Gripe water and colic???

Question

So i think my baby is getting colicy but not sure. She is alittle fussyer then usual but then again we just got back from a week trip to FL and i took her on a plane. I wanna think she is just out of sorts cause everyone was holding her and fussing with her the whole week. but just incase she is getting colicky i wanna get some gripe water, what could it hurt its al herbal and if anything it can help her with the gas pains she gets during the night. But im alittle confussed on how to give it to her. She is only 6 weeks almost 7 weeks old. Do you know how to give it to an infant and also if anyone has a website with the symtoms of colic that would be great so i can see if thats what it is.

Answer 1

I use to give my son the water in a droplet.

As for putting the rest of the formula in the fridge until you get a full bottle? That could get her sick.  The formula expires after a lil while.  Start her off with a FRESH bottle.

Answer 2

If your baby is getting colicky or just seems a little fussy you can give her some gripe water.  I gave gripe water to my daughter when she was colicky, that's what it's made for.  I of course, got permission from my doctor first, and he said that it won't hurt anything, just to give her some.  Follow the instructions on the bottle, but as for giving it to her, use a medical dropper, you can buy them at the pharmacy.  

A baby who has colic will cry for hours on end without stop, and it's more a scream then a cry, and it doesn't matter what you do, they still cry.  My daughter went through a phase where the doctors said she had colic.  I gave her lots of gripe water.  With gripe water there are two kinds, one with alcohol and one without.  I found the one without alcohol worked just as good as the one without (i had a bottle of each kind on hand at all times).  They also sell Ovol at the pharmacy, its to help with colic and reduce gas.  It comes with a dropper all ready, and what you do with that is you can put the dosage into her formula (just mix it in her bottle before giving it to her) or you can give it to her after she eats with the dropper.  I gave my daughter some after she ate.  It smells like mint, so I didn't want her thinking that her formula tasts like mint.  It does work, and doesn't interfere or react with gripe water.  (The doctor told me to use both of them, the ovol when she eats, and the gripe water when she is crying or fussin' and I tried everything but nothing works)  Walmart sells ovol, it's a little pricey, but works.  

Just remember that with all medication, you have to follow the instructions on the box, and try the other necessary things first (is she hungry, does she need a diaper change..etc) and if nothing works, try the gripe water.  

Another trick that worked for my daughter if the gripe water isn't working, you can try taking her for a car ride, that used to settle my daughter down and she would fall asleep.  She loved vibration, so when I didn't feel like driving around I would strap her into her car seat and put her ON TOP of the drier and turn it on (just make sure you turn off the buzzer that buzzes when the load is done).  The vibration of the drier would sooth her gas pains and she would fall asleep.  Mind you our hydro bill went up, but it was worth it.

What ultimately stopped my daughter from having her colic fits is we changed her formula to Similac Sensitive, it is a lactose free formula, and we noticed the difference overnight.  She stopped her fits of crying for hours on end and was the happiest baby around.

If your daughter isn't crying for hours on end (they say three hours without being able to be consoled) then I don't think it's colic, it's probably just the extra commotion from your trip.  The gripe water also helps with hiccups and gas, and won't hurt her if you give her some for those reasons as well.  The bottle says it also helps with teething, but I didn't find that it helped with that.  

For storing the left over formula in a new bottle I would suggest that you not do that.  Formula usually expires within 1 hour (take or leave a little bit of time) of your daughter taking a drink from the bottle because bacteria from her saliva gets into the formula.  I mean it won't expire on 1 hour on the dot, it doesn't have an alarm clock on it, but I wouldn't let it sit too long in the fridge before using it again.  I know it's expensive, but I throw away what she doesn't use within 2 hours.  Maybe if you find she is always leaving some formula in her bottle just try making a little less of a bottle, or make a big batch in a container and just putting what you think she will drink in the bottle, and if she wants a bit more, just rinse your bottle and add a bit more milk into it.  That way you aren't throwing away formula that costs a lot of money.  Hope this helps!

Answer 3

you have to throw the milk cause if it has just a little bit of bacteria it can grow and make the milk bad.  You might just make 2 ounces at a time if she doesn't drink much.

Colic just means inconsolable crying for 3 hours a day or more.  Some think its digestive problems others think its an immature nervous system.  My advice is to try the gripe water along with other things and get any help from family or friends through this time.  Remember, the first year is hard and then it gets easier.