Why colic is simply just a word, and should be much better understood and explained to parents

The NHS suggest that colic is “really common” and should pass by around 3-4 months of age. Now as a baby expert and Mummy of three children, none of who suffered with “colic”, I would like to (happily) bust that myth. Colic is simply just a word for a crying baby and guess what… Much like us as adults, babies cry to communicate. Crying is their way of telling you something is up.. “My tummy hurts”, “I’m too cold”, “I need feeding”, or “I feel bloated”. Can you even imagine feeling uncomfortable and instead of being vaguely helpful, someone just said to you it was “colic” and that it would get better when you were a bit older. We know so much more than this, so why is it still being used as an answer for parents who are struggling with their babies but essentially being told that they need to grow out of it.

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But if it is something more than just colic, why do they seem to grow out of it by 12 weeks of age is a really common question when I tell people “I don’t believe in colic”. Or the classic “I did nothing but my baby definitely grew out of it”. There are very good reasons as to why this is the case, and these have to do with the root causes of colic. When we look at a baby who is crying a lot and seemingly unhappy, we can look at what the reasons for this could be rather than just dismissing this as a just a thing that has to happen.

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Some of the main causes of colic are:

• An immature gut – babies are born with a gut that needs to grow and develop with them. The first 1000 days of a childs life are the most crucial when it comes to diversifying their microbiome. If a baby is born early, via c-section, is exposed to antibiotics and/or given formula early on, it can be the case that their gut struggles more with digesting and this can cause them to struggle with the breakdown of milk, therefore causing baby to have a lot of gas, bloating or tummy discomfort. A babies gut will become stronger with age, which is why it may seem as though they have grown out of colic, when actually it is their ability to digest milk more easily that is the real reason behind this. Probiotics can be a helpful addition to a baby who is struggling with “colic” and research has shown that Biogaia probiotics can reduce the total number of hours crying and parents experiences of baby colic too.

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• Allergies – some babies are born with allergies to foods, which is where they can react either to formula milk or foods via the mothers breastmilk. This can cause them to be sick, show signs of reflux, have a rash, mucus or blood in poo but it can also just be a baby who is really unsettled and cries a lot. They don’t necessarily have to show any obvious rash type symptoms and behaviour is often on its own enough. However due to the lack of other obvious symptoms, a lot of allergies go unnoticed for a long time and are passed off instead as just “colic".

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• Air intake whilst feeding – many babies now are born with tongue ties and oral tension. This is where they are unable to feed effectively or gain a deep enough latch, often but not always down to a tongue tie. A tongue tie stops the tongue suctioning properly to the nipple and therefore baby then takes in air whilst feeding. This air can sit in their tummy or get pushed down into their digestive tract and cause bloating, stuck wind and generally an unhappy baby. A cranial osteopath can be a great place to start when it comes to diagnosing body tension and then a tongue tie practitioner too. Babies with “colic” are often the babies who go on to have tongue ties found later down the line. A baby does eventually learn to compensate for a tongue tie and will end up feeding better as they get older, which is why the babies with this sort of colic will also appear to grow out of it.

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• Overtiredness is another huge factor when it comes to newborn babies and crying. A baby who appears to be colicky in the evening and cries a lot is also often a baby who is tired. Tiny babies can only stay awake for short periods of time and without guiding parents on awake windows and how often they need to sleep, they can easily become cranky and appear to have “colic” when actually they just need an earlier bedtime and a good couple of naps.

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Instead of using the word “colic” to describe an unhappy and crying baby, my one wish is that all parents were told that babies cry for a reason. Even the most simple PDF handout on what colic could be caused by would be so incredibly helpful for all new parents. Heidi’s first book Your Positive Baby Sleep Book takes new parents through the fourth trimester step by step and allows parents to see and understand that there is no such thing as colic, and simply that it is a word to cover up what else could be going on for your baby.

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