have been told all I can do is use the Mylican drops and Gripe water. This has not helped any. I was told about the Levison drops, but our Dr. told me there are to many side affects. We are now on the 3rd formula. He is drinking Enfamil Gentlease. He seems to spit up less, but when he does spit up the whole bottle comes back. Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed!!

[NJMama]

I had better luck with Nestle's Good Start. If you do switch, switch little by little (ie, 3 oz old stuff, 1 oz new stuff for a day or 2, then do a 50-50 split for a day or 2, etc.) But whatever you do, talk to your pediatrician, and don't give up. If you are not satisfied with their help, find a new one. FOLLOW YOUR INTINCTS!!! And don't feel bad -- its not uncommon to have a screaming baby, and it will pass. Most doctors will tell you that you are at then end of the usual colicy stage, so with any luck, it will stop soon.

As odd as this sounds, we bought a 3 position reclining booster seat, reclined it, and put our son in it, and he would start farting. I know, comical! But it worked, and has ever since been called the "fart chair" in our house (we now have a number of them). My daughter sits in it now and toots away also! You can find them anywhere... give it a try, and maybe it'll help! We've never even had a high chair... we just use the "fart chair" and the tray that came with it. Doesn't take up as much room, and portable too! :-)

Good luck!

[krpiel]

I agree with Angelgracierice about the peppermint. I did this with my son, who is now 7.5 mos old. I still have the peppermint water in the frig. just in case. Just use a regular peppermint. I had a nurse tell me that that is what they do for babies. Also, try getting Gripe Water. It's sold at health food stores and also at Wal-greens. You might go online and type in Gripe Water and see where it's sold in your area. I also made him a homemade heating pad. I had one of those gel filled things that come with Pyrex dishes that you heat in the microwave so you can take food to carry-ins and keep it warm. It's not too heavy for my son. I put it in a sock and held it on his tummy and he slept wonderfully! My cousin borrowed it for her baby and said it worked for her baby, too. Also, my doctor suggested giving my baby gas drops just before I feed him, every time...EVERY TIME! I started this when he was about 6 weeks old and still do it. My doctor said the gas drops can't hurt him. I don't buy Mylecon, just because it's so much more expensive than generic brands and has the same active ingredient....simethicone. Wal-mart's generic is $3.57 compared to Mylecon's price of about $10.50. You might also try lifting your baby's legs up towards her head to give her some gas relief. I did this with all three of my kids. They seemed to like it..probably because getting that gas out felt better on their tummies. It was funny to hear such loud gas sounds come out of such a small creature, too! My son had this habit of waking up in the middle of the night nedding me to lift his legs. As soon as I did, he'd go right back to sleep. Funny!! I also have a bottle here of Colic Tablets made by Hyland's. You can get these at Wal-mart and Wal-green's (go to the website to see where for your area). They melt quickly in your baby's mouth. I tried one in my mouth to see how quickly, as I didn't want my baby to choke. They melt QUICKLY! They are homeopathic, so don't expect your doctor to endorse them, as they are not a prescription drug. But they worked for my son.

[AE]

Please tell me how you melted the peppermint?

[WilliamnJacksmom]

"I also have a bottle here of Colic Tablets made by Hyland's. You can get these at Wal-mart and Wal-green's (go to the website to see where for your area). They melt quickly in your baby's mouth. I tried one in my mouth to see how quickly, as I didn't want my baby to choke. They melt QUICKLY! They are homeopathic, so don't expect your doctor to endorse them, as they are not a prescription drug. But they worked for my son."
Why is it that they don't endorse them? I used them with William and they worked wonders, but according to my old pediatrician the don't do anything that it is a fluke that they worked with him. I was just wondering.

[leif5433]

Try Colic Calm. It is only available online and is a little pricey but every bit worth the money. My daughter had such bad gas and stomach irritation that all she did was cry day in and day out. I bought the Colic Calm, it came via UPS, and within 3 minutes of giving it to her she was completely OK!!! We used it everday for about 2 weeks and as of last week she no longer needs the medicine. Also, it is all natural!!!

www.coliccalm.com

[nae123]

I would say that your baby is gassy and the only two things that help my son is peppermint in a WARM water bottle( grandma told me that one) and the gas relief medicine. Gas relief is a god send it got me threw my sons first few months

[cashonline]

Good day!

Im new to the site. really looking forward to meeting new people, seeing what they have to say and just really chilling on some social network other than facebook. bleh. like i said, i am me, now who are you?

so how is everyone doing?? :)