Attachment Parenting

Colic, Crying and Babywearing

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Extreme crying……..colic. Those words strike fear in every parent. Why are mothers in western culture so afraid of this common problem, and why do babies in other cultures seldom, if ever experience it?

Definition of Colic:
An infant between 2 weeks and 4 months of age with bouts of crying that occur 3 times a week for greater than 3 hours a day and lasting 3 weeks.

Symptoms of Colic:

• Excessive crying and the appearance of being in pain.
• Crying may be sudden and last for greater than 15 minutes.
• Difficulty consoling infant.
• Poor sleeper.
• Acts like they are starving, will then suck vigorously for a few seconds, only to spit the nipple out and scream.
• Passes a lot of gas.

Colic is hard to pin-point and difficult to treat with western medicine. I know how difficult colic in an infant can be. I am not a medical doctor and I cannot cure colic. I am a mother of two and have dealt with a majority of the issues I cover in my parenting articles. I don’t know if your baby has what is termed “colic”. But I know you are concerned about your baby and I want to give you some ideas of how to deal with colic, parent to parent.

How do other cultures avoid colic?
Conjure up a picture of indigenous, primitive, native, hunter-gatherer societies. Do you see native peoples living in huts, tepees, or igloos, clad in loin-cloths, beads, animal furs? Naked children running around? Women grinding wheat, carrying water, weaving, beading, nursing, working, laughing?

Imagine the men hunting, crouched low, noiseless, making their way through the forest, jungle, across the plain or ice. Intent upon providing the next meal for their families. I am not trying to be stereotypical, this is what I see and it is a peaceful, beautiful picture to me.

What do you hear? Chatter in a different language, children laughing, feet stomping, singing, shouts of glee over the successful hunt. Do you hear crying? Do you hear unmanageable crying? I don’t think you do. Why not? I think it is because you know, from eons of history running through your veins that it wasn’t happening. Look again at your scene. There are babies in the scene and they are being worn by their mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunties and the like in all sorts of infant carriers; baby slings, wraps, pouches, cradle boards. Some are awake, some are asleep.

They are living and observing contently and alertly the world in which they will soon play an integral part. The people are wearing their babies and responding to them because that is what their instincts tell them to do. They feel, just like you do, that ache in their chest when a baby cries. And they haven’t been conditioned by their society to ignore it. They aren’t being told such nonsense as:

• Make your baby understand who is boss
• Your baby is manipulating you if you go to her every time she cries
• If your baby is fed and dry there is nothing she really needs
• If you respond to your baby, you will spoil him or her
• Babies need to be independent
• Babies don’t feel pain or better yet, their pain doesn’t matter because they won’t remember it. WOW…..

Human touch is vital to development and contentment. Have you ever fallen in love? What did it feel like when your lover touched you, just your hand, or held you tight and close? It felt like everything was right in the world. Like you never wanted it to end. Hence the phrase “freeze a moment in time.”

The environment of the womb was perfect. Your baby was constantly hearing you, smelling you and all of her needs were provided for instantly. Newborns have no sense of time or hope for that matter. They live in a constant state of now. When you are holding your baby all is right in the world for her. When she is alone, wrapped in a blanket in a plastic shell she has no concept of you returning.

Wearing your baby can prevent unmanageable crying. When your baby is that close to your body, and you are so in tune with her she has no need to cry.

As I said before, colic is hard to diagnose, but there are a lot of things you can do to help your baby if she is experiencing symptoms.

1. Wear your baby in a baby sling, motion seems to help and it’s a lot easier than driving around in the car all night.
2. Allow your baby to eat or just suckle at the breast on demand.
3. If you are breastfeeding look at your diet, are you eating something that might be bothering your baby’s tummy?
4. If you are bottle feeding, might your baby have a problem with the formula?
5. Rub baby’s tummy or back.
6. Take a bath together; warm water can calm you and baby.

All in all - know that your baby wants to be with you. Embrace the awesome position you hold in his life. Get yourself a baby sling or another carrier (baby slings are my favorite). They are comfortable, versatile, beautiful and most times affordable.

You have the most awesome job on earth, the rearing of the next generation. Help create peace in the world. Start in your home!

by Emmy Bill
About the Author: Emmy lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with her husband and two children, soon to be three! She is the owner and author of Babywearing Central, a website exploring babywearing around the world as well as classic parenting issues and babywearing as a tool for peaceful, healthy living. You can find her website at www.babywearingcentral.com.

Sheryl’s comment:
Sheryl’s definition of colic: A diagnosis given by doctors who have no clue what is wrong with or how to help your infant who is in agonizing pain.

Incidentally, I don’t have much use for doctors. That said, my daughter had relentless colic when she was born. I am a firm, diehard believer in babywearing but in my case anyway, wearing my daughter in a sling only made her shrieks worse for some reason. There were only two things that helped. She calmed down and often stopped screaming (temporarily) if I played Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Greatest Hits. (I played it a lot while I was pregnant).

The other thing that stopped colic in its tracks was an elimination diet. It turns out that dairy was the culprit and her screaming stopped the day after I stopped drinking milk. If you have a colicky baby and you are breastfeeding, then please try an elimination diet. If you are using formula then by all means experiment with other types (but stay away from soy based formulas at all costs). That said, I am sure babywearing soothed her but it did not take away her pain. Once her pain was alleviated, we became the happiest babywearing twosome around and we still are over two years later!

Buy the Book: Colic Solved
Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/addrox/2587484034/

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