Parents of colicky kids are also subject to new methods of behavioral regulation and self-control. Elizabeth Henschel, a mom starring in her own version of Colic: The Sequel, is on a daily regimen of herbal tinctures, teas and dietary restrictions. "I can't eat this or that. It's very challenging to be under a lot of stress and have to control it for the baby."
Lester feels that although changes in your diet or your kid's formula might work for babies with food allergies, they are often ineffective in generic cases of colic. "There's no real evidence that stuff really works. But it makes people feel like they are effective, and that's a good thing."
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Estes, the Brooklyn mom, who is all about Western medicine and babysitting. "You have to get out once in a while. Other than that, Zantac and other parents saved me," she says. "Doctors should round up a list of parents who are willing to listen to a new parent bitch, make them feel less alone, and show them a healthy kid who's come out of it okay."
Good luck. Many medical professionals don't even take colic seriously. "People don't pay attention to colic," Lester says. "They see it as a short-term problem. But the difficulties go beyond what we see. Even when the crying stops, the damage from it still has to be repaired."
Patients often arrive at Lester's clinic in a state of complete desperation. Aside from the usual digestive disorder testing, his program takes both a physical and emotional approach to helping families cope with colic, assigning a social worker to each case over the course of a three-to-four-month treatment process.
A recent study conducted in Turkey supports this need, citing that moms of colicky kids achieved the most benefit from behavioral interventions, followed by natural therapies, and least from drug treatments.
Many medical professionals don't even take colic seriously.
Researchers at the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children also found that healthcare providers should offer support and adopt a bio-psychosocial approach in examining the family unit.
According to a study held by Dr. Lester's clinic, forty-six percent of mothers with colicky children also suffer from moderate to severe depression. "Colic drives a wedge into the mother/infant relationship," Lester explains. "The mothers feel inadequate and guilty, as if it was something they did that caused the colic."
"She looked like she was in agony," my friend Chris says of her daughter, "but every time I'd talk to a doctor, they'd just say it was colic and dismiss me. I tried everything, from drops to potions to the vacuum cleaner. I was exhausted. She may have been crying all the time, but I didn't feel as sorry for her as I did for myself."
"There isn't enough emotional support for mothers with colicky children," says Henschel. "Sometimes you just need a hug and to be told that you are doing a great job."
