About colic

As any parent with a crying baby knows, it can be very upsetting and easily start to affect the whole household. Trying everything and still not being able to help your baby is frustrating and very hard work.  Sound familiar?

Colic is defined as repeat episodes of excessive and inconsolable crying in a newborn baby which otherwise appears to be healthy. 1 in 5 newborns suffer from colic which is why 1 in 4 general practitioners report seeing parents concerned about their child's excessive crying on a weekly basis. Although the condition does not put a baby's health at risk, and is not permanent, it can be distressing.

Medical trials have found that Transient Lactase Deficiency (TLD) is a common cause of colicky symptoms. This is when a lack of lactase enzyme in the small intestine makes it hard for a baby to fully digest the milk-sugar, lactose. All forms of milk, from infant formulas to breast milk and dairy products, contain lactose.  Undigested lactose then causes discomfort, bloating and wind. As a baby grows, its digestive system will mature and usually from around 3-4 months it will be able to digest lactose properly on its own.

Parents can try to identify and treat their baby's colicky symptoms by adding Colief® Infant Drops to feeds for one week. If there are no signs of improvement, Transient Lactase Deficiency can be ruled out and then other issues can be investigated.

Help fight colic with Colief Infant Drops

What is Colief?

Colief is not a medicine but simply a digestion aid for infant milk - breast or bottle. The active ingredient in Colief is lactase, an enzyme which occurs naturally within the small intestine. Lactase is what we need to produce to break down the lactose in milk into simple sugars. In essence, Colief lets babies with Transient Lactase Deficiency digest milk with much less discomfort. The drops can be used in every feed until the body naturally copes better with lactose.

A great benefit of Colief is that you can use it whether you are breastfeeding or bottlefeeding. Here's how:

Breastfeeding

• Express a few tablespoons into a sterilised container and add 4 drops of Colief. Feed to your baby from a sterilised, plastic spoon and then breastfeed as normal

Bottlefeeding

• Add 4 drops of Colief to warm formula (made to manufacturer's instructions)
• Shake the feed occasionally for half an hour
• Return bottle to correct feeding temperature and give to baby as normal.

Baby Relief

Although Colic won't harm your baby it does cause discomfort. Try the following to help soothe your little one:

• Hold your baby close, perhaps wrapped lightly in a blanket
• Try a ride in the car, a stroll in the pram or firm rocking
• Play soft, soothing music
• Read to your baby in a soothing voice
• Massage your baby's tummy using soft, circular movements in a clockwise direction

Try Colief Infant Drops for one week to rule out and/or treat Transient Lactase Deficiency - a common cause of colic.

Colief can be used whether breastfeeding or bottlefeeding

Find out more

Colief® Infant Drops are priced at £11.99 and available from pharmacies nationwide.

To find out more visit www.colief.com