Typical crying vs. colic??

Ive never had a baby before..so I have no idea how long or frequently babies cry for. She gets really fussy...and then come night time seems to really be agitated. She cries often...but she is 7 weeks. Do some babies not cry at all? Does she have colic? Im trying to figure out if I should switch her diet AGAIN...but Im not sure if shes just acting normal

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

babies frquently get fussy before bedtime becuase they're tired... so some crying (especially at that age) is common.

I believe I've heard that colic is caused by acid reflux If that's the case, the baby will be less fussy when vertical (ex. over your shoulder) than lying down...

I will say though, that Eryk doesn't have colic and he sometimes is happier when he's vertical becuase he has a burp that needs to come up... so I guess the difference is that the baby prefers being vertical, yet has no gas.

Message edited 1/17/2009 2:45:43 PM.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Typically if you spend at least 3 hours a day soothing to avoid crying(so there may be no crying), for 3 days a week, for 3 weeks. That is considered colic.

What you are discribing sounds more like typical evening fussiness, otherwise known as a "witching hour". Many babies have them- both mine did. With my first I could literally set a watch to the time it would start each night (7pm sharp).

It's miserable and stressful- but they always grow out of it.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Message edited 1/17/2009 3:41:05 PM.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

DS was colic....oh Geez....I wanted to DIE. He'd scream for HOURS late at night.

DD gets fussy at night, or did for the first 3 months. If she gets TOO tired, it's harder to get her to fall asleep.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Sydnie had the 2 week phase of devil child. i read about it in one of the books. From 6-8 weeks I felt like all she did was cry. It passed but she still gets cranky around 5ish.

If the baby is inconsolable and cries for 3 hours+, 3x+ a week, for 3+ weeks then they have colic (as a pp said).

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Oh I meant to add, try The Happies tBaby on the Block--whether your baby has colic or not, it's helpful.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Trust me, when you are ready to run in to another room and put in earplugs, that is colic, lol. OMG, we have days that she screams all day and night...
I have days where i have to deep breathe and pray to God to give me strength bc they are literally inconsolible at points..she will go from 4-9pm screaming..they tend to close their eyes really hard, throw back their bodies and scream hysterically...and pretty much nothing calms her down..it takes sooo much patience...
IMO i think there are different levels of colic..if you find she is crying for 3 plus hours around the same time, you are prob dealing with colic. My DD has reflux, milk allergy and bad gas..a messy GI and there are days she cries from when she gets up until when she goes to bed...
Things that work, carrying her around the house facing forward so she can see things. They love motion, the swing just recently started to work! She loves to suck on things and the binkie can really help and towards bedtime we swaddle her and that really helps her sleep and calm down...
White noise is great too..
This is my first baby too and i have read so much..colic seems to run in my family along with milk allergy and reflux so i have been given a million tips

Message edited 1/17/2009 6:14:29 PM.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Thanks so much for the advice. I do think Im dealing with some milk issues...Im on a different formula but Im not so sure if its helping. Im going to stop pumping and maybe try the milk free products. Although she is at week 7...and I also have read these are the nutty weeks. I dont want to do anything drastic until the 8 week mark to see if maybe this is what it is...its just SOOOO draining to hear her SCREAM at the "witching" hours. Im just keep hearing "my baby dosent cry at all" and it makes me feel like Im doing something wrong

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Posted by pixie

Thanks so much for the advice. I do think Im dealing with some milk issues...Im on a different formula but Im not so sure if its helping. Im going to stop pumping and maybe try the milk free products. Although she is at week 7...and I also have read these are the nutty weeks. I dont want to do anything drastic until the 8 week mark to see if maybe this is what it is...its just SOOOO draining to hear her SCREAM at the "witching" hours. Im just keep hearing "my baby dosent cry at all" and it makes me feel like Im doing something wrong

Message edited 1/17/2009 6:43:35 PM.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Posted by Porrruss

Posted by pixie

Thanks so much for the advice. I do think Im dealing with some milk issues...Im on a different formula but Im not so sure if its helping. Im going to stop pumping and maybe try the milk free products. Although she is at week 7...and I also have read these are the nutty weeks. I dont want to do anything drastic until the 8 week mark to see if maybe this is what it is...its just SOOOO draining to hear her SCREAM at the "witching" hours. Im just keep hearing "my baby dosent cry at all" and it makes me feel like Im doing something wrong

If you don't mind me asking- how many times have you switched formulas? Too much switching can upset their tummies too- it takes at least 1-2 weeks I think for them to get used to a new formula.

Also- I would not recommend using milk-free products unless there has been a confirmed milk allergy.

ETA: Your LO is only 7 weeks old. They are USUALLY pretty fussy at this age. Is it only in the evening?

With witching hour I found that by starting a night time routine (dim lights, rocking and shushing, swaddle, nurse) she VERY slowly started calming down earlier and earlier. Now at 10 weeks, she barely kicks up a fuss in the evening. I remember this was the same with DD#1 as well. Suddenly one night I realized, "Hey- she hasn't cried in the evening for awhile....".

It's going to get better- I swear!

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

For the milk allergy, my DD has blood in the stool and the doctors at her ped and GI tested it..unfortunately, we have changed her formula 3 times and it has been several weeks and still blood in the stool. Pretty icky for the baby..not always is the blood apparent..drop a dirty diaper (stool) off to the ped and they can test in like 10 secs with the result.
What i have found interesting is none of the formulas have helped with the gas..and unless you have to, dont go the hypoallergenic route..it is yucky and my DD really had to warm up to it, took about a week as she would just reject it and it was awful-this coming from a big eater despite acid reflux.
As far as breastfeeding, i couldnt based on the severity of her allergy-i would have been on bread and water, lol..ugh.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

We switched DS to Gentlease for gas problems, and it helped a little, but not completely.

As for milk allergy, another poster mentioned blood in stool, you could also see eczema or rashes, diarrhea, vomiting, nasal congestion, or asthma. Yeah, I wouldn't go the milk free route though unlessyour pediatrician recommends it.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

if it were me, I'd keep pumping until your ped determines whether it's a milk allergy. you can always freeze it for later if it's not a allergy

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Posted by wannabemom

if it were me, I'd keep pumping until your ped determines whether it's a milk allergy. you can always freeze it for later if it's not a allergy

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

DD was colic for three months and it was pretty much she screamed non stop from 5pm until 9/10pm every single night...pretty much nothing could get her to stop.

MUCH different from her typical cry or fuss

Also, she is my first child, I figured out pretty quickly that this was not normal..it was a completely different cry all together.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Honestly...if it's colic...you will KNOW it's colic...at least in our situation.

Rylan screamed most of the day and night. My boyfriend family lives on the floor below us and his mom used to say she heard Rylan screaming when she went to work in the morning...when she came home for lunch...when she got home from work...

It was horrible. My boyfriend would come home from work to the two of us crying...it was not fun.

Re: Typical crying vs. colic??

Not to menchion my DD does vomit her whole bottle up occasionally and she has terrible nose congestion. We have been through a nightmare trying to get something to work, looks like we might be going to neocate, ugh.
Nothing seems to be working...