Becoming a mom is one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. I have 5 kids and each pregnancy and birth experience was just as amazing as the first one. I still have very vivid memories of bringing each baby home, too. Those first few months of infancy are so amazing, but also some of the most trying times. This post is sponsored by Gerber® Good Start® Soothe, but the experiences/ opinions are all my own.
I remember when my second born baby started showing signs of colic at around 1 month old. She would start crying at around 6pm and would cry until around 3 am. We bounced, we changed her, we tried feeding, we tried singing, we tried car rides and we tried sitting the dark holding her. Nothing was able to calm her down. The crying started everyday like clockwork and after a few days of the crying we took her in to be evaluated. Her Dr. suggested some acid reflux meds that might help and we tried that for a while with no success. The Dr. eventually just called it colic and said that it should get better over time. She suggested lots of breaks for us and asked if we had help (which we did). That was all she could do and all we could do at the time.
I remember the sinking feeling I had after getting that diagnosis. I had hoped that there was something more we could do to make my baby more comfortable. It broke my heart to see her arching her back and wailing in what seemed to be pain. I learned to live with the crying and would hold her as long as she cried… well into the middle of the night. I tried to see the bright side of it. I was bonding with my little baby and even though I couldn’t provide her a solution, I could provide her with unconditional love. I do believe that she responded well to that love because now she’s one of the happiest children that I know!!!
Here are my 5 best practical tips on coping with colic:
- Once you know that you are dealing with colic, write down the times when your baby is the fussiest. This will give you a good idea of the times your baby is most often crying and you can better plan out your day. Try to rest as much as possible before the crying episodes.
- Try to seek help in taking care of your child with colic. My husband and I would often take turns holding or rocking the baby, but he wasn’t always available to help. His mom was able to help us at times too. This gave me a little break to recoup from holding a fussy baby day after day.
- Don’t blame yourself for what you cannot control. Colic is not the fault of a parent and it’s more than just having a fussy baby. Focus on what you CAN do. Provide a safe and comfortable environment for the baby and eventually they will outgrow the colic stage.
- Stay in close contact with your child’s healthcare provider. My daughter was colicky until she was 9 months old. We made sure the Dr. was aware of her condition and she eventually started crying less and less until she was no longer crying for long periods of time. My daughter’s case of colic lasted MUCH longer than a typical baby with colic.
- With Dr. approval… try something new. We were constantly looking for ways to soothe our baby even with the diagnosis. What is really great is that now there more options to try out! Gerber Soothe® probiotics Colic Drops with comforting probiotics L. reuteri which is a probiotic that is safe for infants. It has been clinically shown to significantly reduce crying time in colicky babies. (These products are not intended to treat or cure any disease.)
I really think that maybe my baby had something wrong with her gut and I wonder if the Gerber® Soothe products would have helped her. The Gerber ® Good Start® Soothe Infant formula is specially designed to ease excessive crying, colic, fussiness and gas while providing complete nutrition. (These products are not intended to treat or cure any disease.) My youngest son used them for a time when he was an infant and we saw a good result. I think it’s great that we now have a new option to try!
Gerber® Soothe Colic Drops is ideal for breastfed babies and Gerber® Good Start® Soothe Infant Formula is ideal for fed formula babies. Gerber has different experts available (Registered Dietitians, Certified Lactation Consultant and Certified Baby Sleep Consultant) to answer any questions. G 1-800-203-4565
This is my youngest son at around 3 months old! He was never diagnosed with colic, but he did have some fussy moments. In August of last year we tried out the Gerber Soothe® probiotics Colic Drops with comforting probiotics and he responded really well to them. I was happy to have an option to help him! He’s now a growing and thriving 1 year old.
Have you considered using any of the Gerber Soothe® products before? Visit Gerber Soothe® for more info!