how will I know if my baby has reflux or colic

[Roryrory]

My first boy had no problems like reflux or colic and was a champion feeder and sleeper from day one. BUt I am fully aware that it is unlikely that lighning will strike twice and need to be prepapred for this bub to be a potential screamer.

What signs should I look out for so I can get the problem diagnosed quickly??

[Antheia]

Charlie was a bit colicy when he was a newborn. He would scream after a feed and pull his knees up. His belly was also quite hard until we got all the wind out.

[~clover~]

My first was perfect & I thought the same as you. I can't possibly have 2 perfect babies. Thank goodness I was kinda prepared! My second was the most difficult baby you could imagine!
The colic started straight away. I was in hospital with my bub awake & crying every 1 1/2 hours. With no one offering help or advise. I just kept putting her on the breast & feeding her til she was asleep then she would wake up again, and again.
When I took her home it went from that to starting to cry at around 7 at night, sometimes earlier & screaming til 3 in the morning. Non stop. I had a working husband & a 3 year old getting up at 7am. The window with a 2 story drop was looking very inviting!
Then she got sick with chest infections between 4 & 8 weeks old & we found out she had a heart murmer, which I guess lowered her immunity. So every cold flue or stomach bug going around she got it. She had a bit of reflux, not enough to worry about, & had chicken pox before she was 6 months old. It was never ending!
Ok. Now how to work out the colic. Crying & being unsettled late afternoon, tight hard belly & drawing her legs up are 3 signs of colic. It usually starts at around a month old & can last til around 6 months. Or when they start sitting up. There are a million different reasons why colic happens. The last one I heard from my doc at the time was that the muscles in the oesophagus that push the food down to the stomach get almost to the bottom, but then get confused & start going up & kinda hitting together. Or it could be as simple as really bad wind. I don't think anyone knows for sure.
Reflux I don't know as much about. hopefully someone else can help with that. If your lucky every thing will be ok. I doubt anyone could have as many problems as we did, but if anything does happen, just remember this.....It does end! It might take forever, or feel like it, but it will end!
Well ok. I think I wrote enough. Good luck. Hope every thing is good & that you are one of the lucky ones that have no probs!

[Roryrory]

Thanks girls - I really will be totally clueless about what to do if this bub cries alot. I found out today that 2 of the bubs in my mothers group had colic and reflux when real young so thankfully I will have their mums to help me too

[Ngala]

Hey Rory
Avaleigh has had colic since day one. I remember being in the hospital and all Avaleigh wanted to do was feed and I was soooo tired and found myself balling my eyes out at midnight because I didnt know what to do get to her to sleep!! Thankfully a midwife came and took her from me for a few hours. When Avaleigh came back, the midwife told me that she is really windy and I need to try and work the wind up.
I was told the most easiest way to see if the baby has wind is if they have their legs drawn up and are really tense. Another way is if they are blue around the mouth. I know that Avaleigh fed alot because she found feeding to be comforting but made her colic worse!! So I gave in and gave her a dummy. And colicy babies seem to have catnaps, well atleast Avaleigh does!
Avaleigh's reflux is not that bad but I did read up on reflux signs and a few signs the sites said was crying at the breast, frequent feeding, vomitting/possetting, hiccups, wheezy.... Really I found that the signs of reflux are the same as colic!
I do hope baby # 2 is an angel for you but if it is not, then there is always help out there!! I am kinda happy that I have had a difficult bub because I know what to expect next time..

[Roryrory]

Thanks for that - I had forgotten about the blue lips part.

I am kinda happy that I have had a difficult bub because I know what to expect next time..

Ngala, that is a really healthy approach to take! I expected the "worst" (not that some babies are worse than others but YKWIM!) and had a really easy baby and BF experience. I think I am just reverting back to my default "expect the worst" approach again LOL!