Coping with colic - Tips
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The Physician answers:
I completely understand your frustration and despair, as our 4 year old had severe colic which began at 2 weeks of age and stopped abruptly at about 12 weeks. It was a long 10 weeks (our second child did not have colic).
Very little can be done to hasten the end of the colicy period, except to allow for the passage of time. Here are some suggestions worth trying.
Most importantly, remember that this is not about you or against you so try to stay calm and rational -- if you're calm, this can help the child stay calm. One suggestion which worked for me was putting our son in an infant carrier (Baby Bjorn) and continuing my daily routine with him stationed on my chest. He seemed to thrive on the warmth and closeness. One thing that didn't work was "letting him cry it out." In many cases this just escalates the crying and makes them more frantic.
A change in location may help -- put your infant in a stroller or in the car (day or night) and take him for a little ride. Also evaluate if there is too much stimulation in the environment and try to control that: e.g. limiting visitors and playing calming music. Also placing your newborn strapped in his car seat on top of a running dryer can help to calm.
Lastly, make sure your infant isn't swallowing too much air -- feed him or her in an upright position if bottle feeding, and whether breast or bottle feeding, burp them frequently. Sometimes it takes a long time to get a belch but it is well worth it (my husband's 90-some-year-old grandmother demonstrated this to us with our little guy).
Most importantly, it is really lots of pressure to be recovering from childbirth and then to have to deal with colic. My best suggestion is to take any of your friends or relatives up on an offer to hold the baby or take him out of your care for even a few hours. This will give you and your partner a chance to regroup, re-energize, or just nap. You are not a bad or unloving parent to get away from the crying and responsibility -- you are just being realistic that sometimes a little distance will help you get a better perspective on your infant's crying and to help you remember that even though it doesn't feel like it, the crying will really eventually stop... then you have to deal with the silence!
Best of luck!
Dr Jane Forester
Family Physician
Glencoe, IL
