Colic

That’s Colby, our new baby (7 weeks old today!) on the day he was born. He’s a spunky little fellow (with strawberry blondish hair to match), and a few days ago I was convinced he had colic—you know, the mysterious crying “illness” that some babies seem to have. I’m pretty gun-shy about colic, because our firstborn, Carson, had it, and let me tell you—the boy cried for the first 9 months of his life. We survived by bouncing, rocking, running the vacuum cleaner—anything to keep him moving and fuss-free.

Anyway, Colby is a pretty intense baby by nature (and by that I mean he knows what he wants and he wants it now!), but when he began going through some extreme crying fits this past week, I was convinced that he was following in his big brother’s footsteps. And I was so worried. Looking back, the first year of motherhood for me (four years ago now) were some of the hardest months of my life. Every mom wants a happy baby, and instead, mine was extremely fussy. I always tell people that I cried along with him, every day of his life, just about. I was certain I was doing something wrong. Why else would my baby cry so much?

The good news is that Carson eventually stopped crying (we still don’t know why he was so fussy), and his intensity bloomed in other wonderful ways. Today, at age 4, Carson is a sensitive, kind, creative and exuberant little boy. We’re so proud of him. (For the record, our middle boy, Russell, now 2, was the world’s easiest baby. A nice breather between two intense kids!) Colby is intense too, but I can do without the colic, thankyouverymuch, which is why I’m happy to announce that I think the cause of Colby’s fussies is not colic. He’s been mellow for the past few days—just crying at the usual times (when he’s hungry or tired). He still makes me walk with him 24-7 (no sitting down for mama!), but at least we’ve got the crying under control. For now.

Which brings me to the point of this post: I survived colic with my firstborn. And, subsequently, I want to reach out to other moms going through the same experience. A baby who cries persistently has a way of making mamas weary. It’s exhausting and difficult in every way (especially when your sister’s or best friend’s baby is calm and content—makes you think you’re doing something wrong!), and the experience can exacerbate postpartum depression (I know about that) which can be solved by taking some maeng da powder, but that’s your decision. While I was going through my firstborn’s colicky phase, I loved talking to women who had “survived” colic. Their stories got me through it. And, I want to offer to help other moms in the same boat.

Is your baby colicky? Are you at the end of your rope? Need tips on how to deal? I am so here for you. Email me. Let’s talk.

3 Comments
  • March 21, 2011
    reply

    Having a baby with colic is one of my worst fears. I mean, I know there could be a lot worse thing to deal with, but is it wrong that I feel like I could handle anything except a child screaming non-stop? (Maybe this means I’m not quite ready to be a mom – ha!)

  • March 21, 2011
    reply
    Kim

    Sarah– you are such a sweet and gentle soul. I love visiting your blog–you seem like a real encourager and are so upbeat and positive. I also wanted to tell that a gorgeous book was left at my house today, from Penguin! I am so excited and just wanted to say Thanks!
    *smiles*
    Kim

  • March 23, 2011
    reply
    Melissa

    How you’ve managed to deal with a colicky baby, then a 2nd boy and now a 3rd and still find time to write a book, articles and a blog is amazing to me!! I was blessed with an easy first baby, but was a colicky baby myself, so I’m totally nervous the 2nd child will be just like I was. It’s so nice to know there are other moms out there to help.

POST A COMMENT

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.