A study released in the Journal of Pediatrics in January this year has shown that specific probiotics can improve colic in babies. I don’t know about you, but when a baby cries endlessly and you are doing everything in your power to help them, it is awful. Your heart breaks, tears roll down your face and you feel so damn helpless.
Colic affects nearly 40% of babies and is defined as crying for more than three hours (OMG!!) each day or more than three days in a week. I think I would go insane if my newborn was crying this much – oh that’s right, I DID!!!
This study looked at 52 breast fed bubbas – half were given the probiotic strain Lactobacillus reutieri and half were given placebo for 21 days. By the end of the 21 days, the bubs receiving the probiotics had 50% reduction in crying time compared to the placebo group. UNBELIEVABLE!!!
I don’t want to sound dramatic, but that 50% improvement could be the difference between totally losing the plot and getting post natal depression or not. I work with so many tired, exhausted mummas and I know this research will now be part of my clinical protocols. It will make an enormous difference to their experience of motherhood. My early motherhood days are clouded with darkness, bone aching fatigue and loneliness. If Sophia had cried 50% less I think it would have be so incredibly different.
Please pass this blog onto any Mumma you know!
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