I know, I know, when a baby is born, you want to hear that first cry to let you know they have taken their first breaths in the outside world. After that, crying signals a basic need must be met or a baby is in distress. Sometimes it is solved quickly and easily, sometimes the crying wails on. There is nothing more stressful and anxiety inducing than an infant crying.
Although I don't think anyone has ever died from crying as moms we want to be able to comfort the baby and to stop all crying as quickly as possible with simple things like a snuggle, a boob, a bottle, a magical cry curing crystal that shoots mesmerizing rainbows and turns crying into giggles which ends in a nap. Ok, no patent on that one yet.
Maybe it is a second baby thing or my super-mom skills but our little girl is almost 5 months old and we've gotten here with minimal crying. She is tired, hungry, or got hurt when she cries.
With my first there was a lot more crying. It seemed to stem from difficulty breastfeeding but even when we solved that, getting him to sleep at night was a long drawn out tear ridden mess.
Non-stop crying for 6 months straight. I'm still traumatized.
With my brother, who was a newborn when I was in high school, it was colic that had him crying incessantly. It seemed like he cried for 6 months straight, but I was a teenager and teenagers definitely do not care for crying, unless it is their own.
As it turns out, this is much more common than you would think. 1 in 5 infants in the US which averages around one million new babies each year have colic and it makes them cry a lot! Studies have shown that dairy consumed by the nursing mother may be the culprit.
My mom stopped breastfeeding (on her doctor's advice because that was the solution 24 years ago?!) and started again because she just didn't feel right about this. I think she may have restricted dairy in her diet. Either way, my brother is all grown up and no longer belts it out that I know of.
Even the worst criers seem to pull it together eventually.
It can be very challenging to switch to a dairy free diet, especially when someone is crying non-stop. Colief Infant Digestive Aid can be used to reduce crying associated with colic caused by temporary lactose intolerance (TLI) by up to 40%.*
All babies cry. For some babies, it is excessive and the basic food, diapers, snuggling, and play don't soothe them.
Here are some of my tried and true tricks to cut down on the crying:
Baby wearing keeps a little one close and they love this. Plus you are hands-free. Win, win!
A mechanical swing or seat can do the soothing work for you. My baby girl is asleep in under a minute in hers.
Have a pacifier on hand. Yes 4 year olds look ridiculous with these but there could be a lot of crying between newborn and 4 years old so the benefits may outweigh the cost on this one..
Search for your favorite song lyrics on a device and hone your singing skills. Just make sure the baby monitor is off downstairs.
Rock in a rocking chair with your baby. Better yet, rocking your baby in your arms, do squats and lunges. There are bonus rewards for this way to get your baby to calm down.
Try a change of scenery. Look out a window or family photos and artwork on the wall. Describe everything you see to the (hopefully no longer crying) little one.
Mark your creaky floorboards with painters tape so you can escape a sleeping baby in ninja silence
These days will be gone before you know it. Remember, you just need to survive.
If your baby is suffering from TLI or colic, you may want to check out Colief Infant Digestive Aid available online and at Walgreens stores.
You can also get more info and tips at Colief.com
Have you survived colic or any other reason for excessive crying?
Perhaps it is still a mystery... What did you do?
We’re encouraging moms to share their real #ColiefMOMents, to lend support for other moms going through colic and other facets of new motherhood.
Also, there's a GIVEAWAY!
Enter the Share Your #ColiefMOMent Giveaway now for a chance to win a $500 Walgreens gift card, a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag of your choice, or be one of five weekly winners to receive a package of Colief Infant Digestive Aid!
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For more information on colic-associated crying from temporary lactose intolerance in infants and Colief Infant Digestive Aid, visit Colief.
Hear from real moms on their experience with colic and how Colief Infant Digestive Aid helped in their testimonial videos here: www.youtube.com/ColiefUS.
I'm warning you. There's crying!
* Source: Kanabar D, Randhawa M, Clayton P. Improvement of symptoms in infant colic following the reduction of lactose load with lactase. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2001; 14 (5): 359-363)
This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation that contains affiliate links. All opinions, text and experiences are my own. Colief Infant Digestive Aid is a dietary supplement to provide relief due to colic-associated crying from temporary lactose intolerance (TLI). These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
