How to Deal with a Colicky Newborn
Author: Dr. Anna Kaplan
When a baby cries a lot, and cannot be comforted, parents are naturally concerned. It is a good idea to take your baby to the doctor to make sure there is nothing wrong. Once the doctor has said that the baby is healthy, you may be less worried, but your baby will still be crying.
You have probably already tried everything you can think of to calm a baby. There is no harm in trying many soothing techniques. You can carry her close to your chest. You can put her carrier on the clothes dryer and turn it on, so that the carrier bounces/vibrates a little. You can put her in the car (in her car seat) and drive around. You can run the vacuum cleaner. You can rock her; you can bounce her up and down. You can put her face down as long as you are watching her and she isn't sleeping. You can try swathing her on her back. Maybe one of these things will work. Eventually she will stop crying. Babies with colic do not cry 24 hours a day. It just seems like they do.
You can certainly ask your doctor if there is any medicine you can give her. The only medicine some doctors will recommend is simethicone, which helps get rid of gas. You can ask your doctor about this. Do not under any circumstances give your baby adult medicine with simethecone in it. There is simethecone in many antacids, which are not formulated or safe for babies. You must use the infant version.
In the past, medicines that relax the intestinal tract have been tried, such as Bentyl. Bentyl has been associated with apnea - that means babies have stopped breathing. It is no longer approved for use in children less than six months of age. However, the fact that it did seem to help colic does support the idea that colicky babies are crying because of intestinal discomfort.
In general, changing formulas has not been proven to help colic. It is worth trying in certain cases. In babies suspected of having intolerance to cow's milk because of vomiting and loose or bloody stools, a change to hypoallergenic formula should be given a trial. The same may be done for infants with a significant family history of allergy and asthma. They can be given a hypoallergenic formula made from whey or casein hydrolysates. Soy formula is not recommended, because babies with milk allergies often develop allergies to soy. Your doctor will be able to tell you which formula to try. After a week on the new formula, if there is no improvement, the baby is not crying because of milk allergy or intolerance.
There is some evidence that the diet of breast-feeding mothers can affect colic. Some moms have had success curbing the crying by removing milk products, eggs, wheat, and nuts from their diet. You can try an elimination diet. If it works, and your baby cries less, you may want to pinpoint the foods that cause the problem. If you find the diet too restrictive, which you probably will, you can try adding some of the foods back into your diet, one at a time. If the colic returns, you know which specific foods to avoid. If you have to stay away from all of them, it may be worth it to stop your baby from crying.
It is very important to know that you are not causing the crying by how you handle your baby. Babies with colic show the same symptoms no matter who is taking care of them. They do not grow up to be difficult children. They grow out of the colic.
Once you have assured yourself that your baby is actually well, you need to take care of yourself. If you can get some time away from your baby, you will feel much better. You probably also need more sleep. If you are breast feeding, it may be hard to leave your baby, especially in the first two months. Once your milk is in, you can pump your breasts and let someone else do some of the feedings. If your husband or another family member will watch your baby even for a couple of hours, maybe you can get a nap in, or at least have some quiet time. You need to try and prevent yourself from getting angry at the baby. There are moms that are actually happy to go back to work when the baby has colic.
Whatever you chose to do, you need to make sure that you have enough energy to take care of yourself and your baby.
