What Is Colic—And What Can I Do To Help My Baby?

Colic is often seen in babies whose mothers have an abundant milk supply. Why is the baby crying? Some babies get colicky if they receive mostly the lower-fat milk that comes out earlier in the feed. (Hindmilk is the richer, higher-fat milk that baby gets later. Keep in mind that the fat content of the milk changes gradually, not suddenly.)

Foremilk versus hindmilk

Too much foremilk gives the baby a lot of lactose all at once. In the small intestine, the protein that digests the lactose may not be able to handle so much at one time, and the baby experiences gas and sometimes even streaks of blood in the stool. These babies are not lactose-intolerant, and there is no reason to switch to formula. The remedy: Finish the first breast before offering the second so baby gets hindmilk each time. “Be sure the baby is latched on well and that he is actually drinking at the breast,” says the University of Toronto’s Jack Newman. How can you tell?

“Imagine your thumb is a straw and you are sucking up a thick liquid like a milkshake,” says Newman. “As you suck inward on your thumb, your chin stays down. The baby does the same thing when his mouth is filling with milk. If he doesn’t have a pause in the chin, he is no longer getting much. Compression can then keep the baby drinking.” (For an explanation of how to compress the breast, visit Newman’s fact sheet.)

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to breastfeeding, contends Newman, but he does suggest offering the second side only when the baby stops drinking at the first side. You can even offer more than one feeding on each breast.

Overactive letdown

Overactive milk letdown can also contribute to colic in a breastfed baby because she gets fussy and irritable if too much milk comes too quickly. Here, too, you can try feeding the baby at one breast per feed. Lying down to nurse can help because gravity decreases the rate of milk flow. If you have time, express an ounce or two of milk before you feed the baby to slow the flow.

Ottawa lactation consultant Joan Fisher has seen desperate parents of colicky babies abandon breastfeeding and then experiment with various formulas, to no avail. Eventually, some successfully lactated again, but this route can be very difficult, and is not successful every time.