Welp; we took Kase to the dr last week to go over a few "concerns" we had, and Colic was confirmed. Poor thing has a difficult time going to the potty, and grunts and fusses alot. We found out that's a part of colic and there's just nothing we can do about it! The worst part is, seeing him in discomfort and not being able to really alleviate or help him. Also a part of being colicky, is having feeding issues. Im breast-feeding and he seems to always be hungry and not getting enough! We're supplementing with formula every once and a while (especially when we're out and about and Im not able to breast-feed!), and he seems to do really well on a bottle.
Edwin's helping out tremendously. Im able to go to sleep around 9 or 10pm, and he'll stay up with him in the family room, as late as 2am! Then I have a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, and Im able to handle waking up every hour a little more gracefully! Yes; every hour. Its rare to have more than 1 1/2 hours of straight sleep with him. The only bummer is usually around 5:30 or 6:00, Kase is really fussy and wont stay asleep in his bassinet! BOO
Have any of you had a colicky baby? We purchased a book our doctor recommended, so I'm looking forward to reading it. We heard swaddling helps, but Kase is very hot natured and doesn't really like being bundled! We've found different holding positions help when he's upset, and we're trying Gripe Water for a few days, to see if it alleviates any symptoms. When it comes down to it, we just have a few months ahead of us, to do the best we can!
In the end, we're really thankful that we have a healthy baby, and we're in love with him; despite his grunts and fussiness!
On another note, we're under contract on a new house! It happened very quickly and we're really excited about the move (same city; kids dont have to change schools). The house just seems to be perfect and meet our needs of a family of 6! Pictures to come soon!
I use the miracle blanket for swaddling and I too worry about overheating, so I just put my boy in his diaper and socks to sleep and wrap him up tight. Sleeps like an angel, however he doesn't have colic. Go to www.miracleblanket.com, I swear by this blanket. Hang in there with your colicky guy...I feel for you both!
ReplyDeleteThank you for picture updates!!! I crave these, I hate that I won't get to meet this little one for a while. I promise if I wasn't at the end of this pregnancy I would have driven down that week!! I miss you!! wah....
ReplyDeleteIf you find that swaddling does help him then go to Buy Buy Baby and buy the Aden and Anais swaddles. You get a pack of 4 for $30 and I used a 20% off coupon so it was only $24 and they are muslin and breathe SO well, WAY better than flannel obviously. It's totally worth the money if he likes swaddling. I keep praying for you girl!! And don't forget how great acupressure can be...I have known multiple colic babies that had drastic changes after a few visits!
I just wrote a post about this. :)
ReplyDeleteSometimes swaddling works, sometimes it doesn't. I found the special blankets to be complete crap and use a regular baby blanket for swaddling. And Elodie is a sweaty mess--but she likes it that way!
With both of my colicky kids, getting their stomach warm helps the most. I'll wrap her up, lay her stomach to my stomach, smoosh her in, and then start jiggling and bouncing on an exercise ball. (GET A BALL! Send your husband out to Dicks! He can pick one up for $20!) That combo is like hitting a reset switch. She calms down and passes out...but whoever is holding her CAN NOT lay her down or even hand her off to someone else. The "cold" hits her and she starts up again.
I bow down to you for doing colic AND breastfeeding! When I see Elodie tearing into her bottle I wince and think, "Thank God that isn't me!" Does it help soothe him, though?
The every hour feeding schedule is what made me quit BF'ing. Formula made her more calm and gave us both a 3-4 hour break. (4-5 hours at night!) Have you tried pumping? Elodie was draining 4 ounces of formula, but even double pumping I could only get 2 ounces at a time. My body never amped it up at the 3 week growth spurt, and she wasn't getting enough. I think that's why she was on me every hour. If you check out kellymom.com, you'll find tons of info on BF'ing. The every hour feedings are expected during growth spurts, but it usually only lasts 24-48 hours! When mine stretched into 7 days with no end in sight, I knew something was wrong.
Not saying you have supply issues or anything! Just trying to help a fellow mom out! :)
Thankfully we haven't really ever dealt with a colicky baby so I don't have any helpful advice. :( If I was close though I would offer to rock him cause he's just so sweet I could kiss his face off.
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Hi Michelle, Anne (Wieland) here, I got to your blog through Brooke & Freelands. Congratulations on baby Kase! I wanted to leave you a comment because your colic experience sounds exactly like mine. My little girl is about to turn 1 soon and the first three months were miserable because she was so colicky :( My OB gave me the information for a natural/herbal colic medicine that we ordered and had sent to us. It worked miracles for us and helped me regain my sanity and sleep! Here is the information if you are interested :
ReplyDeletehttp://dupoisnaturalhealth.com/
(337) 394-3350 Just call and ask for it and they'll ship it to you the next day!
Compound Colic Medicine
Here are the ingredients they sent on a form w/ the medicine. We wanted to know what was in it before we ordered it so in case you were wondering too:
magnesium oxide - relaxer
calcium carbonate - anti acid effect
chamomilla tincture - anti spasmodic
diphenhydramine elixir - milk/protein sensitivity
pulsatilla tincture - anti spasmodic for gas
colocynthia - gripping pain
We showed it to our pediatrician who said that everything in there was OK for her. We also bicycled her legs a lot to help relieve the gas. Also invested in a sound machine for her and it helped her sleep a ton!
Good luck and I hope things get better for you soon!
Have the doctor to do an ultrasound. (Not to scare you) It is just gives additional info for the doctor. I was a colic baby and had a colic baby. Thinking of you and praying for you.
ReplyDeleteSilas doesn't have colic, but whenever he gets fussy and regular stuff doesn't work, I bring him in the shower with me. The warm water massages his body and soothes him.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you are already doing this...but just in case... you have invested in a good baby carrier, right? Like a kangaroo wrap or a Moby wrap or something like that? I can just imagine with three other kids needing you, you've got to be able to hold him close and still have your hands free. Hang in there, Michelle--you are such a good mommy!
ReplyDeleteHey Michelle! Hope things are going well.. and that you had fun on vacation. How is Kase doing? What did you end up doing with the swaddle and everything else? Is he sleeping better? Congratulations on the house too! Very exciting!!
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