My baby has colic! How long does colic last in babies?

Monika - posted on 03/26/2013

I came here looking for ideas but there is nothing new for me to try. I can actually add one more idea - the only time I get a break from my 8 week's old crying is when I nurse her. Since I have a low-ish milk supply anyway ( I worked with a consultant and I'm up to 3 oz per feeding now), I'm supposed to nurse her as frequently as possible anyway, so I just spend hours with her on the couch or carry her the bjorn carrier, breastfeeding on the go, she finds comfort in nursing and quiets down immediately, most often dosing of within the first 5 - 10 minutes. No bottle or pacifier or vibrating accessories have this effect. (If you have a big milk supply, I'd advise pumping for 10 mins or so before using your breasts to calm your baby down, so that you don't overfeed her/him.) If my baby has really really bad colic, I can tell only because she moves her legs and arms more than usual while nursing, that's the only way I can tell, seriously try it. Best thing is that it helps with bonding, comforts and tells the baby you love her, eliminating the noise all at the same time.

CAROLYN - posted on 05/27/2012

a warm pillow can help and my daughter had colic when she was about that age. My husband and I played cards with another couple, when the deal passed so did she. ha, My daughter fussed and cried from about 7pm until 3am I had tean agers and we all took turns with her. she is now 40 years of age . As i recall the doctor prescribed drops that helped. It lasted about 3 months. Good luck and Give him a kiss from me.

Autumn - posted on 05/13/2012

To all of the moms trying to cope with colic babies, a couple of things worked for
Me and my first child who was colic until about 3 1/2 months of age: white noise, the tv on a channel with no reception ( the sound from it) soothed her. The sound of the vaccum,
Turning the radio on low and dancing with her until she fell asleep, putting her atop the washing machine while it's cycling while in her car seat and last but not least driving in the car until she passed out and then leaving her to sleep the remainder of the night there. We took many rides at 1 and 2 am;) I feel your pain and you will make it through. Be strong it will be over soon

Alicia - posted on 05/10/2012

I need someone to tell me its going to get better for him and myself I feel so bad for him I try my best to burp him right :(

Melissa - posted on 03/27/2012

My son is now 3 1/2 months old and still has colic. He has been breastfed and we have tried about 5 different formulas, even the hypoallergenic one. He seems to do good on a formula for about 3 weeks and then there is no consoling him. So we change it and its a ugly cycle. I feel horrible changing it when his tummy has just gotten used to it but if I don't he isn't just collicy here and there thru the day but through out the day & night. His pediatrician recommended I cut out all dairy, carbonated drinks, caffiene and gassy foods, such as broccoli, etc when I breastfeed. As for the dairy I should slowly re-introduce it into my diet in 7-10 days. If I do have any of these items I need to wait 5 hours to breastfeed, so it won't affect him. I can tell you I stop eating and drinking any thing other then water past 7/8pm and he still has troubles when I breastfeed him at about 2/3 the morning. To top it off he is a mommas boy so when daddy tries to help he just screams louder. We use the gas drops and the Gripe water which seems to help a little here and there but knowing nothing agrees with his tummy & seeing him in pain, makes my heart ache.

My first son (JJ) had colic for the first 6 weeks and as a new mom I would cry when his dad came home from work and couldnt wait for him to take our son so I could get some air. The day I went back to work is the day his colic stopped (doesn't it figure). I have another doctors appt next week for my son but am on the verge of going to goats milk. I know my sister had to have it when she was a baby due to her sensitive stomach and issues with colic.

@ Charlene " My pediatrician seems to not think much of it. Sometimes I want to slam my head in a car door-seriously" Made me literally laugh out loud. I know the feeling all too well.

Renetia - posted on 09/27/2011

Bennets colic mixture is working for me. I know It is a horrible thing to go through! Good luck!

Amanda - posted on 09/27/2010

My baby has colic too. i just brought him to the hospital today and the nurse said that her baby had colic for about 15 weeks. She said " I block out the first four months of his life." God, I hope colic ends before 15 weeks. i'm only three weeks in and am already sooo tired. And often too think about slamming my head in the in a car door. I feel so bad just letting him sit and cry. I feel I may go crazy either way. If I let him cry it drives me nuts and if I try to get it to stop it drives me even more crazy because nothing works. LORD HELP US ALL!!!!!

