Colic, Constepation, acid reflux and no sleep..Help

Cindy - posted on 01/18/2010

Hey haydee.. I have a baby girl who turned 4 months today. She suffered from Colic until a friend of mine told be about the work Chiropractors can do.. Well after taking her there i would recommened them to anybody. After the first visit she was worse cause it got everything moving around but after the 2nd and 3rd..gee a different baby and a different mum.. I missed the first 8 weeks of her life and wouldnt wish colic upon anyone..give it a go.. it maye help ur bub

Cindy xoxo first time mum to Isabella

Heidi - posted on 01/12/2010

I agree with Christina Harris regarding using Nutramigen for colic.

The term colic is thrown around so much, however, lots of babies have colic because they have a cow's milk protein allergy. Symptoms of cow's milk protein allergy include colic, nasal congestion, skin rashes such as on their little cheeks, and if severe enough pulling their little knees up to the chest (abdominal pain). You may or may not notice a difference in their stool. I was concerned when my 2 month old started pulling his knees up to his chest during bowel movements. Shortly after a diaper with black stool sent us to his doctor immediately. They tested his stool and there was blood in it. According to his dr., cow's milk protein allergy is a frequent diagnosis in her office and usually the parents are complaining of colic. A simple blood test on stool that can even look normal will show that blood is present in the stool. So just because you don't see blood doesn't mean it isn't there. Therefore, colic should not be taken lightly because it could be a symptom of an allergy/milk protein intolerance and bleeding in the digestive tract.

Also, babies with cow's milk protein allergy are often sensitive or allergic to soy so switching to a soy formula may not always work.

Things to try:

If breastfeeding: a strict dairy free diet for mom. Soy intake should be in moderation or eliminated as well. You would be surprised by how many things in the grocery store contain cow's milk, butter, cream, etc. I purchased a book called "Go Dairy Free" by Alisa Marie Fleming. It was very helpful! It contains a lot of information about dairy-free diets and it also contains useful recipes for cooking without dairy products.

If formula feeding: Nutramigen (with Enflora)! If the allergy is really severe, I see where there is a product called Nutramigen AA but I don't have any experience with it.

I saw drastic improvements within a day of going dairy free (which even meant giving up my morning biscuits!) and also with Nutramigen.

The good news: Most babies outgrow cow's milk protein allergy by the time they are a year old.

I hope this is helpful. Best of luck to you!

Danielle - posted on 01/10/2010

my son is 3months and 3weeks old he has acid reflux bad we put him on the AR formula then i discovered he was lactose intorlerant so he needed soy formula so to make it thicker i use a thickner added in with the formula and the great thing is you can make it as thick as you need to which the thicker it is the less he brings up so give it a try with the formula you give your son anyhting is worth a try and trust me i have tryed them all and this method i find works well you may need new teats for thicker formula but its a small price to pay for a bit of extra sleep.

Jodie - posted on 01/10/2010

my daughter is EXACTLY the same. Shes on her new meds and we were told no colic drops shes not on soy milk but shes on cow and gate comfort for colic and constipation and it works a treat. shes on meds 3 times a day plus gaviscon in her bottle up to 6 times a day. We put salt water drops up her nose and make sure her room is as rid of any dust as we can. Works no end! My daughter sleeps from 8.30 pm till the same time the next morning some times longer! I have never used the suction thing with my daughter ive used cotton buds to get the closest ones and it helps her out i would try that if i was you. Good Luck x

Tristan - posted on 01/10/2010

My baby girl has reflux as well. We have tried Zantac and now we are on previcid. Neither helped. I got a sleep positioner and along with the elevated crib mattress, she sleeps on her side. The side sleeping REALLY seems to help a log. And gives me peace of mind because I'm always scared she's going to choke on her vomit!

As for the saline drops and suctioner....the suctioner only actually reaches 10% of their nasal cavity. So if he hates it, don't torture him because the saline drops alone will help him.

I also swaddle my baby girl. Helps with the colic sooooo incredibly much. She calms right down once she's all wrapped up. If he isn't sleeping very well in his crib, try the bouncy seat or swing. I never let myself try them because I didn't want my daughter to get into that habit. However, I'm a stay at home mom and figured it wouldn't kill me to get up whenever she is up because I don't have other children or a job to worry about.
I hope he gets better soon. It's a tough road.

Jennifer - posted on 01/10/2010

my son isn't colic but he doesn't sleep either and if he does it is 10-20 mins durning the day and at night can vary so i don't sleep much try cereal in his bottle u can do 1 tablespoon of cereal - 8 table sppons depending on how many oz the baby eats that is what my sons peds is doing for his stomach acid reflex that does help alittle bit i also lay him across my knees and bounce him while i pat his back or i sit him on my lap and gently rock him back and forth that helps him with the air bubbles in his tummy too he likes to take baths so i give him warm baths and cereal before bed although he doesn't sleep long it does work i hope some of this helps

Christy - posted on 01/09/2010

my daughter was born on 9-22-09 and has all the same problems.. We went to the soy formula but she was still throwing everything up so the dr put her back on alementium for colic " formula". She is also on prevacid 2x a day and she still takes cat naps and still has boodys in her nose. I have tried also the saline drops, and i have to hold her all the time. If i try to put her down for 5 min she screams her head off.. I have seen her getting a little better but not much... I am TOTALLY in the same boat as u r.. It sucks and i work alot to and have to come home to a baby that wont sleep.. :(

