Your Baby – July 2019

CUT OUT^ HEALTH NOTEBOOK

& KEEP

JULY & AUGUST 2019 | 63

Images: Gallo Images/Getty Images

FIRST, MAKE SURE you are in fact

dealing with colic and not something

else, so rule out that your baby is ill.

A temperature, vomiting or listlessness

are not symptoms of colic.

Be sure to see the doctor before you

self-diagnose colic.

If baby is otherwise healthy, the rule

of threes can be your starting point.

This is how it goes: babies with colic

cry for more than three hours a day, for

more than three days a week, for more

than three weeks. It typically starts

a few weeks after birth and can last

until the age of four months. Scientists

don’t all agree on the cause, so you

might have to try many solutions before

you find a combination that works.

Here are some ideas:

LOW LIGHT AND NOISE

A 2012 study found that moms who get

migraines are more than twice as likely

to have a baby with colic. Also, more

than 73 percent of children between

six and 18 years of age who suffer

from migraine had colic as babies. So

scientists speculate that colic is an early

symptom of migraine. Try reducing

overstimulation by dimming lights and

keeping noise levels down.

LEOPARD IN THE TREE

A long-suspected cause of colic is

digestive pain, particularly trapped wind.

A technique that can help is to hold your

baby over your forearm as if she is

a leopard lying over a branch, with her

limbs dangling down. Let her head rest in

the crook of your elbow. Jiggle her a little

to dislodge the wind.

BREAST ONLY

Statistics confirm that exclusively

breastfed babies generally have less

tummy issues, so less wind – and

therefore fewer bouts of colic. If you can,

stick to breast only for at least six months.

It might also be worth keeping a food

diary to see if anything you are eating

leads to colic in your breastfed baby.

If you keep a detailed food diary, you

might see a pattern emerge, for instance,

whenever you have orange juice, baby

becomes colicky.

GENTLE MASSAGE

Use oils or lotions especially for

newborns, and gently rub her tummy in

a clockwise motion around the belly

button. This follows the direction of the

intestines. As part of the massage, you

could also cycle her legs, as this works

well to expel trapped wind. Touch is also

healing and soothing. Skin-to-skin cuddles

can work to comfort her.

TRY PROBIOTICS

Reuterina™ Drops 5ml (R155 to R176)

and Reuterina™ Vit D Drops 10 ml

(R235 to R265) have been trusted by

South African healthcare professionals

and parents for 21 years. The probiotic

strain in Reuterina™ Drops (L. reuteri

DSM 17938) has been clinically proven

to help balance babies’ tummy flora,

helping reduce colic, constipation and

regurgitation. Reuterina™ Drops are also

available with added vitamin D in

a convenient easy dropper tube.

One in five otherwise healthy babies

suffer from colic. Here’s a multi-pronged

approach to helping your baby

Curing

colic?