i need help

im going to lose my mind.

baby has terrible gas, and reflux, (honestly reflux diagnosed by me since they wont call me back but thats another story) either way, baby screams in pain for hours.

its not collic.... i dont think.... i mean the screams always have a reason, i just dont know how to make the pain go away.

basically i cry all day looking at my baby in my arms yelling and i cant fix it. i cant get anything done during the day. i dont want to eat. i yell at dh when he gets home for no reason.

how do i not go nuts and jump out the window?

i need help

Sounds like me. I know you bf, but I cut back bf and put her on alimentum rtf formula. The gas pains and screaming in pain went away.

i need help

Maybe try cutting dairy out of your diet if you are bfing. Have you tried giving gas drops? Make sure you are eating and drinking plenty. I know it's tough, but you need to take care of yourself too!

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really? isnt that a major switch though? shouldnt someone tell me to do that rather then me doing on a whim?
dont get me wrong, at this point i will try anything

i need help

I did it without drs blessing because of similar issues. My dd had reflux and milk protein intolerance. Alot od times they go hand and hand. And the intolerance or allergy can mimic reflux symptoms and exacerbate them.

I weaned my dd because alimentum has a different taste. I put 75% reg formula then 25 alimentum for 2 days then 50-50 then 75-25 then 100... and i had a brand new happy baby! Within a few days i saw a small improvement within 1 week i literally had a brand new baby and ive never looked back.

Are you bf? Has she had any formula at all?

Re: i need help

If you're bfing give your LO probiotics
Quit dairy completely (although that didn't help me and it can take up to 3 weeks to leave your system
Do bicycle legs with baby
Watch happiest baby on the block video on youtube
Does baby sleep in an incline? Rnp will help with reflux
Take deep breaths, its really difficult and you will get through it!!

Message edited 8/29/2013 9:07:31 PM.

Re: i need help

It feels like it will never end but it does. I bfed through it (actually still going). I tried to cut out dairy, but ped didn't think that was really going to matter in his case. Lots of leg movements, Colic Calm drops, and knowing that within a month he was a diff baby.

i need help

DS had a rough few weeks where all he did was scream for hours at a time. It was very hard to go through especially when you think there is nothing you can do for them. We used gas drops and it helped a little, but I would just sing and walk him all over the place and then one day it just stopped.

Also, if your Dr hasn't been calling you back - harass them. It's their job to make you feel comfortable and answer your questions.

It will get easier. Hang in there!

i need help

Alimentum worked for my DD. It will get better , just remember that and hang in there!

Re: i need help

The mylacon drops worked well for my son. Def let him sleep on an incline. I'm sorry you are going through this but it will get better.

Message edited 8/29/2013 11:05:28 PM.

i need help

I could've written this post 8mo ago. My DD screamed for hours on end. She had reflux, but that didn't seem to cause her any pain, so we didn't medicate, just let her sleep in the rock n play. She was also very gassy, so we gave gas drops, although we don't think they really worked, we just had to do something. What worked the best for me was to cut out dairy. I was extremely determined to BF and realized DD possibly had an intolerance to dairy, so I cut out all dairy and all hidden dairy. Maybe it was coincidence, but after a few weeks, she was a different baby. It could have just been that she grew out of the crying newborn stage, since she was about 8-10 wks when things got better.

Hang in there, it's so hard to believe at the beginning, but it really does get better.

i need help

I went through the same thing with my dd. and it really was awful seeing her cry so much and not knowing what to do to help her. I also pretty much held her all day long and never got anything done. She did start to sleep a little better in the rock n play, and gas drops seemed to help sometimes too. I had tried cutting dairy out if my diet for a couple weeks, but it was really hard. Then dds ped me that he didn't think that was necessary, so I went back to eating dairy. Eventually, the crying became less and less. After about 4 or 5 months it pretty much stopped all together, except for when she was overtired or really hungry, but no more screaming for hours. Looking back, something that I think may have caused it was my letdown used to be very strong and fast. Like the milk would be squirting out so fast. So maybe that bothered her stomach or gave her gas. I didn't know any different as it was my first time nursing back then but now I see my letdown has regulated so I wonder if it could have been that. Good luck and hang in there! It does get better!

i need help

Im sorry but I just want to say babies dont have a 'newborn crying phase' to grow out of. Its not normal for a baby to cry for hours. They cry when something is wrong. Minus the colic babies for which there isnt an explanation. Or one the drs just dont know.

i need help

DD was like this. She screamed for a solid two hours one night. The nextday we switched to nutramigen. Within 2-3 days she was a completely different child.

Re: i need help

My DD was the same way. She had to be on Nutramigen formula. Made her a different baby.

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Message edited 8/30/2013 11:03:41 AM.

