We know that crying babies is their way of expressing themselves. They cry if they are hungry, sleepy or cold, and cry if they need us to change their diaper. But on some occasions, babies continue to cry despite having solved all their possible demands. It usually happens at the same time of day and they don't seem to have comfort.
They are the feared infant colic, which can appear in up to 40 percent of babies. Unfortunately, despite being very frequent, there is no effective treatment today, as there is no clear cause. Could what we eat during breastfeeding influence? Lets start by the beginning…
What are infant colic?
They are defined as I cry more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week and for more than 3 weeks; Typically crying appears at about the same time, generally late-night. Colic usually appears at 2-3 weeks of life and disappears by the fourth month.
What is the cause of colic?
The truth is that, despite being a very frequent problem, it is not known exactly what causes them. There are hypotheses that point to immaturity of the intestine and difficulty in expelling gases, an alteration in the intestinal flora, hyperstimulation of the baby, accumulated fatigue or an exaggerated response to certain stimuli.
In Babies and more Probiotics may help reduce infant colic in breastfed infants Are colic related to breastfeeding?
Infant colic appears both in infants fed with artificial formula and in breastfed babies, although in the latter it is somewhat less frequent.
In a very small group of patients, in which in addition to colic other symptoms are associated, these may be due to an allergy to cow's milk proteins and would benefit from an exclusion of these in the diet.
And what about the gases?
The gases found in the intestine come mainly from two routes: from what we swallow and from those generated in the intestine during the digestion of certain foods.
Let's go with the first one. Inside the chest there is no air, there is only milk (this is a fundamental difference with the bottle). So if the hitch is good, the baby should not swallow air. Let's move on to the second.
In Babies and more Infant colic: how to help you stop cryingIs there anything we eat that passes into breast milk and causes more gas to be generated in the baby?
Certain foods such as legumes, cabbages, cabbage or soft drinks, among others, are known to generate gases. However, it has not been shown that any food that the mother eats generates gas (or colic) in the baby.
The composition of milk may vary depending on the mother's diet, as we know that the taste of milk is different depending on what we eat; but unless we are faced with an allergy to cow's milk protein (which we have already mentioned that they are a minority), and in which case there would be improvement by excluding the mother's milk and dairy products, What we eat does not influence the colic and / or gas of the baby.
It has not been shown that any food that the mother eats generates gas (or colic) in the baby.Is there any food that breastfeeding mothers should not eat?
During breastfeeding, alcohol should be avoided, as it passes into the milk in the same way it passes into the blood; if consumed, we must wait some time for it to be removed from milk, which varies depending on the amount of alcohol (more, more time) and the weight of the mother (less weight, more time) . As a guide, a woman of about 60kg should wait 2.5 hours after having a glass of wine.
Although it can be taken, we must exercise caution with caffeine during breastfeeding, since doses greater than 300mg can cause irritability, tremor and insomnia in the infant.
Otherwise, the breastfeeding mother can have a completely normal diet (healthy and balanced). Certain foods, such as asparagus or garlic, give more flavor and smell to breast milk without this being a problem (rather an advantage), since breastfed children "educate" their palate to different flavors through milk.
Can we do something then to relieve infant colic?
The main thing is that we know that it is something benign that will disappear over time. Rocking the baby, breastfeeding or sucking a pacifier, carrying it, walking it in the stroller, are some measures that can work.
