Q: Good morning ma’am, please I have a question. I am a first time mum…just five weeks and my baby has been having this stomach problem. At first I thought it was a gas problem but I don’t think so. I complained to the doctor. After checking on him, he said the baby is fine since he passes out normal stool and eats well; that his muscles are still stretching and adjusting. Please I need to be cleared on this…and how long will it take for him to be fine because he is not comfortable and sometimes cries when the stomach turns? He doesn’t sleep well because of that. I was asked to give him Nospamin drops but there is no change. Please ma’am, help me to be clear and is there any remedy for this?

A: I’m glad you have been to see your baby’s doctor first. That’s always the first and best place to start. Like he said, the good news is that your baby makes stool and also farts (?) normally.

The stomach aches that babies have (colic) can be very distressing for a parent to watch but perhaps understanding what it’s about may be helpful. Colics usually start occurring in some children between 3 to 6 weeks of age and disappear between the 3rd to 4th month of life, without any treatment. So, your baby fits right into this age group.
Some modifications may help reduce their severity:

Be sure to burp baby after each feed• Hold baby and gently rock her after a feed

• Hold your baby upright during her feed

• Check your diet: reduce caffeine-containing foods and sometimes, it may be the dairy in your diet that you baby is reacting to. Taking dairy off your diet for a week or two may lead to improvement in symptoms.

Remember to see your doctor where in doubt, especially if this continues past the time noted above.

Just a note about gripe water which a lot of people want to give their babies when they have this condition….honestly, the benefits are more in our imagination than in actual fact 😀

So, with or without gripe water, this colic shall pass

Have a great night, y’all 😀