Natural Parenting and Colic

[Lightworker]

Hi all! Didnt even know this section existed- anyway, was reading some articles on the net, and came across a study which claimed that in some communities im West Africa, babies dont suffer from colic. They attributed this to natural parenting, especially baby-wearing. I was wondering if this has been your experience, or the opposite. x

 

[Kaites]

Emma suffered from colic and that's how we got into babywearing. At the time I was desperate for anything to work so we wore her as often as possible. There was still a lot of crying in the evening though. Looking back on it, if I'm to be totally honest, I don't know if babywearing actually helped the colic so much as it helped us cope with her temperment- she has always been a baby that needs to be in contact with a parent (esp Mummy!), even long after the colic phase had passed.

Whether it works for colic or not, I do love babywearing though

 

[Rachel_C]

I'm not sure about the physical aspect of colic but perhaps babies who are carried a lot, never left to cry etc are better able to cope with it if they do have it. I think any baby who always knows that mum or dad is there and will cuddle them would be better able to cope with discomfort.

 

[Eala]

Could also be how they are carried. In a lot of cases, colic pain is made worse if baby is lying flat. There are newborn holds (cuddle holds) where baby is much more upright, almost right under your chin. I know my LO loved that when she was tiny, so perhaps that has something to do with it also.

 

[lemily]

Also, babywearing involves having baby's tummy in contact with mum's chest which exudes a fair amount of heat, and it is known that heat helps reduce cramping and cramping pain which would soothe colic. I imagine they are allowed to suckle for comfort whenever they please and sucking can help soothe colic pain.