Colic: The Big Baby Myth

Okay, so I've only been a mother for nearly three months now. So you mothers of five are sitting back and laughing at my gall.

Am I a doctor? No.

A scientist? Hardly.

However, as mothers, you know there is a lot you can learn about babies in nearly three months.

Not to mention, I have generations of experience backing me.

Colic is always defined as the catch-all blanket term it is: Unexplained crying. Who really cares whether we can always explain why our babies are crying? Part of the New Mom Training Program is learning that there are a few basics you try when baby cries:

Change baby.

Feed baby.

Burp baby.

Check baby head to toe -- something as small as a hair wrapped around a finger or toe can set baby off.

Is baby too cold/too hot?

Baby is over-stimulated and needs to be taken to a dark, quiet room.

Baby is over-tired and needs to be soothed to sleep.

Baby is gassy and is JUST GOING TO CRY, COME HELL OR HIGH WATER.

You go down the list, you try everything, and if baby is still crying, you go down the list and try everything again. I am convinced these last three are what people call "colic." Especially gas -- until baby burps or passes some of it, you would never know this is what has your little one upset (and it's hard to tell just by palpating the tummy, since a screaming baby's tummy is always rigid.)

So what can you do if baby just will not stop crying and you've tried everything? Well, I've prepared a few hints and tips that have helped me get through what is often called the hardest part of baby's infancy.

Hopefully, you find something here that works for you.

Baby needs changed!

If the crying is because baby needs changed, that's easy. Just clean him or her up, and you're done! However, sometimes this can be a hard one, especially if baby has diaper rash.

Here's how to fix it:

If you don't have a changing table, set one up, preferably in the bathroom, where there is sufficient lighting and you can make sure baby is totally clean after wiping. Next, blow dry! That's right: use your blow dryer, set on COLD or, if it doesn't have a cold setting, hold it well away from baby's bottom and make sure you DO NOT hold it in one place long enough to burn.

A nice side-effect is that, much like running the vacuum, baby might just stop crying when the blow dryer is turned on. You may want to just set that sucker on the counter and let it run until you're finished.

Once baby is totally dry, apply some Corona ointment. Yes, it does say it's for animals, but trust me, it works. My baby's rash was cleared up in about a week and a half, and it was a tenacious one. Believe it or not, A+D will sometimes burn. This will not.

Feed baby!

This one can get seriously complicated, especially for breastfeeding moms. A good source of info is La Leche League International.

One thing that caused me many a headache, however, was foremilk-hindmilk imbalance.

This is where your lactation consultant screwed you.

When you are producing colostrum, you have to switch breasts every ten minutes or so.

When your milk comes in, you need to stop. This is what they don't tell you.

When your milk drops, about three days after you bring baby home, you need to let baby completely empty one breast before switching sides. This ensures that your baby gets the hindmilk, which is where all the "bulk" of the milk is... everything baby needs to gain weight, and, more importantly, sleep for more than five minutes. A baby who frequently switches sides will fill up on foremilk, which is digested quickly because it is mostly water, and that baby will be constantly hungry, upset and awake. Worse yet, the baby will have green, frothy diapers and will cry the whole time he or she is working on them.

This is not fun.

Another good tip:

This can get confusing, so bear with me while I try to break it down.

Let's say, when nursing, the left side is breast #1, and the right is #2.

Let's say you started baby on #1, and baby emptied it. Burp baby, and if baby is still behaving as if he or she is hungry, then switch to #2. Burping baby helps you to avoid over-filling him or her. If you were to just switch, baby might eat even if baby isn't hungry, and get too full, resulting in inconsolable crying. It also saves you from the nightmare of gas that just will not dislodge.

Now, if baby is still hungry, switch to #2. Once baby has nursed on that side, chances are, baby will be full.

Now, here's where it gets tricky.

When you nurse baby again, you need to start on #2, not back on #1. This is because when baby switches to #2, he or she has already eaten quite a bit and will not take as much to get full. Therefore, at the next nursing session, there is still milk in #2 that needs to be emptied.

This will help normalize your milk supply and further prevent an imbalance in baby's diet.

Burp baby!

Easy, you say? Not always! Some babies are extremely hard to burp.

You might check out this video on different ways to burp your baby... but keep in mind, if baby isn't burping, it's probably because the woman in that video just kind of ... pats it. A doctor once told my mother that you "really have to bang on these suckers."

Cup your hand slightly so that you don't hurt the baby, and use your chest or shoulder to apply pressure to baby's tummy. Don't burp the baby too hard, but don't treat baby like glass, either. Baby's spine will not break just because you apply a little pressure.

Another thing that helps is bouncing baby.

Sit on the edge of a bed or a springy chair, with your feet out ahead of your knees to prevent joint wear (you may do this a lot, I'm not kidding), and hold baby close. Try tucking your chin over baby's shoulder for those babies who like to hold their heads up so that baby doesn't bang his or her chin, and then bounce up and down (this may also help a fussy baby get to sleep). You might find this is easier than burping baby the usual way, but keep in mind that using several different techniques is the best way to get that difficult burp up.

Check baby head to toe!

Check baby -- literally -- from the top of his or her head to his or her toes. Look at the eyes:

Sometimes babies get plugged tear ducts, and this can be annoying for baby because it causes the eye to water and it gums up the eye, crusting the lashes. What you can do about this is hold a damp, warm rag to baby's eye (eye closed, of course, and gently), to soften it up and wipe it away. After that, try feeling the inside corner of baby's eye for lumps... a plugged duct will form a small bump like a pimple under the skin. You can very, very gently rub this lump about six times a day (during feeding, perhaps, or diaper changing), to loosen up the plug and clear up the issue.

Believe it or not, nursing mothers can also apply a drop of breastmilk to the corner of the eye (on the skin, where it will leak in without really upsetting baby) as it has antibiotic properties and may help clear up or prevent infection.

Check baby's mouth: babies can start teething as early as two months.

A damp rag filled with ice chips, tied off with a rubber band or hair scrunchie may make your little one feel better .... especially since he or she can hold the tail of the rag, instead of the cold handle of a teething ring.

Check the fingers or toes for hairs, and if you find one, remove it carefully. Baby's skin is so sensitive that tugging a stuck hair could actually cut it.

Check if baby's hands and feet are cold. Apply socks, or wrap baby in a blanket. Note that cold extremities could be a sign that baby has a tummy ache or gas, as the blood will be flowing to baby's core in this case.

If baby is hot, don't be too quick to undress him or her. You can remove the blanket, or pop off the socks, but don't leave a sweating baby open to the air, they'll get sick. Adjust the room temperature instead, if possible. Otherwise, a nice bath might help baby feel better and more relaxed, and here's a tip for that:

Bathe with your baby. Set baby's chair beside the tub while you prepare the bathroom: towels, diaper changing station, fresh clothes for both of you. Then rest baby on your thighs with a washcloth under his or her head so your knees don't hurt the back of baby's head. If needed, sink yourself lower to submerge baby's body, but BE CAREFUL. Babies are extremely slippery in the tub.

Baby is over-stimulated!

Babies have a lot of fun learning new things and interacting with people. However, baby may be smiling and laughing one moment and then crying and fussy the next. This is a sign that baby has had enough. Baby may also stop looking at you and stare across the room.