Today’s Colic Survival Guide is sponsored by Gerber® Soothe. I received a free sample of Gerber® Good Start® Soothe infant formula & Gerber® Soothe probiotic colic drops from Gerber®. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting our sponsors who make our FREE resource site for you possible!
My sweet baby girl was such a gift. She decided to grace our family early. When I went to my routine Dr Check up on my birthday, they discovered her heartbeat was in distress. And we had an emergency inducement. She was born that evening. Happy Birthday to me!
Miss Rose was the most precious little bundle of joy! But that joy was soon thereafter dampened about 12 hours later when she became colic.
Nothing soothed her. She wouldn’t eat. She would mess her diaper but it didn’t help. We burped her and nothing. We would rock her, bounce her, cuddle her. Nothing worked. Even the nurse took her for an hour to try to coax some bubbles out and soothe little Rose.
Still nothing.
The Nurse came back baffled. She said, “I’ve never failed to get a calm baby before!”
So naturally my first reaction was:
I’m a Bad Mom!
What did I do wrong?
What did I do to cause this?
What? I’m the only Mom to feel those inferior, shaming feelings?
Just me?
Anyone?
Rose’s colic lasted a good 4 weeks. 4 weeks of little sleep because it became worse between 4pm-1am. Then she was back up at 5am to start all over again.
I became an emotional mess, to say the least.
Thankfully we were blessed with a miracle and found a few things that helped slightly. And as Rose grew she slowly outgrew the colic. Thus we were able to find some smiles for everyone again!
How do you know if your baby has colic?
As a new mom, you are probably wondering if your baby has colic or if it’s just normal fussy baby? I mean really how can you diagnose the symptoms?
All Babies cry. That is completely normal. But Colic is when a healthy baby cries for more than 3 hours a day, at least 3 days a week, for over 3 weeks.
The Mom’s Colic Survival Guide
There is a very emotional response that Mom suffers as her child continually cries. The ever inadequate, Mom Shaming that takes place as the postpartum emotions rage war making us questioning our very ability to raise this precious screaming gift in our arms.
When you have a child that suffers from Colic it is important to remember these tips to survive the Colic episodes.
Remember it is NOT your fault! As women, we tend to blame ourselves when things don’t go as we envision. But as your child is crying and fussing, remember this is not because of something you did or didn’t do. Colic just happens. Don’t play the blame game. It won’t help.
Trade-off/Take Breaks. If you have dealt with the colicky baby all day then you need a break. Trade off with your spouse or ask a neighbor or family member to come give you a few hours of reprieve. Take that time to do something for yourself. Eat, Shower, or take a nap. It’s amazing how much more you can handle when you’ve been fed and showered!
Seek out others. Join mother groups or visit with experienced moms. Find those that are dealing with or have dealt with Colic. Just having someone who understands can help give you emotional support and buoy you up on tough days.
Check with your doctor. Put your mind at ease and make sure your child isn’t crying due to something serious. Your Doctor may even be able to give you tips on how to cope.
Step away. If nothing is working, put your baby in a safe place, such as her crib, and take a five- to 10-minute breather.
Focus on the Good. Remember the good moments when you are in the middle of the crying fits. It can help pull you through until your child calms.
Accept your emotions. While you shouldn’t blame yourself, there are other emotions that may accompany when you have a baby with colic. You may feel emotional, weepy, angry, frustrated, etc. Realize it is OK to struggle with your emotions through this trial. There is nothing wrong with you. It’s OK to feel these emotions.
This too shall Pass. That was a phrase my mother would always tell us kids when we were dealing with a crisis we just didn’t want to face. “Remember this too shall pass”. And while we hated hearing it, she was always right. This too shall pass. This is temporary. And as long as you remember that it is temporary it makes it easy to live in the moment knowing it won’t last forever.
Tips to Soothe Colic in Baby
Mom’s aren’t the only one suffering when a baby has colic. Colic is due to the fact that something is wrong with your baby. Usually not something that can be fixed by a doctor. Some babies just have more sensitive stomachs. But there are a few options you can take to help sooth a colic baby.
Offer a pacifier. For many babies, sucking is soothing.
Hold your baby. Cuddling helps some babies.
Keep your baby in motion. Sometimes just rocking or gently bouncing baby in your arms can soothe.
Sing to your baby. Some babies respond well to music. Sometimes it is simply baby needs to hear mom’s voice in a gentle lullaby.
Use gentle heat or touch. A warm bath and a gentle baby massage can help ease baby.
Swaddling. Make baby nice and cozy by creating a tight intrauterine-type environment with a swaddling blanket.
Bicycle legs -Lay baby down and gently bicycle baby’s legs forward and backward, and try pushing his or her knees to the chest, repeating several times. This will help ease any gas issues that could be causing colic
Football hold. Place your baby stomach-down along your forearm, with his head near the crook of your elbow and his legs straddling your hand. Press your forearm into baby’s tense abdomen. Or, try reversing this position so that his cheek lies in the palm of your hand, his abdomen along your forearm, and his crotch snuggled into the crook of your elbow.
Colic curl. Snuggle baby’s head into the groove between your chin and chest. Tuck their knees up to their chest, directly against your chest. Place your hands under baby’s feet to keep them curled up. Cuddle baby in this position as you gently bounce them up and down to work the bubbles out fo their tummy. Massage their back or gently pat to help the gas bubbles escape.
Change diet. If you are nursing you will want to watch carefully what you eat and see if it is related to something you are eating. If you are formula feeding you may want to try different formula for your baby. Gerber® has a formula specially formulated for Colic relief!
Colic Drops. For Miss Rose it was all related to digestion. Once we figured out how to get her to pass gas and burp it helped. But we still had to use colic drops to help ensure that her tummy settled.
Probiotics. Some doctors think imbalances in intestinal bacteria may make baby irritable. The probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri has been clinically shown in multiple studies to reducing crying time in colicky infants. You can offer probiotic through drops or formula thanks to Gerber!
Gerber® knows the strain that a colicky baby throws upon a new parent. They know how a good bout of colic can lead to both mom and baby on the floor in tears. Thus the birth of Gerber® Soothe® products.
Gerber® Soothe® products can effectively help babies to reduce crying time.
The Gerber® Soothe Colic Drops are ideal for breastfed babies. The Colic drops feature L. reuteri which is a probiotic that is safe for infants, which has been clinically shown to significantly reduce crying time in colicky babies.
Gerber® Good Start® Soothe Infant Formula is ideal for formula fed babies. It is specially designed to ease excessive crying, colic, fussiness, and gas while providing complete nutrition.
You can easily pick which Gerber® Soothe product is best for your baby’s need and soon find some help in your battle with Colic!
Gerber® has different experts available (Registered Dietitians, Certified Lactation Consultant and Certified Baby Sleep Consultant) to answer any questions. Reach out to these experts by visiting Gerber.com/experts or at 1-800-203-4565.
Learn more about colic and Gerber® Soothe products by visiting the NEW Gerber® Soothe products web page!
What are your top tips to soothe Colic?
Share your Colic stories below!
*These products are not intended to treat or cure any disease.*
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