COLIC: TREATMENT
Posted on May 19, 2009, under General health.
Remember that all babies cry some of the time, and that there is considerable variation in the amount, duration and intensity of crying. Parents have differing levels of tolerance to their baby’s crying. The crying will inevitably affect you, and make you tense and sometimes anxious. These feelings are perfectly normal. There are two important things to do in relation to your baby’s crying:
1. Have a nurse or doctor examine the baby to make sure that there is nothing physically wrong. This will reassure you and make it easier to implement some of the strategies listed below.
2. Make sure that you get enough rest and sleep and time for yourself. It is easy to feel that you have to try to be ‘superwoman’ — that somehow you should be able to manage every aspect of the baby’s care, all of the time and then still try to keep a spotless household, and to continue shopping, cooking, and doing all the things you did before the baby came along. This is just impossible. It is vitally important that you organise things in such a way as to have time for yourself, as well as sufficient rest. Everybody — you, your family and especially your baby — suffers if you are stressed from trying to do too much.
There is also one very important thing to know in relation to your baby’s crying. You cannot spoil a baby by picking him up too often, or by cuddling or talking to him. Similarly, the notion of trying to ‘train’ babies to a 4-hourly schedule is simply nonsense. Feed your baby whenever you think he is hungry — trust your instincts instead of watching the clock!
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