Colic

Colic is understood in most circles to be an overly fussy baby who is upset for no obvious reason. But as parents we have often wondered to ourselves, “is she in pain?”, “is he teething?”, “is he tired?”.

Chiropractic Care for Colicky Babies

At LiveWell Chiropractic & Wellness Center, we approach colic investigatively to get to the root cause of what is creating this symptom in your infant. Crying and fussy is a symptom, not a diagnosis in and of itself. We often find colic related to breastfeeding problems, gastric reflux, pyloric stenosis, an accumulation of bowel gas, muscle pain, and so on. We are here to help so both you and baby feel better. 

Tips for a colicky baby:

1. Burp your baby often. Frequent burping in an upright position promotes proper digestion and helps remove any air bubbles that are not only causing gasiness but that are also slowing the digestion processes. 
2. Baby Massage. Massage your baby's belly in a clockwise circle starting in the bottom left quadrant. This helps stimulate good bowel motility and increases proprioceptive input to your baby’s nervous system.
3. Do the 5 S’s. Swaddle, Suck, Shush, Sound, Swing: swaddling reminds your baby of the 9+ months they comfortably spent in your womb, stimulate the sucking reflex with a clean finger to soothe, make a shushing noise or a sound machine to distract their nervous system, and swing to stimulate innate reflexes. 
4. Walk. Walking stimulates the environment that baby was used to in your womb. This gentle bounces often helps soothe and lull them to sleep.
5. Wrap or Babywear. Babywearing helps the baby stay warms, smell their parents, and feel safe. This will promote a sense of calming.

Call our team at LiveWell Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Bettendorf today to schedule an appointment!