My Baby Won’t Stop Crying: Managing Colic Naturally with Chiropractic Care
Has your baby been experiencing prolonged crying fits over three hours a day and at least 3 days a week? Is your baby often unsettled, fussy, have trouble with wind or burping? Are you exhausted and at your wit’s end?
You’re not alone in this extremely distressing situation. Your baby is likely experiencing the all-too common infant health challenge: Infantile Colic.
Colic affects 1 in 4 babies in the first three months of life, disturbing sleep, feeding and digestion which we know can lead to a series of flow on effects. Despite its prevalence, conventional medicine often says it’s cause is a mystery and suggests waiting it out.
If, like many parents in this scenario and “growing out of it” doesn’t feel sustainable for your family, you’re concerned about flow on effects, and you’re looking for natural options to support your beautiful baby, keep reading.
Understanding colic and nervous system dysfunction
Emerging evidence suggests that colic is not simply excessive crying that a child will outgrow, but rather a signal of neurological dysfunction that requires support.
We often work with families who have gone through a host of changes to promote gut and digestion health in their little one (diet restrictions, probiotics, supplements, essential oils and other treatments that target the gut and disgestive system) without getting the lasting results they are looking for. Digestive factors and gut intolerances absolutely play a role but sometimes don’t tell the whole story. The digestive system, especially in a brand-new baby, is completely under the control of what’s called the autonomic or central nervous system.
What’s happening for colicky babies is they’re not able to move food along through the esophagus, into the stomach, into the intestines (small and large), and get it all through efficiently. They are not able to break apart the different nutrients, keeping what they need to grow and getting rid of the bad stuff so they don’t get sick or inflamed by it. All of this tension builds up in the digestive system, but it really first starts in the nervous system.
Common Triggers – Birth Interventions, Pre-natal Stress
Our case histories for kids with colic reveal common triggers such as prolonged or very quick labour, birth intervention or prenatal stress or anxiety.
Birth is a highly intricate and complex process, in which the baby endures enormous physical and sometimes chemical stress (induction drugs, epidurals, antibiotics). This influences the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, often causing less than optimal functioning.
Birth places a massive burden on the upper neck region of the baby, and this then can go on to influence the functioning of the vagus nerve. This incredible nerve gives vital information to the brain from our heart and stomach and digestive system. When there is interference to this information this can result in a baby who is unsettled, cries, has trouble with wind, and digestion.
Benefits of chiropractic care for colic
Neurologically focused chiropractic care looks to the foundational role that the nervous system plays and seeks to find the root cause of your child’s discomfort. Our doctors use gentle physical exams and advanced neuro-scanning technology called INSiGHT Scans to pinpoint stress patterns linked to colic.
Chiropractic care is extremely efficient in treating symptoms of unexplained colic in infants. Gentle adjustments will address underlying tension to restore normal function of the digestive tract and support digestion to alleviate symptoms of colic. These adjustments often see infants immediately relax, unwind and even fall asleep.
Come see us today
If your baby is struggling with colic, don't wait. Come in for a consultation with one of our paediatric chiropractors and see the difference gentle, expert care can make.
Schedule a call with one of our paediatric chiropractors today to find out if this might be right for your child.
