TOP TIPS ON HOW TO COPE WITH A COLICKY BABY - INFANT COLIC, CRYING, REFLUX, EXCESSIVE GAS AND SENSITIVITY

 

1. CHECK WITH YOUR GP AND IF NECESSARY GET A FULL EXAMINATION

The first point of call should always be to speak to your family doctor, health visitor and/or midwife and ask for their opinion. When a medical reason is ruled out and there is no explanation for your babies crying or symptoms these tips may be useful. Many babies go through a period of 'purple crying' and I found the purple crying website: http://purplecrying.info useful for explaining why some babies become distressed for no known medical reason. 

2. GIVE BABY-WEARING A GO!

I found carrying my youngest baby around in a sling very useful. It allowed me to get on with all of my tasks each day and my baby spent many hours each day in the sling. We have a Close Caboo sling and I have used it every day since my baby was a few days old. If possible, contact your local sling library for their knowledge on safe baby-wearing and be sure to always follow the T.I.C.K.S safety guidelines. 

Close Caboo Sling link - John Lewis 

babyslingsafety.co.uk

3. DUMMIES

The use of dummies in babies (under a year old) can be effective at soothing pain and discomfort. Babies naturally want to suck when they are uncomfortable. Use an orthodontic dummy like MAM or Philips. 

4. BABY MASSAGE

I have found baby massage to be good at helping baby to release gas. There are a number of great YouTube videos showing the correct technique. 'Windmill' and the 'I love you' massage are the techniques that I found to be the best for gas. Use a quality oil and if using a vegetable oil make sure it is the best quality that you can find. I prefer using a lavender/herbal baby massage oil. Neal's Yard have a fantastic organic pure baby oil for baby massage. I have a Neal's Yard shop here: https://uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/amybroughton

5. CHANGING BOTTLES (BOTTLE-FEEDING)

Sometimes it can be useful to try different bottles. I've used MAM anti-colic bottles for three of my children and they have been the best at reducing gas for my babies. Dr Brown's anti-colic bottles are also great. It's best to get a bottle with a valve system/ a system for air bubble removal. Make sure that if you shake the milk, you need to give it time for the bubbles to disappear. When our baby was very distressed we used ready to feed formula as this is completely 'flat' and there are no bubbles. You can also speak to your health visitor about a referral to the infant feeding team. 

6. REMEDIES AND OVER THE COUNTER OPTIONS

There are a lot of over the counter remedies targeted at infant colic. We have tried Infacol, Gripe water, Colief and BioGaia probiotic drops with very little success. I have heard and seen a lot of great reviews on these products but the were not effective for us. I would recommend giving them a go and ruling it out. Probiotics seemed to be effective but later caused issues with looser stools. 

7. TONGUE-TIE? (GAS)

Our youngest baby had a tongue-tie found at his first post-birth paediatric check. However, the hospital were not concerned and suggested to leave it unless there was a significant problem with feeding. In which case, they would do a referral to have a tongue-tie division. There was a long waiting list to have a tongue-tie division on the NHS. At the 10 week check (was supposed to be 6 weeks but covid-19 delay), the GP said that the tongue-tie would not be causing gas issues. We decided to have a tongue-tie division done by a private midwife that came to our home within a couple of days after contacting her. She did an assessment and then did the division at a cost of £150. It seemed to have helped as he had a severe tongue-tie that meant he couldn't move his tongue to the left side of his mouth. She then recommended seeing a baby osteopath to help strengthen the muscles in his face and neck. 

8. BABY OSTEOPATHY

Our baby has had two sessions with an osteopath so far. I was very skeptical as I had read a lot of other people's opinions online regarding osteopathy. We read about it on the NHS website and the regulating body for osteopathy and felt confident about trying it. After the first session, we noticed a reduction in our baby's regular crying patterns. Then a week later when he had another session, it got even better! There's not really any way of knowing whether it was because of the osteopathy or because of other factors but we are happy regardless. The osteopath was very knowledgable and even knew what position he had been in the womb to cause this facial weakness. This was before I had even mentioned anything about the pregnancy and birth (he was footling breech with the same side of the face, implanted in my rib cage for most of the 3rd trimester - It was painful!).

9. WHITE NOISE & PINK NOISE

Many babies are comforted by white noise and pink noise which is believed to sound a lot like the womb environment. We discovered that our baby loves the sound of the kitchen hob extractor fan and I've spent plenty of days walking around the kitchen, with it on and him in the sling. He stops crying and goes straight to off to sleep! White noise and pink noise comes in a wide range of frequencies and therefore it can be challenge finding which frequency your baby likes. My baby loves the vacuum cleaner, extractor fan and womb sounds from Ewan the dream sheep but hates the white noise videos from YouTube. 

10. BEST POSITIONS

Babies with reflux are best sitting up as close to a 90 degree angle as you can get when feeding and should also stay sat up for some moments, gently rubbing their back. If you tap their back it's more likely that your baby will vomit everywhere and this can also cause a lot of pain caused by stomach acid. Try to avoid laying your baby on their back after a feed. 

