This blog is for people to share ways they tempered their baby when they had colic.
We tried all of the usual ways. But nothing worked. I even got mastitis because our baby was just in too much pain to eat. None of us got sleep from the crying, and a combination of that, plus stress, plus my breasts not draining caused a horrible infection. It felt like I had a bad case of the flu. One day, we discovered the glorious
BOUNCY BALL
You know, those big exercise balls you find in gyms. I had used one throughout pregnancy for my own comfort. It turns out that our little one wanted to be held securely and bounced. (WARNING - this does tire your back quickly - but you should be able to do it longer and longer each time.)
The baby has to be held securely in your arms. Be sure that he is bouncing with you. It does not work if you sit him on your knee so that you are bouncing and he is not. Make sure his head is not flopping about. And make sure the ball is fully inflated. And decide whether to hold him while he is lying down or sitting up based on his preference. If he is really upset, try shushing in his ear while bouncing.
Our little one often wants to eat while bouncing lightly. Its when his stomach is in pain from gas AND he is hungry.
To make it easier to nurse doing this, or just to save your back, you may want to have him strapped to you in a Baby Bjorn Snuggli, so that he is sitting upright. I put it low enough so that one breast can get through the center slot to his mouth. Be sure to hold his head while bouncing. The Baby Bjorn Snuggli can also be used for nursing a colicy baby while walking around. (Somehow being upright and moving helps to settle the stomach) (WARNING - trying to emulate the bounce without the ball does not work)
We try to go out during the day, when his stomach is calmer. Otherwise, we bring the ball with us everywhere. This may seem extreme, especially on your back. But parents whose babies have colic will try anything to help their little one. The following will make it easier to use the bouncy ball:
- Baby Bjorn Snuggli
- "My Breast Friend" boppy pillow (especially helpful to wear when the baby is a bit bigger. He can sit or lie on the pillow on your lap and will bounce
with you. (Still be sure to hold his head steady)
- Trade off and on with your spouse or any other person that will help
Often, this type of bouncing will put him to sleep.
MOVING WHILE NURSING
Somehow moving while nursing, especially upright and keeping the spine straight, seems to help him digest the milk. I have found that putting him in the Baby Bjorn Snuggli a little low and putting my breast through the opening while walking or bouncing is a great way to get him to eat when he seems hungry, but his stomach seems restless. Again, you can also bounce on the bouncy ball this way. If you want to feed in public, hands free, just get a nursing cover to put over the baby. My favorite brand of nursing covers comes from www.modestmommy.com.
ELIMINATE DAIRY
This didn't solve the problem, but once we got the bouncy ball going and that started working, eliminating dairy seemed to take the edge off and reduce the amount of gas he was producing. Sounds silly, but don't forget to eliminate butter too.
GET ENOUGH SLEEP
Getting lots of sleep helped all of us. I just tried to sleep with the baby. Easier said that done, I know. We also co-sleep, which all of the books say is dangerous. I am still really nervous about it, but I do get a full night of sleep. And the baby just eats while sleeping, so he gets a full night too. If you do this, please read up on the internet for the safest was to co-sleep. Many studies suggest that if you take a few safety precautions, co-sleeping is actually much safer. Here is a link for suggested precautions:
http://babyparenting.about.com/od/sleeping/a/cosleep_2.htm
