Preemies and Colic.. HELP!!

Crystal - posted on 04/22/2012

It may not be colic... Many, MANY babies that act colicky (especially preemies) have GERD... Which is reflux. All 3 of my babies had it, the first was a 33 Weeker. Is there more spitup than normal, smell the babies breath when he/she is "colicky" if it smells very acidic it's reflux & there are things you can do to help like medications, smaller more often feelings or adding a tsp of rice cereal (only under your dr's advice) to each bottle. My preemie that had it, didn't outgrow it till she was 2 yrs old! When she was 4 months old she spit up soooo much that she aspirated & stopped breathing!!! Being a NYC EMT, i suctioned her & used a BVM w/O2 that i kept nest to her crib since she came home from the NICU thank god! It never happened again but it was how we found out.... With my other 2, i recognized that smell & knew they had it too! My youngest had dusky episodes from it... The acidity would basically knock the wind out of her & she would stop breathing till u changed her position or patted her back to "remind" her to breathe. It was very scary. Most babies w/reflux don't have severe issues like these but they are more common to babies w/GERD. Is she breast fed or formula fed? If formula dr will likely have u try a different formula. My oldest was BF but her reflux got better on formula but was still there so we tried lots of formulas & alimentium was the winner (it's stinky though)
Pay attention to breath smells, spitup smells & quantity. Even if that's normal splitting feedings up so that they are shorter & more often may help. If the signs of GERD are there go to your ped. Good Luck!

Lily - posted on 10/10/2011

Mylecon did it for my baby that was premature too, doctor may prescrive something if it's get worse always talk to him about it but Mylecon is amazing and help develope with ensimas he's little stomag, take always the gases after feeding him even if he's sleeping, when he awake nd cry like that touch he's stomag to see if it's hard for the gases, if it's not hard the check he's diper and if it's not he's diper maybe he is hungry and if it's not then wrap him all around he's arms cause one thing is maybe he is tire and because he's so little babys can't control the movements of the arms so that he may awake himself and cry because he can sleep for the movement of he's arm. Try that and he'll sleep, also use the bottles with the especial bavula like the Medela or Doctor braun, thous are the best, that actually reduce the colic, trust me it works.a

Nina - posted on 08/19/2011

When my preemie was crying all night long not long after we took her home from the hoispital; I called up a friend of mine. She is in her 70's and has raised 8 children, numerous grand children and some great grand children. anyway, she instructed me to get a small baby bottle full of warm water with a piece of peppermint in it. Not only does it de-constipate a baby, it soothes the stomache discomfort from gas/colic/constpation. An old fashioned trick that works. I swear by it. There are also anti-gas drps available as well as specvial formulas meant for colic. Some bottles are specially made to combat colic too. After feeding your baby with this stuff or the peppermint trick(the whole amount DOES NOT need to be consumed), give the baby a warm bath too.
God, I remember when Sheila would cry for hours-I was scared of the neighbors getting pissed off(apartments-gotta love em).

Sometimes a stroll/car ride helps too.

Sherrie-ann - posted on 08/17/2011

Dr Brown bottles really seemed to work for me.I didn't use anything else for his first year. I would suggest a heating pad on the lowest setting, putting a light blanket over it and placing it on your son's tummy for no more than five minutes, just to help ease the gas. I worked for me but most doctors might advise against it cause you have to be careful with heating pads not getting too warm or heating the internal body temperature too high. Lowest heat setting for no more than five minutes at a time and not on his bare skin. This is only from my experience as a mom, nothing more. My son was a 32 week preemie.

Barbara - posted on 08/16/2011

My son was born 5 weeks early and he did have colic. I don't know if you breast or bottle feed but we changed formulas and it worked wonders. The doctor put him on a formula called Nutramigen. He used that for a couple months and he was fine. I think within the first bottle or 2 his tummy was feeling better.

Christine - posted on 07/03/2009

Mine was 27 weeks and had it bad. It went from about 4pm-9pm. He slept all night though. It does pass. While I remember it clearly, I know I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Dana - posted on 06/30/2009

Robin, I hope by now things are better. It does seem like sometimes you may lose your mind with colic. I think every mom goes through that at some point. My son had colic but he didn't have gas or reflux. My son and I were at Cleveland Rainbows and babies for a few weeks, he was born at 34 wks. He's actually in a study for acid reflux b/c it is so common in preemies. So that is def. worth looking into. I really never knew what was the cause of his colic, sometimes it's overstimulation as the day goes on. What worked wonders for us was, we swaddled him and put him on top of the dryer while it ran. My husband and I put a love seat in front of the dryer and spent alot of our evenings there. It was a life saver. It sounds weird but when it's colic you'll try anything until you find that one thing that saves your sanity

Karina - posted on 06/23/2009

Dear Robin, how is it now??

My 32wkr is 27 months now. For me those episodes went away when my baby was 18 months !!! Of course they decreased, sometimes ceased, but then again we suffer them with her.

It was Horrible !!!! I just wanted to go someplace far far away...of course later I felt awful for having those feelings.

For us the problem was a combination of: a) Reflux, b) Colic, c) Gas....lots of painful gas and d) The milk...

Let me hear from you...and talk later again

Pamela - posted on 06/18/2009

My first some was born at 36 weeks, so an older premie and the second was 10 weeks early. When my son was a few weeks old he started to cry and arch his back after he would eat. I could not stand to see him pain. The Dr's said it would pass, that was not good enough for me. If I eat something and it makes me sick I don't eat it again. I tried 5 different formula until we ended up with Enfamil Gentlease (purple can) with less lactose, for gas and fussy babies. They say you need to be on a formula for 5-7 days to see if it really works. My daughter was sent home from the NICU on Enfacare, the 22 cal formula. After a few weeks she was in pain as well, so this time I went straight back to the Gentlease and she was better instantly. Now I am not saying this formula will work for your baby but you can keep searching to fins on that does. Also since my premie need to put on weight. and still does we mix the formula ratio of 3 scoops per 5 oz, per the Dr's orders. Also another friend recommended Colic Ease or Colic Calm, you can find it at GNC or special stores as well as on line. I did not have to use it.

