Our best tips for relieving colic in breastfed babies

During the breastfeeding period, baby can sometimes suffer from colic. Yes, it happens to both breastfed and bottle-fed babies. But don't worry! Although these ailments may worry you, they are benign. Here, we share 4 tips for soothing your little one after every feed. 

How do you recognize colic in a breastfed baby?
 

Colic generally occurs one to two weeks after birth, and affects around 20% of infants under 3 months of age.

How to recognize them? Baby tends to squirm, shake his legs in all directions and cry inexplicably. The cries are quite piercing and often occur at the end of a meal. It can last for several hours, accompanied by burping and intestinal gas. This gas in the intestine causes abdominal pain that can be quite severe.

The cause?
 

Even though breastfed babies swallow less air when they latch on, colic can happen if you have a strong let-down reflex. It can also happen if your little one doesn't yet have good suction/deglutition/breathing coordination. Changing breast too often and too quickly during the same feed can also lead to colic. Why is this? Because baby can absorb too much milk at the start of a feed. And since milk is initially quite rich in lactose, it can sometimes be poorly tolerated by some newborns.

When does the colic go away?

Most often by the end of the 3rd month after birth.

What tips can you use to relieve baby's discomfort while breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding in a quiet place

Breastfeeding in a place away from any commotion makes it easier to check that baby isn't swallowing too much air. He should also be able to take the breast with his mouth full.

A little massage

With your fingertips, you can massage baby's tummy with very slow clockwise rotations to soothe him after a feed.

Give only one breast per feed

, or the same breast for two feeds in succession. This allows baby to reach the fatty milk at the end of the feed, which can prevent colic.

Avoid certain foods

When breastfeeding, it's a good idea to avoid certain foods such as cabbage, broccoli and onions, which can affect baby's transit.