Tips for soothing baby with colic

Once my daughter couldn't stop crying and I tried to comfort her by all possible means. But she didn’t calm down. Generally  she was always happy and smiling baby ,so I was worried and         decided to take her to doctor. Pediatrician diagnosed reason of her crying as a colic – A sharp   pain  in the intestine of baby. It was new to me and I was worried how and when it will be cured as it was causing trouble to my little one. I asked doctor about it like what is it ? why it happens ? Can it be avoided ?

Doctor suggested its very common problem in young babies and its not serious illness or            inadequate parenting. Also it goes away with time. My baby suffered this colic problem few            times afterwards also. That is when I talked with many fellow mommies and friends for finding        out ways of relieving colic. Then I came to know that many parents like me have encountered           colicky   babies. Colicky babies cry because of pain and the colic cry sounds like a cry of pain and is  intense, high-pitched, and continuous.

Exact cause of colic is not known, although many possible causes have been suggested like         baby's  developmental stage, emotions, and food intolerance are among them. It is also said that    babies body position of lying down on the back all the time and restricted movements causes            indigestion and colic.

Generally when babies get 3-4 months old they get on their tummy/ start crawling /moving forward And this movements help to resolve colic problem naturally. But   if  baby  has  colic before two weeks of age, has colic beyond 3-4 months of age or has diarrhea or fever along with  colic and doesn't   stop  crying doctor’s  immediate intervention is  necessary. 

Tips and remedies for soothing baby with colic:

1.Do not overfeed

Overfeeding may cause extra load on small tummy of baby. And eventually it may lead to stomach gases ,colic . For avoiding it make a regular feeding schedule of timing and amount of milk taken, as measured in ounces in the bottle-fed baby or in minutes on the breast in the breastfed baby. Feed after particular and decided interval only. Many times it happens that when babies don't stop crying or cranky then they breastfed or bottle fed .But try to avoid frequent nursing or in between feeding of these decided time intervals.

2.Formula milk

If baby is on formula milk feeding always follow all instructions on pack carefully. Take exact amount of formula milk powder and water proportion for making formula milk. As disproportion may lead to colic.

3.Breastfeeding mommy's diet

Breastfeeding mommy should take care of diet and lifestyle. As some foods like dairy products, caffeine, onions, potato, beans, broccoli, all purpose flour are heavy to digest and gas-producing foods. In some cases  by including these foods in diet  mother on breastfeeding may have stomach gases and eventually baby has colic. So just try eating these foods and watch for baby’s symptoms. If everything is  ok then  mother can continue taking these foods. Include more fresh vegetables and fruits in mommy’s diet.

Mommy on breastfeeding should drink more water.

Eat  Methi (Fenugreek seeds)  in 1  tea spoon  Washed and soaked overnight early morning.

Eating 1 tea spoon of  Fennel seeds ,1/4 tea spoon  of carom seeds everyday also helps.

4.If baby is more than 3 months old and is taking fruit juices, then the juice should be diluted with water. Pure fruit juice might be hard to digest. 

Home remedies for relieving colic pain

1. A warm towel technique

How to do : Dip soft cotton towel in warm water and place in on the abdomen of baby. Warm towel  helps to give comfort and can assist gas movement.

2.Front-pouch-style carrier

How to do: Walking the baby in a with his legs drawn up and pressure off of babies belly also helps. Carefully place baby in baby sling and wear it. There will be pressure on babies tummy as it touches parents tummy. Or just put baby on your lap such that baby's tummy on parent's lap and gently massage babies back.

3.Swaddling

How to do : Wrap the baby firmly in a comfortable soft cotton blanket /cloth so that movements of the limbs should get restricted. Swaddling is very widely used for comforting baby having colic. But swaddling is prohibited by some doctors. So doctors suggestion is necessary for swaddling. Ask your health care provider before trying swaddling.

4.Gentle rocking

How to do: Rocking chair for baby is helpful for rocking baby or also gently rocking baby on parents /caregivers lap  helps. By  taking  baby  on  lap makes her comfortable and calm and as  her  stomach gets pressed  it helps to pass stomach gases. Thus it relieves pain and colic.

5.Massaging tummy

How to do: Massage babies tummy in clockwise direction with any baby oil. Also massage baby's chest from centre  to outward direction. By massaging gases will pass if any and stomach pain will be relieved. Also regular massaging helps to improve digestion.

photo credit: Cry baby via photopin (license)