Baby Place

newbornparents · Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 2:23 am Post subject: Sudden trouble sleeping at night

Hi all,

This is our first post in this forum, My wife and me just had our first baby NOV 25. A girl. She has been home with us for just over a week and the last two nights she has had trouble sleeping at night. This was never a problem before. She would sleep almost all night long. Now she cry's for 5 or 6 hours straight before finally falling to sleep. My mother said she may have gas and to put corn syrup in with her formula. But thats alot of sugar for a newborn is it not? We have givin her gripe water with some sucess. but as i write this she is crying and it's 2:25 am. any help would be great.

thanks. Tim&Justine

Mom of 2 · Joined: 26 May 2004 Posts: 303

It sounds like she may have colic. Nutramagin is a formula for colic and it works wonders. If you think she may have gas they also sell Mylicon drops for gas in the baby aisle. I would be sure to talk to your doctor about it and they will give you their advice.

Nikki · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 407 Location: Toronto

Hi,

You would have to check with your doctor for a diagnosis if any, but it does sound like Colic, also what 'Mom of 2' said.
I know myself because I went through it for 3 months with my son.....he cried for hours on end during the day and evening. Colic does not sometimes emerge until the baby is a couple of weeks old.....with my son it started when he was about a week and a half.

We had him on all types of formula, eventually staying on Alimentum which is similar to Nutramigen because it is hypoallergenic. We found the Alimentum to make little or no difference.
Check with your doctor because he may have a milk allergy and have to go on Soy formula......but that is rare.
If your wife is breastfeeding it may be something in her diet.
Although with all the current research on colic they are starting to think it has nothing to do with gas, etc. but the so called "wiring of a baby's brain"and that some babies cannot handle all the environmental stimuli around them right away.

If it does turn out to be colic and things get really bad, get all the help you can from family and friends. If the baby is crying and you need a 10 minute break from holding/rocking put the baby in a safe place like his/her crib.
Things that worked for us to soothe and quiet our son was rocking him, singing to him, you can try swaddling him/her, running the dishwasher over and over(no kidding with this one......the sound would soothe him to sleep), the sound of the hair dryer running, we even bought a CD with the sound of the maternal heartbeat, a vacuum cleaner, car wipers, etc.
We tried and did everything. We even went for car rides at midnight just to get him to calm down sometimes. We survivied and I never would have made it through that rough time without the support of my husband, and family.

Good luck and hang in there. Wink

Here is a great site for you and lots of info on colic http://www.child.com/pregnancy_baby/babys_first_year/coping_colic.jsp

Nikki · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 407 Location: Toronto

Just one other thing I forgot to mention-- corn syrup is sometimes given to help a baby with constipation. The concern with corn syrup is not so much the sugar but if it is not pasteurized is could cause 'infant botulism' a type of food poisoning.
Also, never give your baby honey for the same reason, infant botulism.
You can do a 'google search' on honey and infant botulism to find out more.

The link I gave you on Colic is 5 pages long so you may not have the time to read all of it. The last two pages tell you how to deal with it and the first few pages tell you all the latest research on stats on colic.

