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My baby is breastfeeding - how can I prevent colic?.
A
- As with bottle feeding you can
prevent colic by firstly thinking about the position you feed them in.
- Often you can prevent your baby
from swallowing too much air by sitting them in a more upright position at
the breast whilst baby is feeding.
- It is thought that the food and
drink consumed by mums whilst breastfeeding may cause colic in babies. It
is suggested to avoid drinks such as tea, coffee, and other caffeine containing
drinks - see if that helps.
- Spicy food and alcohol may also
aggravate colic so think about reducing or avoiding these whilst breastfeeding.
- Try cutting down on certain foods
such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, parsnips, onions, or beans,
garlic, apricots and melon. These foods seem to encourage the production of
wind, and may aggravate colic in your baby.
- It may be helpful to keep a food
diary – to assist you in identifying which foods may aggravate colic
in your baby.
- Think about introducing one food
at a time and see if colic occurs following feeding.
- Positioning your baby in an upright
position for an hour or so after feeding may also help prevent the build up
of wind.
- If your baby has difficulty getting
their wind up sometimes a very gentle back or tummy massage helps. If you
are giving gentle massage, this is not advisable directly after a feed –
wait a couple of hours.
- Some movement helps like gently
rocking your baby whilst on your lap or across your knee. You may wish to
consider walking around with them over your shoulder – this may help
them get up wind.
health visitor
back to faq's - Crying & Colic |
