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and therefore it was not colic, but reflux. There is a difference.
Right. My daughter had the same exact situation. Just non stop crying, no matter what we tried and we tried it all. The pediatrician eventually just shrugged his shoulders and said "must be colic". At a subsequent appt, we described how our daughter would cry during feedings and he said, "ah, maybe reflux", and also prescribed our daughter Zantac. And it did seem to help, although to this day I'm not sure that I really believe she had reflux. I think she was just a difficult baby (and now a difficult toddler!).
Sort of, sort of not. "Colic" is really just a set of symptoms; there is no one specific cause. Reflux can be one of the causes.
Colic is the catch all for anything wrong that can not be labeled. Reflux is not colic. It is reflux. It might harbor the same looking symptoms but once you have it figured out and you are on the path to alleviating the pain of a baby it is then termed reflux, not colic.
I have 3 children: 1 had colic and the stereotypical signs (fine baby until evening and then would just flip out screaming unconosolingly for at least 3 hours for more than half the week). We tried everything and nothing worked. That is colic.
We had another child with milk and soy allergies. Again, we tried everything and through elimination diet and then further tests with the Drs, it was confirmed milk and soy allergy. That is an allergy. It is not colic. Yet, similar symptoms in that the baby was screaming and at first we did not know why nor could console him.
Third baby, reflux. Similar symptoms, however nursed constantly, a lot of spit up, crying after eating. Unconsolable. After a lot of tests and trials with both Zantac and Prevacid he turned a 180 and was the happiest baby around. At 7 months now he is still having no issues, and is still on Prevacid.
All three circumstances may start out looking the same but each are cared for in completely different manners. Reflux and allergies are not colic, I'm sorry. Both have ways of being overcome in order to help the infant out. And to brush everything under the rug as colic and letting it be without a lot of research can cause damage to an infant if they did actually have something like allergies or reflux. Those are things that need to be treated, not left alone. Colic a child grows out of and there is nothing you can do. The others, not so much.
My thoughts exactly. These 2 posters seem to think they know it all.
Colic GERD reflux temperament-how do you know what is causing the colic? newborns cannot easily be given a GI test! if nothing else works, and pretty much every non-rx-medication attempt has been utilized, then it's time to try the GI meds.....if they work, then VOILA! it was reflux! AND YOUR BABY DOES NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ANYMORE. AN AMAZING CONCEPT, THAT IS.
btw, my son apparently had colic due to reflux but didn't have the typical 'reflux' symptoms. all he did was scream every evening at dinner time. for hours. UNTIL HE WAS PUT ON ZANTAC.
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Last edited by uptown_urbanist; 01-24-2010 at 10:03 PM..
Reason: keep it nice, please
I'm sorry you can not understand that other people have information that may differ from what you believe. I'm not a know it all, I'm not a Dr. I am, however, a mother of 3 children who has gone through each type of issue brought up here and do understand the finer points of each category, while also understanding that each situation, while similar on the onset, are very different and need very different treatments. Some, like Reflux, if left untreated, can cause severe damage to esophagus. By not having that ruled out and just thinking it is colic and it will be grown out of, that can potentially harm a child. If what I have learned over many years of actually dealing with the issues per topic can help a new mother and child by sharing what I have had to learn for the health and happiness of my own children, then if I come across as a know it all that seems to raise hackles of other posters who do not understand the difference between Colic, reflux, and allergies, so be it. I'm not here to be condescending, I am here to help if I actually think that I have information that can.
So please get off your high horse, twowolves, and realize that just because I do not agree with you does not mean I am a know it all. It just means I actually may have been down that road and Im willing to share whatever I can in order to hopefully help someone who has to go through all the options of trying to figure out how to help their poor kid who is in pain. Sometimes having as much information as possible at your fingertips, and other peoples perspectives, can help make a difference.
I'm not a Mom yet, but I thought I'd offer some encouragement. When my cousin was an infant she had terrible colic. She'd scream for hours every night and my aunt tried everything but nothing worked. She grew out of it and is not a happy, healthy and extremely bright 13 year old. I don't know if it's helpful at all, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel...
Colic is the catch all for anything wrong that can not be labeled. Reflux is not colic. It is reflux. It might harbor the same looking symptoms but once you have it figured out and you are on the path to alleviating the pain of a baby it is then termed reflux, not colic.
I have 3 children: 1 had colic and the stereotypical signs (fine baby until evening and then would just flip out screaming unconosolingly for at least 3 hours for more than half the week). We tried everything and nothing worked. That is colic.
We had another child with milk and soy allergies. Again, we tried everything and through elimination diet and then further tests with the Drs, it was confirmed milk and soy allergy. That is an allergy. It is not colic. Yet, similar symptoms in that the baby was screaming and at first we did not know why nor could console him.
Third baby, reflux. Similar symptoms, however nursed constantly, a lot of spit up, crying after eating. Unconsolable. After a lot of tests and trials with both Zantac and Prevacid he turned a 180 and was the happiest baby around. At 7 months now he is still having no issues, and is still on Prevacid.
All three circumstances may start out looking the same but each are cared for in completely different manners. Reflux and allergies are not colic, I'm sorry. Both have ways of being overcome in order to help the infant out. And to brush everything under the rug as colic and letting it be without a lot of research can cause damage to an infant if they did actually have something like allergies or reflux. Those are things that need to be treated, not left alone. Colic a child grows out of and there is nothing you can do. The others, not so much.
Hi
Our first son was very similar. My wife tried nursing...forget that...he would just scream during it. Went to forumula and he screamed after being fed for hours and had some spit up....but mostly you could tell he was having the food come back up into the back of his throat and it was painful for him. He could not be laid flat for any length of time without wailing. The only peace he got was sleeping in his carseat, which he did for the first 6 months of his life.
After being told in the first 3 months that we were just overreacting and that all newborns cry and that he may be have colic and will grow out it, we put our foot down and had them do some upper GI tests and other tests (which now after 4 years I cannot remember what they were). It was finally confirmed he had severe acid reflux. We were told the closing at the top of his esophagus (sp?) was not developed, but after time it would, usually by 7-8 months of age. We put him on a special formula called Nutramagen which breaks down the milk proteins for easier consumption and less spit up. Zantac did not work for us, but Prevacid did wonders which he started around 4-5 months of age. He was so much better!
At age 8 months, he could sleep in his crib flat down without any pain as his flap was healed and we were able to take hiim off Prevacid.
By 1 year of age, after noticing some reactions to milk based products, he was tested for allergies and was found to be allergic to milk, egg and peanuts. We are in treatment for these allergies right now and go to a special food allergy treatment clinic in Wisconsin. He is 4 yr old and is fine and healthy and active.
My point, like many of the other posters, just dont take a colic wording as it and assume the newborn will get better on his/her own. Be pro-active and ask for other tests and ask about testing for acid reflux and later on toward 6 months or 1 yr of age if you suspect milk allergies, have them tested too.
Our son had lots of eczema which is a big sign of milk allergies early on.
It took a few months to get doctors to do more...but once we pushed the doctors responded to our needs and have done wonders.
We recently had twin boys. Due to our experience with our first, we assumed they may have similar issues with acid reflus and milk allergies. They were put on prevacid and nutramagen right away, just in case. Much fewer problems with acid refulx, although one of our twins did have the same kind of spit up as our first born. He slept in the car seat until age 6 months.
At age 6 months, they were tested for food allergies and came back negative. Both are now 1 yr old and are perfectly healthy and fine weight wise and size wise.
I'm not a Mom yet, but I thought I'd offer some encouragement. When my cousin was an infant she had terrible colic. She'd scream for hours every night and my aunt tried everything but nothing worked. She grew out of it and is not a happy, healthy and extremely bright 13 year old. I don't know if it's helpful at all, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel...
That should say she is now a happy, healthy, and extremely bright 13 year old. Sorry.
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It just means I actually may have been down that road and Im willing to share whatever I can in order to hopefully help someone who has to go through all the options of trying to figure out how to help their poor kid who is in pain. Sometimes having as much information as possible at your fingertips, and other peoples perspectives, can help make a difference.
