I think for any pregnant or new mom, one of the biggest concerns during the new born phase is colic! I remember reading up on colic when I was pregnant with Maddie and being concerned about the possibility of her developing colic which she thankfully didn’t and now with Charlie, we were also hyper aware of looking out for signs of colic.

I haven’t experienced colic before but I have friends whose babies developed colic and I have seen first hand how incredibly challenging it is. I have heard stories of helplessness, sadness, frustration and just overall anxiety it causes new parents. I remember a friend explaining it to be a ‘robbing’ experience as their new born didn’t settle easily, cried uncontrollably, always looked uncomfortable and often spat up and ruined their change of clothes often.

I think colic is one of those topics we as moms don’t speak about publicly enough and there is a lack of education around it. Why it happens, what are the signs and symptoms, what we can do to help our babies, tips and advice on how to better manage colic. That’s why I have teamed up with REUTERINA® to share research they have done to link inflammation to infant colic and how they have developed a drop that aims to significantly decreased daily crying time and a reduction in inflammation markers in the gut, that could possibly help you and your baby’s journey with colic.

The cause of colic and it’s link to inflammation:

Colic in early infants is a common self-limiting disorder and is one of the most common problems parents face during the first 4 months of a new-born’s life. A number of clinical studies have shown that children with colic tend to have a higher degree of inflammation in their gut and these studies have also shown that probiotic supplementation with a specific probiotic can induce anti-inflammatory actions in the gut^. Gut flora have been shown to influence immune functions and balance within the gut, particularly during the first few months of life.By analysing certain ‘clinical markers’ in the blood, scientists are able to determine the degree of inflammation that occurs in the gut. Immune cells in the gut provide a first line of protection and have a role in immunity and infant colic could represent gut inflammation in addition to an imbalance in gut flora.

What does the evidence say?

Recent trials have demonstrated that there is strong evidence for probiotic use in colic.

Out of four treatment approaches including; manual therapy, probiotics, proton pump inhibitors and simethicone, the strongest evidence for the reduction of crying time in colicky infants was probiotics.  This effect was also shown to be species and strain specific. Specific probiotic strain, Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17098 started within the first week of life is effective for the prevention of infant colic, while the use of another probiotic supplement did not appear to have the same effect. Check your chosen probiotic strain has evidence of effectiveness in treating colic.

Studies with REUTERINA®

Three clinical studies have shown positive evidence for the use of REUTERINA® – L. reuteri (strain DSM 17938) – in the treatment of infant colic and in all 3 studies, infants with colic treated REUTERINA® drops had significantly decreased daily crying time PLUS a reduction in inflammation markers in the gut. These studies confirmed that inflammation in the gut in contributes to the onset of colic in infants.

REUTERINA drops are available at most pharmacies nationwide and retail for around R200 a bottle. They also have a wide range for the whole family to choose from.

For more information visit: https://reuterina.co.za

This is a paid partnership with REUTERINA.