Colic?

is it possible for a 3 week baby to have colic/ again she has been up most the niggt crying. so far tonight midnight to current time which is 530 right now i holding her and doing a laying bounce on my knees and she sucking on her nukie (which i'm against) and she has been quiet for about 5 min, she also has periods where she is not crying and bright eyed looking around

thanks for any input

[tam2girls]

Yeah colic is possibly a problem or could she prehaps have her days and nights mixed up? Fining some good colic drops over the counter may help and if this does seem to be a big problem for both you and her then I would sugest talking to your doctor. Good Luck I know its hard hang in there she will get bigger and start sleeping better for you.

[tiredbuthappy]

dd started colic around then, so it's very possible. I hope it's not- it was definitely one of the hardest things I've been through :(

Like tam2girls said, it's always a good idea to check with the ped just to make sure there's no other cause for her crying. But, if it's at the same time everyday, and she's fine the rest of the day, then it is most likely colic.

I did learn a few tricks that you can try. White noise often soothes colicky babies. Loud white noise. For me, it was the vaccum, or the fan in the bathroom. Minimize lights and other sounds to help minimize overstimulation. Swaddling can help too. I got a swaddle blanket (kiddopatamus) because she couldn't kick it off. She would squirm and wiggle when I first put it on, but it really helped settle her. We still have to use it for her to sleep well at night. Bouncing and rocking helps. My LC recommended holding her while bouncing on an exercise ball. We got that tip late in the game when she was only crying an hour or 2, but it definitely helped put her to sleep. She also said that colic babies like fresh air and recommended that if she's screaming to take her outside and walk with her, even in the cold and dark.
Once she calmed down a bit, sometimes she would catch a 5 minute nap in the swing if we had the noise on (ours makes nature noises, but i think any repetitive white noise is good).
She is probably swallowing a lot of air while screaming, which is making her gassy and more uncomfortable. Keep bouncing/burping and you can give her otc simethicone drops (here it's sold as Mylicon).

Don't worry about her taking a pacifier- if it helps, definitely let her have it. Dr's aren't against pacifiers- they help the baby learn to soothe herself, and they think it helps reduce the chances of SIDS.

Good luck and I hope she outgrows it soon. My little one actually made my husband's ear bleed- we think she burst his eardrum. It peaked at 6 weeks with up to 7 hours a night, but then rapidly improved. By 8 weeks she had fussy evenings for the most part, with only occasional rough days. She's 10 1/2 weeks now, and she's been great for over a week. I just kept having to remind myself that she's not doing it to torture me- she genuinely didn't feel well.

Oh yea- I also read that babies that are held more during the day cry less at night. I found that did help some, so I wore her with a carrier a lot during the day. I also read that minimizing sensory input during the day can help (turn off TV's and such).

[jenntanis]

Someone told me about Gripe water, which worked well to a point with my little one.  Just be prepared, you have to give about 5 ml, which is two dropper full, and it tastes nasty, so I had it spit up on me a few times.  After I gave that, my DS would take about a 45 minute nap.  We also changed his formula all the way up to the Hypoallergenic stuff, but he was still vomitting it up.  I also used Myelicon.
Then, a family friend who is a pediatrician told me to stop, because his problem was more Acid reflux than colic.  She then told me that he didn't have to be on any special formula unless he was having blood in his stool.  She also said that frequent hiccups and a stuffy nose are consistent with GERD.  So we went back to regular formula, and his Zantac was increased, and it is helping.
Definitely talk with your pediatrician, and be willing to work with them.  I also was placed on Zoloft for PPD at that time, because lack of sleep and constant crying took a toll on me.  Be open with your DH and your OB if you are feeling that way, I probably should've started the meds about a week earlier than I did.

[tiredbuthappy]

my dd also has reflux. my LC said she wasn't surprised and that many colicky babies also suffer from reflux. however, if it is reflux, you are likely to see some discomfort/symptoms all day long, not just during the colicky times of day.