Our Smart Baby

Help for the Colicky Baby


You have brought that beautiful bundle of joy home from the hospital at
last. Everything is going well until all of a sudden your beautiful
days come crashing down into a storm of endless crying from that
beautiful bundle. Being a new parent is stressful enough with all of the new
responsibilies and lack of sleep. Add colic to the equation and you
have a stressed out parent and baby.

If your baby is always spitting up, crying for hours, inconsolable, has
gas pains, the problem could be colic. Colic is just a broad term used
for anytime a baby cries with no medical explanation. Since it is in a
mom's nature to nurture, it can be devastating when we cannot soothe
our baby's pain. So what can you do?

You need to understand that it is not your fault. It is very easy to
feel guilty when you have reached the end of your rope. Just
remember--any normal person would become upset after listening to hours of
crying. Remember the following:

Take care of yourself.

If you ever feel yourself getting angry, it is okay to put your
baby in her bed and go to another room for a few minutes of
quite time.

Call a friend or relative and ask if they can babysit while you
take a nap.

Call your doctor. He may want to bring baby in to rule out any
medical problems. If there are no medical conditions, your doctor
may give you some suggestions such as changing baby formulas or keeping
a diary of foods mom eats if breastfeeding.

There is a long list of remedies for colic out there. What worked for
your best friend's baby may or may not work for you. Try all of them.
You will eventually find one that helps your baby. I found a very
helpful website--www.colic.net. They have articles and a web forum where
you can find tips.

Hang in there. Colic usually ends around three to four months of age.
Eventually you will forget this trying time and enjoy your relationship
with your child.

Written by

Leisa Leininger Wilson