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6mo DCB entered care at four months. He screams at full blast: Either he is cheerful, or he is deploying the eardrum-rupturing deep-distress scream. These are the things which make him scream:
He has a bad latch and had to go on a bottle immediately and then formula when the milk supply dried up because he doesn’t suckle—he sort of haphazardly gnaws on the bottle nipple until he is sated. His digestion and bowel movements are normal. He spits up a lot but not enough to concern me or the doctor. He is a healthy size and energy level and is hitting his milestones. Babbling is normal and he responds to auditory stimuli. He will tolerate being held for a few minutes and will make eye contact and smile, but does not like being held when upset. His mother reports the same has always been true at home. At home, he also screams the same way he does here, and cannot sleep without first screaming to wake the dead, and getting more agitated if his mother tries to hold him.
So given that there hasn’t been a recent escalation in the screaming, given that he does have some desired social behaviors, and given that his development seems otherwise on track and none of the usual dietary/medical culprits seem to be showing their ugly noses, do you think we are just dealing with a binary-mood baby who only has scream/not scream wired into him? Or do you think there are some early warning signs of a processing disorder? Or maybe this is one of those rare cases of colic that continues past the 3- to 4-month mark? Any other speculations?
- Damp diaper
- Wet diaper
- Soiled diaper
- Hunger
- A bottle offered when not hungry
- Teething
- Being moved from one spot to another
- Being left in one spot
- Stuck on his back
- Stuck on his belly
- Rolled onto his side
- Can’t reach a toy
- Reached the wrong toy
- Getting drowsy
- Waking up from a nap
- Being in a baby wrap
He has a bad latch and had to go on a bottle immediately and then formula when the milk supply dried up because he doesn’t suckle—he sort of haphazardly gnaws on the bottle nipple until he is sated. His digestion and bowel movements are normal. He spits up a lot but not enough to concern me or the doctor. He is a healthy size and energy level and is hitting his milestones. Babbling is normal and he responds to auditory stimuli. He will tolerate being held for a few minutes and will make eye contact and smile, but does not like being held when upset. His mother reports the same has always been true at home. At home, he also screams the same way he does here, and cannot sleep without first screaming to wake the dead, and getting more agitated if his mother tries to hold him.
So given that there hasn’t been a recent escalation in the screaming, given that he does have some desired social behaviors, and given that his development seems otherwise on track and none of the usual dietary/medical culprits seem to be showing their ugly noses, do you think we are just dealing with a binary-mood baby who only has scream/not scream wired into him? Or do you think there are some early warning signs of a processing disorder? Or maybe this is one of those rare cases of colic that continues past the 3- to 4-month mark? Any other speculations?
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