Colic is not something to joke about, and it is not easy to manage. Both kinds are too little understood; both more easily prevented than many are willing to do the homework for, until they realize what it is like to have a baby with colic. Yes, it may take a few days to turn around, but it need not take 3 months!
As cited on Wikipedia,
The strict medical definition of colic is a condition of a healthy baby in which it shows periods of intense, unexplained fussing/crying lasting more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week for more than 3 weeks.[4]However, many doctors consider that definition, first described by Morris Wessel, to be overly narrow and would consider babies with sudden, severe, unexplained crying lasting less than 3 hours/day as having “colic” (so-called “non-Wessel’s” colic).[5] 1 in 6 children are brought to the doctor/emergency rooms for evaluation of persistent crying[20].
Crying and exhaustion may also contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation (from agitated babies flipping onto their stomachs, concerned parents placing fussy babies on the stomach to sleep, tired parents falling asleep with their baby in unsafe places, like couches or beds with bulky covers),[28][29][30] .
Colic (also known as infantile colic) is a condition in which an otherwise healthy baby cries or displays symptoms of distress (cramping, moaning, etc.) frequently and for extended periods, without any discernible reason. The condition typically appears within the first month of life and often disappears rather suddenly, before the baby is three to four months old, but can last up to one year.[1] One study concludes that babies who are not breastfed are almost twice as likely to have colic.[2] Epidemiology suggests that Chocolate, Brassica, Onions, and cow’s milk are among the foods that a lactating mother may need to avoid.[3]
Ayurveda suggests a longer and somewhat differing list. Food combining issues, cold temperature of food and drink, old foods (leftovers, canned or frozen) over 6 hours is the general rule we work with, too heavy (red meat, heavy fried or complex baked items, fermented foods, raw vegetables are among factors not generally understood or observed. Yes, raw onion and garlic, undercooked or most brassicas and green leafies, and cow’s milk the way most people use it will be problematic.
Interestingly, as we see with most of our clients who have genetic history of using milk, and often to their surprise, cow’s milk is not disturbing baby’s tummy. Per Ayurvedic medicine, organic cream top cow’s milk properly used in terms of when taken, food combining issues little known, what temperature, and other factors, is so rejuvenative, mood supportive and even lactation supportive. It is not a galactagogue, yet the influence encourages good breastfeeding experience.
Ayudoulas confirm that full blown colic is more likely to be the final stage of a condition that has worsened for a few weeks, dietarily. We spend more than a weekend in training learning about factors for happy baby tummies, through dietary influences from breastfeeding mothers, or from formula fed diet and digestion factors.
There is another type of colic which manifests right after baby is born. This type has to do with birth traumas to nerves, muscles, cranio-sacral disturbances, and emotions, from the birth experience. If unexplained crying lasting long time begins in the first week or 2, please find an expert in newborn cranio-sacral, Tibetan Cranial, polarity therapy or chiropractic work.
World renowned expert and trainer in this field, Dr. Ray Castellino called me one day to explain why a client near him I was researching local help for had so much pain, separation anxiety and other symptoms. It was very enlightening, and quite an honor. This man usually charges $250/hour on the phone, and he did it on Saturday night, just to make sure I understood. But that’s another story and topic you will hear more about in class if you can join us. For more in-depth on his work, here are a few articles, and you will find some lovely u-tube pieces about babies as sentient beings.
Would you like to learn how to prevent, as well as help parents reverse the conditions of colic? There is much little known wisdom and skills. Because it is so little known, Ayudoulas are asked to learn about the bigger picture, what is really going on in maternal as well as newborn psychophysiology.
Colic is a seriously difficult way to start life. Baby and mothers both deserve better, and the answers, though even well known midwives tend to say they don’t know what causes it, the ancient wisewomen and medicine people of many traditions had more than clues. I have found Ayurvedic medicine to give the most comprehensive understanding and tools.