Parenting Tips

Colic is so common among infants that most people are not surprise anymore when it happens. Still, for the first time mom it can be a harrowing and panicking experience especially with her normally quiet angel screaming non-stop in the background. It is usually manifested at about two to three weeks of age. It becomes more prominent during the first two months and subsides at three months old. Colic altogether stops at about three-and-a-half to four months of age.

Colic is actually not so dangerous. It might seem so though from the way babies would cry and scream at the top of their lungs. In fact, it can be so common that parents may experience an episode on a daily basis; and after the first episode, parents usually learn to handle succeeding ones with aplomb. Still, physicians and scientists cannot pinpoint up until now just what exactly causes colic. It just happens.

Colic, to those who are not familiar with the problem, is a stomach ache that occurs after eating. Because of the continuous pain, babies cry for hours and hours until the colic is relieved. Crying can last for about one to four hours, depending on the severity of the pain. Babies’ cheeks will also become red from the exertion and perhaps the pain.

When there is colic, the belly of the baby may become distended or may become enlarged. One leg will be bent while the other will extended straight out. The feet will become cold and the hands clenched tight because of the pain. This is actually a common reaction for people whose stomachs pain them.

Often, it will occur late in the afternoon or early in the evening after every meal. It can however also happen any time of the day. Not all babies suffer from colic and some even suffer less frequent than others. Medical experts believe that genetics play a role. It seems that if one or both parents have suffered from colic when they were babies, their offspring will also experience colic episodes.

Still, there are factors that will exacerbate a colic condition in babies. Below are some of them. Read on so that you can avoid these factors and prevent your baby from further suffering.

1. Overfeeding can only worsen the situations when you have a colicky baby in your arms. Make sure that your baby is suffering from hunger and not colic before you feed him again.

2. There are certain foods that will worsen the colic. Those with high sugar content, those with undiluted juice will only increase the gas in the stomach and thus, exacerbate the condition.

3. Intestinal allergy may also cause colic so it is important for moms to know just what makes their babies allergic. It may be from something that they have directly eaten or something that you passed on through the milk in your breasts.

4. Intense feelings can also affect colic. Emotions such as anger, fear, anxiety and excitement should be avoided as this will only worsen the pain for the baby.

The best way to help your baby is to first not panic and then to read up as much as possible even before an episode occurs. Nonstop crying can be a result of a host of other things so it is important that you also keep your eyes open so that you will know what exactly ails your baby. Keep in mind that there is no known cause; so there is also no known cure for it except to make the experience as comfortable and less painful as possible.

Many women find that they can eat whatever they may
like during breast feeding. Even though it’s true
that some stongly favored foods can change the
taste of your milk, many babies seem to enjoy the
varieties of breast milk flavors. Occasionally,
your baby may get cranky at the breast after you
eat certain foods. If you notice this happening,
simply avoid that particular food.

The most common offenders duing breast feeding
include chocolate, spices, citrus fruits, garlic,
chili, lime, gassy vegetables, and fruits with
laxative type effects, such as prunes and cherries.

You can have a cup or two of coffee a day, although
too much caffeine can interfere with your baby’s
sleep and even make him or her cranky. Keep in
mind, caffeine is found in many soda’s, tea, and
even over the counter type medicine as well.

It’s okay to have an alcoholic beverage every now
and the, although having more than one drink can
increase your blood alcohol level, putting the
alcohol into your breast milk.

If you are planning to have more than one drink
at a time, it’s best to wait two hours or more
per drink before you resume any type of nursing
or breast feeding. There is no need to pump
and dump unless your breasts are full and its
time to feed your baby. While breast feeding,
any type of heavy drinking should be avoided.

Before you actually omit any foods from your
diet, you should talk to your doctor. If you
avoid certain foods and it causes a nutritional
imbalance, you may need to see a nutritionist
for advice on taking other foods or getting
nutritional supplements.

Once you’ve given birth, breast feeding is the single
most important thing you can do to protect your baby
and help to promote good health. Best of all, breast
feeding is free.

Along with saving you money on HMR (Human Milk
Replacement), breast feeding can also help you to
keep your medical bills down. Babies that are fed
with formula get sicker more often and more seriously
than babies that are breast fed They also have more
ear infections, respiratory infections, and other
problems.

This can be even more true if your family has had a
history of allergies. When a baby is breast fed, the
antibodies pass on from the mother to the baby,
helping to protect against illness and allergies. As
the baby’s system matures, his body will begin to
make it’s own antibodies, and he’ll be more equipped
to handle sensitivities of food.

Sucking on the breast will also help with the
development or jaw alignment and the development of
the cheekbone. For this very reason, there is less
of the need for costly orthodontic work when the
child gets older.

Unlike formula, breast milk is always ready, always
available, convenient, and always the right temperature
for feeding. Plus, it contains all of the vitamins
and minerals your growing baby needs, saving you a
lot of money.

Breast feeding also offers many benefits for the mom
as well. The baby sucking at the breast will cause
contractions right after birth, leading to less
bleeding for the mom, and helping her uterus to it’s
shape before pregnancy much faster.

Breast feeding will also burn calories, so a mom can
lose weight much faster than if she fed her baby with
a bottle. Breast feeding will also create a special
bond with the mother and the baby - which is one
thing formula simpy cannot do.