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This was DD. We ended up giving her a tiny dose of refux meds that the ped prescribed and it made the world of difference. totally different baby. she was on the lowest dose for like 2 months and then was fine.

we also gave her watered down chamomile tea and that helped a little.

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I didn't BF, but I had to swith DD's formula as well.

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Stop eating dairy and go to the doctor and ask for axid. It neutralizes stomach acid

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That is a very good question...I almost went nuts with my DS as a newborn as well. He was really tough till about 5-6 months of age and then he started to improve dramatically. I was tired/emotional/anxious and confused as to what I was doing wrong. In all honesty it was just his personality, he had to grow into his body and be able to move/do things for himself to be a happier baby. I seriously was afraid I would always have an unhappy child that would never smile and laugh (as crazy as that sounds now, I really was worried about that). I also EBF my son and blamed all of his crankiness on myself(ate something wrong, not feeding him enough/feeding to much, poor or overactive letdown, you name it I blamed myself). My son did end up with dairy intolerance around 11 weeks or so (blood and mucous in very green loose stool). I cut out all dairy in my diet and 2 weeks later his stools were back to normal BUT it did not help his crankiness so I wouldn't assume that going dairy free suddenly gives you a happy baby. I was able to continue to EBF till he weaned around 13 months. If you are actually dealing with dairy intolerance it will improve the reflux and mucoid/bloody poop. Anyway enough about my situation. These are things that helped get me through a rough infant stage
1. repeating over and over again that this will pass and I promise you will have an amazing, happy, baby...it can just take some time wit some "high needs" babies.
2. Baby wearing- this will help free up your hands and let you walk around the house/outside/feed yourself. Its great for refluxy babies. Try to remember your job right now is just to take care of yourself and the baby. you aren't superwoman, the laundry can wait or someone else can do it.
3. Go outside as much as possible (the crying/screaming sounds quieter out there)
4. Swaddle/white noise/movement (essentially the 5 s's from happiest baby on the block book)
5. Getting out of the house (even to dunks or library or your front yard)
6. Getting help and having people come visit you (friends/family/whatever doesn't stress you out)
7. Repeat again, you are doing an amazing job, and your baby knows you are doing your best (even if they can't show you) Remember how much of a shock it must be for them to enter the world completely unprepared for new sensations/digestion/the outside world in general.
8. Cry when you need to (it helps) and cut yourself some slack with your hubby. You are both sleep deprived, hormonal and dealing with a difficult baby. You are going to have very little patience at this point. You will once again love your DH (in a few months) and not feel like yelling at him all the time.
9. A new mom's group/support can be really helpful. especially one that has BFing support( if you are BFing).

Good luck, you will survive and your baby will thrive despite how dark and lonely/helpless it feels sometimes (I still have these days/weeks but it is soooo much better!)

Message edited 8/30/2013 4:12:46 PM.

Re: i need help

hang in there!

it gets better i promise

my son screamed all day all night

it was so hard

it took 4 diff formulas baby yoga small frequent feedings burp after every ounce

but the kicker was the meds,it helped so much

fm me if you need anything

Re: i need help

Aww sending hugs. It WILL get better, you have to keep trying things.

Cut dairy
Gas drops
Colic Calm drops
Swaddle him
Hold him
Love him
Put him in the swing
Put him in the ergo carrier
Take him on a drive in the car
Take him on a walk
Have someone come over to hold him so you can shower and have some time alone

Just keep trying things! One day the swing may not work but 3 days later he may love it.

DD had night fussines/colic and it lasted till 8-9 weeks. I thought it would never end but it did! She would cry and want to nurse for hours and would not sleep! It was insane and my nips were raw because she would pacify on me. But we made it through and she is a wonderful baby now!

Re: i need help

Also don't worry about getting nothing done during the day! Your #1 priority is taking care of that baby! As far as eating, make a PB&J sandwich, bowl of cereal, oatmeal, zone bars…all easy things you can eat with one hand! Try to eat and drink water it is good for your milk supply!

Re: i need help

Hang in there, this period will be over soon!

I would try giving up dairy. Other than that, these are some tips, probably stuff you are doing already.
Keep the baby at a slight incline when you feed her so her head is higher than her feet.
Try to make sure the baby burps even if they fall asleep feeding. This was hard because DD often needed to nurse to sleep.
Keep baby at an incline for about 20 minutes after eating.
When baby can't get the gas out, try to help by moving her legs in a bicycle motion or up and down.
You could try gripe water like mother's bliss, but it is possible baby could be allergic to it. I would probably call the ped first and ask how young you can give it.

For general fussiness, walking back and forth would help my DD. She would not let my DH sit down with her. With me, she wanted to nurse. A LOT. She also liked being pushed in the stroller.