Poor baby is really suffering, and so are we!

Hi everyone, you may remember some of my prior posts regarding an IUGR
threat but the baby was born healthy... mostly.

Hes over 4 months now but I cant even describe how colic he was. He
suffers from really bad gas attacks but lately he seems to be literally
"jumping" out of his own skin while screaming. He has really bad acid
reflux which he is on prescription pepcid and maalox for. We use all
the infant gas, gripe water, humphreys etc but hes just not getting
better. The jumping thing is a little worrying, he kinda arches and
springs straight out like an iron board. Hes a terrible sleeper, only
averages a few hours a day so we basically havent slept in months. He
has all the classic signs of being overtired but we cant get him to
stay asleep, even the few hours he usually has to be held. Im at my
wits end here, should I go back to the specialist? Or do I have to just
ride it out. We started giving him a little gerber sweet potato but we
vut that out. He has all kinds of problems going to the bathroom, he
either gets binded (then we have to stop the cereal which helps his
reflux) or he cant get that gas out.

Any advice?

wrote:

Hes over 4 months now but I cant even describe how colic he was. He
suffers from really bad gas attacks but lately he seems to be
literally "jumping" out of his own skin while screaming.

Any chance he's allergic to the formula you're using? Or to the rice
cereal?

Phoebe
--
yahoo address is unread; substitute gmail

you don't say whether he is formula fed, or breast fed? anyway, he seems to
be taking so much I would be tempted to stop everything, and just give
milk, but watching really carefully for position, there are positioning
things you can do with both bottle and breastfeeding, to minimise the amount
of air swallowed

Anne

Hmmm. You don't say whether he is breastfed or on formula. Formula
can often make these kinds of things worse. Given the problems you
are having with him, I would definately rule out solids. Part of his
colic could be reaction to foreign food components. If you are not
nursing and no long can, you may try to contact a milk bank so see
if that would help.

Larry

writes:
: Hi everyone, you may remember some of my prior posts regarding an IUGR
: threat but the baby was born healthy... mostly.

: Hes over 4 months now but I cant even describe how colic he was. He
: suffers from really bad gas attacks but lately he seems to be literally
: "jumping" out of his own skin while screaming. He has really bad acid
: reflux which he is on prescription pepcid and maalox for. We use all
: the infant gas, gripe water, humphreys etc but hes just not getting
: better. The jumping thing is a little worrying, he kinda arches and
: springs straight out like an iron board. Hes a terrible sleeper, only
: averages a few hours a day so we basically havent slept in months. He
: has all the classic signs of being overtired but we cant get him to
: stay asleep, even the few hours he usually has to be held. Im at my
: wits end here, should I go back to the specialist? Or do I have to just
: ride it out. We started giving him a little gerber sweet potato but we
: vut that out. He has all kinds of problems going to the bathroom, he
: either gets binded (then we have to stop the cereal which helps his
: reflux) or he cant get that gas out.

: Any advice?

writes:
: Sorry I should have specified. He is on only Allimentum right now. The
: G.I. specialist we brought him too says he has a milk allergy so no
: more breast milk.

Oh, golly. I am so sorry he said this. He is feeding you a load of
bull****. It is much more likely is his allergic to the cow's milk
protein in the formula. Were you already supplementing when he made
this comment.


Larry

writes:
: Well since the specialist told me that she stopped breast feeding and
: dried up, this is just a nightmare not to mention what its costing us
: in formula. I dont believe hes colic anymore but he sure has stomach
: problems. We know for sure about the reflux, Its just anything he eats
: seems to gas him up so bad hes miserable. Im very concerned about what
: may be wrong with him.

Well you were sold a bill of goods and conviced to stop doing the exact
thing that could have done the most good for your baby. The specialist
should be... uh, disenfranchised from practicing.

Larry

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi everyone, you may remember some of my prior posts regarding an IUGR
threat but the baby was born healthy... mostly.

Hes over 4 months now but I cant even describe how colic he was. He
suffers from really bad gas attacks but lately he seems to be literally
"jumping" out of his own skin while screaming. He has really bad acid
reflux which he is on prescription pepcid and maalox for. We use all
the infant gas, gripe water, humphreys etc but hes just not getting
better. The jumping thing is a little worrying, he kinda arches and
springs straight out like an iron board. Hes a terrible sleeper, only
averages a few hours a day so we basically havent slept in months. He
has all the classic signs of being overtired but we cant get him to
stay asleep, even the few hours he usually has to be held. Im at my
wits end here, should I go back to the specialist? Or do I have to just
ride it out. We started giving him a little gerber sweet potato but we
vut that out. He has all kinds of problems going to the bathroom, he
either gets binded (then we have to stop the cereal which helps his
reflux) or he cant get that gas out.

Any advice?

My first son was a perfect baby. My second son was almost like a demon
child, and sounded similar to what you described. The pediatrician said it
was nothing but colic with him since it was a major concern for me when he
was a few weeks old. Doc assured me it would not last more than 3 months,
since, I guess, colic is expected to last 3 months only. I believe my
second was 3 months to the day when he finally settled down one day out of
nowhere.
I found that stuff like gripe water were completely useless. I told the
pediatrician I wasn't going to use it since it wasn't working, and he
assured me it was no big deal since he found gripe water to be useless as
well. It got so bad for me with sleeping that come later in the evening,
when my son would not stop screaming and crying, I'd wrap him all up, put
him in the stroller and go for a walk with a screaming baby in the cool
evening (he's a winter baby) and within about a block or two, I think, the
cool, fresh air would settle him down. I also found that a Snugli is the
best invention. I found that having him close to me so he could smell me,
feel me and hear me would keep him a bit calmer as well. I didn't use any
type of formula or cereals, as I found that upset his stomach as well.
I'm sure you've tried all this, and if I were in your position, I would
probably take him back to a pediatrician, doctor or specialist. After 3
months, I was told, chances are it's not colic. Also, if it makes you feel
a bit more secure with him, take him in. You won't come across as anything
more than a concerned parent who wants some quiet with your baby and what
appears to be pain, gone for him.
Also, have you maybe tried, when it gets bad, to pass him off to someone
else? Someone other than you or your partner who have to put up with the
same thing all day, every day. Maybe Grandma or Grandpa or an aunt or
uncle? In my experience, as well, I found that I was upsetting the baby
almost as bad as he was upset himself, because when I'd lose patience and
get excited and worked up, it was like he was feeding off my emotions as
well, and sometimes, though not always, it helped for someone else to take
an hour or so with him that isn't with him 24/7. Someone who's patience
doesn't run out at the drop of a hat from having to try and deal with it all
the time. Is that at all a possibility that you could try, if you haven't
already? New surroundings can sometimes be a comfort to an infant, just so
long as they still feel secure.
I do feel some of your pain, though, since I can sort of relate and have an
idea of what you're talking about, and really, I know, it just sucks.

Sorry I should have specified. He is on only Allimentum right now. The
G.I. specialist we brought him too says he has a milk allergy so no
more breast milk. He was jumpy pretty much all night so he didnt sleep
again.

wrote:

Sorry I should have specified. He is on only Allimentum right now. The
G.I. specialist we brought him too says he has a milk allergy so no
more breast milk. He was jumpy pretty much all night so he didnt sleep
again.

?! If he is allergic to cow's milk, and is so sensitive that
he reacts to cow's milk proteins present in breastmilk, he can still
have breastmilk as long as mom avoids cow's milk! A true allergy
to breastmilk itself would be excruciatingly rare.

Best wishes,
Ericka

Well since the specialist told me that she stopped breast feeding and
dried up, this is just a nightmare not to mention what its costing us
in formula. I dont believe hes colic anymore but he sure has stomach
problems. We know for sure about the reflux, Its just anything he eats
seems to gas him up so bad hes miserable. Im very concerned about what
may be wrong with him.