It has become a myth in our “quick fix society” that swapping breastfeeding for bottlefeeding fixes colic – a near sighted solution, which medicates the problem with formula rather than assisting and a supporting a mother to keep with breastfeeding. Studies show there is no statistical difference in the chance of developing colic between breast-fed babies and formula-fed babies, meaning swapping breast milk for a breast milk substitute will not necessarily ease the distress.
Giving parents information on the nature, causes and suggestions for relief of colic can enable parents to traverse the nerve shattering experience of colic and come out the other end with babe still at breast, which in the long term is best for both baby and mother. In the first of a two part series on breastfeeding and colic, I share my own personal experience, look at the nature of the beast known as colic and some of the possible causes.
Personal Experience
I’ll never forget the night my milk came in and the colic began. We had settled down to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey, the opening credits filed down the screen, the first vision of the apes appeared on the screen and the crying started. I assumed it was just a brief interlude of unsettledness and I’d be able to return to the movie. The movie ended, midnight clicked over and at 4am we all fell into bed exhausted.
It was a shock to our quiet, adapting household. We were left wondering if the body snatchers had been to visit. Our content, quiet, sleepy baby had turned into a loud, unsettled little red monster who couldn’t be consoled. Gratefully our midwife rang after two nights of this to see how we were going. Well all was well except for the incessant crying which had been starting around 8pm. She immediately began to run through a list of possible culprits in my diet as a starting point – given the onset of crying coincided with my milk coming in.
She identified broccoli (which I had a ravenous craving for since giving birth) as a potential problem and suggested removing it from my diet. It was like waving a magic wand. With the broccoli out of my diet the crying stopped. But it is not always that easy.
What is Colic
Colic is a broad encompassing term to describe “loud persistent screaming for undetermined reasons.” For all intents and purposes colic remains a medical mystery. While some will say there is no such thing, any parent who has walked the hallways with a screaming, unsettled baby will tell you different. Between 15% and 20% of babies will display colic symptoms.
According to Australian writers Francesca Naish and Janette Roberts in their book Healthy Mother, Better Breastfeeding* colic is the result of spasms of the intestinal muscles causing abdominal cramping – much like a severe case of indigestion. As someone who suffers from abdominal cramping, I can only imagine the distress it causes in a baby after nine months of bliss in the womb where the digestive system hasn’t had to work.
At present all theories point to colic being a digestive disorder. One common physiological marker in colicky babies is a high level of motilin, a hormone which modifies gastrointestinal movement. But no one seems to know why the levels are elevated. There have also been suggestions that a colicky baby may have an immature gut where the wave like motion of the intestine which helps food to pass through is not as effective as it should be which marries with the motilin theory. Another suggestion is the immature digestive system has insufficient gut flora.
Interestingly though colic seems to be almost entirely a developed world affliction, which suggests that colic may also be associated with life style factors.
Colic Patterns
There are several time related and physical commonalities in colicky babies.
Timing:
- Onset occurs between one and four weeks after birth
- Symptoms rarely continue beyond three to four months.
- Six weeks seems to be the peak of distress.
- Distress is often worse at the same time every day, usually early evening.
Physically, while colic is synonymous with an inconsolable loud, persistent and piercing crying, Naish and Roberts list several physical markers which often accompanying the screaming.
- A red face or pale face with bluish tinge
- A tense or distended stomach, accompanied by burping, flatulence or rumbling noises
- Pulling the knees up into the tummy or stretching legs out rigidly
- Arching head and body backwards
- Moving the arms rigorously with fists clenched
- Outside of bouts of crying and physical distress babies are healthy, alert and gaining weight.
Potential Causes of Colic
There may be one cause or several, but there is no ‘definitive’ answer. Different babies appear to be affected by different things. Having a list to work from often helps parents to narrow down potential triggers, especially when parents are experiencing profound sleep deprivation which interrupts the ability to think logically or critically.
- Hunger – especially in cases where babies are forced to feed to a strict schedule based on the clock rather than on the baby’s hunger.
- Insufficient burping
- Mother’s diet
- Overstimulation or excitement during feeding
- Swallowing too much air – either from crying or gulping a fast flow of milk
- Overfeeding – again from a fast flow of milk
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- Growth spurts
- Feeding with a cold tummy
- Feeding only on foremilk which is high in lactose – normally in the case of a baby who feeds from both breasts during a feed and misses the fatty hindmilk
- Compression of the vagus nerve
- Birth trauma in the baby or severe stress or illness in the mother during pregnancy and birth
- Emotional stress
- Temperament
- Problems with relaxing the bowel to pass stools
- Second hand cigarette smoke
- Heart burn/reflux
- Bowel infection
More often than not a colicky baby is not ill and will grow out of it as their digestive system adapts and refines its process – cold comfort for parents during those months of frustration and intense crying. Part two of this article will explore in depth some of the causes and provide holistic suggestions for relief, including tips on what to avoid in your diet and life style changes indicated as helpful in dealing with colic.
* Healthy Mother, Better Breastfeeding is also printed as The Natural Way to Better Breastfeeding
Jodi Cleghorn is a Brisbane mother, writer, lactivist and natural birth advocate. When she’s not writing breastfeeding articles she is working on her fiction stories including a new novella and a fledgling publishing project Chinese Whisperings. Her new blog Writing in Black and White chronicles her journey as a writer, editor and publisher. Last week she enjoyed cuddles with baby Sarah-Jane and feeling her soul sister’s second child play tag with her from the womb.
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