jenna103 · Joined: 18 Sep 2004 Posts: 904 Location: Long Island

Congratualtions on the birth of your new baby. I have to agree with Mom of 2 and Nikki. It sounds like colic to me too. I had my baby girl on August 12. She was okay during the day but come around 6-7 she would scream. For hours. She had me in tears. My husband and I would walk the floors with her. Nikki mentioned some great things to do to help. With our daughter we would have to run the kitchen sink full blast. I remember one night I literally stood by the kitchen sink for 2 hours. My husband bought a chair over for me so I could at least sit. My butt was no sooner in that chair she was up screaming again. I had to stand. I thought I would lose my mind. My daughter is breastfed. Which we were told was easier on her stomach and it was still bad. I did find a difference when I changed my diet. We have pizza night once a week and on Sunday's macaroni with sauce. Well, my sauce days are over. On the days I had sauce she was worse. I notice the last couple of weeks a huge difference. My doctor said colic usually last for the first three months. He said colic babies always have a time where they are the worst and it's usually in the evening. Actually 95% of the time it's the evenings. And my daughter was almost by the clock from like 6 to 10. THe mylicon drops are very helpful. A little pricey for a small bottle but totally worth it. To this day we always make sure we have two bottles in the house. WIth a colic baby mylicon is a must. THey come in dye free now. Cause the pink is tough to get out of clothes. My doctor had told me about the corn syrup also but only for constipation. And did you mean you gave her grape water? I have to be honest I never heard of that and my doctor is dead againest giving any fruits or vegtables at that young of a age. You have to be careful of allergies. Also water they can only take in small amounts; my doctor would rather formula then water. The water only fills them up and then they won't eat there formula and something with there kidney's I don't remember what but my doctor said if I needed to give it only an ounce. Good luck and please keep us all posted.

Nikki · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 407 Location: Toronto

Jenna- It is called "gripe water" and it's affect is similar to mylicon drops (Ovol here in Canada). I don't think they sell Gripe water in the US.

Gripe water is found here in Canada, and I think it originally comes from Great Britian. It goes way back and is an old remedy for gas bubbles. The original version did have alcohol in it, but they do have and recommend an alcohol-free version.
My doctor told me mylicon drops(Ovol) and Gripe water differ slightly one is supposed to prevent gas and the other breaks up the gas bubbles.

So sorry to hear your daughter also had colic. We also did the running water thing and everything we did worked temporarily and then things stopped working......it really got to a point where we just had to wait it out. As soon as Alex was just a little over 3 months he was like a totally different baby.....no more crying, he slept well and we finally got to sleep!

DadSteve · Joined: 09 Jul 2004 Posts: 290

jenna103 · Joined: 18 Sep 2004 Posts: 904 Location: Long Island

LOL!!! Oh my goodness how embarassing. I thought it was a typo and he meant grape water. LOL!! I was wondering where they came up with grape water. They must not sell it here cause I have never heard of it.
Well; she's 16 weeks now and I notice a huge change in her. Although I am not going to test the waters by eating sauce. I know it bothers her so non until I am no longer nursing. I feel bad cause for some odd reason I never thought I would have a colic baby. That was just something other baby's have. And I just had in my head that she wasn't going to be as content as my first and she was a tough baby. Then when my doctor told me she is text book colic I felt so bad. I guess us mothers always feel guilty about something.
Steve thanks for the advice. Where were you a month or so ago??? LOL!!! Well, my water company loves me.

Nikki · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 407 Location: Toronto

Jenna- What kind of sauce do you mean? Tomato/pasta suace?
I plan on breastfeeding this baby and I was wondering if there are some things I should avoid in my diet? I guess I will have to wait and see.....
I'm hoping this baby will not have colic but if he/she is difficult at least I've been through the worst of it, so I know exactly what to do and how to handle it.

jenna103 · Joined: 18 Sep 2004 Posts: 904 Location: Long Island

Evening Nikki;
Tomatoe sauce. SO for now my pizza days are over. Too bad; I do miss it. But I don't miss her up crying so it was worth it. When she's finished being breastfed I am going to have a big slice of pizza with a Corona to toast a job well done. LOL!!!
Did you breastfeed your last baby? I tried breastfeeding my son but he wasn't gaining weight so I had to supplement and he just rathered the formula in the bottle. I still pushed it. Until he was three months and got thrush. That was it for us. Now my daughter on the other hand loves being breastfed and hates the bottle. SO it's much easier and more relaxed with her.
I had freinds who breastfed that had to aviod brocolli and coffee. I guess every person is different.
I will keep my fingers crossed that your baby isn't colic. It's hard and frustrating.
How are you feeling?

