Sitting here with Edie asleep in my arms

I realise how blessed I am

With my living babies

And with Tilda all the while she was alive

We have had very ‘easy’ babies

Happy smiley content babies

Of course they have all had their moments

But I do not think they have suffered from colic

And I know that we have not battled anything horrid

Like silent reflux

5 breastfed babies

All easy to settle most of the time

With feeding

Or a bouncy cuddle with Daddy

I do remember though the nights they have cried

The nights that they just could not

Would not settle

Nights taking it in turns with David to pace the house

I think one night with Tilda

David took her out in the car

The worst night I remember

With any of our five

Was with Esther

She was less than a year old

She would not feed

Would not sleep

Was not happy to be awake

She cried and cried and cried

I rocked her

Sang to her

Cuddled her

David rocked her

Patted her

Paced with her

We tried everything

All the tools of our trade

That usually did the trick

Nothing worked

I wondered if she might take a bottle of milk

By this time I had been up most of the night

And I was out of ideas

Defrosting breast milk

Warming a bottle

All of those things

I think were more for my sanity than for Esther

And by the time the bottle was ready

She was, of course, asleep

That night has stayed with me for 7 years

There is nothing that upsets me more

Than one of my babies crying

And me not having a clue what to do to help

I cannot imagine how I would feel

If I had a baby

Suffering with colic

Who cried inconsolably like that

For a lot of the time

There is only so many times you can sing

The Ants Went Marching Two by Two

Or

She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain in one night

There is nothing like the anxiety a mother can feel

When a baby cries

Yet crying is how our babies communicate

We know this

But sleep deprivation and true love can be crippling

And a crying baby can at times be hard not to take personally as a parent

A newborn baby can routinely cry for a total of 1 to 4 hours per day as part of their adjustment to the new life outside the womb!

By paying close attention to their baby’s cries

Parents will soon be able to tell when they need picking up, consoling or if they need feeding

Over time parents may even be able to identify specific needs by the way they cry

These are some typical baby crys

Hungry cry: usually short and low-pitched, it can also rise and fall.
Angry Cry: more turbulent
Cry of pain/distress: generally comes on suddenly and loudly with a long high pitched shriek followed by a pause then a flat wail
“Leave me alone” cry: similar to a hungry cry

Whilst there can often be a solution to help a crying baby

One of the most distressing cries for a parent can be when a baby suffers from colic

I am not sure in all honesty

I have ever recognised a type of cry

I have just somehow known instinctively what to do

And when I haven’t

I have tried everything

Everything

Until something worked

Or baby fell asleep exhausted

Sometimes there is no easy fix

And all new parents should know this

Should be told this

And should know that it is okay

It is okay to not know the reason why

It is okay to not know what to do

It is okay to feel anxious

And to worry

It is okay*

Sometimes a baby just cries

Colic is a medical term for excessive and frequent crying

In a baby who appears to be otherwise healthy and well fed

It usually begins within the first few weeks of life

But often stops by the time the baby is four months old and by six months at the latest

In most cases the intense crying occurs in the late afternoon

Commonly known as ‘the witching hour’

*If you have any doubts as to why your baby is crying or if you are concerned about any symptoms that your baby may have please consult your doctor

If your baby does have colic

You can use Nelsons Colica® Colic Granules

A homeopathic powder that offers baby some relief

Nelsons Colica Colic Granules cost £5.80 and are available from Boots and Superdrug

For more information visit www.nelsonsbaby.co.uk

This is a collaborative post