In the parenting book, The 3am Handbook, compiled by Canadian paediatrician Dr William Feldman, colic is described as heavy fussing' or bursts of irritability, fussing, or crying lasting for a total of more than 3 hours a day and occurring on more than 3 days in any one week, for at least 3 weeks.' Most mothers would agree that one could add a few more 3'. Symptoms of colic often only start from 3 weeks of age and last for about 3 months, and have you pacing the passage from what seems like 3pm - 3am!
Many new moms (even if you're a second or third-time mom) mistake initial fussing of a baby settling into this world as colic, however your baby may show only 1 or all of the following symptoms, and one must look at them in relation to anything else relevant. After seeking medical help to ensure there is no other cause, one can assume it is the dreaded "Colic".
Loud and continuous crying that can last from 1 to many hours, with these crying episodes occurring about 3-4 days a week
Although the crying can happen at any time, most colicky babies cry more in the late afternoon or evening
Baby's face gets red
Legs are pulled up to the stomach and then may be fully stretched out, even arching their back
Some babies refuse to eat or become fussy soon after eating
Difficulty falling and staying asleep
Baby may lift their head or legs and pass gas
Baby may seem generally uncomfortable and appear to be in pain
Let's look at a few logical reasons for these symptoms to ensure that you eliminate as many as possible, and hopefully eliminate those endless cries and passage pacing.
Digestive complaints are common in newborns and are often the cause of the fussing. Babies born by caesarean section are prone to developing initial digestive complaints due to their lack of good intestinal flora (the good bacteria) that play a very important role in milk digestion and immune system development. These good bacteria are picked up from the mother during a normal vaginal delivery and are thus lacking in the systems of Caesar babies. An imbalance of the gut flora also allows candida to start growing causing bloating and cramps. Good news is that a simple liquid replacement of bowel flora and a well indicated homoeopathic remedy usually sorts this out in a few days.
New parents are also reticent to disturb baby too much, and often feed incorrectly in the first few weeks. Ineffectual winding is a common cause of tummy cramps that feign colic symptoms, and a correction of the technique and a knowledge of the importance of bringing up baby's wind before sleep are necessary in resolving the griping fairly quickly. Winds can remain in the baby's stomach and cause a pain in the abdomen that can keep a baby fussing and cramping for hours. Have you ever swallowed an air bubble that feels like a snooker ball pushing against your stomach wall?! If not, I'm sure you can imagine what the poor little thing is going through.
Feeding techniques are also culprits in this cat and mouse game. Making sure that baby is actually hungry before a feed is important, because trying to wake a sleeping baby for a feed just because the clock tells you to, can unsettle a natural rhythm that has been set by that baby's internal clock. If your baby is too sleepy at the start of a feed and not really hungry, the sucking reflex replaces an actual feed after only a few minutes and then an hour can pass with you fighting to keep baby awake. At this point you generally give up and put her in her cot and a hour later she's awake and screaming because she's not winded properly, in pain and now she's hungry!
And then there's diet yours and baby's. If baby is breastfed, then certain foods that you are eating may cause digestive discomfort, but there really are no specific foods to avoid. Eat a varied diet and if you notice a connection between a specific food and an unhappy baby, then cut that out. If bottle fed, try changing formulae. Many more babies are being born lactose intolerant nowadays, so this is often a cause. If you are breastfeeding and feel there may be a lactose intolerance, cut out the dairy in your diet and this should eliminate the problem. Also give a probiotic.
And then there are the emotional and nervous system causes. I think most people, especially conventional medics, terribly underestimate these influences. Just try to imagine being that baby. While in utero, the baby began reacting to sounds, movement, light and dark, but it was muted and protected. The nervous system is the first part of us to develop, very rapidly. It is a well known fact that children are most formative in the early years, as their nervous system is developing at a rate of knots. So imagine being that sensory baby, warm and safe in the womb, when suddenly things are a whole lot brighter, and louder, there are now smells and tastes and 1000's of sensations that are being detected and interpreted and catalogued and filed and grouped and...phew tiring hey? No wonder they sleep so much.
One shouldn't think that because the new born cannot communicate, he doesn't react to all stimuli around him. Emotional trauma in the home or to the baby directly can cause an intolerable amount of stress to the nervous system and this immediately has physical effects. We all know that knot in our stomachs that we get when anxious, now imagine a new born getting something similar, however, intensified and unknown. The fear response and pain are all new sensations for a new born - wouldn't you cry and want to be carried around?
Many things can influence an early stress on the nervous system; a difficult or very long birth, caesarean sections (whether scheduled or emergency [more so the latter]), a muscular or skeletal complaint due to the pregnancy or birth, very bright lights and a lot of stimulation soon after the birth, any early surgery (emergency or just routine, like circumcisions) and of course, any emotional trauma to him or around him. Usually if Mom is very stressed, so will baby be. They are intimately connected. Chiropractic and Craniosacral therapies combined with Homoeopathic remedies work wonders if this is the cause.
The bottom line is to think of all angles. Look at every possible cause, don't disregard any 'theory' as rubbish, because more and more, technology is proving the intimate connections within us and between us.
Ask your health shop or your natural medicine practitioner for some advice and guidance - it can be helped or 'cured', if the correct cause is ascertained and therefore the right medicine is given to that baby. One size does not fit all.
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