My postnatal baby questions !

blunomore

blunomore

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So now that I am past the first goalpost, I have some more baby questions, so I will use this thread and update as and when I need.

1. Colic
Baby Blu apparently has colic. I am sure I need not list the symptoms or the distress it causes here - some of you guys will be familiar with that!

We use Telament (sp.) with every feed and Buscopan every 6 hours. We also got some non-medical advice, such as using lavender to calm her down, massaging the tummy in clockwise circular motions, using a specially designed bottle for feeds (Dr Browns) and putting warm flannel on her tummy.

Any advice on what works ?

Thanks :)
 
Telament drop on her dummy (what wife's gynie and nurses at hospital recommended).

Works beautifully :)
 
Ask a nurse what the best position is to hold a baby when burping them.

Apparently they should be held away from you in such a manner that the air can flow out easily & makes them put a few beer burps to shame.
 
blunomore said:
We use Telament (sp.) with every feed and Buscopan every 6 hours.
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Take care with the Buscopan. Made our little one a lazy pooper after a few days.

I'll quote from the other thread
ufis said:
Here is the solution that has worked for us thus far.

Breastfeeding.
Burping and keeping baby upright for at least 30 minutes after feeding. Gets rid of most winds most of the time and practically eliminated the reflux.
Mag phos 8 (tissue salt) (looks like this : http://weledaonline.co.za/images/HF 8 NEW.jpg) You can pick it up from just about any pharmacy. 1/4 tablet dissolved in water 2 or 3 times a day
Reuterina drops (pro biotic) (looks something like this : http://zobber.com/img/Attachment/654/l_3_7.jpg minus the acute) 5 drops each morning (suggested by our pediatrician)
a couple of Telemant drops if it gets bad. This happens less often after we started the mag phos
some bennetts colic mixture if it gets very bad. Lately almost never.

Gavascon for the reflux : At first we did it after each meal, now only when needed. 1ml gavascon mixed with 1ml water. We do 1/2ml gavascon these days. Use normal gavascon, not the advanced.

A warm pack (not too hot) on the tummy, or even a nice warm bath for baby works wonders too.

We went for 1 or 2 weeks where we gave the baby bennetts colic mixture and buscopan (prescribed by doctor) on a regular base. Ended up relaxing the intestines so much that baby did not want to poop properly. So no more of that.
Beware of medicine that relaxes the intestines. Too much of it will make baby a lazy pooper.

Gripe water has too much alcohol in it. We tried it once, and baby was burping gripe water for a day, the rest of the bottle went down the drain.

We also went for 2 sessions at a chiropractor. It did not cure anything but it did cause some improvement. Even the neck manipulations were fine - guess you just need a good chiropractor that specialises in babies - not all of them do.


Of all these things we tried, the best results comes from the manual effort. Burping baby properly after meals and taking the time to comfort him/her personally.
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The thing is, Colic is a word used to describe any unknown ailment in a baby.

The strict medical definition of colic is a condition of a healthy baby in which it shows periods of intense, unexplained fussing/crying lasting more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week for more than 3 weeks
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Source

I have heard of different things working for different people, so if its not working change it and try something else.
My son suffered from wind related colic for about 2 months until we figured out how to deal with it. Turned out some serious tummy massage was the best thing that helped.
 
Hi Blunomore ... congrats. Don't think I sent a message ...

Colic is a condition where the baby cries for an unknown reason. Usually appears as though it has tummy cramps, and often it is at the same time of day every day and around the same length of time.
The good news is that it clears after a few months. The bad news is that it is very distressing for new parents, and can often lead to postnatal depression. So be careful.

The best thing to do is follow your instinct as a mother and obviously do the right things, e.g. keep to a routine, soothing warm bath in the evenings, the baby massage (make sure you're doing it right), feeding and breaking wind after feeding, not keeping baby too warm or constricted in tight clothing etc.

The telament does help, but it's more of a placebo (you give the baby medicine, the crying stops and you feel as though it has worked). If that works for you, keep it going.

I would stay away from buscopan (unless directed by the Paed). If you are in distress (not baby), then visit a Chiropractor specialising in babies. They are not hard to find. It brings relief but is only temporary.

The biggest concern at this time is you ... you need to be coping. If you're not, have someone close by that you can call on to take over.

Good luck and god bless ...
 
Oh one more thing ... change the routine if it is not working. For example if baby cries every evening at 5 pm, tomorrow do something different, e.g give him/her a bath at the time before the crying starts. Most parents know that baby cries at 5 pm and will try their best to calm him/her that time rather than distracting baby with a different routine. Find the routine that works ... and let us know how it goes.
 
Oh ... last thing. Don't use gripe water. The label, which is turned inside out says that it may lead to stomach cramps. I have no idea why parents use it and the side-effects on the label are carefully hidden.
 
JayN said:
Oh ... last thing. Don't use gripe water. The label, which is turned inside out says that it may lead to stomach cramps. I have no idea why parents use it and the side-effects on the label are carefully hidden.
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Well that's bad advice. You have to find what works for you. Gripe water worked perfectly for my children and never have them stomach cramps.
If you consider all the negatiev side effects that may come about if you use something then you should not use any medication at all.

imo you should try it, and if it causes cramps then you dump it. It does cause cramps in a small percentage of children, but the same goes for mothers milk. It also causes cramps and wind in a small percentage of babies. The chances that it will are so small that its pointless to disregard something that may really be a help just for that.
 
