Crying baby

[Leanna]

My baby is four weeks old and he has been sometimes crying like he is in pain and then lets out gas and calms down. Is this normal or is he allergic?

Also almost every night he cries for 1-3 hours no matter what I do. Do you think he just needs to let off steam? Did anyone else experience this and how did you deal with it?

 

[andiesmama]

I'm not an expert by any means!! But, sounds to me like if he stops crying after he lets out gas, then he just had some "steam" he had to let off. Is this usually right after he eats? If so, just make sure you burp him really well. Usually, if you think they're done burping, they usually have one more in there!! (at least, that's the way it was with mine!) Are you breast-feeding or doing formula? Because if it's formula, it may be the type of formula you're using. Try switching to a different brand. As for the 1-3 hours of crying, if it's near around the same time every night, from what I read when my daughter was born it may be colic...I never went through it with mine, though...

Any thoughts from you other mommies out there??

Good luck & hang in there!!

 

[Mayzoo]

My sweetie had colic for quite a while. I would lay her on her back and move her legs in a circle in the air like she was bicycling. It helped to get the excess gas out of her intestines. Also, warm blankets out of the dryer put on her tummy helped a little. Massaging her tummy in circles counter clockwise helped with the cramps. Laying her on her tummy across my legs and rubbing her back and head helped. And lastly when all else failed....we danced for hours to christian baby songs turned up loudly and that soothed her some. Great aerobic exercise by the way.


We also had to try several formulas, finally settling on Nutramagen.

 

[Jenna]

My daughter was a preemie, and had a sensitive stomach. She was prone to having gas, and would cry a lot on occassion also. What also helped her were those Mylicon Gas Drops. Different brands make the same thing too.

 

[andiesmama]

Oh yea, I forgot about those gas drops! We used those, too, & they worked really well!!

 

[Why?]

Definately get the drops! (I hate to repeat others, but they work!!!) It sounds like colic to me. The drops were a sanity saver!

 

[HeatherJay]

Get...the...drops. LOL. They do really help. You can put a few drops in her bottle if you bottle feed, or just squirt them in her cheek.

And yeah, if it's hours of crying around the same time every night, it's probably colic. Mine liked to be laid across my lap on their bellies and I would gently bounce them or rub their backs. Also, pushing her legs up to her chest and doing the bicycle motions should help some.

Take heart. They do grow out of it relatively quickly if it's colic. If it's something else, like her formula brand, that can take longer to figure out. My first had to be put on soy formula...my second could only drink Carnation Good Start.

Also, check her nipples if she's a bottle baby...if the milk is coming out too fast, it could be causing her to swallow excess bubbles and become gassier.

 

[BeanMak]

it also helps to take them for a drive. That helps quiet them. I had a colicky one too. It is exhausting for every one. The good thing is that by 12 weeks, it seems to clear up on its own

 

[alaskamolly]

Often it is food related.


If you are nursing, then pay attention to what you are eating just a bit. Some babies just can't handle certain things for those first 3 months.

I know my last baby HATED coffee and chocolate...which I was drinking a mocha every morning (I'm usually a health food nut, but I was on a binge--hey, it was my 4th baby in 5 years--I figured I was entitled to a binge! )...

So he spent his first 3 weeks screaming his head off every evening... As soon as I figured it might be coffee...and then figured the chocolate wasn't so good either...he was a little sweetheart!

One baby was a 2 week old when I went to a family picnic...and ate chips with jalapeno cheese dip... Let's just say she didn't approve! Poor thing screamed for about 4 hours straight once those jalapeno's hit her system, about 5 hours after the picnic! It was TERRIBLE. My husband commanded me to abstain from the dip for the next 3 months, let me tell ya! *grin*


Usually what you eat will get into the breastmilk about 4-6 hours later. So keeping a little log of your foods will help you figure out what the offending item or items may be... Many babies can't take gassy foods (like brocolli or cabbage), whilst others can't deal with anything spicy...others it's acidy foods like coffee, about 1/3 of babies can't deal with chocolate (a shame, I know!), while others have a problem with dairy (my best friend can't drink milk when she's nursing a baby)...etc... A food log will really help narrow it down for ya!

And, keep in mind, their digestive difficulties go away after those first 3 months (usually)...and then you can go back to your same old foods!
It's a pain to go off your favorite foods, I know, but nursing is so awesome that it's worth it!


Blessings,
Molly
Your CF lactation consultant (harharhar)...
Moooooo....