Sri - posted on 05/22/2009

Hi Everyone, I am new to this site. I have read all the posts and its great to hear all the news and stories about colic - makes you not feel so alone. I have a 4.5 month old that has had severe colic since about 3 weeks old. We seem to be over the worst but still have really bad episodes most nights of the week. I have tried everything and somethings work some days then not on others. I am going to try a chiropractor this week so hopefully this will give her some relief. Its just so hard watching your baby in pain and feel so helpless that you can't do anything to fix it. Hopefully you are all seeing some results with your little ones too. Take Care

Patricia - posted on 05/20/2009

Hello, Ladies. I haven't read all the posts but I see so many re:colic and feel that I must post my experience. My daughter had colic for 3weeks and I remember that I once read about pediatric chiropractors and the incredible work they do with colicky babies so I decided to give it a shot..I was desperate ( I really don't know how mother's who deal with this for months, cope?!). I took Noella when she was three weeks old, desperate to help her and myself. That evening (after her appt) she was a completely different baby! There is a 97% success rate with P.C. for colicky babies ...I have read anywhere btw 90-07% depending on where you get your info (and not just for colic, but a whole slew of other issues, I also took her when she was coming down with a cold). I have referred several people to my daughter's chiro and can't stop raving about the benefits. It takes just a minute to do but is such a painless relief for the precious little one...something about resetting the nervous system *without spinal manipulation*(especially if birth was traumatic ie: c-section). It takes several sessions to get them on track but I saw immediate results and Noella felt immediate relief!...she has been sleeping with no problems/issues ever since. Good Luck to you all, I hope you try it and find relief! Happy Parenting!

http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bcryi...,,40lm,00.html

http://www.colichelp.com/colicandchiropr...

http://www.fussybaby.ca/chiropracticcoli...

Chariti - posted on 05/13/2009

http://colicsupport.proboards.com/index....

here is the site I used regularly to cry, vent, ask questions. They are great. If you need to talk, just drop me a note, I understand and it really does eventually get better its just a waiting game unfortunately. Just take care of your selves otherwise you are no good to that baby or the rest of the family. I hope its helpful if you go to that site.

Chariti - posted on 05/13/2009

Colic does end, but that magical three month mark is bull. My two year old was a colicky baby,it finally started to go away for her around a year or so. Shes still tempermental and ritualistic but does not cry as much now. The docs and people will give you a whole list of why it happens or what the underlying cause is but the truth is, it just happens. I was part of a colic support group online, those ladies were wonderful they helped me keep my sanity. All of are babies only had 1 thing in common, they scream all the darn time. Each baby was different with what helped also, if anything but Olivia liked to be swaddled as tight as we could get her, then set in her vibrating chair and a blanket hung off the awning to it to block out the stimulation in the house. It would work for about an hour or so before the swaddle would loosen and then we would start the process all over again. Hang in there and eventually colic will end.

Charlene - posted on 05/06/2009

Oh, I wanted to mention that he is exclusively breastfed, so there's the whole "its something your eating" thing, but I eat well...if I didn't eat some of the things they don't want me to eat, I wouldn't be eating much...

Charlene - posted on 05/06/2009

I had my first son last Dec., and I was "blessed" w/a colicky baby. My boyfriend and I started having second thoughts, I started wishing I had never gotten pregnant! All he does is scream nonstop loudly all day! In the mornings he's okay, then mid-afternoon came with crazy loud screaming crying that made me want to put him in a wicker basket and send him down the flipping river like Moses. I've read books, I've researched online, I've talked to all my friends, I've bought gas drops and every homeopathic remedy I could find, and now I'm going to start him on solids to see if that will work. Honestly, I never really knew what colic was, and now when I tell people he has it, the most common response is "Oh, I'm sorry!" Well, I thought it was supposed to go away at the end of three months, but here we are near 5 months and colic has not ended. My pediatrician seems to not think much of it. Sometimes I want to slam my head in a car door-seriously how are you supposed to love, bond with, or even like your baby when he's like this??? I look at all the happy moms in the grocery store and I want to punch them! Not really, but, you know, green eyed monster...aahhhh...so I wish I had a more positive reply. I'm sorry that you're going thru it, too. Its really tough, and by the time we're over it, maybe we'll be like SUPER MOMS or something. Maybe our kids will grow up and become rich famous or neurosurgeons or something and dedicate their success to Mom, who refrained from the ever tempting ever lasting bathtub dunk that would have prevented their success. J/K I see that it is not as intense as before, so I know its on its way out. Just remember that its okay to put him in his crib/pac'n'play/sleep spot and just let him cry it out. Sometimes it takes awhile, other times it only takes 10 minutes. It will not hurt him. And to the people who say don't let your baby cry because of the cortisol levels, well, they don't have colicky babies, I can bet that! Well, know you're not alone, and I hope things are better, as I see your query is dated the end of March. We deserve an EXTRA SPECIAL day on the 10th, that's for sure!!! Happy Mother's Day!

Amanda - posted on 09/27/2010

My baby has colic too. i just brought him to the hospital today and the nurse said that her baby had colic for about 15 weeks. She said " I block out the first four months of his life." God, I hope colic ends before 15 weeks. i'm only three weeks in and am already sooo tired. And often too think about slamming my head in the in a car door. I feel so bad just letting him sit and cry. I feel I may go crazy either way. If I let him cry it drives me nuts and if I try to get it to stop it drives me even more crazy because nothing works. LORD HELP US ALL!!!!!

Chariti - posted on 05/13/2009

Colic does end, but that magical three month mark is bull. My two year old was a colicky baby,it finally started to go away for her around a year or so. Shes still tempermental and ritualistic but does not cry as much now. The docs and people will give you a whole list of why it happens or what the underlying cause is but the truth is, it just happens. I was part of a colic support group online, those ladies were wonderful they helped me keep my sanity. All of are babies only had 1 thing in common, they scream all the darn time. Each baby was different with what helped also, if anything but Olivia liked to be swaddled as tight as we could get her, then set in her vibrating chair and a blanket hung off the awning to it to block out the stimulation in the house. It would work for about an hour or so before the swaddle would loosen and then we would start the process all over again. Hang in there and eventually colic will end.

Charlene - posted on 05/06/2009

I had my first son last Dec., and I was "blessed" w/a colicky baby. My boyfriend and I started having second thoughts, I started wishing I had never gotten pregnant! All he does is scream nonstop loudly all day! In the mornings he's okay, then mid-afternoon came with crazy loud screaming crying that made me want to put him in a wicker basket and send him down the flipping river like Moses. I've read books, I've researched online, I've talked to all my friends, I've bought gas drops and every homeopathic remedy I could find, and now I'm going to start him on solids to see if that will work. Honestly, I never really knew what colic was, and now when I tell people he has it, the most common response is "Oh, I'm sorry!" Well, I thought it was supposed to go away at the end of three months, but here we are near 5 months and colic has not ended. My pediatrician seems to not think much of it. Sometimes I want to slam my head in a car door-seriously how are you supposed to love, bond with, or even like your baby when he's like this??? I look at all the happy moms in the grocery store and I want to punch them! Not really, but, you know, green eyed monster...aahhhh...so I wish I had a more positive reply. I'm sorry that you're going thru it, too. Its really tough, and by the time we're over it, maybe we'll be like SUPER MOMS or something. Maybe our kids will grow up and become rich famous or neurosurgeons or something and dedicate their success to Mom, who refrained from the ever tempting ever lasting bathtub dunk that would have prevented their success. J/K I see that it is not as intense as before, so I know its on its way out. Just remember that its okay to put him in his crib/pac'n'play/sleep spot and just let him cry it out. Sometimes it takes awhile, other times it only takes 10 minutes. It will not hurt him. And to the people who say don't let your baby cry because of the cortisol levels, well, they don't have colicky babies, I can bet that! Well, know you're not alone, and I hope things are better, as I see your query is dated the end of March. We deserve an EXTRA SPECIAL day on the 10th, that's for sure!!! Happy Mother's Day!