When Piglet was a baby he was a super chilled little guy. He slept well and didn’t fuss very much at all. We were very lucky with him, and I was under no illusion that any future children would follow the same path! Fast forward two years and here we are with baby JJ.

There’s no denying there are similarities between the two of them, they are brothers after all. Medically they have followed the same rocky path so far, but they look quite different and already it seems they are going to have different personalities. There is one thing that stands out though, and that is how fussy and uncomfortable JJ is in the evenings, leaving us with a very clingy and unsettled baby at times. Is it colic? Quite honestly I’m not sure!

Coping With Colic | Do you know what infantile colic is? I've teamed up with Infacol to tell you a little more about it - and let you know you're not alone! https://oddhogg.com

I have been quite pleased to discover that I’m not alone with my uncertainty.  Infacol carried out a survey which found that 1 in 3 British mothers weren’t aware of infantile colic before they had their first baby. It is a common problem that affects 1 in 5 babies, and usually begins when the infant is just a few weeks old. Signs and symptoms include:

  • Intense crying bouts
  • Crying in the late afternoon or evening that lasts several hours
  • The baby’s face is red and flushed when they cry
  • The baby clenches their fists, draws their knees up or arches their back while crying

Out of the above symptoms the main one that JJ struggles with is drawing up his knees and arching his back when crying. We are breastfeeding and he gulps it down really fast – along with a lot of air it would seem! He ends up with trapped wind which can be very uncomfortable

Coping With Colic | Asleep on daddy https://oddhogg.com

Luckily for us he can be soothed by being held, rocked or placed in a vibrating chair. That seems to help send everything south and alleviate his pain. Not all babies can be soothed so simply though, and that can make it very stressful for their parents – as if simply getting by day to day wasn’t stressful enough!

On top of everything else, colic can lead to lack of sleep. The study showed that 94% of parents aren’t getting as much sleep as they’d like, with only 1 in 5 parents getting the 8 hours sleep a night that is recommended.

Raising awareness of infantile colic is the first stage in helping parents to deal with it. I know that knowing that they’re not alone goes a long way to making things seem more manageable. Supporting one another is the best thing that we can do! Hearing that others have been through it, and finding out that it doesn’t last forever is invaluable when things are tough.

Coping With Colic | JJ https://oddhogg.com

For more information on infantile colic, you can visit www.infacol.co.uk. To get advice on excessive crying, including one-on-one phone support, visit www.cry-sis.org.uk.

Giveaway

To help make things seem a little better, I’ve teamed up with Infacol and The White Company to give one lucky reader a gorgeous Kimbo Seersucker Sleeping Bag 0.5 togs for 0-6 months (worth £28). It’s nice and lightweight – perfect for the summer!

Coping With Colic | The White Company Kimbo Seersucker Sleeping Bag 0.5 togs - suitable for 0-6 months https://oddhogg.com

To enter, simply use the widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions

The closing date is 11:59 pm on Friday 6th July 2018
The prize is a White Company Kimbo Seersucker Sleeping Bag, no cash alternative
The competition is open to UK residents aged 18 and over
Entrants must log in and follow the directions given via the Rafflecopter widget
All entries will be verified
The winners will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter
The winners will be notified within 5 days of the closing date. The winner must respond within 30 days of receiving the email to claim their prize
The competition is not affiliated with Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube or Instagram

This post was written in collaboration with Infacol.

Please note this post may include some affiliate links. This has no effect on you - to find out more please check out the disclosure