Babies cry. There's no getting around it. It is the only way these tiny human beings are able to communicate with the rest of the world.
They cry because they are hot or cold, because they are hungry or gassy, because they are overstimulated or have a dirty diaper. And sometimes they just cry for no reason at all.
But some newborns do more crying than anything else. These babies are often said to have colic.
The Mayo Clinic's website defines colic as when a healthy, well-fed, clean baby cries more than three hours a day, more than three days a week, for more than three weeks in a row.
This incessant crying can be agonizing to new moms and dads.
Many experts just urge parents to grin and bear it as the colic period is typically fairly short in the big scheme of things.
However, Dr. Bryan Vartabedian, a noted pediatric gastroenterologist and father of two babies, believes that is not the only course of action.
Vartabedian has dealt with colic on a personal level as well as on a professional level, having treated more than 5000 cases and is the author of "Colic Solved: The Essential Guide to Infant Reflux and the Care of Your Crying, Difficult-To-Soothe Baby".
Below is an email interview with Dr. Vartabedian regarding his expertise on solving the mystery of colic in babies.
1. What's the most important thing mothers who have babies with colic should know?
Dr. Vartabedian: "Perhaps one of the most important things for a parent to understand about colic is that we do have treatable things that we can go after in an irritable baby. That’s a big change or departure from way back when all we did was offer shush and whisper noises to babies that were irritable."
2. Is this book/method for everyone or are their certain babies who will respond better?
Dr. Vartabedian: "So my book, "Colic Solved", was written as one of the first books to suggest that we have treatable or fixable causes for irritability. It centers mostly on reflux and milk protein allergies, so it’s not intended for every parent. And every child is absolutely different and every parent has to understand what’s going on with their baby, but it does offer one solution for a couple of the most common causes of irritability."
3. Why is incessant crying such an issue for new moms? Do all moms experience it?
Dr. Vartabedian: "Incessant crying is such a problem for new moms because new moms don’t have quite enough sleep and they’re stressed and so when a baby is irritable everyone in the house is irritable, especially the people directly responsible for that baby’s care. One of the big concerns is whether there is something wrong with their baby, and that’s for good reason.
"When babies cry it usually means that something’s going on, something happening, potentially, inside. We can’t ignore those cries. It's really important that young parents who have babies with irritability like this partner with their pediatricians to rule out treatable causes of that irritability."
4. What can parents do to help babies with colic?
Dr. Vartabedian: "There are a number of things that parents can do to help their babies with irritability. We want to look for things that can be fixed. There are simple measures that parents can do like keeping their baby upright after feeding, burping them frequently or making sure they don’t overfeed.
"White noise is another great solution for irritability of any kind, the 'neutralizing' white noise tends to make their central nervous system relaxed and soothed. Also, along with these new advances in Colic research is the idea that the intestinal micro flora, or the bacteria that live in a baby’s intestinal tract, may be playing a role in infant irritability.
"In fact, one study has shown that one particular pro-biotic by the name of Lactobacillus reuteri was effective in decreasing infant irritability by fifty percent when compared to babies receiving a placebo. Moms can get the Lactobacillus reuteri pro-biotic through Gerber Good Start Soothe, which is a new routine infant formula that contains this pro-biotic.
"Breastfeeding moms can also get this through Gerber Soothe Colic Relief Drops, which allow moms to continue breastfeeding and have all those benefits of breast milk while also getting the benefits of Lactobacillus reuteri."
Sources:
Mayoclinic.com. Web. 25 July 2012. "Definition: Colic".
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/colic/DS00058
Email interview with Dr. Brian Vartabedian. 10 July 2012.
Reviewed July 26, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith