When Crying Is Colic And When It Is Not

Colic is often the first suspect when newborns cry a lot, and nothing seems to help. But, not every cramp and cry is colic – often Baby just has digestive discomfort which can be solved if you think out of the box. Not only that, you have to let go of being stubborn, and you need to respect your baby’s individuality! There is an answer – the question is: Will you listen?

Colic symptoms and causes

Seven common symptoms of colic include:

Pain or discomfort during or after feeding
Struggling to pass wind
A red scrunched up face
Arching his back
Rigid tummy muscles
Drawing his legs up to his abdomen
Balled fists and strident crying

This could be a reaction to Baby’s milk formula, or excessive dairy, grains and sugary foods in a breastfeeding mom’s diet. Additional symptoms, like skin rashes or mucus, can indicate that digestive discomfort is part of an allergy or intolerance.

Colic can also have emotional triggers, including:

A traumatic birth or C-section – choose natural birth and take Baby for chiropractic for body re-alignment afterwards
Being handled by too many strangers – discourage this in the early weeks
An anxious mother – you really are key, Mom, so approach Baby confidently and he will pick up on this good vibe

Colic cures

These five are all related to diet and are the way to go in many instances:

Breast milk is perfectly suited to babies; the emotional benefits are part of its anti-colic magic.
Avoid scheduling Baby’s feeds; let him eat when he’s hungry – that applies to breast and formula babies!
Special formula milk for colic can be effective, but expensive! Dairy and soy formula can cause colic.
Avoid a bland diet, high in refined, baked grain products and dairy, Mom – you might think this will help but eating more like in pregnancy is often the easiest cure for cramps.
To settle persistent cramping, give Baby 25ml baby rooibos tea between feeds.

At the Sister Lilian Centre, we have seven other tried and trusted strategies to help relieve colic too: