My vicious circle of colic

Love these definitions:

Babycenter says colic is.... a term used to describe uncontrollable crying in an otherwise healthy baby.

Wikipedia says colic is....  is a condition in which an otherwise healthy baby cries or screams frequently and for extended periods, without any discernible reason.

However, for this Mommy, colic is defined by:

- sleepless nights, days, and all the time in between

- headaches, backaches, body aches

- sadness your baby is unhappy

- and ultimately lots of money spend on wine to soothe nerves.

We honestly did not see colic coming in Knox. SURELY having one baby with colic and reflux was enough for this lifetime. Um no. I figure I have these challenging newborns now and I'll have easy grade school or teenagers later... right? Why not, a girl can dream.

Literally it went off like a switch.  One day my sweet, easy-going, sleep-eat-poop, little guy turned into a raging, hysterical and inconsolable child. Thing is... I KNEW something was up. I knew he had reflux from day 1. 

I should mention here that now, after 2 kids with colic, I can confidently tell you that colic is something that happens as a result of other factors. Colic in itself isn't brought on by nothing at all... With Nash it was the reflux alone and with Knox it was a combination of the reflux and the tummy troubles causes by his sensitivities.  The thing to remember is that it passes once you get the factors under control.

This is Knox one evening laying next to me in bed. 

He was having NOTHING to do with me.

---Lesson #1 in parenting--- You are your child's advocate. I remember telling his pediatrician for weeks at a time that he had reflux and they kept putting me off.  In hindsight, I wouldn't have taken 'no' for an answer. 

---Lesson #2 in parenting--- The doctor isn't God. Use your gut and do what's best for your family and your child. 

Knox was a fidgety, gassy (and when I mean 'gassy', I mean GASSY), fussy thing for almost 4 weeks before the hysteria came in. Nash didn't have all that nonsense, so I chalked it up to run-of-the-mill gas. Not so much. Trial and error had us with 2 different formulas behind my belt and raw nipples on account of marathon nursing to keep him calm. After 2 weeks of crying and 4 solid days of non-stop screaming + no sleep on anyone's part, I called his pediatrician waving the white flag. I. Give. Up. 

We changed him to Enfamil's Nurtramegin formula for babies with extreme colic by way of a milk protein intolerance; one week on solid Zantac and -- whala! new kid.

Knox after the "switch" went off:

I should also touch on my little helper how he dealt with this whole scenario.  Nash was actually, remarkably, tolerant of most of the screaming and Mommy's lack of patience.  He spent most of the time watching movies in his chair. Brilliant if you ask me. :)