Kendra04 · Joined: 17 Apr 2004 Posts: 147 Location: Georgia

Here are a few things I have learned to do to help my baby; she doesn't have colic but is REAL sensitive to her formula because she was started on breastmilk and I got mastitis and couldln't produce enough for her... which causes her to have severe gas. It was so bad they thought they would have to do surgery on her when she was like a month old. These things do help colic though because sometimes they cry due to protein sensitivity. Try:

~ Dr. Brown's Bottles- They have a little tube thing in them that help keep gas out of babies' bellies. Reducing gas which equals less crying.

~ Similac Alimentum Advance (Hydrolosate)- This works wonders. It comes with the protein already broken down to help the baby digest it. So it is easier on their bellies.

~Mylicon Gas Drops- They reduce gas within seconds!! You can actually tell it works fast! These are what I call Miracle Drops! Wink

Good luck! Speak to your pediatrician! A good Dr. will be able to help you through it! I have heard it can last from 3 to 6 months! Also, I don't know if you do, but when I was having trouble I said a lot of prayers and they helped a lot also!

Nikki · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 407 Location: Toronto

Jenna,

I tired breastfeeding my son in the hospital but I was onl lots of pain killers, IV with Morphine, etc after my c-sec so I was really out of it and the nurses didn't give me all the help I needed with breastfeeding. He was a big baby and crying like crazy so we asked for a bottle of formula....he was drinking 3-4oz at a feeding even though he was a day or two old! He seemed to be doing really well and lost no weight whatsoever when we went for his first checkup. So I ended up sticking with the formula although we tried several types before going on the hypoallergenic (Alimentum). He developed the colic but his doctor said he would have had colic even if I had breastfed him.......who knows.
This time I want things to be different. So I will be taking a breastfeeding class before the baby is born and make sure the hospital has a lactation consultant there for me after the birth.

My son did well on formula though........he remained in the 90th percentile for his height and now for his weight is in the 75 percentile......he is not fat by any means.
He now at 27 months has only had one ear infection. He gets quite a few colds though and last year he picked up a Rotavirus ......vomitting and diarrhea and we all ended up getting it......it's super contaigous.
Hopefully breastfeeding will make a difference.

jenna103 · Joined: 18 Sep 2004 Posts: 904 Location: Long Island

I heard it's real tough after a c-section. With my son the nurses weren't helpful at all either. Thank goodness my Aunt was big into breastfeeding and her sister in law belongs to the LA Leche Group. She is a counselor. So they came in and that was it we were breastfeeding. Defiantly ask for a lacatation counselor. I hear they make all the difference. How big was your son? Both my babies were just over eight pounds. THat breast feeding class sounds like a great idea.
Like I said my son was only breastfed just shy of four months. As far as height he too is in the 90 percent range and 80 I think for his weight. But he has gotten quite a few ear infections. Knock wood my daughter hasn't had anything yet. WE are taking the family to Disney this month I am worried that the weather change will be a problem. I know when my son was her age we took him to Vegas and he was sick most of the time there.
You know any breast feeding questions where to go. LOL!! THis chat board is great

Nikki · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 407 Location: Toronto

My son was 9lbs 7oz......pretty big since I'm not very big myself......I don't know how I grew him so big Laughing

I'm sure most of my breastfeeding questions will come to me once I start breastfeeding...
Have fun at Disney World!

jenna103 · Joined: 18 Sep 2004 Posts: 904 Location: Long Island

Oh good grief. And I thought my 8 pounds was big. I saw one of your postings. How does someone who weighs just over 100 pounds have a 9 pound baby??? You poor thing. That would explain why you had a c-section. I was surprised my daughter was just over eight pounds cause I had only gained 10. I thought for sure she would be a little 6 pound peanut. My sister in law is freaking out cause she's about 16 weeks pregnant for her first. She was a 10 pound baby and my brother was a nine pound baby. She says she just knows this baby is going to be big.
I'm sure Disney world will be fun. Especially with Mikey being at the age he is. I just have this HUGE fear of flying so until I am off the plane and there I can't seem to look forward to it. I am so worried I won't be able to get on the plane. Everytime I think about it I get anxiety and now it's even starting to keep me up at night. Ugh.
HAve you ever been there?