As a Mother that has dealt with a baby with colic I’m always trying to find everything that I can on how to ease my baby’s discomfort. From natural ways on my baby to an entire diet change. Dr. Bob Sears of the amazing Sears Family that is known for their Attachment Parenting books was so kind to answer questions I had about my diet being a possible cause to my baby’s colic.
What are some of the signs that the baby is suffering from colic and not something else?
The most common signs of colic are prolonged periods of inconsolable crying (either for several continuous hours each day or shorter time periods spread all throughout the day), pulling the knees up to the abdomen, and passing excessive amounts of gas. The primary feature that sets colicky crying apart from other causes of crying is that colic is usually inconsolable; the infant cries in pain no matter what the parent does.
Can different foods that a Mother eats be the cause of colic in a baby?
Yes. Cow’s milk products (milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, etc) in a breastfeeding mom’s diet are probably the most common food sensitivity that can cause colicky symptoms in a baby. It’s the cow’s milk protein that is the culprit. Other foods include wheat (and gluten), nuts, eggs, soy, corn, and gassy vegetables. Caffeine is another possibility.
What are the most common foods to avoid?
I always have a breastfeeding mom go off cow’s milk products first. Give it at lease a two week trial before deciding whether or not it helps. If needed, I move on to the other foods (see above).
Are there other things that breastfeeding mothers need to avoid so that is doesn’t cause discomfort in their babies?
Sometimes prenatal vitamins may irritate a baby; a week or two off of these won’t compromise mom’s or baby’s nutrition. Often it’s the iron in the vitamin that is most irritating. An iron-free vitamin can be tried as a substitute.
What are some natural ways to calm a colicky baby that you recommend to your patients?
The most consistently effective natural remedy, in my experience, is lactase digestive enzyme drops (such as Colief Infant Drops). These enzymes help baby better digest the milk sugar (lactose) in breast milk or formula. Some babies are born with a deficiency in lactase enzymes (called Transient Lactase Deficiency), so they can’t digest all the milk sugar in a feeding. This undigested sugar ferments into gas, which causes bloating and colicky pain. Giving Colief Infant Drops with each feeding allows baby to better digest the milk sugars, thus decreasing colicky symptoms. If this TLD is the cause of the colic symptoms, parents should see relief within three days.
When should a parent become concerned about colic and see a doctor?
If changing a breastfeeding mom’s diet or infant formula, or various colic remedies don’t work (see below), see a doctor to evaluate various other possible causes of colic.
Some fantastic tips for alleviating discomfort or colic in your baby. I’m a firm believer in trying as many natural forms as possible before resorting to medications or something more invasive. I’d like to say thank you to Dr. Bob Sears for taking the time to speak with me about breastfeeding and colic. I’m an avid Sears follower that has been living by attachment parenting since first ready their book way back when.
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Great post! I’m definitely sharing with my fellow momma-friends!
Ashley recently posted..A Day With My Bubs
I just shared this – I am always hearing about babies with colic and the parents just don’t know what to do!
Jenn @therebelchick recently posted..So I jumped on the bandwagon. So what?
As a Mom to a 2 year old that was coliky for the first 6 months of his life I also find things like this interesting. I tried taking milk out of my diet but it didn’t help him. Interestingly enough we found out a year old that he is allergic to peanuts.
Sarah @ Minnesota Mama’s Must Haves recently posted..Polly Pocket Now Has Suction Cups!
These are great tips. I wish I had known about some of these when I was breastfeeding my son (years ago).
My son was very colicy, due to him being born with a cleft lip and pallet. I feel for all moms with colicy babies.
Sheila recently posted..Clean out your Closets
Lil’ Peanut has a high pallet that has caused us a great deal of trouble. I’d love to hear about the bottles you used because nothing I’ve tried has worked with breaking suction and getting air in each feeding.
I would love to be able to help ya out, but my son is 20 and I don’t remember what bottle I used. I do know I tried many bottles, even the ones with the bag inserts and just got so frustrated because they all just didn’t help. There was one bottle and a nipple that my Dr office gave me and I never found it anyplace so can’t tell ya what it was… sorry. But, that was the only ones that did ok for him. The nipple was big, and fit his whole mouth so he didn’t suck in any air. It took him a bit longer to eat, I do remember that.
Sorry.. and sending hugs because I know you need them XO
Sheila recently posted..Clean out your Closets
I helped a mother with a colicky baby she had removed eggs, milk, cabbage, chocolate, But I had her add fennel seeds to her diet and this helped sooth her baby’s tummy and then she was able to eat what ever she wanted as long as she is making sure to have fennel teas or chewing and swallowing pure fennel seeds. At least 1/2 a teas spoon at each meal and if she wants to have a chocolate candy bar then she also eats fennel. I recently had to add ginger to her diet because she is pregnant with twins and has had issues with nausea. There are no herbalist or enlightened doctors in our area since it is a very small town. So if people want to treat something naturally quite a few ask me to research the options.
That’s a great tip! Whats great is that it helps with milk supply as well.
I had to go off cow’s milk products for two months when my daughter was a newborn and it really made a difference in her symptoms. I was even able to stop her reflux meds once I started cutting out milk protein.
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom recently posted..How To Make Almond Butter
My daughter had colic and it was because of the casein in milk among other things. She was cured but had to be put on a prescription formula to eliminate the symptoms. But it worked, so the relief I felt over her being happy again more than made up for the sadness I had over not bf’ing anymore.
Kim @ What’s That Smell? recently posted..The one where I spend the next 3 months cringing…
This was absolutely and issue for Mason when he was an infant. Milk was the problem for us/him!
Christa recently posted..Secrets, Secrets…
thanks for sharing! I have some pregnant friends so I’ll be sure to let them see this
Jennifer recently posted..Baking Soda. More Than 1 Use?
Very interesting.
We are past the baby stage but this is still helpful info to know.
Rachel recently posted..Get to Know Me. An Interview with myself.
Wow that is pretty interesting, I was so lucky with my three kids!
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Thanks for the tips, being a mom is complicated!
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Great tips! I can totally see food affecting baby.
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