Dare I say the colic has come to an end?

[vikivoly]

How do you know when the colic has officially ended? I've read that it ends as quickly as it starts, but can it come back? Does it take breaks? :) DD #2 has been very good the last 3-4 days. She has had short periods of fussiness, but nothing like the crying she had been doing. I'm afraid to get my hopes up. Can we actually have dinner in a resturaunt? What have your experiences with colic been? If it is truly over then I take back my post in the "best gift" thread. A laptop doesn't compare to a happy baby. :)

[AngelaS]

I truly hope it has ended! And it gives me hope that Meredith's will go away too (although 2 weeks of mommy being dairy free has helped DRAMATICALLY!) :D

Enjoy your happy baby!

[McQ]

I've been meaning to check in with you ladies. I had forgotten how hard it is to have a newborn and I have needed some reassurance that what we've been going through is normal and that there's an end in sight.

I've guessed that this is colic in that Meghan would cry every night. It wasn't a painful constant cry but a cry and unhappy baby none the less. The only way to stop it was to hold her standing up. As soon as we'd hit the couch the crying would continue. This routine would last for a couple hours then she'd poop herself out and go to bed. And a restaurant - forget about it, we'd have to walk her there too. Does this sound similiar? Please tell me so because I'm worried I've got a high maintenance baby on my hands. And I've resorted to letting her sleep (naps and nights) in the swing which isn't swinging btw because she sleeps so much better there. And this mommy needs sleep.

Things do seem to be getting better. She's 4 months for goodness sake so when does it end. She doesn't cry as much but still does some times. I think what's hardest on me now is that she won't go down for the night until 10:30/11pm. That's killing me.

I talked to the ped about it last week who doesn't think it's colic - but that she's a needy baby who just likes being held and that she just needs a good cry to unwind. That still doesn't explain why we have to stand while we hold her. Ped also said for us to start putting her to sleep in her crib. I'm choosing to ignore that right now.

So hope you all are doing better than we are. Or hope you can tell me this is normal. I think I really forgot all the bad and just remember the good. On a better note, she is starting to laugh a lot these day and even rolled over yesterday! I'm ready for a lot more of those memories.

Allison
~ mama to Declan 3.24.03 and Meghan 8.26.04

[g-mama]

My first ds had colic terribly. He cried pretty constantly from about 3pm til midnight every day for 3.5 months. It threw me headfirst into postpartum depression, especially having no help around, just dh who would take over the minute he got home from work at around 7.

Ours kind of fizzled out, some days were better, some were worse, then better, then worse...it was not something that ended as quickly as it began for us. And restaurants, forget about it. Even if we drove around til he was asleep and then brought the infant seat in, he'd wake the second we'd ordered our food, and then all hell broke loose! I truly don't know what it is about their requirement that you stand while holding them, but we had that, too.

It's hard to speculate because they are all SO different. My 2nd was an "angel baby." Thank God, because I don't think I could have gone through that a second time. But in our case, ds remained a high maintenance, high needs baby. The true colic ended, but he never magically transformed into a sweet, angelic little baby who cried only when he needed something.

Good luck to all of you mamas who are in the throes of colic. My heart goes out to you. It is so hard!

Kristen
Paolo 11-00
Benjamin 8-03

[AngelaS]

Allison have you tried giving up dairy foods if you're nursing? I read a blurb in a magazine that siad 74% of moms who gave up dairy saw a decrease in crying in their babies. I was skeptical, but it really's working for us! And now if I eat dairy, we have a REALLY bad night!

Meredith had spent about 6 weeks sleeping her reclining chair too. My ped put her on meds for reflux, but now that I've given up dairy she's sleeping in her crib and I'm going to wean her off the reflux meds.

[amazz]

I had to cut out all dairy for Kami as well. She does still get REALLY fussy when it is time for a nap or to sleep, but I swear that the pacifier has saved us during those times. She refuses to be swaddled, but shushing her really works. If for some reason the shushing doesn't settle her down, we turn on some water or sometimes just the water sounds from my alarm clock will work. Do you have a vibrating bouncy seat? My pedi recommended that for Kami (it didn't happen to work well for her, but does for some babies). We are in the same boat as far as the swing...she loves it. She doesn't sleep there during the night, but she doesn't sleep in her crib or PNP either. I swore I would never co-sleep (not b/c I think it is wrong, but b/c I was afraid I would roll over and smother her!!), but it's the only way any of us get any sleep. Last night she ate at 11 p.m., at 2 a.m., and then this morning at 7 a.m. so we are making progress!

Kami really likes to be held alot too. She seems like she can't settle down and sleep really deeply unless she is with us or in her swing, so I know how you feel. Is there anyway that your DH can take her for the night until her middle of the night feeding (I'm assuming she is still getting up to eat--but maybe your having more luck in that area than we are)? I used to pump a bottle before I went to bed at 9 or so and then Tim would feed her whenever she woke up. We have to work in shifts here: Tim is her primary caregiver from about 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and then I take over. I know that my situation is a little differet b/c I'm a SAHM, so maybe your shifts wouldn't have to be so long!

