When you have a baby you generally expect some sleepless nights and crying but for so many of us it goes beyond that. Having an unhappy baby can be one of the most trying and frustrating challenges of your life. It pays to be informed and question every symptom.
I have heard the term colic but didn’t think much about it until my first child arrived. She was very cranky and didn’t like to be put down. I slept sitting up with her on the couch for the first couple of months. She would wake up in the middle of the night and scream and cry for hours and nothing seemed to sooth her. I was frustrated and angry at my self because I didn’t seem to have the ability to make my baby happy.
After a few months of screaming I decided to talk with her doctor about it. I told her that she was extremely fussy. I had decided that she was having stomach pain because she fussed at feedings and sometimes I could calm her calm her by laying her on her tummy. I was asked a series of questions about her symptoms. Was she spitting up? If so was it projectile? She wasn’t spitting up so the doctor just told me to keep an eye on her and that she probably just had a little colic and to let her know if anything changed. I trusted my child’s doctor and being a first time mom I didn’t question her or seek a second opinion. Everyone in my family just kept telling me she had colic. So I asked them what was colic exactly.
They simply said it’s when a baby cried without a reason. So in other words its just a way to say you don’t know whats wrong with you baby. I knew there was something wrong with my baby, but we endured the painful crying for the next few months and at around 6 months when she started sitting with out assistance, the crying became less severe and she began sleeping longer through the night. At around 8 months everything had settled down and she didn’t seem to have anymore stomach issues. I assumed that she had grown out of it and we started living a happier less stressful life.
I didn’t even hear the word acid reflux until my son was born. When we brought him home from the hospital, he was very laid back for the first few days but I soon noticed that he had started spitting up. I felt like he was spitting up a little more than normal so I called his doctor. They asked my how often he was spitting up and told me if it wasn’t happening at every feeding not to worry. After a few more days of frequent spitting up he starting becoming unusually fussy and began making gulping noises. Next came crying, but not just any crying my baby was crying out as if in pain.
I called the doctor and they set up an appointment for a few days later, but before the appointment he began projectile vomiting and we were seen immediately. They told me that because he hadn’t lost any weight he most likely had acid reflux and prescribed an acid reducing medication twice a day. Within 20 minutes of giving him his first dose he was a different baby. He slept at night only waking for feedings. He was easy to sooth and we didn’t have long crazy nights of crying. It was wonderful!
After returning to the doctor for a checkup to make sure the medicine was working, I had casually mentioned to the nurse that I was so relieved that my son was feeling better and that I had wished we had been able to figure out what had been wrong with my daughter when she was a baby. I proceeded to tell her about the symptoms my daughter had when she was a baby and the nurse said she probably had acid reflux as well. She said that the stomach acid was probably coming up the throat and rolling back down irritating her throat and esophagus. I was infuriated at my self for not getting a second opinion for my daughter when she was a baby. I learned a valuable lesson in that doctors office. If you feel that somethings wrong with you baby don’t just assume it’s colic. Seek a second opinion! I just may save your child from months of pain. As a mother you have a natural instinct when if comes to your children. If you feel in your heart that somethings wrong don’t trust outside opinions go with your gut.
