Of course, there's a difference between depression and depressing circumstances. Verhoff says she wasn't really depressed during her daughter's colic episode, because she had the support of friends and family members who survived it themselves. She was able to detach from feeling responsible, but was still sad about her circumstances. "What I did was mourn for the loss of a normal beginning," she explains. "Those blissful first months, where people ooh and ahh over your baby are so fun. But we weren't having a blissful experience. We were afraid to take her out in public."
"Colic puts a bad taste in your mouth," says Chris. "I know long after my daughter got past it, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop."
Evidence is mounting that the other shoe has something to do with a colicky child's temperament. Lester believes colic and other behavioral regulation conditions, like ADHD, are linked at their root.
"When a baby is colicky, they become so aroused that they can't control their crying," Lester explains. "And that same sensitivity shows up again later.
These children often go on to act out through impulsivity."
A 2002 study published in Pediatrics concluded that infants with persistent crying problems and associated sleeping or feeding problems are at increased risk for hyperactivity problems and academic difficulties in childhood, with nineteen percent having pervasive hyperactivity issues.
Dr. Karp subscribes to a watered down version of this theory: "There are two qualities that I've noticed in children of colic: sensitivity and passion," says Karp.
"There are two qualities that I've noticed in children of colic: sensitivity and passion," says Dr. Karp.
"The colicky child is often expressive. They will laugh too loud, be sensitive to the label on the neck, will love a certain color, or will avoid foods that are too lumpy or smooth."
This is certainly true of my son, who will hug anyone he sees in tears, and won't stop squiggling long enough to put on a sweater.
Henschel sees something similar in her son, Max. "He's very sensitive and quick to cry when he feels that things are wrong."
Chris also sees this kind of thing in her daughter.
"Now that she's five, she's become one of the most easygoing, reasonable people I've ever met in my life. But she's a sensitive kid with a lot of empathy. Too much sometimes."
"Looking at colic this way is a paradigm shift," says Dr. Lester. "People are just starting to recognize that colic is a condition that needs to be explored emotionally as well as physically, in a familial context."
Update: Our daughter (pictured above) is four months old, and has reduced her tantrums just long enough for us to hold hands during Project Runway.
