So I broke down today. I was finally freaked out about something enough to call the doctor and bring Finley in for an unscheduled check up. It’s Mike’s fault. He’s the one who looked at her this morning and said “she really looks like she’s straining to breathe.” Then when I said I’m calling the doctor - he said it was probably nothing. Hello! Don’t tell a high strung mom it looks like your baby is having trouble breathing and then act surprised when she wants to call the doctor.
Things have actually been a little challenging with our peanut lately. I think I mentioned in a previous post that she was cluster feeding all the time. At first I chalked it up to a growth spurt - but unless the last three weeks have been a growth spurt, there’s something else going on. Last night for instance, she fed from 6:30 PM until 2:30 AM. Everytime I would try and lay her down, she started screaming bloody murder. It was Mike’s birthday and already he had to skip out on our special family dinner because he had to help out at work - but then he had to deal with me calling him after the 10PM news to say hurry home to help with Mrs. Cranky Pants. Happy Birthday to him.
Anyway, when I got to the doctor today to talk about the breathing problem, she took one look at me and the bags under my eyes and asked “how’s mom.” Instant waterworks. It ended up being a cry fest as I explained how she was eating and crying all night. And then she said it. The word no parent wants to hear. ”It sounds like she has a little colic.” Nooooo!!!!!! I can deal with the endless feedings and the lack of sleep, but listening to Finley cry and watching her lip quiver and not being able to do anything about it…is like a knife in the gut. And basically, you just have to wait it out until they outgrow it. I’m trying to look at this with the glass half full though. Lisa Klein’s oldest daughter had colic about ten times worse than Finley. She screamed all day and night and sometimes even feeding couldn’t calm that girl down. And man did she have some lungs. So, it could be a lot worse. (it’s a wonder Lisa ever had #2)
The breathing issue by the way, turned out to be nothing. My doctor, bless her heart, checked over all the vitals; ears, eyes, heart, lungs and everything looked just fine. She clearly was more concerned about me.
On a positive note - she smiled for the first time a few days ago. She had smiled in her sleep before, but a big toot usually followed, so I’m guessing those times were just gas. But a few days ago, wide awake, she looked up at me and showed off that toothless grin. That makes that 7 hours of crying instantly fade away…
Jen
on Feb 12th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
I had a colic baby, I remember getting in the car with her at 2 am and going for a ride just to have some peace. She cried, and I kid you not, for 18 hours a day (not a fun period in our lives)! So what helped for us was the swing, if you don’t have one invest in one NOW! We also switched her formula to soy and that made a huge difference. Otherwise all you can do is take turns with her, leave the house if even to go sleep in the car, and remember this too shall pass!!
on Feb 12th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Ohhhh I remember those days. Jen..I too had a colic baby boy. You feel sooo helpless. There were times I had to lock myself in my own room, just to calm myself down. It killed me to let him alone and cry it out!
Jen, I have two suggestions.
#1: play soft music. My son seemed to settle down when music was played.
#2: Have you tried “Johnsons Calming Bedtime Bath?”
They didnt have this particular brand back when my son was a baby, but….
I actually use this in my bath for myself, and honestly…I fall asleep much better! They also have a “lotion” too.
Good luck to you Jen. I’m sure you are apprehensive too, going back to work soon. Things will get better. Hang in there!
Happy belated Birthday Mike!
on Feb 12th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
On top of schedules, another child and husband to take care of (sorry Mike)
This is not one of the most enjoyable times that you can have and I am sure that I did not have to tell you that. My daughter now 17 yrs and my only child had colic just horrible. I used to have to call my father down the street to come and pick me and baby up at ungodly hours in the night just to take her
cruisin around town and she would instantly fall asleep. Now mind you this did not always work. A trick that my grandmother taught me (bless her heart) was to take luke warm water with one of those peppermint red and white hard candies soaked in the warm water for about 5-10 minutes and let her drink off that from a bottle. THe peppermint calms them down and gets rid of the gases in their tummy. Good luck Mike and Jen and big sister too!
on Feb 13th, 2009 at 10:08 am
You are doing fine. After breastfeeding 4 children they all go through cluster feeding, at one time or another some more than once. They are just increasing your milk supply to fuel their growth spurt. So just drink more fluids yourself and just relax even if you can’t fall asleep, just sitting there and enjoying your children works too. The dishes and floors can wait a few hours. I had to remind myself this after the 3rd one (he was a really big eater).
As for the colic try the football hold. with the baby’s head by the elbow, just draped face down over the arm, with a baby arm on each side, then stand and gently sway.
on Feb 13th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Hi Jen,
I was lucky. Four children and no colic! Have you tried swadling her. Wrapping her tightly in a blanket and rocking her. This seems to help.
on Feb 13th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Our son would not sleep at all more then five minutes in his bassinet or crib. We finally resorted to his carseat and he slept for 5-6 hours straight at 3 weeks old. By 10 weeks he was sleeping through the night. At 3 months old we put him in his crib, elevated for his colic and he transitioned smoothly. The carseat was a lifesaver and he is now a perfectly healthy cruising around little boy… I tell all my friends the carseat was a lifesaver
on Feb 13th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
My son had colic too. It came on at about 3 weeks and would start in the afternoon. A remedy my grandmother also said to try: take a cotton cloth (dish cloth, or cloth diaper) and warm it on a light bulb that is on. You do this for a short time to warm it up. Then lay it on the baby’s stomach. It soothes and helps to calm down the little one.
Just try it.
on Feb 14th, 2009 at 4:36 am
Happy Birthday to Mike so sorry to hear about Finley yyes she will out grow it baths at night work wonders goos luck.
on Feb 14th, 2009 at 9:55 am
I am with you Jen! My boy, he is five now, had colic so bad I thought he had to be dieing of some unknown, exotic illness that surely no one else had ever seen before! He also hated to be laid down and seemed hungry all the time. Turns out, it was acid reflux. The constant hunger was actually him needing the soothing milk to help keep the acid down.
I FORCED and I mean demanded a test for acid reflux for him at 3 weeks old. It was not a fun test (meaning it did not hurt him, but he did not like being held down for the scan). Sure enough, I watched the stuff go down his throat to his stomach and come right back up again the second he was laid down. They gave us prescription Zantac, which has a very strong peppermint taste (kudos to the candy idea!). We mixed it with a little juice to get him to take it, which made everyone cringe (juice at 3 weeks old, how horrible!). Then we made sure he slept propped up (car seat or crib with one end up). Changed everything!
He stopped wanting to eat all the time and actually slept. He still was not a big fan of laying down flat, but his slanted crib worked.
I don’t know if Finley has this at all, but if I hadn’t been told to ask about it, I wouldn’t know. Doctors seem to be relunctant to test for it, but as my doctor admitted…’they are not always right and mothers know!’. Trust yourself!
on Feb 15th, 2009 at 7:41 am
30+ years ago I had a daughter that had colic–I know how bad it can be and how hard on Mom and Dad. My doctor told me to go buy a small bottle( from the drug store at that time) (Maybe a cake decorating store now) of ESSENCE OF PEPPERMINT. Put 1 drop in every 8 oz of formula….or if nursing use 1 drop in 8 oz. of water in a bottle.
I gave my daughter maybe 4 bottles before that worked and that was the end of all the crying…she turned out to be a happy baby. I kept putting that one drop in until we gave up the bottles too. Many mothers back then had the bottle of Peppermint on hand before the babies were even born…just to be ready. Maybe this was the quick way of doing it following the same steps that TOBEY (#3 comment above) mentioned her Grandmother told her about. Now my grown daughter will not even have anything with Peppermint flavor in….must be a carryover.
on Feb 15th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Jen and Mike~
My daughter used to scream bloody murder 24 hours a day /7 days a week (no kidding) and needed a bottle every moment.I seriously didn’t know how long I could handle it. This went on for 16 MONTHS til one day my chiropractor heard her screaming while I was being adjusted. He took her and massaged her back and tummy (no adjustment just a massage) and she slept for the first time in her whole life all night long and didn’t need a bottle in her mouth all the time. The bottle seemed to ease her aches and pains.She became a happy little girl! She also weened herself off her bottle the next week since she didn’t need it to relive the pressure in her body anymore. He said that babies go through so much trauma being born that some need a massage to realign their bodies again. He said he had alot of moms who had just delivered who had brought their newborns to see him for massages. We all know how wonderful we feel after a massage, relieving sore muscles and tension. It is the same with babies. Good luck and I hope you think about a baby massage. I truly believe in them. Happy belated birthday Mike and get some rest Jen!
on Feb 16th, 2009 at 10:35 am
You’re not alone! I thought my second child had acid reflux because she was constantly wanting to nurse, but would scream and act like it hurt so bad to do so. It was miserable for both of us. Come to find out that she was just a really fussy baby, particularly from late afternoons into the evenings. My doctor recommended the book “Happiest Baby on the Block” by Dr. Harvey Karp. My baby was about 7 weeks old when I bought it and I wished I had read it before I had her. It’s a 5-step process of calming a baby and although it takes a bit to get the hang of, it really worked for us. Hang in there!
on Feb 19th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Hey Jennifer, my mom told me that I should come on here and share my experiences with you on what I did when my daughter had collick. I cut dairy completely out of my diet because that has been known to cause collick in some babies. Also, if you have a heating pad, put it on the baby’s tummy on low and rub in a clockwise motion on their tummy. I would certainly try cutting the dairy out though cuz that helped me tremendously…and this was recommended by my physician so it’s alright to do. Email me if you have any questions at all cuz I can give you more ideas.