Tackle colic from all angles
The puzzling and never-ending crying of a colic baby can drive you nuts. Here are ways to console your little one – and yourself.
Baby colic is officially diagnosed when a healthy, well-fed infant of younger than five months cries for more than three hours at a time more than three times a week for longer than three months.
If this is your fate, is there anything you can do other than burst out in tears yourself?
Although the causes are not really clear, we do know that it usually starts at around two weeks in term babies and somewhat later in premature babies. We know it stops by itself around three or four months and that it doesn’t matter whether Baby is a boy or a girl.
You also can’t do much to prevent it. The only known risk factors are exposure to cigarette smoke – during pregnancy and after the birth.
WHEN IS IT COLIC?
Babies usually cry because they’re hungry or tired, have a wet or dirty nappy, are in pain or have wind. They’re also quite clear about feeling alone and needing your presence. If you’ve eliminated all these elements, and your baby is still inconsolable for roughly the same duration as given in the definition of colic above, there’s a good chance your baby has colic. But don’t try and diagnose it yourself. Consult your doctor or paediatrician, so that other conditions can be eliminated first. Only then can colic be diagnosed accurately, says Dr Nellmarie Bodenstein, a GP from Bloemfontein.
Babies could, for example, also be niggly for a long time when they have an ear infection or reflux issues, while pressure on the brain could also cause discomfort. Eye problems, an irregular heartbeat or any injury to the legs, muscles or fingers can also be the cause of daily irritation. “Most parents I see say it feels like their baby is feeling pain somewhere. It makes them even more anxious, and this emotion spills over to Baby,” Dr Bodenstein says. Another symptom of colic is that babies often cry at specific times of the day. “Some babies are diagnosed with evening colic. They cry from five in the evening until about eight. Others simply cry for hours on end.”
A number of other traits characterise colic: Baby looks like she has tummy ache, often pulls up her legs, arches her back and makes fists with her hands. Her tummy could also often be hard and swollen and her face red. At the end of a colic episode (yes, there is an end!), the baby often makes a poo or passes wind.
TREATMENT
The phenomenon of colic is, to a great extent, inexplicable. While some research studies point a finger at lactose intolerance, others point to an immature digestive system, a developing nervous system and even over-stimulation through light or sound. Hormones that could cause tummy ache are also not excluded as a possible cause.
All this speculation about possible causes makes treatment so very tricky. Dr Bodenstein says the first line of defence she usually suggests is Iberogast drops, a homoeopathic treatment that is safe for newborns. But it is important to tell the doctor about everything you’ve tried.
All babies are lactose intolerant at birth because their tummies don’t have the enzyme lactose to digest milk – hence the gas.
Dr Bodenstein says the high number of c-sections also plays a part. “Babies need to move down the birth canal to get all their vertebrae in place and clear the lungs. By far the most colic babies I’ve seen were born during c-sections. That is why I think that if no medication works, it’s worth your while seeing a chiropractor.”
Babies who were born naturally but got stuck in the birth canal and had to be delivered with instruments are also more prone to colic.
Some studies have shown that colic treatment by chiropractors could help up to 90 percent of babies. Most chiropractors, who study for seven years before qualifying, prefer the baby to see a paediatrician before treating for colic, however.
How does it work? The chiropractor’s treatment activates the nervous system, which helps with digestion and relieves symptoms. This treatment involves particularly the nerves in the neck and back.
Many parents worry that the chiropractor will tug and pull their baby. But what they actually do is to rest Baby’s head on the palm of their hand and move it from side to side. In some cases, it’s clear Baby’s back is stiff and that her shoulders might be slightly inflamed, which could perhaps lead to a stiff neck and possible inflammation in the nerves linked to the stomach. In such cases, the baby feels great and often immediate relief when the nerves between the shoulder blades are loosened up. In some cases, the colic disappears completely.
AN ALTERNATIVE
An alternative treatment that also boasts some success stories, is cranio-sacral therapy. This treatment helps for a wide variety of ailments, says Petro Carson, a physiotherapist based in Bloemfontein. It also has no side-effects. The treatment involves the therapist very, very gently resting their hands on various parts of the body. These resting hands pick up “disturbances” in the so-called craniosacral rhythm.
Experts in the field are of the opinion that an obstruction in the flow of cerebrospinal fluid could occur in babies who went through trauma during birth – because they were suctioned during delivery or the birth took an extraordinary long time. The cerebrospinal fluid plays an important part in nerve conduction. Craniosacral therapy can get rid of this obstruction with small, soft and almost imperceptible movements. As soon as the obstruction is out of the way, the cerebrospinal fluid flows optimally again, and any bones in the body that were not aligned properly will be reordered into the correct position, according to the website craniosacral.co.za. Craniosacral therapy could also benefit babies struggling with the suck reflex. Petro says one of the great plusses is that no words are necessary, because the therapist feels everything. So even if it does not make your baby’s colic go away, it will at least have a calming influence on him.
Check out the website craniosacral. co.za if you’d like to read further or find a qualified therapist near you.
IT COULD BE LACTOSE
Another guise of colic treatment is to look at your baby’s feeding habits with new eyes.
Sister Jackie van Ellinckhuyzen, a midwife and doula from Bloemfontein, says she often recommends parents with colic babies consult with a breastfeeding or lactation expert.
She agrees with many other experts in the field who say that colic can often be ascribed to an intolerance of lactose, or disaccharide. The so-called foremilk of breast milk contains a lot of lactose. Sometimes there’s also an imbalance between the fore- and hindmilk. So it happens that some babies get too much foremilk and become extremely windy. Sister Jackie recommends parents look out for a stool that’s like an explosion very shortly after a feed. Rather than stopping with breastfeeding, you can rather express your foremilk and offer only the rich hindmilk.
A qualified lactation consultant will be able to help you with that.
Some moms also take a lactation enzyme to help their babies digest lactose in this way.
Go to the website of the South African Certified Lactation Consultants (salactationconsultants.co.za) to find a consultant in your area.
Your diet while breastfeeding seldom has an impact on Baby’s colic, but it could contribute to her discomfort. Also run this by the lactation consultant. You might have to make do without your beloved coleslaw, coffee and chocolate and see if this brings relief.
Some studies have shown that probiotics relieves colic. Sister Jackie says that babies delivered naturally are exposed to their mom’s good bacteria in the birth canal, so they struggle less with colic compared to babies delivered by c-section. For the latter, probiotics are a good supplement. It is also especially good for bottle babies. But first talk to a paediatrician or homoeopath about the right product before buying.