Nia - posted on 01/08/2010

Quoting Haydee:

Colic, Constepation, acid reflux and no sleep..Help

ok My son Alejandro is 3months and 3 weeks he has colic, acid reflux he doesn't sleep long and he has a constante stuffy nose. I have brought him to the Dr. so many times and I have done everything they say but it seems that nothing works. they put him on acid reflux meds 3x aday they cahnged his formula to soy. I have try the humidefier cold mist like the Dr. said for his nose elavating the mattress the saline drops.using the suction thing wich you can't use to often because it swells up his nose and makes it worst. I don't know what todo any more so if there is anything you can tell me that might help please let me know

Hello Haydee,

I'm having the same issues and doing the same treatments, I haven't sleep more that two hours in so long! Does anyone know what to do?

Christina - posted on 01/06/2010

My son had colic really bad. He would cry most of the day and then when it was dark out OMG.... he would scream for five solid hours, and there was nothing I could do. I tried burping, rocking, walking, swinging and nothing. My friend suggested that I change his milk to nutramigen, its made for colic, I did and in about two weeks he was a totally different baby. He would smile and play and didn't hardly cry unless he was hungry. The only downside is that the milk smells bad but my babies not in pain anymore. Also try drops made by newtons lab called tummy upset, these drops work miracles. The drops are natural and have no side effects and it usually only takes ablout 3 drops under the tongue to help with any stomach discomfort, and its only about $14, for a bottle that lasts forever. Its never fun to see your child in pain, and colic makes being a mommy not fun but I promise this worked for my son and it can't hurt to try. I hope this helps you.

Jennifer - posted on 01/05/2010

Flaxseed oil...To the original post.. my son had the same thing.. from the second week he was born.. I have found that a couple thing work.. One is, tilting the bed, but by now he is wiggling and probably going to wiggle down the crib.. so I would put small rolled up blanket on either side.. Then I went to the pharmacy and bought the Vicks vapor plug ins.. and the worked amazing.. especially at night.. cause he would do the chocking thing.. were he sounds like he not breathing.. and that really helped with that.. that all help, but didn't take away the problem.. then about 6 weeks later, my doc finally suggested I start taking flaxseed oil pills.. and with a lot of prayer, mind you, in about 2 weeks, all the cloggy-ness went away.. Trust me.. there is no harm in trying it.. It is great for your skin and it will do no harm to the baby.. they even have drops for those who are not breast feeding, just ask the doc the next time you go in, as for breast-feeding moms, you can take 2000mg a day.. Which is only two tablets..

I hope that helped..

Jennifer - posted on 01/05/2010

my son had pylocric stenosis which it is only common in newborn kids and had to have surgury at 5wks old as a result of that he has acid reflexs we have him on zantac 2 times a day cereal in his bottle(which he has been on since a month old) it is to help by having something more solid then formula in his tummy he sits up after meals ped and surgeon both told me that was would happen and he would probably throw up until he is at least 6 mos old i signs we saw that told us he had acid reflux he scrunchs his body up when he lays flat on his back he throws up after he eats he cries cause he is in pain from it and i can hear it come up and him swollow it back down also he is a very hard burp but a gassy baby it does keep him up and he doesn't sleep alot but cereal does help 1-7 teaspoon for 4 oz of formula and so on it does help him with it alittle bit but he still has to deal with it all the time we are on the phone with doc all the time to try to find ways to make it better i also have him on stage 1 baby food peas carrots bananna's peaches applesauce to even give him something more solid in his belly so everyone keep your fingers crossed that i find a even ground soon

Rebel - posted on 01/05/2010

My son has acid reflux. He had an upper GI yesterday to confirm it. He is on previcid but its not helping much. He pukes so much. I am waiting for his doc to call back to see what we are going to do next. He also has constipation and is on soy which I dont think is helping that part out. I cant do the elevated mattress because he turns himself around in all directions. lol He sleeps super great at night though. Its the daytime when he suffers from his reflux.

August - posted on 01/04/2010

I think my son has acid reflux but Im not sure what the symptoms are. How did you know your kids had it?

Emma - posted on 01/04/2010

I never would have thought it but on advice from my sister in law who had 3 nightmare babies I took my little reflux baby to the chiropractor and after a few weeks no more reflux - he's totally cured with no meds! My little man also has lots of dried snots that block his nose, I use saline drops before his nice warm bath and a WARM air humidifier if it's not too hot (it's summer in Australia at the moment). Good luck, it sounds tough and I hope you're looking after yourself.

Sarah - posted on 12/31/2009

My daughter gets acid reflux too, i don't know what meds they gave you but we're using losec (omeprazole) - she still has heaps of reflux but it makes her more comfortable. We feed her so she's sitting up, and keep her upright and quiet for about 15 minutes after a feed. Our daughter gets the stuffy nose and sneezes too, but thats from the reflux (when she vomits it comes out of her nose as well). Do you have an infant swinging chair? we put her in it after a feed because it keeps her upright and settled, she naps in it of a day too. With the mattress elevation it needs to be a fairly significant elevation (around 30 degrees), over here you can buy rubber wedges that keep the mattress the right degree, but i just use 3 or 4 very thick books. When you give the medication i find it works better giving it about 10 minutes before a feed and not mixed with milk, if we give it with milk she just vomits it back up and it doesn't do the job.