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As a new mom, I thought I had everything figured out. I had a ton of experience with babies (nieces, nephews, and cousins), and I had read all the books. My pregnancy, labor and delivery were all textbook. We were full of joy and pure bliss with our new little bundle. And then my baby cried. Addison would cry for no reason at all, for hours on end, and I officially felt like I was failing at being a mom. We took her to the pediatrician, who casually said, “Ya, she’s a little colicky,”, and basically told me to not shake her and sent me on my way. I’m sure he had seen cases much worse, but I felt so helpless leaving that office with no solution to our problem. Luckily, my mom was very experienced in this area (my youngest brother was super colicky for four months), and she would come over in the evenings to rock Addi to give me a break. But I just knew there had to be something we could do to make Addison feel better and calm her down, so I researched EVERYTHING I possibly could about colic in babies, and I found a few helpful solutions to ease her symptoms.
First of all, colic in babies is defined by medical professionals as an otherwise healthy baby that is 5 months or less, who cries for at least 3 hours a day, at least 3 days out of the week, for at least 3 weeks. As a new mom, I would define it as God’s way of ensuring you don’t have two babies too close together in age :).
We used a few different methods to relieve her colicky behavior. In my research, I found a theory that says colic develops as a way for a baby to adjust outside the womb. They go from a dark, quiet, soothing home to a world full of noise, light and other stimulation that they can’t handle. However, motion, vibration, and harmonics in the right capacity can resemble the womb and help them feel safe again. This made total sense to me, so I found a few things to create the right atmosphere for Addison.
- Tranquilo Mat– It was a total coincidence that the day before the pediatrician told me that he suspected Addison was colicky, I was watching Rachel Ray and they were talking about the Tranquilo Mat. It’s a thin mat that lays in their crib, and gently vibrates while they sleep. It’s battery operated so you don’t need to worry about any cords, and it has an hour shut off option so it doesn’t need to run all night (we run it all night, because Mama decided the cost of batteries is worth the extra sleep!) This mat has been a GOD SEND! We stayed at my in-laws one night and didn’t have it with us and it was horrible! While it is a little bit spendy, I would buy this 10 times over again!
- Lullabies- We added lullabies to our nightly routine and it has helped immensely in getting her to fall asleep. I feel that with the lullabies playing, it drones out some of the random noises in the house that would otherwise wake her up. We love this lullaby CD, and I also have a playlist on our Spotify (we play it through our Amazon Echo Dot) so we can turn them on throughout the day during nap times and when we put her down for the night.
- Gerber Probiotic Colic Drops– I was super hesitant to spend $20 on a teeny tiny bottle, but these have lasted us almost an entire month and we use them almost daily. Plus, the probiotic improves the good bacteria in her tummy, so I don’t mind the extra investment in her overall health.
- Swaddling- I know not all babies like to be swaddled, but there were nights when swaddling Addison was the only thing that would help her relax. At the recommendation of my sister, we use the Halo Swaddle Sack. I love the convenience of it (you don’t have to be a swaddling pro to figure it out!), and I also like that it’s fleece because we keep our bedroom somewhat cool at night and this helped her stay cozy and warm!
- Road Trip- I had heard so many people say that taking their baby for a car ride calmed them right down, and boy were they right! The vibration of the road soothed Addi, and we could play her lullabies while we drove around the countryside.
- Family and friends- This is probably the most important thing. There were days when we did all the things listed above, and she was still fussy. Don’t be afraid to reach out to family, friends, or neighbors to help you out! It’s okay to need a break from your baby, and although you might feel super guilty about it, it’s so much better than loosing it and potentially harming your little one!
And more than anything else, I had to remind myself that this is just a stage. Instead of wishing the time away, you have to choose to embrace this stage, because they won’t ever be this little ever again. So take it all in, the cuddles, the sleepless nights, and even the crying. I know someday I will miss it (as strange as that sounds now!).