Some colicky babies are comforted by holding them in the 'tiger in the tree' position (if you don't know what this is, there are some more great videos on YouTube to show you the correct technique). My eldest son loved this position when he had colic!

Again, the sling can be great for colic & reflux because it holds your baby in an upright position. I sometimes find that if he still has trapped gas, putting him in the sling can bring up some big burps. It also helps for reflux as gravity should keep the acid and milk in the baby's tummy. 

11. SUPPORT

Support from family and friends during the pandemic has been very tricky. However, it really is crucial that you get as much support and help as you can. Having a distressed and inconsolable baby can be very challenging and exhausting. If you can get people to help you, then do!

12. REMEMBER CAREGIVER'S MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

It can often be really difficult to think about your own health and self when you're busy with a distressed baby. If possible, try and get someone to watch the baby and go and have a bath or a breather upstairs if you're feeling exhausted. Try and go for walks, even if they are short (a sling is great for this, my baby never likes the pram unfortunately). Eat full meals, if the baby is crying during mealtime it may be best to take turns with a partner or someone (if possible), so that you can eat comfortably. Take a good vitamin supplement as many of your levels may be lower after having a baby. Talk to as many people as you can about how you are feeling. If you ever feel low, speak to your health visitor or GP. If you are tense, upset and stressed, your baby will pick up on that and it may make them more irritable. Smile, chat, sing, do skin to skin and cuddle your baby - You both naturally produce oxytocin which will help you to bond with each other.

13. EXPECTATIONS

Most parents want the absolute best for their children. However, I've now realised that running around trying to be superwoman all the time is going feel rubbish if it's not actually possible to do everything. It's best to think realistically about what you can achieve each day and what can wait. It's also important to understand that all babies cry. Every baby is different and there's no set 'formula' on how to raise them. Sometimes you try every single thing that you can think of in an attempt to alleviate your baby's discomfort but nothing works. Just know that, in time babies do grow out of colic and it's not a reflection on anything that you've done.

14. SIMPLIFYING LIFE TEMPORARILY/PRIORITIES

Try and simplify your day as much as you can. Don't set too many expectations and chores. Prepare everything that you will need ahead of time. Write a list of what NEEDS doing and tick it off as you complete each task, this really helps when you have brain fog from being sleep deprived.

15. BEING ORGANISED

 Similar to the point above, I always lay out all of my children's clothes before the next day. On a school night, I put out all of the school uniform, lay out the dry parts to breakfast (then put milk in etc in the morning), make drinks up, sort book bags, write in reading records, prepare book bag and put out shoes. This saves me so much time in the mornings and really does take the pressure off. Keep frozen batch cooked meals in your freezer and heat them up in the microwave on difficult days - you can do this for the whole family and I steam some fresh vegetables to quickly add on the side.

 16. CHANGING FORMULA (BOTTLE-FEEDING)/CHANGING DIET (BREASTFEEDING)

Sometimes it's necessary to change formula if you are formula feeding. However, consult with a healthcare professional before you do so. Thickened anti-reflux formulas can help with symptoms of reflux but they can also cause constipation, so it's always best to seek professional advice first. Sometimes medical professionals will trial a hydrolysed formula if a cows milk protein allergy is suspected. Symptoms of a CMPA can be fairly similar to general colic and we had to rule out CMPA with our GP and health visitor by using prescription milk. 

When breastfeeding, a medical professional may advise changing your diet, such as limiting fatty or spicy foods or if CMPA is suspected, removing dairy from the diet. However, don't remove dairy unless a medical professional has told you to.

17. MOVEMENT

You could try rocking your baby and some babies will calm down if taken for a ride in the car. Again, a sling is great because you can move about with your baby without having your arms restricted or getting tired and achy. 

18. YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO COMBINE THESE 

Some of these tips may only work when done together. Try different combinations and see how it goes!

19. OVER-STIMULATION

Some babies may get over stimulated if there's a lot of stimuli. When your baby is distressed, try to limit noise, touch and moving objects and see if there's any difference. At night, keep the room dark and quiet and over time this should help your baby to distinguish between day and night.

20. GETTING OVERTIRED 

In the early months, try to make sure that your baby doesn't stay awake for too long. Sometimes my baby has been awake for over an hour and then he's been very unsettled. After a good sleep, he's been much more comfortable. Sometimes it's so easy to lose track of time and then next minute baby has been awake for two hours! 

21. BABY CUES - COMMUNICATION

There are a set of signs (cues) to look out for when determining whether your baby is tired, hungry, windy etc. Research these, figure them out early and you will save your baby from getting too irritable.

Disclaimer: These tips are from my own experience raising my 4 babies. These are not a substitute for medical advice, the most important thing you can do is to speak to your GP, health visitor or midwife.