Crazy for Crying They are so delicate, so tiny; then they go and belt it out like Meatloaf. Babies cry with force for a reason. Determining the reason, however, can be hard when your ears are ringing. Joanna Young, Cranial Osteopath and mum to a new colicky baby, explores the possibilities.

Hungry?

Clues regular weighing should establish whether or not your baby is gaining weight at the expected rate and therefore whether or not it is getting enough food.

Action If weight gain is not as it should be, bottle-fed babies need to be checked for intolerance to the formula they are on and switched to one that is easier-to-digest. Or, sometimes, bottle-fed babies seem not to be able to drink as much as the recommended amount. Changing the formula could solve this too – not all formulas suit all babies. On the other hand it could be that physical tension around the stomach is registering as ‘fullness’ (see Cranial Osteopathy). Breast fed babies can be weighed before and after a feed to see how much they drink in a feed. You need special scales for this so go to your local Health Visitor’s drop-in clinic.

Help: If your baby is not getting enough and you want to continue breast feeding, get advice from the Breast Feeding Support Counsellor at your local hospital, join a Breast Feeding Support Group or see your local NCT Breast Feeding Advisor.

Reflux?

Clues If a baby cries after every feed day and night it could have Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux (usually just called Reflux). These babies usually, though not always, posset or vomit after feeds. The cause of Reflux is an immature stomach valve, which allows milk and stomach acid to leak back up the oesophagus (gullet) causing discomfort. It resolves naturally as the stomach valve continues to develop, and is usually gone by 10 months of age. Reflux is more common in boys.

Action The normal remedy for Reflux is Infant Gaviscon liquid. Infant Gaviscon is not available over the counter but your GP will prescribe it for you.

Colic?

Clues If your baby cries, kicks its legs, has a rigid tummy or draws their knees to up to their tummy, they may have abdominal pain. The classic time of day for this king of pain is the evening, but they may also wake up during the day with a squeal. And it can last for a certain number of hours, routinely. The suspected causes of colic are wind, lactose intolerance and digestive difficulties from gut immaturity, but osteopaths also find it can be caused by any tension in the baby’s body as a result of difficulties in the gestation or pregnancy.

Action If the cause seems to be wind make sure you burp your baby after each feed. If it’s really difficult to get a burp up, try using Infacol. For wind in the lower gut, try easing the discomfort by putting light pressure on your baby’s tummy. You can do this by putting them face down over your knees, cycling their legs gently, putting them high up on your shoulder, or face down on your arms while you are standing. Tiny babies can fling themselves around unpredictably when irritated so hold on to them firmly.

More clues Colic also arises if the baby has difficulty digesting their food, and green poo is a sign of this. Green poo for a day or two could be a tummy bug. Daily, however, it suggests digestive difficulty. Babies who have difficulty digesting their food may also posset, vomit or have diarrhoea. For some babies the difficulty is just gut immaturity and this rectifies itself within the first three months of life; but it could be an intolerance to something in their diet, for instance, lactose.

More action Change the formula to one that is lactose-free one if bottle feeding or, if breast feeding, mum should cut out dairy foods from her diet. Colief is an alternative to cutting lactose out of a baby’s diet, see below. If Colief or a dairy-free diet does not help, consider getting your baby tested for other food intolerances. Intolerances are inherited, so you could look into which foods the baby’s mother, father or other close relative does not digest easily. Intolerance is a very different thing to an allergy. The two are not linked. Read more about this on my website.

Sleepy?

Clues Babies cry when they are tired, and an overtired baby can scream for Britain. Key clues are yawning and staring off into space.

Action Reduce any stimulation such as eye contact, noise, toys and light and try to get them off to sleep. Sometimes putting them down in a quiet, darkened room works. Or you could try movement (e.g. swing chairs, rocking to sleep in your arms, trips in the pushchair or the car), close contact (e.g. slings and papooses), or let them suck to soothe themselves to sleep, either by feeding or sucking on your finger or a dummy.

Help: If your baby has real difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep it may be that niggling discomfort from a difficult gestation or birth may be preventing them from relaxing deeply or relaxing for long. In this case consider Cranial Osteopathic treatment.

No Idea?

A new DVD entitled ‘Dunstan Baby Language’, from www.dunstanbaby.com, is the brainchild of Priscilla Dunstan, an Australian singer with a ‘virtuoso’ ear. She found she could detect five different sounds in babies’ crying and worked out what each of them meant. Time to tune in.

 

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Colic irritation – what’s on offer

Infacol available off the shelf in the baby section of all major supermarkets. A sweet tasting goo squirted from a dropper into the baby’s mouth before each feed. It aims to get all air in the stomach to join up into one big bubble which can then be easily burped up.

Colief also available off the shelf. Colief is lactase enzyme. When given to a child who cannot digest lactose the lactase in Colief does the job and abdominal discomfort should reduce noticeably.

Lactose-free formulas discuss the choices with your healthcare provider.

Infant Gaviscon on prescription only. Your GP should be happy to prescribe it for a trial period provided your baby has the usual symptoms of Reflux. In severe cases another medicine, which alters stomach acidity, may be required.

Probiotics the good bacteria that are in “Yakult” type yoghurt drinks are needed in babies’ guts too but, obviously, you cannot give these drinks to babies. You can, however, buy probiotics specially designed for babies. Contact Biocare on tel: 0121 433 3727.

 

Sling Song

by Philippa de la Haye at Little Possums (www.littlepossums.co.uk)

Most babies love to be carried and babies who spend a lot of time in a sling tend to cry less than those who don’t.

Many new parents find it overwhelming when their baby demands constant contact and often worry that they are ‘spoiling them’. But a newborn baby is incapable of being manipulative. When they cry at being separated from you they are simply acting in accordance with their instincts for survival.

Using a sling can help you have your hands free and get other things done, while still meeting your baby’s need for contact - so everyone’s happy!

When Cranial Osteopathy works

Traumatic deliveries of any kind tend to leave tension, stiffness or compression in the baby’s body. This can cause such symptoms as colic, sleeping difficulties, irritability, discomfort in certain positions, jumpiness, recurrent infection in eyes, ears or chest, glue ear, behavioural and concentration difficulties.

Typical examples of traumatic deliveries are: baby getting stuck or progress being very slow, causing there to be exaggerated pressure on the baby’s head; foetal distress during delivery, leaving the baby tense; breathing difficulties at birth leaving tightness in the chest; too fast a birth so that sudden release of pressure on the baby’s head is a shock and leaves it irritable. Difficulties in the pregnancy can also cause long-term physical tension and compression,. Cranial Osteopathy for babies and children involves a gentle hands-on approach to check for, and treat, any abnormal tension, compression or stiffness in the child’s body. Although this special form of Osteopathy is called ‘Cranial’ it actually treats the whole body, including the head, to restore all parts of the body to a comfortable, normal state. Treatment is soothing and relaxing. Babies tend to relax deeply during treatment and toddlers play throughout treatment without turning a hair.

For more information on Cranial Osteopathy contact Joanna on 01905 345 409 or www.joannayoung.co.uk.

All views expressed here and advice given is the personal opinion of the author based on years of experience treating babies, children and adults with Cranial Osteopathy and raising children of her own.