Sam cries ALL THE TIME. At 3 weeks old, he was diagnosed w/ colic...a condition I'd thought was completely made up until now. At first with Major we were told he had colic, but he was later diagnosed w/ reflux, we got meds and life became pleasant. I thought colic was a term doctors used when they didn't know what else to call it.
But, we've been seeing a chiropractor (which is much against what I normally would do) who claims to be able to cure colic. We see the doctor 4 times a week for treatment - a treatment where he massages and puts pressure on Sam's belly in an effort to strengthen the valve between his small and large intestine. We saw improvement almost immediately...but after a week or so, we were right back to square one. Well, maybe not quite back to square one. We aren't seeing as much colic (wailing scream of pain, hard tummy, and kicking feet and flailing hands), we think, but we are seeing a ton of crying. Basically, Sam cries unless you're holding him. And if he was my first, I'd be able to hold him almost all of the time, but I cna't do that w/ a 2 year old to take care of. Not to mention that I don't want to miss a year of Major's life while I hold Sam.
I'm beginning to wonder if something else is going on w/ Sam. Our chiro says babies cry for 2 reasons - they're hungry or they're uncomfortable. So, if Sam is fed, changed, and not kicking w/ colic, what could possibly be wrong??
Another part of the colic treatment is a special (read: STUPID) diet for nursing moms. It's a low protein, high carb, no seasoning, no caffeine, no carbonation, no chocolate no red meat no fruits or veggeis COMPLETELY UNHEALTHY diet. I've been on it for almost 3 weeks, and I'm pretty much dying. All I can think about is coffee or diet coke, with a big fat cheeseburger as a close second. The theory is that this diet helps the baby heal from colic more quickly by producing less gas. Dairy is allowed - so my diet has been made up of cheese, milk, vanilla ice cream, bread, butter, and chicken. BUT, since we still have the crying bouts, my mom thought Sam might have an allergy to milk. So, as of yesterday, I've also cut out dairy. Oi. What is there to eat????
I know I'm whining here, and yes, I'm skeptical about this path we're going down, but we were ready to try anything. I've about decided that I just dont produce easy babies. At least this all confirms that we're done with 2!!
8 comments:
I am so sorry about all the crying! And your crazy diet.My doc always told us that babies cried sometimes to release energy. So even if they are fed and changed and fine they would just cry. Stinks. Maybe he'll grow out of it! I will be praying for you.
kris, i'm so sorry! i've not had to deal with it, but when i had trouble calming my boys down i'd put them in a peanut shell (it's a wrap that reminds them of the womb) so they'd get nice, tight and snuggled up close, while feeling my movement (ie knowing their held) but my hands were free. just a thought. hang in there. praying for you!
I'm so sorry. I need to help you figure out the moby wrap.
I would be a lot more likely to cut out the dairy for a few weeks than all the healthy stuff. I hope it gets better soon!!
My first was just like this Sally, she never slept and cried ALL the time. John would call from Afghanastan and be like why is she doing that and I would cry back at him and yell "I DONT KNOW!!!" At two months old we finally decided to cut the milk out of my diet and it made a world of difference, milk is a large protein and it can take about a month to get out of your system. I had to cut out all milk proteins, whey and one that begins with an "L" I think. That meant many breads and even some seasonings, it was in everything but I was able to find alternatives fairly easily. I also replaced milk with water in most recipes with no problems. Hang in there, I know how tiring it is, Ellie was my first so that helped, she was the only one I had! Praying for you friend!
Thanks, everyone, for your ideas and encouragement and PRAYERS!
We may have had a breakthrough...I seriously have a different baby today than I did yesterday.
Jayme - I took the Moby back -- too cumbersome, and the baby bjorn is working pretty well.
Em and Lynette - Those were my initial thoughts, too, to take milk out, but this doc has been treating colicky babies for over 30 years, and he said that Sam isn't showing symptoms of a milk sensitivity. He says that a lot of moms automatically think milk allergy (and it could be), but more often it's the other proteins (beef, pork, egg) and seasonings that are causing the problems. We have another treatment today, so we'll see how we do over the weekend. I haven't had any milk to drink, but I have had some other dairy...we'll see.
I've also heard that taking acidophilious can help. And just fyi, candy cane jojos don't have dairy.=)
oh he is as cute as can be! i think it's great that you are trying new things. John and my philosophy is "we will try it and if it works, great. if not, we will try something else." pretty simple, but cuts out a lot of agonizing over decisions. doesn't hurt to try!
twain cried a ton in the beginning unless i held him, so i understand how you feel. it's not easy. hang in there!
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