Baby Colic? Incessant crying? Here is the latest news..

Many moms are up late on the computer browsing the internet for any sort of cure or treatment to help a colicky baby. Many parents try loads of remedies they learn of, but are still driven mad by it.

Next time your protesting, colicky baby has you wavering on the edge of sleep-deprived insanity, consider a cup of herbal tea. For who? Not you! For the baby!

Baby colic is a common condition, affecting as many as a quarter of young infants. Yet the underlying reasons remain mysterious, and there are no safe and effective treatments.

Fortunately, the crying — which can last for hours every day — usually disappears when the baby is a few months old, and the condition is harmless, experts say.

A new report, published in the journal Pediatrics, summarizes all the complementary and alternative medicines as well as nutritional supplements for colic — including herbal extracts, sugar water, probiotics, massage and reflexology.

Tea –made with chamomile, licorice, fennel and balm mint– was one of the most effective treatments for relieving symptoms of colic, according to this new Pediatrics study, which reviewed 15 randomized clinical trials of alternative treatments for infantile colic.

The study analyzed trials that included various types of treatment and found the most encouraging results came from treatments using herbal remedies and sugar solutions, while the least effective results came from treatments involving manipulation and probiotic supplements.

There were some signs that fennel had a positive effect. For instance, one study found that 65 percent of babies who got fennel seed oil dissolved in water before meals were cured of their colic. That compared to 24 percent of those who just got water.

The study stated:

The difficulty in finding an effective treatment is related to our lack of understand of IC (infantile colic). Its pathophysiology is unclear; food allergies, formula intolerance, immaturity of gastrointestinal tract, excessive gas formation or intestinal cramping have all been suggested as possible etiologies. Arguably, any rational treatment should be directed at the mechanisms of the disease itself.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the study is how the authors explain what many exhausted parents already know – that it’s hard to know how to treat colic because colic itself is such a wily beast. But the studies were few and far between, and none of the studies were scientifically solid, the researchers found.

All and all, despite these new studies – I say your baby just needs a lot of Tender Love and Care (TLC). What do you do to help your colicky baby?

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Morning Sickness – The Do’s & Don’ts

Firstly, why “morning sickness”? Who termed it morning? Why not afternoon or evening because it can happen any time of day! Although there is no clear answer why nausea happens during pregnancy, it is believed the cause is hormonal changes.  My friend Chloe is recently prego and voila – nausea just around her 6^th week as most doctors would say. Fortunately she reassured me for when I get pregnant that “it isn’t too bad” and by mid-pregnancy I would be fine.

According to AmericanPregnancy.org, “More than half of all pregnant women experience morning sickness. Many health care providers think morning sickness is a good sign because it means the placenta is developing well.” The good news is that morning sickness doesn’t harm you or your baby, but if you are experiencing excessive nausea or vomiting, then talk to your doc because it may be hyperemesis gravidarum, a rare complication that results in a poor intake of fluids and food (and your wee little one will be quite hungry!).

Here are some DO’s and DON”Ts to help ease your morning sickness:

Do:

• Eat small meals as this will help keep your blood-sugar level steady and will keep your stomach filled
• Drink fluids a ½ hour before after a meal, but not with the meals
• Of course drink fluids also during the day to avoid dehydration
• Eat soda crackers 15 minutes before getting up in the morn (Snacking on easy-to-digest foods, such as whole wheat toast, baked potatoes, pasta and fruit)
• Ask someone to help cook for you or with you and open the windows if the smells are bothering you
• Rest, rest, rest during the day!
• Avoid warm/hot places
• Natural remedies can help – Sniff lemons or ginger, drink lemonade, or eat watermelon to relieve nausea (it works!)
• Eat salty potato chips (they have been found to settle stomachs enough to eat a meal)
• Safely exercise – it helps you sleep at night and relieve stress
• Get out of bed slowly
• Avoid greasy foods

Don’ts:

• Do not lie down after eating
• Do not skip meals
• Do not cook or eat spicy food

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