COLLIC

I HAVE A ONE MONTH OLD SON, HE WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE HOSPITAL TO  HAVE COLLIC.  lATELY HE HSA BEEN VERY CRANKY AND NOT SLEEPING. WE HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET HIM TO SLEEP. IF HE DOES SLEEP HE JUST TAKES CAT NAPS FOR 15 TO 20 MINUTES.  I WAS WONDERING IF YOU HAD ANY OTHER TIPS OR SUGGESTIONS TO GET HIM TO SLEEP, OR ANSWER THE QUESTION AS TO WHY ALL OF A SUDDEN HE HAS CHANGED. THANK YOU

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Kristen,

If your son is truly displays colic, you may well have to endure the situation as best you can. It can be very difficult, but there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Generally, the condition disappears by the age of three months or so.

However, it might be that you child is not colic, and you should meet with the pediatrician to try to figure that out a bit. If you want some guidelines, let me refer you to Penelope Leach's book, or similar resources.

Remember, your son is only one month old. Infants don't tend to display the regular sleeping patterns that will be evident later on. However, they do tend to sleep after they've been fed, and if he's not doing that he may well be responding to the feeding itself. If you're btreast feeding him, consider what you might be eating that might be influencing him. If he's fed with formula, consider switching the formula.

So first, rule out colic. If you can rule that out, pay particular attention to the feeding issue. And please let us know how things are progressing.

[Deb]

I had the exact same problem with my daughter - I found that it was an allergy to cow's milk.  Even though I was breastfeeding her exclusively, the milk that I was drinking was passing through.  When I cut out dairy entirely from my diet (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.) - she was like a new baby!  She was happy, slept and ate well and it made a huge difference.  I'm not a doctor but it sure worked for us (she's now a bright and happy 14year old!)

[Theresa]

Kristen,

My third daughter had colic for about 18 months, she did nothing but cry 25 out of 24 hours a day(no, thats not a misprint). There are medications out there, but i found that adding a touch of sugar to the formula and carrying her around with her middle over my forearm, helped release the pressure in her stomach.  I also stopped using formula with iron and added extra water, but maintained the same amount of formula.  I also found that a friend is the best thing you can have, even if its for five minutes a day for you to walk to the corner, or even sit on your stoop. Also i found vibrating toys stimulate the baby so that its mind so to speak is on other things.A baby can only concentrate on one emotion at a time.By vibrating toys i do mean stuffed animals or sitting my the washing machine on the rinse cycle and letting the baby seat sit on top with one hand holding it helped.  Good luck god bless this shall pass.

[razie30]

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