Colic. The ever-dreaded screaming baby gas pain. Luckily we haven’t dealt with colic with Samuel but we've seen a lot of it in the office. If mama’s digestion isn’t great or she struggles to digest her food properly due to low enzyme production, colic can be caused in the baby. So if mama gets on digestive enzymes (I have rotated around) then it not only helps her but also the baby too! I think that has made a MAJOR difference in why we haven’t had any issues at all with Sam’s digestion.

Enzyme production goes down with poor nutrition and stress. It also decreases with age. With stress being the biggest factor (even if it is great stress!), simply adding enzymes can make a HUGE difference. If food is not broken down and digested properly, the end product will be gas and bloating...and for babies, gas can be very painful and unsettling!!

The ones I personally use and rotate through are Zypan by Standard Process and Food Enzymes by Nature's Sunshine (as well as a few others by those companies). You can also dilute 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar in a small amount of water to take with meals to stimulate digestive enzyme production by the pancreas, too. If apple cider vinegar doesn’t do the trick adding digestive enzymes in supplement form is probably the way to go.

Another big factor in colic is dairy. A lot of times mama and baby can’t tolerate dairy well. Moms may not realize they don’t tolerate it well because it doesn’t create painful gas in them, but intolerance COULD be causing skin issues, fatigue, brain fog, bloating, allergies, etc. without them even realizing it. Whether or not you're having issues, cutting out dairy is worth it if your baby is having colic issues. If you don’t notice any changes within a couple days of cutting out dairy in your baby then the next culprits are corn, beans, and gluten.

Colic can be discouraging and stressful, but it's not hopeless! If you try adding enzymes or cutting out those foods and are still having issues, let us know! You may need a more specific digestive enzyme and we can figure that out at our office through muscle testing! We are always ready and willing to support women as they navigate motherhood!