Gripe Water Harder to find than Mylicon, but in our case, worked 10 times better. Its all natural and you can give it to them as needed, instead of only every 4-6 hous like Mylicon. Here is a link: http://www.colichelp.com/shop/gripewater.html
Started trying it 2 days ago. So far, not too much luck. I'm not getting the reactions that a lot of others are (huge burp or fart after giving it to him). I've also heard it can take a couple of days to really start working.
Here are some things to try switch formula. Similac is notoriously gassy. Emfamil smells like crap. Try soy because your child might be lactose intolerant. My daughter actually likes the generic brand that you buy at the target, walmart, grocery store. They are made by the same company and it tastes alot better. Yes I tried them all myself. Doctor browns bottles gripe water (kinda of hard to find) sleeping at a slight angle Often, colic is caused by gas or intolerance so do what ever it takes to get rid of it.
In regards to pumping. The thing that worked best for my wife to get the milk going was to pump on one side while feeding the baby on the other. It is very uncomfortable for the mom but it tricks the body into thinking she needs to produce twice the milk.
First of all, r u or your significant other able to tolerate drinking milk? If one or both of u can't stand milk, then maybe a lactose free formula or soy ( in this order) might help. Also try burping your baby 3-4 times per feeding 2 get rid of the air in the tummy. Try 2 feed your child in a more upright position. Also, Breastfeeding is a great idea, better for your baby! Medications should always be last resort. Reflux can also be a cause bcuz of the sphincter ( acts like a lid of the stomach) is still weak & they normally strenghtens as the child grows. Also, try 2 thicken your childs formula wit rice or oat flakes found in baby section, always read directions. GOOD LUCK!
rockbox and xlr817 may be on to something with the lactose intolerance. It did wonders for my boy. Interestingly, he can now drink whole milk without any problem.
It sounds like the switch in the diet is giving your baby stomach problems. Don't worry about the crying, that is their only way of communicating, and it hurts the parents FAR more than it does the baby. Try making sure the baby is in a sound sleep (10 minutes +) before lying him/her down. Collick usually ends by about 3 months, but if I had to guess, I would try the Soy formula and Mylecon. DD
Fenugreek, Mother's Milk Tea, and even alcohol-free beer supposedly can increase milk production. We had some success w/ Fenugreek and beer, never tried Mother's Milk Tea. Once she get's rolling with the milk, she'll be bummed if she's at work and hears a baby cry. Pretty surprising what makes the milk let-down!
I wanna say it took about 2-3 days before we noticed big time results. Definitely not a cure-all though. But we had heard that more people have success with this stuff than Mylicon.
There is also a DVD if that is more your speed. The premise of the book is that other cultures around the world do not have colicky infants. The explanation in the book is that we treated our babies differently and if we adopt behavior of other cultures we too could have colick-free babies. The wife and I had success with the technique in that our son did cry (when hungry, wet, etc.) but was never colicky.
I would have considered that if we were having the problems from the beginning. Maybe they will go away once he's fully on formula. I am trying to convince my wife that we need to at least try switching to a soy based formula. That ain't no lie. It's hard to imagine how anyone deals with the mental and physical toll this takes for what could be 3 months. It's only been a week and it's taken a lot out of me. That's what we typically do. Some nights there is no way he's sleeping. Last night he slept, but only for about 45 minutes at a time. At least we got to sleep that much. Cohen & rockbox, it's not really an issue of how much milk. It's more an issue of convienence when she resumes work. There is just no way for her to pump during the day. She works in an offce that is about 100 sq ft, with 5 other people. There are clients in and out and only 1 restroom. In other words, it ain't gonna happen. We probably just need to get him weaned off it quicker and on to formula full time. Thanks to all for the advice! Hopefully, something will help us. We just haven't figured out what it's going to be.
Well, we had a pretty good weekend. He decided that he would be good for his grandmother. We went to my parents house. My mother watched him and he slept for 3 hours, ate, and went back to sleep for 3 hours. I think the combination of the gripewater, the Zantac, and a switch to the Dr. Brown's bottles really helped. He did this on Saturday night as well. Last night didn't go as well, but it was certainly better than any given night last week. A lot had to do with the amount of tension in our house. My wife was basically was told that if she's coming back to work, that it would be part time. She was sick for a couple of days from the flu shot, and she also had gotten into an argument with her mother in front of the kid. All in all, I think things will slowly get better as long as we can stay positive (at least while in front of him) and the combination of meds and the bottles. Again, thanks for all of the advice. I have already passed a lot of it on to a friend who is just starting to deal with colic as well.
OOOOOH....I forgot this is what my wife and I did. She would go to bed at 9pm and put on the bathroom fan for white noise, I would lay down on the couch and do feedings and changings until 3am, then I would go get in bed and she would get up and take it from there. It was not perfect, but we each got 6 hours of sleep a night and therefore we were able to make it as a team. A few times she would wake me up as she was frustrated, and others I would wake her, but for the most part it worked wonders. DD
Thats cool that the gripe water may be working for you. Im suprised the stuff is still not sold in local pharmacies. Everyone we've run into have had much better luck with that stuff than the Mylecon, etc.
It is sold in a pharmacy here in Austin. It's called People's Pharmacy. It's the Austinites pharmacy. They sell all kind of natural products and have a great deli, too. The only other place is Whole Foods.
Lots of patience, my little brother went throught it. I'm glad I was young. She stayed up all night long at times. He cried, and cried, and cried, and cried. It sucks big time.
