Abdominal swelling, frequent gas emissions, apparent abdominal pain, irritability and excessive crying – these are the typical signs of colic; and can last for hours at a time. A baby with these symptoms can be very hard to feed, calm and put to sleep.
There are several main causes of colic. Some of them are
- An irritable gut – normally caused by gut immaturity
- Poor feeding or latching – normally caused by a tongue tie, jaw restrictions or inability to rotate neck
- Reflux – caused by tension or a twist in the baby’s diaphragm, or the esophageal sphincter’s inability to close properly
- Lactose intolerance – inability of baby’s guts to digest lactose
- Constipation – there are several causes, the most common is that the baby’s gut is still immature and cannot easily digest what they are drinking. This is most common in formula fed babies.
- General musculoskeletal unease caused by difficult labour
Pediatric osteopaths can help you diagnose the cause of your baby’s colic. They gain this from taking a thorough case history about the birth and pregnancy. Using their expert knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of your baby they can then observe the baby and palpate/feel for any restriction(s) in the baby’s musculoskeletal system. If there are any non-musculoskeletal restrictions, they can help ease them by using gentle osteopathic treatment. If the crying is caused by non-musculoskeletal causes, such as reflux or dairy intolerance then the osteopath will advise you and then refer you to the appropriate health care professional.
Osteopathic treatment causes the baby to cry less and sleep more (especially after the treatment). Book your FREE 15 min assessment today. Contact Ruth on ruth@swlondon-osteopathy.co.uk or 07810 188520