On a positive note...the laughs are the absolute best! I love it when Kami has her little conversation sessions. They make everything else worth it!!

Angela
Mama to Kami Allyse (10/10/04)
A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

[amazz]

Angela--How are you getting Meredith to sleep in her crib? Kami wakes up as soon as we lay her down in her PNP or crib and won't sleep unless she is in our bed. I really want her to be in her own bed, so what's your secret! ;)

Angela
Mama to Kami Allyse (10/10/04)
A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

[McQ]

I was reading some BF book that said while there's no known cause for colic, that things that might contribute to it include - citrus, nuts, broccoli, chocolate, wheat and dairy. Hmmm that's pretty much my WHOLE diet! I'd already given up spicy foods and tomatoes - tomatoes were doing a number on both of us.

Glad the dairy is working for you and that Meredith is doing great in her crib. Things are getting better here, we're just not out of the woods yet here.

Allison
~ mama to Declan 3.24.03 and Meghan 8.26.04

[McQ]

Meghan sleeps through the night if I put her in the swing. We co-slept a lot until for the first month or two then she did well in the crib for awhile only getting up once maybe twice, then all hell broke loose around 3 months and she wouldn't sleep there for more than 2 hours at a time. The swing is golden but I know I need to work on transitioning her back to the crib. I need to sign myself up for a week of no sleep and just get it over with :(

Allison
~ mama to Declan 3.24.03 and Meghan 8.26.04

[Dcclerk]

My DS was the most colicky kid the pediatrician had seen in his 20 years of practice, so I have a bit of experience in these matters ;) I totally remember bouncing for hours on the exercise ball, dancing with DS in the sling, and generally doing anything to get him to calm down. No actual sitting for us. And the change in diet didn't seem to make a lick of difference for us, either. For DS, it lasted until about 4 1/2 months and then subsided greatly. I don't remember it really "coming back" although obviously some days were better than others. Hopefully your little one is getting to a good place, too. Having a happy baby was such a relief!

[AngelaS]

Well, right now I have to make sure she's pretty close to comatose before I lay her in her crib at bedtime, but what helps is laying her on a flannely blanket that doesn't feel cold when she hits it. I'm working slooowly on starting to lay her down before she's sound asleep during her daytime naps (which are becoming predictable--whoohoo!). Her three month birthday is coming up so I'd really like for her to be learning to fall asleep on her own! :D

[Jacksonvol]

Allison,

I don't think it is colic, but it sounds a lot like what we went through last year w/ DD (9/5/03). She slept in the swing for several months. I know, the ped doesn't recomend it, it probably isn't the greatest thing, but I figured it was better than mommy passing out. We started the transition to the crib/pack n play around the later part of four months. I think she liked the feeling of enclosure from the swing, but I was not a good swaddler. So, I put her in the crib on an extra changing table pad (the kind that is U shaped and made out of fairly stiff foam). I also rolled up receiving blankets to tuck around her. This worked pretty well. She stayed on her back and slept. Again, probably a horrible thing, but I was severely sleep deprived.

We did have some help in that she had an excellent sitter with ages of experience who got her on a good nap routine and gave me some tips on establishing her bedtime routine. We slowly moved bedtime to 7:30 p.m. (Please note that this took at least a month and a half).

In the meantime, we would walk the kitchen and living room with the lights on low and play soft music (bluegrass. she seemed to like the beat structure) and bounce as we walked. I figure I burned off some serious calories doing that.

I don't think your baby is needy, it just sounds like a pretty normal transition time. Good luck and good sleep!

Lisa

[Oregonmother]

Our Pediatrician said the same thing to us. He even prescribed Levsin a drug that slows the motility of the intestines( something he never does, but we really needed some help), it didn't work unfortunately. We also tried Gripe Water and Mylicon to no avail. Our DS would cry anywhere from 4-9 hours a day at no specific time. Hope you get a calm easy baby this time. Our colic ended at about 5 months. I would say that DS is still a high needs baby I kinda think a lot of it had to do with his personality. I used the excercise ball to bounce also, it was the only way I could sit down. I cut just about everything out of my diet too and nothing seemed to work. I truly thought it was never going to end! I hope all of you with colicky babies get relief soon I know how devastating it can be.

[vikivoly]

Well she had another good day, maybe not good compared to DD#1, but good for her. It's funny how your definition of a good day changes from baby to baby. I'm actually glad to hear that it doesn't just stop instantly, because it hasn't. BUT, it is much, much, much better. She is so much easier to deal with now.

I was curious as to whether colicky babies turn into high needs toddlers. DD #1 was so sweet from day one and has remained that way. Does colic have anything to do with a baby's personality?

[vikivoly]

It's tough, isn't it? How were your first two? Sometimes I think it's hard because #1 was too easy and I just expected #2 to follow suit.