 

[Leanna]

Yes he is a crabby baby every night! It is unfortunate because I wish he could be crabby during the day when it is just me because my husband comes home and only sees the crabby side. Are you allowed to try the gas drops without talking to the doctor first? He is pretty young. We are formula feeding because breastfeeding went very badly for me and I almost lost my mind! By the time I gave up we had taken him in to the doctor and he was dehydrated. Better luck next time maybe. I am not sure if it is the formula, but what would allergies look like? Or how do you know if they aren't getting along with the formula? I don't understand how to lay him on his belly on my lap without his head being unsupported?

Last night went well because he would cry constantly if we weren't bouncing and distracting him from 6:30-9:00 but then when he ate at 9 and we put him in his crib he went to sleep. That is much better than other nights where he is a little fussy all evening and then cries from 9 or 10 until 1.

 

[bliz]

Experiment. A lot.

Some babies will quiet down if you take them in the bath tub with you. The warm water is very soothing for some. If that works - that could become a great activity for Dad!

Some babies do better if you hold them, stomach down, with their heads near your elbow and your hand on their crotch. This puts more pressure on the tummies and that sometimes helps.

Some babies - nothing will help. I had one of those! Take turns holding him. You probably just need to walk out of the house and around the block just so you don't hear him for awhile. It will not last forever... it only seems like it will... But try the bath tub for sure!

 

[HeatherJay]

I had I guess what people today would call a nanny when I was younger (although she was more like a second grandmother to me and my brother)...anyway, my little brother was very colicky. She would lay him on his back on a soft blanket and would sort of roll him from his left side to his right and then back again. She'd do it over and over and sing to him. She always said it helped him tremendously...possible since anything that you can do to get those gas bubbles moving helps out.

But, yes, experiment. And try not to let it get you down too much. I can remember breaking down in tears and crying WITH my colicky babies...that's the time you need to hand-off to Daddy and go out for a trip to the grocery store, or a walk around the block or something. The more relaxed you are, the more your baby will be able to relax. Children are VERY sensitive to tension within the home, and often that tension adds to their stress.

 

[Leanna]

Yes there have been times when I have started crying! After many hours of screaming even when he does calm down and I leave the room I can hear "phantom cries." It is getting worse by the day and today is the worst. All day he was been crying until we get him comfortable. And it is so miserable because he SOUNDS like he is in pain, it stops being crying and becomes screaming. Last night and this morning I gave him some of the gas drops but it is hard to tell if it is helping because of the timing. I have heard a lot of people talk about allergies to certain formulas or "milk" allergies, can someone tell me what this would look like and how I would know?

 

[andiesmama]

well from what I've read, an upset tummy & alot of gas could be a sign. Also when he poops, his bottom may be really red, like a diaper rash. Do you know about the parenting websites like babycenter.com & babyzone.com? They are really good & you can do searches to find answers, too! But if you're still concerned, I would call your pediatrician if not this weekend then on Monday!

 

[HeatherJay]

Yes there have been times when I have started crying! After many hours of screaming even when he does calm down and I leave the room I can hear "phantom cries." It is getting worse by the day and today is the worst. All day he was been crying until we get him comfortable. And it is so miserable because he SOUNDS like he is in pain, it stops being crying and becomes screaming. Last night and this morning I gave him some of the gas drops but it is hard to tell if it is helping because of the timing. I have heard a lot of people talk about allergies to certain formulas or "milk" allergies, can someone tell me what this would look like and how I would know?

The most obvious sign for me with mine oldest was that she couldn't keep the milk based formulas down...she'd spit up basically everything that she'd just eaten.

With my youngest, it was gas that was the problem...it was her bowel movements. They were practically never soft and runny like baby stools should be...they were hard little balls, and it literally was painful for her to poop. Babies don't have the proper muscle development to push out a bowel movement...and her bowels would just get more and more backed up. Oh my goodness, it was HORRIBLE. We had the worst time finding something that would help her. And I got no real help from my doctors...they would just give me that look like I was just a hyper mother over reacting to my baby's bowel movements....grrr. I seriously considered taking her to a specialist to see if there was something wrong internally...but by that time she was outgrowing it and we found that by cutting out the majority of her milk that we could manage it pretty well. I was told over and over that it wasn't a milk allergy, but I still wonder. She's not lactose intolerant, I don't think, but she still can't drink too much milk or her poops make her cry.

So, it's really just a matter of trying different things to see what works. Like I said, Good Start worked fairly well for us (but it didn't help her completely). Nutrimagen is supposed to be much closer to breast milk than other formulas. It's more expensive but it might help.

 

[Leanna]

Okay, thanks. Last night was a good night, not too much crying before he went to sleep. I will keep an eye out and see how things go.

I think the gas drops helped