What is Colic?
No one really knows what colic is. It is just observed that a couple of weeks after delivery, a baby can begin having bouts of crying which usually occur in the evening. The baby’s crying is inconsolable, or consolable for only a short time. In all other aspects of health and weight gain, the baby is progressing or developing normally and well. Colic usually lasts up until the baby is three months in age, and it slowly resolves itself.
Since there is no pinpointed cause for colic there is no treatment for it. Some mothers use old strategies handed down from their own mothers. There are also some medicines available that is said to reduce colic in children. None of these medicine treatments or strategies has been scientifically proven to help colic.
If your baby has colic, continue to breastfeed them. Your baby is still healthy and developing and they still need your breast milk. Some mothers believe that babies acquire colic because they are not getting enough hind milk. If this is the cause of your baby’s fussiness, see if they have green stool frequently. If so, this theory may be true for your baby and you can try to solve the problem with the method for getting rid of green stool discussed in the previous section.
Other mothers believe that babies acquire colic because of dairy in the mother’s breast milk. It is well known that whatever a mother takes in while breastfeeding can be passed on to the baby. If a mother eats or drinks a lot of dairy products, these products can be passed on to the baby, and it is said to upset the baby’s stomach and therefore cause colic.
While it is not proven, some mothers try not eating any dairy products for a while to see if it will help their baby’s situation. Whether it helps the situation or provides no help at all, you can reintroduce dairy products to your diet slowly. Do not believe the fads that tell us you can cure colic by eliminating foods from your diet. No one knows what causes colic and there is no reason to believe that a certain food we ingest can cause it, even dairy.
Feed your baby when they are hungry and make sure that they are latched on to your breast well. Making sure your baby is getting the right amount of feedings can make them less fussy. Go by your baby’s internal hunger clock, and remember not to force feed or over feed your baby just because it is convenient for you to feed at that time.
The problems concerning either you or your baby when it comes to breastfeeding are usually not life threatening, and all have simple treatments. Despite the ease in which some problems can be solved, it is best to try and avoid problems as much as possible in order to make breastfeeding a truly enjoyable act between you and your child.
Prevent problems by taking care of yourself and your breasts as well as your baby. Learn how to latch on properly in order to avoid many problems. Be observant about changes in both your body and your baby’s body. Spotting problems early can be another way that you can prevent them from getting worse or happening again.
Next Article: Seven Reasons for Weaning Breastfeeding
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