Unconsolable infant

"dkc" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I have a newborn who is 11 days old. About 4:30pm every day, he begins a
very loud crying fit that usually continues for 4 or 5 hours. We've tried
everything to calm him (feeding, burping, changing, rocking, swaddling,
providing a calm environment, playing soft music, interacting, etc.), but
nothing seems to work during this fussy period. It seems too early for
colic (which normally starts during a baby's third week, as I understand).
BTW, not sure if this matters, but my baby is mainly fed breast milk with
some formula supplemented.

Sounds like colic to me. Although all my kids seemed to go through that
witching "hour" as babies, my 2nd was the worst.

Does anyone have any suggestions for calming such a fussy infant? The
only
thing that seems to work (which I *hate* doing) is giving baby a pacifier,
which someone must hold in his mouth.

Thanks!

Debbie

Gripe water, gripe water, gripe water!! Can not recommend it enough.

--
Sophie
#4 due July 7, 2004

"dkc" wrote in message ...

Thank you so much for your suggestions. In terms of breastfeeding, my son
rarely latches on and stays on. (I'm seeking help from an LC.) In fact, he
gets *very* angry and often starts his lengthy fits when I attempt to
breastfeed.

Just an offhand suggestion--try cutting dairy out of your diet for a
week and see if that helps. I cut everything out of my diet EXCEPT
milk and it didn't help DD's fits at feeding time, and it turned out
she was lactose intolerant and it was the breast milk (actually my
drinking cow's milk) that was hurting her! I felt so bad but now try
to tell all new moms about it hoping it will help them.

Jeannie

Just an offhand suggestion--try cutting dairy out of your diet for a
week and see if that helps. I cut everything out of my diet EXCEPT
milk and it didn't help DD's fits at feeding time, and it turned out
she was lactose intolerant and it was the breast milk (actually my
drinking cow's milk) that was hurting her! I felt so bad but now try
to tell all new moms about it hoping it will help them.

Jeannie

Thanks for the idea, but I'm lactose intolerant myself; therefore, I drink
only LactAid milk.

Debbie

dkc wrote:
Just an offhand suggestion--try cutting dairy out of your diet for
a week and see if that helps. I cut everything out of my diet
EXCEPT milk and it didn't help DD's fits at feeding time, and it
turned out she was lactose intolerant and it was the breast milk
(actually my drinking cow's milk) that was hurting her! I felt so
bad but now try to tell all new moms about it hoping it will help
them.

Thanks for the idea, but I'm lactose intolerant myself; therefore,
I drink only LactAid milk.

Argh! If there is one myth about problems with breastmilk I could eliminate
in my lifetime, it's the one about lactose intolerance (which is sadly often
perpetuated by doctors who ought to know better). It's not the lactose in
human milk that bothers babies. Human babies (in fact, mammalian babies in
general) are virtually *never* "lactose intolerant"--all milk, whatever the
source, has lactose in it (lactose just means milk sugar) and human milk is
three times higher in lactose than cow's milk. When human babies are lactose
intolerant, it is a serious disorder, in fact, it's one of the things they
check for in the heel prick test done at birth because if it's not caught
early, it can lead to serious damage.

What tends to bother human babies that's found in cow's milk isn't the
lactose, but rather the proteins, which are very large, hard to break down,
and which pass from mother to baby in breastmilk. So, even if you are
drinking LactAid milk, you are consuming dairy proteins which, in turn, may
cause your baby intestinal distress. It's fairly unusual for dairy protein
intolerance to show up this early, though, simply because the buildup in the
baby's body isn't usually high enough at this point to cause trouble. Still,
for a very sensitive infant, if *could* be an issue.
--
Be well, Barbara
Mom to Sin (Vernon, 2), Misery (Aurora, 4), and the Rising Son (Julian, 6)

Aurora (in the bathroom with her dad)--"It looks like an elephant, Daddy."
Me (later)--"You should feel flattered."

All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful.
Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its
other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a
fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman

Does rocking have a soothing effect at all on your son? I've read that
the Ocean Wonders Aquarium Swing by Fisher-Price, which rocks the baby
side-to-side while semi-reclined, has been helpful for some babies with
colic.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=glance&s=toys


I have that exact swing. Sometimes it helps; at other times, when my baby
is *really* worked up, it doesn't help at all.


