The Hell of Colic

Never before have I had a baby with colic.  After birthing and rearing four children, this one was my first experience dealing with colic. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  Ok, maybe on my worst enemy.  If I had one.  But colic breeds a different kind of baby, and after four days of it, I started checking the return policy on this new baby.  It wasn't that he was inconsolable (though at times he was).  It was simply that he never, let me state that again, NEVER let me put him down.  Not for one minute.  Not even for a second.  And watching him writhe in pain as he tried to digest his food (yes, I'm nursing) and scream while he was trying to do it was agony.

After going online to do my typical research, I discovered that colic wasn't just tied to those gassy foods a mom can eat that can pass onto her baby like broccoli, cabbage and onions.  It can also be attributed to gluten and dairy foods.  Well, I was desperate enough to try anything so as soon as I was done reading that sentence, I put myself on a gluten-free and dairy-free diet. And this after looking so forward to some sugary treats after being on my diabetic diet for three months!  Yes, this is how desperate I was. My craving for peace, quiet and the American dream (no, literally dream...as in sleep) overshadowed my craving for chocolate croissants, double chocolate mousse cake and fresh baked baguette.  I kid you not when I say that Damien was a different baby within 24 hours.  He still wasn't exactly a happy baby - heck, he's still not a happy baby - but it was tolerable and he wasn't writhing around in pain anymore.  It took a few days of experimenting, and I still stumble across foods he can't tolerate very well (like spaghetti sauce), and we'll have a bad day.  But overall he has no problems with digestion anymore.  He still won't let anyone put him down for more than a few minutes.  We're not sure if this behavior is tied to the colic and he'll grow out of it, or if this will continue until he becomes more independent. Essentially, this baby has rendered me useless as a homeschool mom and housewife. I actually have a dear woman from my church come once a week simply to hold him so I can get some things done around here.  I'm kind of thinking my mother jinxed me when she presented us with a baby gift in the hospital that consisted of a t-shirt that reads cranky but cute - just ask mommy!  So thanks, Mom!

Proof he lets me put him down...but only when he's sleeping

P.S.  The other thing that helped us survive colic was Colic Calm - the most magical all-natural remedy on the planet!  A little bit of this, and baby was so much better within 15-20 minutes. We tried a few different remedies, but this was, hands down, the winner.  I would buy stock in it...if the stock market wasn't so bad right now...and we could afford to buy stocks in the first place.