Late again! We have been to the Summer Isles today on the West coast a very beautiful place. Took the dogs onto the beach for a run and then went for a pub lunch. It's a lovely drive over there and we were lucky it kept dry all day.
Anyway enough about my lovely day out. I was reading an interesting article about colicky babies and ways that you can help. I don't expect there can be many mums that haven't had to contend with this at some time and it can be really distressing for both mum and baby. Precise causes of infantile colic are not known. The wind that babies expel during a colicky period has lead to some theories that it is due to an immature digestive tract but it has not been proved conclusively.
First and foremost is look after yourself you are not the cause of babies distress and it doesn't help if you feel anxious and upset so if you need someone else to take over to give you a break don't see it as a failure.
Be close to your baby, carrying him, holding him, touching him. Have a
quiet, peaceful environment if possible. Try swaddling your
baby in a tightly wrapped blanket. Or you might consider a cozy cocoon for swaddling.
Baby massage is thought to be a good bonding experience and a way for mum and baby to spend quality time together. Studies have shown that physical contact is good for babies and helps breathing, circulation, digestion and health.
So here are some tips on how to give a gentle massage and I must stress
gentle it should never be probing but not so light that it tickles. A
way of gauging your touch with a new baby is to place your finger over
your closed eyelid and press gently stopping before it feels
uncomfortable with an older baby you can be a little firmer they like
to feel secure. Make sure that your hands are warm before you begin.
The following treatment aims to calm your baby and your baby’s
digestive track. The best time to treat your baby is when he’s relaxed,
not while he’s in the middle of a crying jag.
1. Start by gently stroking your baby’s forehead from the midpoint of the eyebrows up toward the hairline.
2. Press very lightly on the point that lies between the eyebrows.
3. Stroke around the ears starting at the temples and working around to the back of the head.
4. Gently massage the midline of the body from the breastbone
down through the stomach and into the abdomen. Do this several times,
using slow, gentle movements.
5. Gently massage the upper stomach, beginning just underneath the breastbone and ending just below the belly button.
6. Massage the muscle on both sides of the belly button, working
toward the lower belly. You might find that there are tiny areas of
tight muscle in that region.
7. With the baby’s hand turned palm up, massage the side and middle of the palm of the hand and the side of the upper wrist.
8. With the baby’s hand turned palm up, massage the area 1 inch or so above the wrist fold in the center of the arm.
9. With the baby’s hand turned palm down, massage the area 1 inch or so above the wrist fold in the center of the lower arm.
10. Gently massage the web between the thumb and the index finger.
11. Massage a couple of inches below the knee on the outside of the lower leg.
12. Gently massage the space between the long bones connecting the first and second toes to the foot.
13. Gently massage between the second and third toes and the long bones that connect the toes to the foot.
14. Gently massage the baby’s back in a downward direction on
both sides of the spine, from just below the shoulder blades to the
sacrum, the flat bone at the bottom of the spine.
Hopefully baby will be feeling soothed and relaxed after this and you too! We have some organic massage oil which may be helpful in our shop. Let us know how you get on and whether it helped.
Linda