8 tips for Baby’s immediate support

Food related colic takes about 2-3 weeks to accumulate.  Let’s first talk about immediate comfort!  When baby is uncomfortable from colic or the beginnings of it, it usually takes several things to keep comfort on the rise.   If the cause is birth trauma or structural, it will show up right away.

Beautiful work is being done for the latter with Dr. Ray Castellino and others.  If you would like to understand preventions for the all too common dietary factors, treating the cause, and why the following works (breast or bottle fed) , check out our core webinars, Ayurvedic Maternal and Newborn Care and Nutrition.

Here are 6 Homemade gripe water recipes

1. fennel tea – 1 t boil 3-4 min in ¾ cup water
2. 1 c water, ½ t each coarse ground dill, ajwain, fenugreek, and fennel seeds. Boil 3-4 min. cool, strain, use dropper to relieve gas, help burp, reduce tummy aches
3. coarse grind 2 tsp ea coriander, cumin, ajwain, anise, dill, vidanga. Add to 250 ml water. Slow boil to 100 ml. Strain and give. (parasites too).
4. ¼ small onion, boiled 5 min. in 2 oz water. Strain, Add 2 oz cool water, 1 tsp succanat or agave give in bottle. or use 2 cloves garlic, prepare similarly. Allows support to suck, breaks up gas.
5. tea of organge leaves – wash, boil to sterilize and bring out properties, with a little succanat or agave to taste
6. last resorts, still gives comfort:. Beer w/o carbonation. or Dissolve peppermint candy in Hot water, give 15-20 ml of either in bottle. support to burp.

8 General support keys for baby include:

1. Infant massage is well researched for it’s benefit to unhappy tummy times.  Be sure to do the belly massage techniques, including Paddle Wheel, I Love U, and Sun Moon strokes, and use something like a baby hot water bottle – she can lay tummy down, enjoy the water rocking warmth, breath more easily for the lift at the midsection, and be more easily patted to sleep.  (use the linked green text to access our 3 hour distance learner’s recording or webinar option, or 8 hour training to teach Mamas).
2. Babies go into light sleep first, not deep sleep like adults, so it takes a while when their tummies hurt!  It often may take 10-20 minutes.  Help them stay relaxed, and don’t blame yourself if it takes a while.  That’s your job priority, not cleaning the house.
3. Take a hot bath together, then sleep (together!).
4. Use ghee or castor oil for constipation – on nipple, fingertip, or sometimes also to rub the anus when tight.  Or give Baby 1 tsp extra virgin pure olive oil.  See in 10-15 minutes, they are likely to be quiet.  Learn at least 2 reasons why this and other remedies work in our core course, Ayurvedic Maternal and Newborn Care and Nutrition.
5. Sometimes we may need extra oomph.  Essential oils topically of fennel, ginger, basil, nutmeg, chamomile or stronger used topically, can give quick relief.  Let baby’s nose help you choose, but just waft it for a moment under their nose, don’t hold it there.  Watch their reaction.  Dilute 1:2 with food/massage oil.  How to use safely and which, with opportunity to ask questions, in our Essential Oils, More than Basics.
6. If nursing or formula feeding, the quality of the milk should be evaluated.  AyuDoulas are trained to help mothers be nourished themselves in a way that best nourishes baby.
7. This is a big one too – Avoid overfeeding – after 2 weeks with term babies, give 2 hour gap from end to start of next feeding, for digestion (more time with formula). Sweet milk on top of part-digested milk creates ama, wast products which complicate.
8. Handling yourself and Baby – such a dear and valuable discussion is found in Robin Lim’s classic reference, After the Baby’s Birth (ignore her food chapter, it has tummy and mood issue creating recipes)

So there is immediate things we can do, and if full blown colic has manifested, it will take some time to reverse.  In the meantime, here’s a toolkit for palliative care.  At the same time, it is important to assess and correct maternal diet, emotional climate best you can, and if baby is using formula, choices there.   A newborn human’s digestive system is immature for at least 6 months.  Adding complications to this maturing process sets a long term stage for health issues.

Addressing the root cause takes more time, and is SO worth it.   Quality of digestion and results of the digestive process through all the layers of the GI tract as well as for the 7 layers of tissue nutrition (dhatu prinanam), 3 waste products of the body (malas) and more are specialties of Ayurvedic medicine.  All contribute to short and long term health.

Ysha