PLS Help me troubleshoot LO's problem! Gas/Colic?

[DivineNature]

I am at my wits end. My 4 month old (4 mo today) has been getting fussy and crying more for about the past week. It is getting worse. His nights are getting worse. Last night he woke up every hour and then cried for about 20 minutes in the middle of the night. I nursed him, changed him, rocked him, patted him, finally he went back to sleep. He also cried and cried and cried for about 20 minutes yesterday and when he finally fell asleep he slept for a really long time.

What worries me is that is is a pain type cry and he will even do it AFTER he is done nursing.

Anyway, he hasn't pooped in awhile, which normally doesn't cause me too much concern. However, his last poo was a little thicker than usual. He has extremely stinky gas!

I don't eat wierd stuff, no spicy really. I do wonder about my diet though. Could it be dairy, certain veges???? Is he allergic to my milk all of a sudden? I did go off dairy for about a week when he was younger to clear up his red bum and it did clear up and I went back to dairy (that was super hard for me).

I have Gripe Water but haven't used it consistantly. He hates it and I'm not convinced it works. We've also used some other natural remedies that DH purchased that sometimes seem to work, but its temporary.

Please help! I need ideas. What should I do or what can I try???


ETA: He is drooling a lot and sucking and chewing on his hands. He takes a pacifier.

[anabellee]

if either of my kids get any sort of cows milk they get very gassy and have really rotten green runny poo. my oldest breaks out in eczema and my youngest will cry constantly. i've been dairy free since ds2 was born (6mths now) and it's hard but the payoff of a happy easy baby is soooo worth it. i make our own bread, use rice milk (can't stand soy) and just don't cook dishes with cheese in them. it's been a big adjustment but it's starting to feel normal. good luck mama!

[breanne_roz]

Aw mama, I'm sorry your LO is having a rough time! Have you thought about teething? When DS started teething he was extremely fussy, and had "flu-like" symptoms, and then all of a sudden two teeth cut through his gums...so that was a bit of a surprise! I hope you figure out what is going on!

[paintedbison]

Could be teething. Maybe a growth spurt (DS always seems extra fussy and wants to nurse again even if he just nursed when he hits a big growth spurt). Could be anything really. I know lots of moms cut out dairy when baby is fussy... I don't know a lot about that, but it would seem odd to me for him to be fine for the first 4 months and then all of the sudden have a problem with diary.

I just tend to think as breastfeeding moms we are too quick to blame breastfeeding. Maybe he's just been overstimulated or overtired or having a rough week or teething or who knows what this past week. Here's a link you can check out: http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns...nsitivity.html

Also, most babies are fine with spicy foods or heavily seasoned foods. One study showed that garlic does pass on the flavoring to breastmilk... but babies ate more when the breastmilk had the garlic flavor (I just imagine little babies thinking "yum, it was Italian milk". Whatever you eat normally you should eat while breastfeeding because the flavors in the milk are one way that our kids develop a taste for the foods in our culture.

We love Mexican food and I eat a ton of it. DD is now a total spicy salsa addict as well. Friends always freak out when they see her eating spicy stuff. I'm doing my best to addict DS as well, lol!

[DivineNature]

Thanks for the ideas, ladies. I do think it's true that as bf mama's we always assume it's our fault.

[smapple]

can't write much ATM b/c I'm NAK, but my oldest DS started teething at 4 months.. are his gums red or swollen?

[DivineNature]

Originally Posted by smapple can't write much ATM b/c I'm NAK, but my oldest DS started teething at 4 months.. are his gums red or swollen?

Nope. My ods got his first tooth at 12 months and dd at 8 months. But it does seem that they get the signs several months in advance. I'll keep watching them.

I'll probably start with cutting out milk and cheese. It seems the most likely problem.

[Mom2Natalya]

also consider other foods like broccoli, beans and other cruciferous veggies. kellymom.com has a lot of info about food elim diets.

[abbycadabby]

How long has this been going on? The best nursing advice that I ever got was to wait 4 days or longer before changing anything in your diet (assuming, of course, that it's not inconsolable crying or something serious). Sometimes these things just work themselves out. I know DS #2 has had a few episodes like that that lasted about a week and went away (one notable episode lasted a week and was accompanied by lots of spit up).

[kclarkadpi]

Originally Posted by paintedbison babies ate more when the breastmilk had the garlic flavor (I just imagine little babies thinking "yum, it was Italian milk".

That's freakin' hilarious!