> clinic is because of over anxious
>mothers who just will not leave the baby alone to sleep, rest or are
>constantly *picking at* the baby. It's almost like sleep deprivation for the
>baby. A little gentle coaxing on parenting and calming down goes a long was
>in these cases.

And then the other side of this coin is that often "colicky mothers" know in
their hearts and guts that something is "just not right" and this is where
the nerves and picking and endless worrying the baby comes from... It's a
dance between the mother and the baby that spirals into either getting help
to resolve the situation or constant colic and upset...Telling a mom that
she needs to "just relax" discounts her internal 6th sense and undermines
her mothering. To my mind this is one of those tightropes we walk in giving
support.

Since it sounds like this baby is in pain perhaps mom is sensing that, then
mom's nervousness increases baby's tension which increases baby's pain level
which increases mom's tension....Let's get this baby examined -- preferably
by someone who understands and empathizes with birth trauma not needing
necessarily to be broken bones or visible bruises (sometimes a chiropractor
trained in infants and children is a good option here or someone versed in
cranio-sacral work -- done wonders for a number of babies I've known) and
then perhaps some "rescue remedy" for mom and baby to ease the tension/pain
cycle and allow for the parenting ideas and validations to sink in and
become more 'natural' to the family.

Anne E. Robb, MAT, LLLL
Off on a Tanget, Oregon, USA
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