Whew! What a relief - we actually survived colic!! There were days when I thought it would never end.

The worst part was our son's fourteenth week when his colic peaked. YIKES!! There was one day he went on screaming for almost 16 hours straight with only 3 or 4 ten to fifteen minute breaks. Even though the colic peak was at 14 weeks, the colic itself was not over until he was almost 12 months old. Here's why...

Our son was among the unfortunate few babies born with GERD (GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease). I've already said before in this article that I am no doctor, so I refer you to this web site for more details on gastroesophageal reflux.

Thanks to our journals, together with his doctor we discovered the GERD relatively early on (just under 2 months of age) and were able to do something quick about it. Some of the signs we saw in our son:

• spitting up after EVERY feeding,
• no warning of when spit-ups would occur (could be immediately after feeding or up to as much as 2 hours after feedings - we never knew for sure),
• our son never showed signs he was about to spit up,
• many episodes of projectile vomiting (in the early stages),
• when spitting up was heavy in the mornings there would ALWAYS be colicky episodes that afternoon and/or evening,
• frequent "gassy" days.

A few other complications arose as a result of his condition. He refused to crawl - in fact, he hated being on his stomach at all since this usually resulted in spitting up which he grew to dislike intensely. Thank heavens for First Steps and the physical therapist (Arlina) who helped him through this important early stage of his development. Arlina made sure he developed the much needed major muscle groups he was failing to develop as a result of his refusal to crawl. And thank heavens for Dr. Ludwig and his quick action providing our son with medications to suppress the acid, ensuring his GERD didn't develop into anything far worse (such as Bartlett's Disease).

People I talk to now about colic and/or GERD tell me I seem to know a lot on both subjects... I humbly deny this --- I know a lot on both subjects as they pertain to my son only. I don't know a lot about these subjects as they pertain to other children since all cases are so uniquely different from child to child. The most knowledgeable people on the subject of your own child will almost always be yourself and your child's doctor, if you both work closely together to ensure a healthy child.

There truly is a HUGE difference between a "fussy" baby and a baby with colic. Our family survived it, and your family will too.

 

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