Also, one of my girls cried quite a lot, but not at any one time of
the day. Holding a pacifier in her mouth did wonders, and she didn't
become dependent on it at all; doesn't use one now. My other girl,
on the other hand, has always self-soothed by sucking her thumb; don't
know how I'm going to wean her from that. :-)

Yep, the NUK (pacifier) does work, but I hate using it. Plus, I have to
stand there and hold it in baby's mouth.

Best of luck. And sometimes, when the crying gets too much, you may have
to put him in a crib and go out of earshot for an hour. Really, it
won't kill him, and might save you.

I've tried that too, but it's heartbreaking :-(

Thanks for your advice!

Debbie

Um, infants are NOT, as a rule, lactose intolerant. Breastmilk is
higher in lactose than cow's milk is. However, many are intolerant of
cow's milk protein, which migrates from mom's gut to her breastmilk.
Hence, drinking lactose-free milk won't make any difference to a
cow's-milk-intolerant infant, but cutting cow's milk protien out of
mom's diet can make a huge difference, often noticable within a single
day.

Just an offhand suggestion--try cutting dairy out of your diet for a
week and see if that helps. I cut everything out of my diet EXCEPT
milk and it didn't help DD's fits at feeding time, and it turned out
she was lactose intolerant and it was the breast milk (actually my
drinking cow's milk) that was hurting her! I felt so bad but now try
to tell all new moms about it hoping it will help them.


--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

Catherine Woodgold ) writes:
There's a method for gradually switching from bottlefeeding
to breastfeeding, involving using a nipple cover while you
breastfeed, and maybe a lactaid (tube) too, and gradually
cutting larger holes in the nipple cover over a number of
days as baby gradually gets used to the feel of the breast.

Oops! I used the wrong word. I didn't mean "lactaid".
I meant SNS (supplemental nursing system) -- a very thin
tube used to give baby some extra formula or pumped breastmilk
while nursing at the breast. Very finicky, difficult
to use, easy to end up with pumped breastmilk all over
the floor, but some people have found it useful in training
baby to get used to the breast.

Another suggestion for calming baby: you can put baby
up against your shoulder (the position for burping;
I think this position also helps by putting gentle
pressure against baby's stomach) or hold in some
other position, and walk up and down the stairs, with
a bounce to your step to add a bit of extra up-and-down
motion. A baby may find this rocking motion soothing and
go to sleep (while you get tons of exercise!!).
Sometimes when I got tired I tried to cheat and
switch to walking along
the flat floor with an up-and-down motion, but baby
would notice the difference and start crying again!

I said babies sometimes breastfeed while half-asleep;
I'd just like to add that they also sometimes breastfeed
while fully asleep -- perhaps a light sleep (REM sleep
or dream sleep). They make sucking motions with their
mouth while asleep. I'm not sure, but it may be possible
to begin breastfeeding while baby is in REM sleep
(irregular breathing, occasional muscle twitching, and
eye motions under the closed eyelids). It's a lot easier
to continue breastfeeding in this sort of sleep if baby
fell asleep while breastfeeding, than to start after
baby falls asleep, but I think it might be possible.
Just an idea -- might not be useful. Likely baby would
just wake up if you tried.

Anyway -- I hope your baby does better and gets
soothed somehow. I admire your patience and love
and hope you find ways to look after yourself too.
--
Cathy

(Beth Kevles) wrote in message ...
Um, infants are NOT, as a rule, lactose intolerant. Breastmilk is
higher in lactose than cow's milk is. However, many are intolerant of
cow's milk protein, which migrates from mom's gut to her breastmilk.

Thanks, Beth and Circe, for clearing that up. Cow's milk protein
intolerant, not lactose intolerant...I'll spread the RIGHT information
from now on!

Jeannie

Cathy ) wrote:

Oops! I used the wrong word. I didn't mean "lactaid".
I meant SNS (supplemental nursing system)

The Lact-Aid and the SNS are two different brands of supplementer. I've never
used either, but have heard several women say they liked the Lact-Aid better
than the SNS, if I remember correctly.

--Helen