Does your baby have colic or do you just have a windy baby?

What do you do when your baby won't stop crying?

That was the worst part when I first became a mum. You are charged with minding this cute little thing, but you really have no idea what you are doing. I remember feeling like such a bad mother when my daughter would cry a lot. It is SO hard not to feel really insecure about how you are performing in your new role. On top of that, you are worried sick that there is something wrong with your charge. I had one windy baby and one colicky baby. New research, commissioned by Colief, has now found that over 40 per cent of Mums say their baby suffers with colic. What is Colic? We chatted with Doctor and Mum of three, Dr. Nina Byrnes about what colic is and how we can identify if our baby has colic.

"The definition of colic is a baby who cries for more than four hours a day.  It is NOT an illness, but rather a behaviour in babies that is most common between the age of four weeks and fourteen weeks. Colicky babies are usually healthy babies, and although a lot of research has been carried out, there is no definitive medical cause for what exactly causes it. Other symptoms can be; a baby who cries inconsolably for blocks of time, a baby who draws their legs up or arches their back. Babies with colic also usually continue on to be healthy children"

How can I fix it? You can't really I'm afraid! Colicky babies are usually healthy babies, and although a lot of research has been carried out, there is no definitive medical cause for what exactly causes it. Other symptoms include; a baby who cries inconsolably for blocks of time, a baby who draws their legs up or arches their back. Babies with colic usually continue on to be healthy children. Dr Byrnes, says it is most distressing for the parents;

"Colic may be wind, it may be irritation in the gut, or it might be something we are unaware of completely, but it is very difficult for parents to experience. We always tend to treat the parents and encourage them to get help with the baby or make sure they get a bit of a break. There is no harm in trying some of the remedies like natural drops as they can sometimes help, but unfortunately there is no one size fits all solution as every baby is so different. The most important thing is to recognise what the problem is. If your baby is not thriving, you should get them checked with your doctor, however, if they are gaining weight at a normal pace, keeping their feeds down and the only symptom is crying, then it usually is just colic."

Parents simply have to ride out the storm of colic which does eventually pass. How do other mums deal with it? It can be a very distressing and tiring time. I remember those early days pacing the floor every evening with the baby. Nothing I did would help for very long. With my windy baby, I knew when a burp would be stuck and causing distress. The problem was getting up that burp. It would take ages for my son, and the result eventually would be a burp, a little puke and then a calm baby. Friends of mine had babies with reflux who were also very distressed. While I am not a medic, sometimes your gut feeling is usually correct. If you notice your baby is crying a lot after every feed, then you know it is more likely to be a problem with feeding rather than just colic. If you have any concerns, you should always contact your doctor. What do you think Mums? Do you have any tips for colic relief you would like to share?