Please stop crying!!! Help with colic. (Tips on Coping)

Member Name: rosebud10

Product:	Tips on Coping
Date:	15/02/06 (3330 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: may help someone.

Disadvantages: i can't babysit for you. sorry.

After seeing a review someone had written about infacol, It put back in my mind all those nights of crying, and how hard it is to cope when your little one has colic. So I decided to write down some advice and info that may be useful to anyone who is trying to cope with this.
The first point i must make, and i want you to remember is ;
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!
There are many people out there who are going through the same thing. Wondering what is wrong with their baby, and why they are crying so much. Wondering if it is something they have done, and if they are a bad parent. Well the answer is NO!
It is nothing you have done, and you are not a bad parent.

It is one of the hardest parts of having a baby. When your baby is constantly crying, and nothing you can do with passify them, it can really get you down. You can spend hours walking the floor trying to sooth them, and it has no effect. YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS!

WHAT IS COLIC?
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You child will be diagnosed as having colic if, he/she cries for more than 3 hours everyday, for more than 3 days aweek. It is the extreme end of normal crying. The condition is harmless. This doesn't make you feel any better. They can give it all these nice catagories, but to you, your baby is crying, and all you care about is calming them down.

ABOUT COLIC
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Around 20-25% of babies suffer from colic. It usually starts when your baby is around 2-3 weeks old. It can last 3 months or longer in some cases.
If you baby was born premiturley, the colic may start later, at around 6-9 weeks. Or around the time of your original due date.
This all depends on how premiture your baby is.

SYMPTOMS
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*Crying fo a long period of time
This can occur at anytime of day. But most people find that it is worse in the evening.

*May look in pain
Even though your baby shouldn't be in pain, they may look in pain.

*Lifting head
They may lift their heads up to try and curl up.

*Draw legs to tummy
Just as when they have bellyache. They lift their knees up to their chest.

*Red face
Wher he/she gets them selves into such a state, the chances are, they will become red in the face.

*Passwind
You may find that they tend to passwind alot. This may make you feel they have bellyache or wind.
*Refuse to eat
Some little ones, find that they do not want their bottle, and just continue crying.

*Difficulty in falling asleep and staying asleep
They become so upset, that soothing them to seatle them to sleep, may become near impossible. They my also start waking alot.

THE CAUSE
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It has not been given a proper cause, and different professionals have different ideas.
Here are some of them.
Digestive problems:
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Some think that it is due to abnormal gases in the babies tummy, that become painful for them.

Temperament and nervous system:
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A babies temperament can make them highly sensitive to whats going on around them. So if there is a change to their enviroment, they can become very upset. But they may also become very distressed at the same thing every night. So you can't win with that one. But also, the nervous system being immuture at this age, can mean that the baby can not control it's crying. So will continue getting upset.
Swallowing air:
Bottle fed babies sometimes gulp air from their bottles. This can cause bad wind, and tummy pains.
Foods mummy eats:
If you are breast feeding you baby. They say that some of the foods that you eat can make babies colic worse. These foods include:
Cruciferous veg (ie cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, and parsnips)
Beans Melon
Onions Spicy foods
Garlic Caffine
Apricots And Alcohol

SHOULD YOU SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION?
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The first thing i am going to say is;
You know your child best.
You know if you child is not his/her normal self. So no matter what i say, if you feel your baby needs medical attention, then get it!!!

This is just a list you can use as a checklist.

Colic
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Suck fine. Generally good appitite

Wants lots of cuddles

Little bit sicky

Pooing well

SICK
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May not feed well. May have a weak suck

May appear uncomfotable and not want to be held

Violently sick and losing weight

Diarrhea or blood in the stools

IF YOU BABY HAS ANY OF THE SYMPTOMS IN THE SICK LIST, THEN SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION ASAP!!

TREATMENT
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There are many different ideas for treating colic. It is just a case of trial and error with you baby. What works for one, won't nesearally work for another.

