Colic or reflux?

I've been saying I though my DD had reflux fir two weeks now, but maybe it's just colic. How can you tell the difference? I nurse right now, and at least twice a day she starts screaming after eating. You can feel her tummy turn into a rock and she will streatch out then ball up. Sometimes this goes on for 15 minutes then it will pass. She will staet to fall asleep then another wave will hit and we go through it again. It always happens after the 6:30 feeding and normally lasts until she eats again. Sometimes mylanta helps it end sooner (dr. Has ne giving her that 3x a day). She also spits up frequently. When she is going through this time, she may let out several big burps (that's after burping her twice during feeding). you can see the pain on her face. It breaks my heart. How can I tell if it's just colic or acid reflux. Could it be something else?

 

Well, first they are not really sure what colic is, so in some opinions colic and reflux could be roughly the same thing. That being said, I had a colicky baby that the doctors also called silent reflux - she didn't spit up. Her tummy would be hard as a rock. For weeks we soothed her and worked with her from 6 pm - 1 or 2 am before she exhaustedly fell asleep. It was brutal and I was so thankful only one of them had it. Many times when it wasn't eating time we could pretty easily soothe her using the 5 S's (from Happiest Baby on the Block DVD) We used mylicon drops some, but gripe water was somewhat the most helpful. In the end though, I went dairy free for 4 months and that seemed to be the ticket. Her digestive system just took a while to mature and once I went dairy free she nursed much better. Many babies start with a dairy intolerance - not this is not an allergy. You might want to consider it - I will forewarn you - to truly give up dairy there are many things you cannot eat that you would not think had dairy in them. It also takes 14 days for all dairy to leave your system. PM me if you want more info and some websites. Hang in there - it is so sad to see them in this pain.

 

I would take her back to the Ped and ask your Ped to treat her for reflux. Mylanta is really just a first tier response to whatever, reflux, etc.. I am guessing they will start her on a Zantac syrup and see if that helps. Be prepared that it might not and you will need to go back and request a different med. I tell you this so you can be proactive. :hug:

 

I highly recommend that you get the book Colic Solved. It was very easy to read and it is to the point without a lot of medical jargon. The author is a pedi gastroentologist and he thinks that the overwhelming majority of colic cases are just untreated reflux. One of our LOs had silent reflux and 15mg prevacid solutabs and thickened formula worked wonders for him. We didn't have much success at all with mylicon, gripe water, or Colic Calm, but Boiron Cocyntal vials were often times a miracle drug (though its homeopathic) when our boys were screaming their heads off for no apparent reason. I started buying several boxes at a time from Amazon once I realized they helped our boys. Best of luck!

 

If she is crying after a meal and waking up crying than it *could* be reflux but I'm not a doctor. To my knowledge colic is non stop crying and the babies being uncomfortable regardless of having just ate or laying down.

You might want to try putting her crib at an angle with her head higher than her feet if your crib has that ability. Either that or place her in an upright position in a bouncy or a swing that swings front to back for 30 minutes after eating.

I agree though, take her to the Ped. I wouldn't necessarily ask for reflux meds right off the bat because if it's not reflux you don't want to be giving her meds she doesn't need, at least that's my opinion. Instead I would just go in to your Ped's office and explain EXACTLY what's happening.

In the meantime try the conservative approach to possible reflux, burping really well (she may be waking up crying due to gas), keeping her in an upright position for 30 minutes after feeds and just see if those things work. Also maybe try giving her some mylicon mixed into her bottle.

Sometimes my kids will wake up crying but it's because they've got a gas bubble in their belly they can't get out so we will go in there and burp them and they are happy lil guys and go right back to sleep.

 

I second cutting out dairy. My DS turned into a whole different baby once we switched him to Alimentum (the formula equivalent of cutting dairy out of your diet). It can't hurt to try it since you are bf.

 

I have started cutting a lot of dairy out if my diet. I don't drink milk, eat cheese, creams if any sort, the common dairy things I guess. Also, they are in a pack and play at the moment to sleep and for sone reason the matress sits at an angle (it's doesn't sit on the bottom of the pnp yet). The angle thing doesn't seem to help. As for burping she burps like a full grown man!! It's actually kind of funny. O burp her twice during feedings and after also. She doesn't always burp twice during but most times she will. I try to gave her sit in her bouncy/swing/carseat after feedings but she tends to just cry after 10 minutes. In that case I hold her fir the next twenty. Sometimes it helps, others nit so much. I am writing a bunch of things down sir the doctor (we go next Thursday)
I am also noticing that DS has some strange things that make ne think reflux too. He will be ok after eating and he doesn't spit up, but he tends to make a face like he is gagging. He dies this quite often. Sometimes he stops and stays calm other times he starts crying. He also tends to choke during feedings and has to stop to cough (may be eating to fast though). Like I said I am writing this all down for the doctor but any ideas to help now would be great.

 

One of the first thing you ped may ask you is if the kiddos are projectile vomitting and, at least with my ped, it's projecting 2' of further or very forceful vommiting. If they aren't forcefully throwing up during most of their feeds I don't know that I would say it's reflux just yet.

Also, if the upright for 30 minutes after feeds isn't helping, again I wouldn't lean to far into it being a reflux issue.

I didn't breast feed so I can't really help and I'm not sure if cutting out all forms of dairy will cut out milk protein as well. If it doesn't you twins may have a milk protein allergy which can cause some of the things you are describing. But like I said I don't know, that's something to talk to your ped about.

How many weeks old were they when they were born again and did they spend time in NICU or PICU??
It's *possible* that their gag reflexes just haven't fully developed yet.

It excellent that you are writing everything down, that will help your doc a great deal!

Either way, def. go to your ped with all of your notes and see if you can get to the bottom of this. If they refer you to a GI def. go and if the GI recommends tests that involve something like endoscopes or things of that nature I highly recommend just doing them as soon as possible. Our GI kept pushing it for months to get scopes and a 24 hour in the hospital monitored feeding. Once I finally agreed to do it things turned around for the better.

Good luck!!!

 

I agree 100%. I'll also add that my son required prevacid (after 2 months of Zantac) to really be "normal".

 

I agree with this to a T. My 'colic' baby was transformed after 5 days. :hug: