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My 9 day old daughter is experiencing severe colic. The crying and leg stretching usually starts 20 minutes after the bottle with diary formula is finished. It takes around 2 hours after symptoms decrease and she falls asleep.

Beside dairy we also feed her with breast milk from a bottle. Unfortunately my daughter is not successful in drinking from the breast directly. Furthermore not enough mother milk is produced to feed her all day. Currently 30% of the bottles are mother milk.

No colic occurs when we give her mother milk. Furthermore she can sleep 4.5 hours without interruption after she finished the bottle of mother milk. Probably she compensates for sleep she missed while suffering colic.

I am able to soothe her by letting her suck on my pink while carrying her around and in that way the crying and leg muscle stretching stops.

Her body temperature, weight gain and diapers are all fine. Her skin is a bit scaly.

Could she already have developed a dairy allergy in such short timeframe? Or should we just be patient and wait until she becomes used to dairy?

She is my second child. My oldest daughter only showed such intense crying when she was very hungry or was ill.

I suffer myself from a (pea)nut allergy.

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    This is not typical colicky behavior. Your daughter is only 9 days old, and you have enough concern about her unusual behavior to post here. This suggests that you have ample reason to talk to your doctor/health practitioner about it. There are different formulas available. Ask your doctor what you should try.
    – anongoodnurse
    Commented Mar 7, 2015 at 1:54
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    I would definitely try a few different formulas (and ask your doctor). I've known people who had to go through four or five before they found one that worked (or, before the baby grew a bit and it mattered less, but who knows).
    – Joe
    Commented Mar 7, 2015 at 21:12

3 Answers 3

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One possible cause is dairy allergy or a sensitivity to one of the ingredients in that particular formula. You could certainly try switching the formula to a different type (eg: soy based instead of milk based, or use one of the easy to digest/sensitive varieties where the ingredients are essentially partially pre-digested or broken down more. You could also work on the breastmilk supply end to make the formula sensitivity hopefully moot in the near future. The mom should be pumping 8-12 times a day...as often as a newborn would be nursing. Nighttime pumping is especially important for supply, so even though I'm sure she's super tired, pumping at least twice overnight plus right before bed and first thing in the morning can make a lot of difference. That and having properly fitting pumping equipment makes a huge difference in output. Madela has great illustrations of a properly fitting flange size...incorrect flange size reduces output considerably. And there are other parts that need to be replaced periodically as well. Consider consulting a lactation consultant, preferably one with certifications to prove their education/experience like IBLBC, to work on supply issues. And eating oatmeal and certain other foods "lactation cookies" can somtimes help supply as well.

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First babies shouldn't have diary if at all possible, breast milk is the best. So pump as much as you can and freeze them. I would try a different formula. I think carnation has one for colicky babies and I know there are colic drops, However, I would switch to a soy based or non dairy brand for awhile. There could be several things going on at the same time with an infant so it is best to try one thing for a week to see if it gets better. I would get rid of the milk and only to breast or a different formula. You know your baby more than anyone else in the world. If you think something is wrong, go to her doctor or call a nurse I think there are local services that are called "call a nurse" You know I think there are mom's who donate breast milk to other mothers. I know that sounds a bit odd but that might be another solution. Good luck and congrats on your second baby.

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    Can you add any supporting sources to your answer? At Stack Exchange sites, answers should be from personal experience or from reliable sources. Please take the tour and read the help section for guidance on how to use the site.
    – anongoodnurse
    Commented Mar 10, 2015 at 5:45
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There's something called Infacol(I think) that you can add a drop of to formula milk to help with colic (I think there are a few other alternatives too - gripe water?).

Are you using actual cows milk, or are you using milk formula? In the UK they don't recommend dairy milk until at least 1 year old Types of milk to avoid

Lots of different types of formula too

As a side note - do not feel bad about not having enough breast milk - plenty of babies are raised on formula and there's no evidence to say they shouldn't be or that it is unhealthy in any way. A lot of people will say breast is best, and while there is evidence to support this, I believe it is more accurate to say 'breast is better' (but formula is fine)

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