JayN said:
Hi Blunomore ... congrats. Don't think I sent a message ...

Colic is a condition where the baby cries for an unknown reason. Usually appears as though it has tummy cramps, and often it is at the same time of day every day and around the same length of time.
The good news is that it clears after a few months. The bad news is that it is very distressing for new parents, and can often lead to postnatal depression. So be careful.

The best thing to do is follow your instinct as a mother and obviously do the right things, e.g. keep to a routine, soothing warm bath in the evenings, the baby massage (make sure you're doing it right), feeding and breaking wind after feeding, not keeping baby too warm or constricted in tight clothing etc.

The telament does help, but it's more of a placebo (you give the baby medicine, the crying stops and you feel as though it has worked). If that works for you, keep it going.

I would stay away from buscopan (unless directed by the Paed). If you are in distress (not baby), then visit a Chiropractor specialising in babies. They are not hard to find. It brings relief but is only temporary.

The biggest concern at this time is you ... you need to be coping. If you're not, have someone close by that you can call on to take over.

Good luck and god bless ...
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I think you suffer from something I have experienced in alot of mothers (including my wife).You stop learning after you have had your baby. You decide that Telement is a placebo (which I assure you its not) and that's your truth. You also think that what worked for you is some magical formula that works on all babies. Your experiences are valuable knowledge on things to try and what to look out for, but you need to understand that babies respond differently to different things.

Again, Buscopan was a life saver in our house. Using it too much leads to a compacted tummy, but that does not mean its bad. Rather say, When you use buscopan, watch out for trouble with the bowel movement. To tell someone NOT to use something that might well be the trick for them is doing a disservice.
 
I like the constricting clothing advise the best.
And the relaxant bathing advise.
And turning them on various sides will assure easy farting.

Babies cry because they are either, hungry (easy fix) or they haven't got stomach free-flow or they can't got a blocked nose ... Why?

Because I suffer and cry if I'm hungry or have a constricted digestive track or can't sleep properly because of my sleep apnea.

EDIT: Why I survived baby-hood is still a mystery to me.

Maybe it was because of a good military medical scheme (aka taxpayer pays for me). Fortunately the Defense Force isn't that large anymore and it also isn't a Force anymore.
 
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congrats on your baby. Is it a boy or a girl.

Had a niece that was colic - not pleasant. Well she is 15 and still colic. lol.

Our baby had mild colic but it wasnt bad at all. We switched to Dr Browns bottles and it helped her but it doesnt help every one.

Also research colief, a lot of parents swear by it but I never used it so cant comment. Doesnt hurt to research it though.

Good luck.
 
Blunomore,

No drugs or alcohol at all.

Just add some weak Rooibos tea to her formula or if you're breastfeeding, give it to her between feeds.

It's natural and really works! Ask any doctor or just google "Annique Theron" and maybe give them a call re precise ratio, etc.

:-)
 
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fugacious said:
Blunomore,

No drugs or alcohol at all.

Just add some weak Rooibos tea to her formula or if you're breastfeeding, give it to her between feeds.

It's natural and really works! Ask any doctor or just google "Annique Theron" and maybe give them a call re precise ratio, etc.

:-)
Click to expand...

My grandfather used to drink tea by the cupfulls everyday. 2 litres would be average. He did say though ... Rooibos tea with some milk smells like a puppy's breath.

picture-3.png
 
I don't put sugar or milk in Rooibos tea - and I make it as strong as possible.

Babies should drink it either with water or expressed breast milk or milk formula - no sugar. Sugar really isn't necessary in Rooibos tea as it isn't bitter like Ceylon tea, but if an adult wishes to use it, OK.

Baby cows are the only beings that should drink cows milk. It's not good for humans (or kittens or cats or any other animals). ;)
 
Eish, you have to go through the list...

1. Burping - can't be emphasized enough - get someone to show you how to burp your baby properly, play around with slightly different positions - over the shoulder vs face down over your arm, or in your lap - find what works and do it until there are no more burps coming up after every feed.

2. Gripe water, lavender, telament, buscopan, Mag Phos, - any of these, none of these, some combo of these - again it's experiment and trial and error. Just beware, as some have mentioned, of slowing down the guts too much. Constipation in babies is hell.

3. Massage, warm cloth, warm bath, etc - also have a place. Again, experiment.

4. Swaddling helps some babies.

5. White noise / soothing music / womb sounds - anything that help relax and destress the baby can help.

6. Jiggling - walking and patting, a jiggly chair, rocking, car ride (vibrations) or just putting the baby on top of the tumble dryer (I kid you not, there are parents for whom this has worked). Some kids just like being in front of the washing machine / tumble dryer - apparently the sound is soothing.

5. vs 6. Sometimes some movement / stimulation helps, sometimes less stimulation works. Again trial and error.

Every baby is different, and there is no universal solution to the problem.

And if it all gets too much please find someone to fill in for you for a few hours.
 
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