Tips for dealing with colic

This is a collaborative post

One of the parts of motherhood I did not enjoy was seeing the girls go through colic. My youngest did not suffer as much as my eldest and it was a tough time to go through. It always seemed to happen in the evening, after 8pm and often left us exhausted.

Colic usually shows up a few weeks after birth and is described as being uncontrollable crying in a healthy baby. It is usually at roughly the same time each day. Signs that indicate your baby may have colic are:

– Crying for no apparent reason

– Cries can be louder and more high pitched

– Crying happens at roughly the same time each day. It is usually later afternoon or evening.

– Your baby arching his/her back

– Your baby clenching his/her fists or drawing up knees to the stomach

– A flushed face

Colics in babies

No one is certain what causes colic but there are a number of possibilities such as infant acid reflux, an immature digestive system, food allergies to over simulated senses. Taking in too much air when feeding is also a possible cause.

So what can you do to help ease your baby’s symptoms?

  • Winding after feeding: My girls were bottle fed, and ensuring they were winded after feeding could help reduce symptoms.
  • Correct positioning: If breastfed ensure baby is well positioned at the breast.
  • Baby massage: This was something suggested to me by my health visitor. You can try massaging the tummy clockwise. What seemed to help my girls was lifting the knees and rotating them gently clockwise over the tummy. Speak to your health visitor or baby massage videos can be found online.
  • Carrying baby upright: A sling may help, however we simply held the girls in an upright postition and paced the room. The movement of walking and rocking can help sooth baby.
  • Colic medicine such as Infacol: Over the counter medicines can help with regular use.
  • Warm bath: Could help relax baby and ease the crying.
  • Dummy/Pacifier: This can help comfort your baby and calm them down as they can gain some comfort from sucking.
  • Make white noise: The noise of items such as the vacuum can be comforting to baby as it is said to mimick the sound in the womb.

Dealing with colic can be exhausting, both mentally and physically. I can safely say it was one of the most exhausting times of early parenthood we experienced. Having to deal with not only sleepless nights but hours of crying in the evening took its toll. But colic is something that happens to 1 in 5 babies and the good news is that it WILL pass. Colic generally improves by 4 – 6 months.

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