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mtle
04-25-2002, 03:48 PM
My three week old baby goes through crying episodes almost daily. These episodes can go on for hours and I'm at my wit's end. A friend recommended putting a teaspoon of chamomile tea with his formula. I ignored this suggestion until another friend suggested something similar and said that it was a trick her grandmother had passed on to her.

Have any of you tried this?

Rachels
04-25-2002, 05:59 PM
I know that chamomile can be considered a strong herb, so I just want to encourage you to check with someone knowledgeable about herbal medicine (a midwife, naturopath, homeopath, etc) before giving your baby any herbal supplements. Sorry I don't know the answer myself. I have heard that eliminating wheat and dairy products from your diet can be very helpful with colic if you are breastfeeding, so that might be something else to try.

The other thing is just to make sure you've got plenty of support for yourself right now from other new moms or a postpartum doula. It won't get rid of colic, but it really might help with the "wits' end" part. If you haven't made contact with moms' groups or doula care, I encourage you to do that. You need TLC just as much as your baby does, particularly during such a challenging time.

Take good care of yourself, and I hope things become easier for you soon!

Rachel

KathyO
04-25-2002, 09:40 PM
You can try it, but I think it's a bit of a long shot. And watch for signs of allergic reaction. (I'm allergic to chamomile - makes my throat swell up and I get kinda stupid... or at least, more stupid than usual.)

My daughter also started with the colic at three weeks. I tried everything I could think of... changing my diet (she was breastfed), Ovol drops, rocking, walking, swinging, bicycling her legs, running the vaccuum, massage, keeping her in the chest carrier, car rides... you name it. Nothing worked. At about three months, it tailed off and stopped by itself.

This isn't to say that none of these might work for your baby - but if they don't, comfort yourself with the observation that all the colicky newborns I have known have grown into happy, secure babies. My doctor suggests that it's because they were held and comforted so much in the first weeks... who knows?

This can be where helpful relatives, neighbours and friends come in. I had folks who would pop the howling bundle into a stroller for me and go for an extended tromp around the block while I napped or had a cup of coffee (clutched in both trembling hands).

Hang in there,

KathyO

suzska
04-26-2002, 12:20 AM
Something else--have you considered that it might be "reflux?"

Check out http://www.reflux.org and look at the symptons listed in the FAQ (of which "collic" is one).

Reflux is something that can be treated. And probably not with tea in the formula. Rice cereal, maybe, but not tea. ;-)

--Sue B.
SAHM to Evan Jeffrey 03-11-01

EKWalsh
04-26-2002, 08:01 AM
My son was also collicky, and at suggestion of our pediatrician we gave him a very diluted bottle of chamomile, peppermint or sleepytime tea from time to time. We would only have done it at the suggestion of our doctor, and his recommendation was the first suggestion I heard of it. Per our pediatrician's advice, we'd brew a very light cup of tea (leaving the tea bag in for only a minute or so). He recommended 1 or 2 oz. at most. To be safe I'd put one oz. in and dilute it further with 2 or 3 oz. of cooled water. At most my son would drink 1 or 2 oz. of the diluted bottle. It was hard to get it the right temperature so that he'd drink it (not too warm, of course, but similar to breast milk). My son has never been a fan of the bottle, which was one issue.

But bottom line, it did help a lot. I think we gave it to him 3 different times, nights when I was at my wits end b/c he'd been crying for 6 hours straight and we'd tried everything. By that point, he was exhausted but couldn't figure out how to get to sleep. The tea calmed him enough that he'd go to sleep. It also helped settle his digestive track. My pediatrician also recommended the use of the tea, very slightly warmed, when my baby was really congested.

Bottom line - I wouldn't do anything without checking with your pediatrician. And I'd dilute even more than you think you should. But it worked for us.

Also, the colic disappeared by the time my son was 3 months. He's now 6 months and the happiest, sunniest baby - all smiles, and a good napper. (Still not sleeping through the night though. :-) But you will get through it. I look back and can't believe it was the same baby.

Best of luck!

suzska
04-26-2002, 10:20 PM
Okay, I stand corrected. :-) Maybe tea.

I'd never heard of that before. It just sounds weird to me.

But I agree--don't do anything without checking with your doctor!

I'm glad your son is doing better! Our son never really got "collicky," although there were a few tough days at the beginning. But he did have reflux until he was about 6 months or so--spitting up all the time. Our ped suggested a little rice cereal in his formula (and I mean just a little--we still used regular nipples and everything), and that seemed to help. Our son is also one of the happiest babies--except when he's teething. He had 12 teeth before he was one, so we've been teething off and on a lot. Now we're working on teeth #'s 13-16. He has slept through the night since he was 10 weeks old, except for when he's teething. Then it's "accidental" co-parenting for about 4 nights in a row. LOL! And he now takes a 2-hour nap (almost to the minute) every day, usually before lunch.

--Sue B.
SAHM to Evan Jeffrey 03-11-01

wolfpups
04-27-2002, 11:11 PM
When my son was colicky, i was really into herbs. With his doctor's permission, I gave him a very diluted infusion of tea (one tea bag to 10 oz and then use 1 oz tea in 8 oz water.) My daughter, however had reflux. After 3 weeks of sleeping 5 minutes at a time (day or night) I found out about reflux. In addition to crying, keep an eye out for other symptoms that may not seem related to the crying. They may include large amounts of spitting up, arching back when crying instead of forward, and slow growth. I am not trying to scare or say this is the case with your baby, but until someone pointed them out, I did not notice the slight nuances. The outcome with my daughter was that she was placed on zantac syrup. Yes-they make it for babies. It has helped immensely:P I hope your baby gets better. Good luck