[vikivoly]

Well, after having 2, I don't know what is considered normal anymore, just what's normal for each baby. Baby #2's average day is twice as bad as DD#2's worst day. There was nothing that consistantly worked for #2. I could walk her all over the house, carry her in the Bjorn carrier, put her in a swing, bouncy, etc. and it didn't matter. When she wanted to cry, she needed to cry, IYKWIM. Our only saviour was the Miracle Blanket. During her worst periods I could get her to eventually settle after we swaddled her in it. She is and always has been a good sleeper, which made it much easier to deal with. I also attribute that to the miracle blanket. I am able to put her in the crib, awake and swaddled. Within 15 minutes she is sleeping.

Isn't it even more frustrating when you have someone (in your case your ped, in my case my SIL) telling you that the baby is "normal". My thoughts were, "if this baby is 'normal' and a good baby, then I'm a terrible mother, because I am so overwhelmed with this 'normal' baby. I must not be a 'normal' mother."

Best of luck in a difficult situation. It does help to know that you're not alone.

[vikivoly]

Wow, I hope you have it much easier this time around. I always felt that my second would punish me for how easy I had it with DD#1. I use to yell at DH for saying how easy it was to be a parent, and why do people complain about it. He didn't realize how good we had it and I'm sure he would deny ever saying that now. :)

So, how would you describe your DS now? Do you find him to be a difficult toddler? I would really like to know if there is any correlation to easy baby, easy toddler; difficult baby, difficult toddler.

[Marisa6826]

Angela-

Another good trick is to put a heating pad in the crib to warm up a spot before you put the baby in. It's the perfect size to warm up a nice area.

Just remember to take it out and turn it off when you put the baby in!

-m

[McQ]

>I was curious as to whether colicky babies turn into high
>needs toddlers. DD #1 was so sweet from day one and has
>remained that way. Does colic have anything to do with a
>baby's personality?

Those are my questions too. And a little scared of the answer.
Declan was easy with a capital E. And he still is a very easy, laid back toddler. Although I vaguely remember some late nights with Declan though where I walked him in the sling around the island in the kitchen for a while. But that was because he wouldn't sleep as opposed to the crying. Or am I forgetting how bad it was. I hope that I am.

Glad you had a better day Vicki.

Allison
~ mama to Declan 3.24.03 and Meghan 8.26.04

[g-mama]

I can't speak for all colicky babies, but here's my experience. I hesitate to say, for I don't want to scare anyone, and like I said, I only know my own. My first ds was and is a bit of a handful; "high needs" is a name they use to describe children like him. After the colic ended, he was a fussy baby and would never sit on a blanket and play with toys like the other babies at playgroup. It was like he was a toddler born in a baby's body and he was NOT happy about it. He'd fight me each and every time I tried to put him in his carseat until he was about 2. He's stubborn, intense and persistent. But he's also extremely bright, loving and a ball of energy. I try to remind myself that these traits that are difficult for me as a mom will serve him well as an adult.

My 2nd, on the other hand, is so easy. If I'd known how easy and good-natured a baby could be, I'd have understood all the crazy looks I got while I was out and about struggling to keep my first baby happy. And I've probably have gotten pregnant with a second much sooner than I did. You never realize how babies are truly born with their own unique personality until you have one with a really strong and intense personality. I'm not sure if it would be better to have the difficult baby first or second, but at least with it being the second, you know it's not YOU, which is what I thought. However, you have the first one to take care at the same time, so that's harder.

I hope all of you who are struggling find it getting easier as each day goes on. Hang in there, mamas.

Kristen
Paolo 11-00
Benjamin 8-03

[jk3]

It's probably a case by case situation. My friend's oldest DD was colicky for the first 3 months or so and cried round the clock. She's 2 now + a pleasant, calm and happy child.

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[Dcclerk]

You know, I genuinely don't think of my guy as being high needs now. I don't have anything to really compare him to since he is my first and DC #2 hasn't been born, yet, but I don't think it has been too bad. He is more active than a lot of kids we know, but he is also super sweet, great at sharing, good about rules (as long as we discuss them ahead of time) and in general a true pleasure with a lot of character thrown in.

DS does test us, but I think every toddler tests. And I don't think that we have had a full-on, melt-down trantrum, yet. Basically, if we have consequences to his behavior, he accepts them without much fuss. (E.g., thrown toys get put up on a shelf for a rest, thrown food signals all done with eating no matter what stage of the game, standing up in the bath means bath is finished, etc.) I think he takes a little more effort than some other kids just because he likes to be doing something all the time, and he would like it to be with you around (although he doesn't require constant interaction.) But we don't have trouble taking him in and out of the carseat, taking him on runs for an hour BEFORE he gets a turn to go swinging, etc. As long as he knows what to expect, he handles life pretty easily.

And, he has even become a pretty good sleeper (about 12 hours a night) and a 2-3 hour nap with little fanfare and not too much complaining (especially at night).

My mom said the same thing happened to all of the kids in my family. We all had horrible colic, and we all became relatively energetic but sweet kids. I have strong hopes that yours will the same :)