Does your baby have colic?

I'm so, so sorry. I really am.

When I think of a baby with colic, a few words come to mind: stress, frustration, tension, anxiety, fear and dread – to name a few.

These words, describe a parents’ feelings, of course. We have no way of really knowing what the baby is experiencing – other than – “they ain’t happy!”

He cried a lot at intervals throughout the day. No, it wasn’t because he was hungry, tired or needed his diaper changed. All his needs that I could see were being met. Yet he would still cry.

He was usually happiest in the morning, after he’d been fed. But it seems that by after lunch, nothing I could do would make him happy.

Frustrated and tired, I would eventually have to put him in his crib to cry.

You see, there is only so much you can do for a colicky baby. As horrible as it may sound, sometimes you HAVE to put them in their bed and close the door and walk away.

Otherwise, frustration and tension levels will rise until you feel hopeless, depressed and start to wonder why having a baby sounded like such a good idea in the first place.

After I collected myself and accomplished a few things around the house that I needed to do, I would try picking him up and consoling him again.

Sometimes it would help, but usually the only time I could get him to stop crying during these spells was to feed him.

After he had finished eating, had burped and was changed, he would start crying again. I felt confident that he was getting enough to eat – my milk supply was abundant

Sometimes, I could console him for awhile if I would stand up, cradle him on my arm, facing out, and gently rocking him by swinging my arm.

But, like I said, it would only last for a few minutes and was exhausting!

My heart would just hurt for my baby! I wanted to help him and felt helpless that I couldn’t.

Looking back, I have realized that these conditions brought on symptoms that I now know were symptoms of Postpartum Depression. I believe I had a mild case, but still!

I loved my baby, but being a mom just wasn’t all I had hoped it would be. I was frustrated and depressed for a long time.

His crying spells finally began to lesson by the time he was about 4 months old. What a happy day!

A lot of inconclusive research has been done on colic. No one seems to know what causes it or how it can be treated. I know, how comforting.

Personally, I think that if they are crying, SOMETHING is wrong. I don't believe that babies cry just to cry! Isn’t it sad that we can’t always figure it out?

Now that I’m a little more experienced with newborns, I wonder if I should have experimented a little more to try to help him.

I think his tummy hurt most of the time and instead of breastfeeding, I wish I would have tried him on lactose-free formula or soy milk. It is possible for babies to be lactose-intolerant or to just have sensitivity to lactose.

No one told me these were options (it was always, “breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed!” ). I was inexperienced and had no idea what was out there.

His pediatrician could offer no other explanation other than telling me that he must have colic.

If your baby has colic, here’s the advice* I will give to you: