Do you have a crying baby?

Paying it forward with the ‘Probiotics for Colic’ study I am a planner. I spent months mapping out my birthing plan so I knew exactly what to do & what to expect during labour & delivery. I enrolled in a prenatal class,  spoke to many of my mommy friends about their birthing experience & I even had a midwife on my childbirth team to guide me, but when time came, my son’s   birth was definitely far from what I had anticipated. After 26 hours of intense,  epidural-induced labour, I welcomed my first healthy baby boy! I was overjoyed  to finally hold my son in my arms & very excited to bring him home, but I  quickly realized that his infancy was also something I hadn’t expected.

It  all started when he was 3 weeks old, I called my midwife frantically asking,  “Um, is it normal for newborn babies to cry for hours at a time? I tried  feeding, carrying, swaddling, singing, rocking, humming, giving him the pacifier  and nothing is working to comfort him! He just cries loudly & inconsolably…  this can’t be normal. What am I doing wrong?” She simply answered, “No, it’s not  normal for babies to cry for hours. It’s likely he is suffering from infantile  colic.” And that was it, she didn’t elaborate. I was left hanging and wondering  how to manage my colicky infant.

During his crying bouts, my poor baby  looked like he was in pain. He would arch his back, his face turned a bright  pink, he would clench his fists, draw up his tiny legs and the most  heartbreaking part, he refused to be comforted. There were very few quiet, happy  moments to relish, as his colic made it difficult to enjoy his
early days. Of  course, sleepless nights were expected with a newborn baby, but
he cried so  excessively that a few crying hours quickly turned into sleepless
days and even  sleepless weeks. I was stressed & depressed & kept thinking that it’s no  wonder that the sound of crying babies is linked to cause shaken baby syndrome. 

Naturally, I was worried so we went to see his pediatrician. “Your baby is  healthy. He cries because he is colicky, which is quite a common condition - one  in five children have colic. Colic can manifest at 2 weeks of age, peak at 6  weeks of age and usually subside at 3-4 months of age. Because there is no known  cause, current treatments [such as gripe water & Infancol] have not been  proven to be effective so parents usually just let the condition take its  course,” is what his pediatrician told me. My baby being healthy was a huge  relief, but because his relentless screaming had already made me feel helpless,  frustrated and anxious, finding out there is ‘no effective treatment’ caused  even more anxiety and frustration. Despite being desperate to help ease my son’s  discomfort, I was still very reluctant to try any drugs that haven’t been proven  to be safe and effective to treat colic.  Conflicted and resentful with my  decision, I tried nothing and, like other parents, I just ‘let it ride out’.  Coincidently, at about 4 months when my
son’s colic was starting to wane, a  naturopathic doctor friend told me
something that, although belatedly, provided  me some comfort. “You know, in
Italy, probiotics have been clinically proven to  be a safe & effective treatment for infant colic for at least 10 years.  Canada is just a bit behind. It’s all natural & so won’t do any harm;  perhaps you should try giving him probiotics to help with his colic.” At  first, I struggled to be happy about the news because by now, my son was crying  less often & seemed to be nearing the end of the colic stage. But then, I  experienced my ‘Aha’ moment!  With this news, I knew I had to pay it forward to  help inform other moms about how probiotics can help with their colicky babies. 

Serendipitously, I then became involved with a clinical study approved &  conducted by Health Canada & The Hospital for Sick Children investigating  the use of probiotics to treat colic. I was reassured knowing that the probiotic  drops used in the study has been clinically proven safe for infant use so I had  no reservations to stand behind the study. So now, my mission is to seek out & help moms with
colicky babies to participate in this Probiotics for Colic  clinical study, not
only to ‘pay it forward’ to support & inform other moms,  but also to help
spread awareness about the clinical study that would improve  science to
discover an effective treatment for Infantile Colic. My son is  turning one
in 2 weeks and now, I am just in awe of his happiness, ability to  sleep soundly
through the night and enjoyment of cuddling. Of course he still  cries, but it’s
definitely not as loud, intense or frequent. And at least now,  he cries for
reasons that are clearly discernible: he’s hungry, needs changing,  overtired,
teething, or needs some attention. The best part: now my hugs &  kisses
usually is all he needs to comfort & calm him!

My internal  dialogue keeps questioning what my son’s colicky past might mean for his future, although his pediatrician has reassured me that there is no evidence of any  long-term effects. I think I want to have more children, but my son’s colic has led me to waiver in indecision because his colic has really shaken my  confidence. Everyone says, “You can’t have such bad luck that you would have
two  colicky babies”, but how can they be so sure? Then I hear the giggles, see
the  smiles & feel the hugs and with knowing that probiotics, being safe &  effective, can help with a colicky baby, my reluctance is dissolved.

For  more information about the Health Canada & SickKids Hospital’s
Probiotics  for Colic clinical study, please contact Kim Chau
(kim.chau@sickkids.ca) or  416-813-7283.

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