Hi! In this video I'm going to be talking to you about colic in babies- what causes it,
what the signs of colic are and what you can do to help soothe your baby :)
If you're new to my channel "Hello and welcome!" My name is Anja and I'm a hypnobirthing practitioner
as well as a baby yoga and baby massage instructor. I bring out a new video on my
channel every single Tuesday so if pregnancy, birth and motherhood are your thing - please
consider subscribing and clicking the bell icon so you don't miss my weekly videos!
Colic is when a baby cries a lot but there's no clear reason why. Scientific research has
not been able to pinpoint exactly what causes colic and babies but it's thought to be linked
to digestive issues and trapped gas in babies under three months of age
and possibly food allergies or food sensitivities. Colicky babies can be really irritable and fussy
and they can cry for up to three hours a day. My daughter had colic as a little baby but
thankfully I found ways of being able to identify colic and was able to deal with it effectively.
If your baby has colic you'll probably notice the following symptoms... so like I said before your
baby will cry but the crying will be intense and it can go on for a few hours in a row.
You may notice that your baby turns blotchy red and arches their back while crying. You may
also notice that your baby brings their legs up to their tummy and clenches their fists.
Other signs of your baby having colic are that they're difficult to soothe or settle,
their tummy could be making rumbly sounds and they may have a lot of trapped wind
but otherwise your baby appears well and they have no signs of sickness or fever.
Though it may not be easy to begin with and you may have to do a few different things to
see what works best for your baby, there are lots of ways that you can help your baby with colic.
The first way that you can help your baby with colic is to try feeding them in an upright
position. If you're breastfeeding, feeding your baby like this can be really effective because it
stops your baby from swallowing too much air which can cause trapped wind and colicky symptoms. But, if
you're finding it too difficult to feed your baby upright, if you feed your baby on a diagonal
rather than lying completely horizontal that's also going to help to reduce symptoms of colic.
If you're bottle feeding your baby if you can elevate your knees in some way -
maybe just place your baby on top of your legs like this in a more upright position that can
really help to reduce symptoms of colic as well. Feeding on demand is usually better with colicky
babies rather than having scheduled feeds. This means that your baby feeds when they're hungry
until they're satisfied and this means that their digestive system isn't overwhelmed and they're not
taking on too much milk in one go. Please try to remember to burp your baby after every feed.
This ensures that any air is released through your baby's mouth before it moves further down
the digestive tract gets stuck and causes your baby pain. To burp your baby successfully, it's
best to place your baby over your shoulder like this with their chin balancing on your shoulder.
Don't turn your baby's head to the side, keep it in a straight line and then rub your baby's back
with like moderate pressure in a circular motion rather than tapping. Rubbing your baby's back
like this is a much better way of being able to release any trapped wind. Keeping your baby in some
kind of upright position for up to 15 minutes after feeding can also be great at helping to
reduce colicky symptoms so placing your baby in a sling or a baby carrier can be really effective
especially if you need to have your hands free to complete other household tasks :)
Placing your baby in a sling or baby carrier can also help them to stay asleep
if they've fallen asleep during a feed. If your baby is crying a lot with colic, using distraction
techniques can be really helpful and this was especially beneficial when my daughter had colic ;)
So singing to your baby, giving them a toy to play with or look at,
putting your vacuum cleaner on, looking in the mirror together, playing white noise -things like that -
can help to divert your baby's attention away from any discomfort that they might be in. Taking your
baby for a walk in the pram can often help with colic as the noise and vibrations can soothe them.
You can also rock your baby doing a gentle swaying motion like this and I can't begin to tell you how
many times I did this when my daughter was under three months of age - back and forth so many times!
If you're concerned that your baby has an intolerance to foods that you're eating that
are entering your breast milk, the best thing that you can do is keep a food diary and note
down what you're eating and when your baby seems to be experiencing more severe colicky symptoms.
Then make an appointment with your doctor and talk it through with them. They may suggest that you
eliminate certain foods from your diet for a while to identify what could be causing colic in your
baby. If you're formula feeding your baby with cow's milk, your doctor may suggest a non-dairy
alternative. Another great way of helping to reduce colicky symptoms is to give your baby a
warm bath followed by a tummy massage and to find out how to massage your baby effectively to help
reduce colic symptoms please check out the video that's popping up on the screen right now but I'll
also link it in the video description below :) Now, the good news is that, as your baby's digestive
system matures, they'll usually outgrow colic by the time they're four months of age but whilst
it's going on it can feel never ending, really tiring, upsetting and overwhelming. But, I'm hoping
that the tips that I've shared with you today will help you through the time with a colicky baby.
Believe me, I've been there! It was really hard for me as well but the tips that I've shared with you
in this video really helped me and it drastically reduced my baby's colicky symptoms. If you've got
any questions about colic pop me a message in the comments section beneath this video and I'll reply
as soon as I can! Thank you so much for watching this video today and see you in my next one :)