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colic help
(this
article used by courtesy of
Baby Reference)
baby colic help - info
for new moms and dads
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What
is colic? It’s a baby who
cries a lot. At least that’s
what we’re told, along with
assurances that baby will “grow
out” of it one day. The attuned
parent, often sensing that their
inconsolable baby is in pain,
desires to do something more than
just wait. Often the baby with
colic is prescribed sedative
drugs with potentially
dangerous side effects. While
posing risks to the infant, these
generally do not address the
source of the problem.
Common Causes In the
nursing baby, broccoli,
cauliflower, cabbage, onions,
garlic, or spicy foods in mother’s
diet often cause uncomfortable
gas or irritation.
Number One Cause While not
frequently proposed, research
proves that the number one cause
of colic is intolerance to cow’s
milk proteins in the diet of
the breastfeeding mother or in
formula. Corn, wheat, and soy are
some other common offenders.
Other
Symptoms Often other
symptoms such as diarrhea,
constipation, spitting-up,
rashes, sleeplessness,
or waking with screams go
along with this picture.
Sometimes chronic stuffiness and
ear infections also stem
from food sensitivities; again,
dairy being the major offender.
The Studies Of the many
studies on colic and food
reactions, below are the average
percentages from those that report
actual numbers of recovery. Most
use hydrolyzed formulas to “eliminate”
cow’s milk proteins, but some
harmful protein traces still
remain in these. When babies who
failed with hydrolyzed formulas
were given elemental formulas (all
allergenic proteins are completely
broken up), 98% recovery was seen
over all.
| Symptom |
Cow’s
milk |
Multiple
foods |
| ADHD |
|
80% |
| Colic |
67% |
84% |
Adding
elemental diet
recoveries for Colic |
|
98% |
| Constipation |
71% |
|
| Chronic
ear infections |
|
86% |
| Diarrheal
diseases |
|
82% |
| Migraines |
|
93% |
| Sleeplessness |
94% |
|
Weighted averages of cases shown
to respond to eliminating cow’s
milk or multiple allergenic
foods from the diet, taken from
multiple studies (presented in
the text of Baby Matters).
Palmer, 2001.
Finding Out
Blood and scratch tests are simply
not reliable, and are often
negative. Once other, rare medical
conditions have been
professionally ruled out for the
chronically crying baby, dietary
trials in search of offending
foods will likely provide the
solution that is needed. This
topic is covered thoroughly in
Baby Matters.
Nursing
Mother Strict elimination of
dairy and other offenders in the
nursing mother’s diet will
produce equal or better results
to elemental formulas, while
maintaining immune protection
and other benefits.
Lactose
Lactose intolerance is almost never
a true problem for a baby.
When baby’s digestive tract is
suffering from reactions to any
food, or recovering from
infection, lactase enzyme (that
digests lactose) becomes
temporarily reduced. Lactose
intolerance tests will often show
up positive in such a case, but
lactose-free formula will only
provide a partial recovery. Mother’s
milk is full of lactose. Until
very recently, an infant born
unable to digest this baby sugar
would never live to pass on its
genes. The incidence of true
lactase enzyme deficiency in a
baby is extremely rare.
GER The recent fad in
colic diagnosis is GER, or
gastro-esophageal reflux. Food
intolerance is well known to
cause such reflux, as is
stress, (like from prolonged
bouts of crying), so we are back
to our basic causes for colic.
Other
Treatment Options Few parents
have found help from the little
drops sold for gas. Some may find
herbal remedies to help.
Acidophilus (not from dairy
sources) has been shown to reduce
some food intolerance and help
re-establish intestinal balance
after an assault on the system.
There may also be reduction of
intestinal reaction with the
medically prescribed use of
histamine-2 blockers, (like Zantac
and Cimetadine), or
anti-inflammatory agents, each of
which block part of the intestinal
assault. There is no substitution,
however, for avoidance of the
offending agents. When symptoms
are merely reduced or masked,
health-impairing intestinal
assault continues, possibly
with life-long ramifications.
Caring
for Colic
Lots of jiggling often helps to
move painful bubbles through
baby’s system. Tummy rubs may
be responded to positively as
well. The general rule for
reacting to a crying baby who
cannot be comforted is to simply
hold them and validate their
feelings. Yet when a child
frequently suffers from painful
bouts of colic, it may be more
kind to help distract them from
their pain, if and when
possible.
-
This
article/images are copyrighted,
and used with permission of
BabyReference.com. All
information on Slumber Sounds is
for educational purposes only,
and is not medical
or healthcare advice, nor a
substitute for medical and
professional services from a
qualified healthcare provider
familiar with your personal
situation. For medical advice,
including diagnosis and
treatment, consult your
physician or other healthcare
provider regarding any condition
and before starting any
treatment. We supply this
information with the
understanding that Slumber
Sounds is not engaged in
rendering medical services or
other professional services or
advice.
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