>- isn't 3 months around the time that colic ends *anyway* for most babies?!
>That's what I remember from my own 2 children!

I have a theory that may not be original. Since learning that the gut is
like a loosely woven net that tightens up around 3-4 mos after birth
(Maureen-- was this in your book?), it has made sense to me that babies
are more likely to react to foods in our diets during the first three
months, since foreign proteins have more opportunity to pass through the
gut during that time.  Is it then only coincidence that babies seem to
calm down after about 3 mos (yes, I noticed this with all four of my
children, also), and that most give up their colicky tendencies and
mothers are able to eat more foods without bothering baby than in the
early days?  I have gradually come to disbelieve in the phenomena that
has been called colic; I believe that it really represents this transient
period of sensitivity due to greater passage of foreign molecules.

In saying that, though, I must take a further step.  It is my guess, and
not my studied observation, that homogenous societies probably do not see
even this early colicky period like we do in the U.S.   In those
societies, they have most likely been eating the same indigenous foods
for centuries, and are not eating foods that are "foreign" to their
systems.  In the U.S., however, and similar countries of mixed race and
backgrounds, we eat a variety of foods, many not of the staples of our
ancestors, and may have latent sensitivities to some of them.  It seems
very logical to me that our infants, in their unmatured newborn state,
would manifest these sensitivities if we eat things that they are not
genetically prepared to digest, and these things are passing through the
screen of the gut in larger amounts the first few months.

When you realize that we tend to treat colic with simethicone and similar
bandaids, I cry for the babies who suffer for months.  My preferred plan
of attack is to do a detailed examination of both sides of the family for
any food intolerances, sensitivies, allergies, etc.  If I know that they
are of a certain race that has certain intolerances, I'll scrutinize
those foods closely in the mom's diet.  It is so unfair for us to merely
label the baby colicky, when he or she is most likely having discomforts
for real and avoidable reasons!  Other measures, such as use of fennel
tea to reduce gas, are also legitimate for relieving baby's pain while we
search out the root problems, but should not be the end treatment.

-Lisa Marasco, BA, IBCLC