Colic

I have heard from many of my friends that their babies had colic during the first few months and I was always curious what that was like. I understood that its basically trapped gas that causes pain in young infants, but I guess I never experienced a baby with colic to understand completely just how miserable it can be for momma and the baby. Lucy is 2 weeks old today and she is ALREADY battling colic (poor girl).
I have been researching and reading a ton about colic in infants and I have learned quite a bit. I wanted to share what seems to be working for us. I know every mom is different and every baby is different but its worth a shot right? More sleep??! : ) You should note, their is no research that declares changing your diet or lifestyle will get rid of colic, these things just seem to be helping Lucy, so take them with a grain of salt ;)

http://www.babyzone.com/newborn/colic/colic-symptoms-remedies_65695-page-2

First thing I did was eliminate dairy from my diet completely. I didn't even do dairy substitutes because I read that even soy can upset their stomachs.
I also eliminated veggies high in fiber and acidic fruits. Here is a list that breaks down why they can give your baby colic.

http://www.babyzone.com/baby/breastfeeding/foods-to-avoid-while-breastfeeding_87457

The second thing I did was I bought Gripe Water, which you can buy at any store I got mine from target. We asked our pediatrician about this and she said this was fine. The only thing you need to watch out for in gas drops is alcohol. Some companies feel that alcohol will help but the baby to sleep (which would be nice) but babies do NOT need alcohol in medicine just yet ;) we give Lucy gripe water around 6 pm and if she is super upset we give her another dose around 8 pm. They say you can give them some every half hour.


The Third Thing you can do is buy a good swing : ) Babies love to swing and when Lucy is super fussy we swaddle her up and place her in her swing and she is OUT cold : ) The swinging motion helps calm the stomach and the repetition of movements helps soothe her. The other thing you can do is lay your baby on the ground on a nice blanket and rub his/her belly in a clockwise rotation that will help relieve pain and gas :) you can also do a bicycle rotation with your babies legs to help relieve pain and trapped gas. Also push your babies knees into his/her chest.

The Fourth and Final thing that I make sure never to forget is to burp Lucy after every feeding, between sides and after. I have found that if I do not focus on burping her well it can cause more gas and more air to be trapped causing her to be in more pain. I will burp her for a good 5 minutes between sides and  good 10 minutes after she's all done. You can try to also feed your baby more frequently and have shorter durations so your baby doesn't suck in too much air trying to get more milk.


I saw a lactation specialist and that was the best thing I could have done. If you are having issues it is always a good thing to do because they can catch things that are causing your baby to get more air.

I hope this is helpful to mom's out there. I know with all the research I have been doing it would be nice to hear what actually works for mom's out there, especially moms who are being honest :)