Good Luck and don't accept it's normal, try to do whatever will give your baby comfort and you as well.



Pam

Stara - posted on 06/18/2009

To help with constapation give him dark Karyo (sp?) it is in the baking needs. Pour some in his bottle and he should have a bm within a few hours. Hope this helps

Kelly - posted on 06/18/2009

My daughter was 7 weeks early and I remember the colic weeks! I say weeks because we sought relief through cranio sacral therapy (infant chiropractics). IT. WORKS. WONDERS. I highly recommend you find an infanct chiropractor or (better) a cranio sacral therapist. Once we started getting help it phased out over 3 weeks. Which seemed like forever at the time, but it beat the possiblility of 3 months! I'd be happy to share more with you. Email me if you have questions!

Keri - posted on 06/17/2009

Does your son have acid reflux? My daughter used to have horrible crying spells, mainly at night, but stopped once we put her on medication for reflux. (She was also born 12 weeks early.) When we first came home from the hospital she wasn't on any medication because they did a Ph probe that came back negative. Even though it was negative it turns out she still had reflux. I think she would get so overstimulated- which they say is very common for preemies- and then have trouble settling down. The reflux was made worse by all the crying. Swaddling and swaying def helped. We also found the bathroom fan and the vaccum cleaner would help settle her. Good luck! It will get better.

Michelle - posted on 06/15/2009

Also - forgot to say that the reason I think your son could have reflux is what you said about "You know when he has those colic moments usually after eating he winds up screaming" - this is classic reflux behaviour where the pain of the milk coming back up is causing the screaming. I could be wrong but it is worth getting it checked out.

Michelle - posted on 06/15/2009

My heart goes out to you coz I remember how bad things were when my daughter (6 weeks early) was like this. She would sleep for 45 mins to an hour at a time and then scream. It used to take me till 1am to get her to bed then she would sleep till 2am then scream for an hour or two, then we'd start the whole process all over again.



Everyone told me it was colic and eventually I was told to use controlled crying and leave her to cry for longer periods to see if she would just fall asleep. I tried for a couple of days and it was heart breaking so took her to the doctor (again) and broke down crying and she finally was diagnosed with severe reflux. I would find another doctor if I was you and see if you can try some reflux medication. Even if your son doesn't spit up much he still could have silent reflux.As soon as she got on the medication she was a different baby who could sleep for 3 or 4 hours at a time no worries.

Theres a couple of different meds you can try so if one doesn't work I would ask for another to try. One of the doctors we saw said that premmies are much more prone to reflux than term babies coz their digestive systems are underdeveloped when they are born. This is a New Zealand website (I'm a kiwi) so some of the info might not be relevant but you might find this helpful (I did) www.cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz

April - posted on 06/11/2009

My daughter was 7 weeks early and cried all of the time also. I watched her after feedings and noticed she was making sour faces and vurping alot. So I insisted to the doctor that she had acid reflux. After 3 visits, they finally gave her some medicine for the reflux. It took about 2 weeks to start working and the crying stopped.

Robin - posted on 06/10/2009

Thanks...You know when he has those colic moments usually after eating he winds up screaming and connects bottles so it's a hunger,pain,tired cried.. I did try the pacifier and 95% of the time it makes him more angry and spits it out. It's not until he wears himself out from crying for hours that he gives in. What usually get him is S's the swinging and shushing. I think he's also constipated. He has not pooped in 2 days... No more colic calm for him.



Thanks for the help....it's always nice to hear from other moms that went through the same thing. I'm looking forward to this time to pass.



Did you feel like you couldn't really enjoy her? I have not really gotten time to enjoy him. He spent 7 weeks in the NICU and when he came home the colic started. When he's awake, he will not just lay there and look around he will cry. So if he's not screaming his head off, he's sleeping. Never get a chance to interact with him and i feel down about that.

Chona - posted on 06/10/2009

Yes. I did feel like I was going to lose my mind. I would have to just leave the room for a min or two. Yes she would scream during the day also. Now thinking back I think she was trying to tell me she was hungry again or just really tired. But at the time I was like"what is wrong with her". Gradually she got used to the "this is night time" routine and started to sleep more during that colic time. It didn't last more that two months.

Chona - posted on 06/10/2009

I forgot to mention the S's Swaddle, Swing, Shush, and suck. Have you tried a pacifier?

Robin - posted on 06/10/2009

Did you feel like your were going to lose your mind? Did she have those episodes during the day too? He does. How long does it last usually? I've been walking the floors with him rocking him and doing the "sshhhhing" sound that i read helps. My neighbors must be going crazy too and wondering what i'm doing to my baby. Did it just one day end or did she have less episodes gradually? Thanks so much for your help. It's a relief knowing it will end eventually.

Chona - posted on 06/10/2009

Yes. OMG YES!. It will go away. I do remember those nights. it wasn't so far away. My 33wkr is 7 months now. I would put her in my SleepyWrap and just walk around the house, until finally my husband would get up and take a shift. It was every night from 8-12. We started a bath time routine and swaddle blanket that helped a lot. I tried colic Calm too. I don't know if it worked but we tried it. I started singing the ABC'S with sign language, it helped me from the frustration. It will be over before you know it, hang in there.