We know that the crying of babies is their way of expressing themselves. They cry if they are hungry, sleepy, or cold, and they cry if they need a diaper change. But on some occasions, babies continue to cry despite having solved all their possible demands. It usually happens at the same time of day and they don’t seem to have consolation.
They are the dreaded infant colic , which can appear in up to 40 percent of babies. Unfortunately, despite being very frequent, there is currently no effective treatment, nor is there a clear cause. Could it influence what we eat while breastfeeding? Lets start by the beginning…
What is infant colic?
They are defined as crying more than three hours a day, more than three days a week and for more than three weeks ; crying typically appears around the same time, usually late at night. Colic usually appears at 2-3 weeks of life and disappears by the fourth month.
What Causes Colic?
The truth is that, despite being a very frequent problem, it is not known exactly what causes them . There are hypotheses that point to an immaturity of the intestine and difficulty in expelling gases, an alteration in the intestinal flora, hyperstimulation of the baby, accumulated fatigue or an exaggerated response to certain stimuli.
Is colic related to breastfeeding?
Infant colic appears both in babies fed with artificial formula and in breastfed babies, although in the latter it is somewhat less frequent.
In a very small group of patients, in whom other symptoms are associated in addition to colic, these may be due to an allergy to cow’s milk proteins and would benefit from their exclusion from the diet.
And what about gases?
The gases found in the intestine come mainly from two sources: from what we swallow and from those generated in the intestine during the digestion of certain foods.
Let’s go to the first one. Inside the breast there is no air, there is only milk (this is a fundamental difference with the bottle). So if the latch is good, the baby should not swallow air . Let’s move on to the second one.
Is there something that we eat that passes into breast milk and causes more gas to be generated in the baby?
Certain foods such as legumes, cabbage, cabbage or soft drinks, among others, are known to generate gases. However, no food eaten by the mother has been shown to cause gas (or colic) in the baby.
The composition of milk can vary depending on the mother’s diet, as we know that the taste of milk is different depending on what we eat; but unless we are facing an allergy to cow’s milk protein (which we have already mentioned that they are a minority), and in which case there would be improvement when the mother excludes milk and derivatives from her diet, what we eat does not influence in the baby’s colic and / or gas .
Are there any foods that breastfeeding mothers should not eat?
During lactation, alcohol should be avoided, as it passes into the milk in the same way that it passes into the blood; In case of consuming it, we must wait a certain time for it to have been eliminated from the milk, which varies depending on the amount of alcohol (the higher the quantity, the longer) and the weight of the mother (the lower the weight, the longer). . As a guideline, a woman weighing about 60kg should wait 2.5 hours after having a glass of wine.
Although it can be taken, we must be careful with caffeine during lactation, since doses greater than 300mg can cause irritability, tremors and insomnia in the infant.
Otherwise, the breastfeeding mother can follow a completely normal diet (healthy and balanced). Certain foods, such as asparagus or garlic, give more flavor and smell to breast milk without this being a problem (rather an advantage), since breastfed children are “educating” their palate to different flavors through milk.
So, can we do something to alleviate infant colic?
The main thing is that we know that it is something benign that will disappear with time. Rocking the baby, putting him to suck or sucking on a pacifier, carrying him, walking him in the stroller, are some measures that can work.
