What's Up With That Crying Baby?
When a diagnosis of colic is given to an infant by a doctor it usually means "We have no idea why your baby won't stop crying". This can be extremely frustrating! Infants are determined to be colicky when they cry for more than 3 hours per day, for more than 3 days per week and for more than 3 weeks. As a parent, it doesn't really matter what name the doctors want to put on the condition, the big concern is why is my baby in distress and what can I do.
Here are 3 things to consider:
1. What your baby's diet like?
Ideally they should be consuming only mom's breast milk. This is what our bodies are programmed for during infancy. A suitable alternative would be a raw milk based homemade formula. Things to avoid are any store bought commercial baby formulas, fruit juice and soy milk. Each of these can create unhappy digestive systems and result in a crying baby.
2. What is Mom eating?
While nursing, Mom's need to keep a healthy diet to pass along the proper nutrients to their babies. This means eating nutrient dense organic food. Mom's should also avoid all soy products, food additives, coloring, preservatives and any other toxins ie medication, alcohol, nicotine etc.
3. Is your baby's nervous system functioning properly?
Your baby just went through his/her first major physical stress, the birth process. During delivery, no matter how natural, your baby's delicate nervous system can become disrupted. This means your baby is overstimulated and cannot figure out how to relax. When the signals going out from the brain are detecting irritation, the only way for babies to communicate their distress is through crying. Study after study has shown Chiropractic's effectiveness in caring for babies with colic. As you all know, subluxations in the spine limit the body's ability to self heal and self regulate. Imagine being an infant and not being able to heal. We would be crying too! Colic is something that does not have to be a part of the childhood experience. If your baby is exhibiting signs of colic, give us a call and we'd be happy to check your child for subluxation. When babies get more rest, so do mom and dad!
In love and health, Dr. Jes