Breast feeding
If you are breast feeding, and feel that maybe some of the foods you are eating maybe causing it (as mentioned in causes)
Then it may be an idea to cut out all the foods mentioned, and then gradually bring them back into your diet one by one. This should then tell you which ones are causing it.

Bottle feeding
If you feel your baby is swallowing air, or getting colic from feeding, you may try these.
Make sure the bottle is tipped right up. So that the teat is full of milk. This way no air will be getting in.
You can also try different anti colic designed bottles. These include curved bottles, bottles with a callapsible bag inside. or bottles with a vent. Also winding baby at regular intervals during the fed is also adviced, and does help.

Colic medicine
You can get products such as infacol. These can be put in the babies bottle, or given orally. This is generally given before feeds. It is to help you bring up their wind.

OTHER TIPS
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These are some other tips that you may find will seatle your baby.

*Carry your baby in a sling
Baby will like the closeness whilst in this. and it gives you your hands free to do other things

*swaddle baby
This is a way of wrapping your baby up, so that they think they are being held, even when you have putt them down.
To do this, lay you baby on one of there blankets. Make sure the head is not on the blanket. Then put one of their arms across their chest, and wrap that side of the blanket over them and tuck it under them, Then take the other arm across their chest, and wrap the other side of the blanket over them and underneith them. They are all wrapped up snug. You can buy specail swaddle blankets. But i found it just as easy to use their normal blankets.

*Keep baby moving
You can put them in their baby rocker. Or if you have a baby swing, then that would be perfect.Babies find this soothing.

*Place near noise
Believe it or not, babies seatle to noise. So take them in the kitchen whilst the washing machine is on, or do the vaccuming. They should fall asleep quite quickly. You can buy cds with white noise on. This is like the hissing you get between channels on the radio. This is also meant to be a soothing noise to them.

*Car or walk
Taking your baby out in the car, or for a nice walk in the pushchair may relax them. But you may find your self walking or driving around for ages, then as soon as you get back home, they start all over again.

*Back rub
Laying baby on his/her tummy , over your knees, can sometimes help ease tummyache. It's worth a try. But not a good idea to soon after a fed, or you may end up with christened shoes.

*Take a bath together
Babies like this, as they are close to you, and have the warm water to sooth them. you could even put in some night time baby bath in the water. This may help you both relax.
MAKE SURE THE WATER ISN'T TOO HOT

ADVICE AND HELP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are people out there to help you. You can always talk to your health visitor. They can give you advice, and surport.
But there are helplines and websites.

National Birth trust
www.nctpregnancyandbirth.com
0870 7703236

Cry-sis
Www.cry-sis.org.uk
08451 288 669
Cry-sis, are there for parents who have problems with their babies crying. So they are perfect for this problem.

You may know of more. Try them, they are there to help you!

Don't let your self get to the stage where you could harm your self or the baby.
You are perfectly normal to get to this stage, but it;s best to seek advice before you get that bad. If you do feel that way, put the baby down in his/her cot, and let them cry for five minutes, whilst you calm down. They won't do them selves any halm.

Look round the shops. They have infacol, and other drops. Plus some homeopathic remedies. Boots are good for these. The prices range from £2.50 up to over £10. So look around, and find what suits you. If the first thing you get, doesn't work, then don't give up. It might just not be the right one for your baby.

Try and get a break from time to time. Even if it's just a warm bath whilst your partner looks after the baby.
But it would be best if you could get a friend or relative to babysit for a couple of hours. Then you can spend some time with your partner, as a crying baby can put a big strain on the stongest of relationships.
Try to remember, you are both going through this. So try not to argue about it. Be there for each other, and give each other a break. Take it in turns to walk the floor, and get up in the night. This will make things abit easier for you.

I hope you find this advice useful. Remember YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!

Thanks for reading.

Julie xxx

Summary: you are not alone!!!