What a load of gas

Baby is now five weeks old and from about three weeks our evenings have been disturbed by what we think is colic.  

I had no idea what colic was before I became pregnant and, to be honest, I don't think I know exactly what it is now either.  The descriptions all cite continuous crying at a particular time of day which may be associated with any number of things.  For Baby, we decided that it might have something to do with gas as the crying is normally accompanied by quite a lot of twisting around and then farting and/or pooing, after which he calms down for a bit until the next 'attack'.  I had heard that gas could be a problem with younger babies so had bought anti-colic bottles that have air valves to help Baby avoid taking in too much air while he's drinking.  I don't think his crying is that bad- I've heard descriptions of worse colic- so the bottles probably are helping.  My other half, who does the lion's share of nappy changing, gives him tummy massages, a few minutes of tummy time, and does bicycle motions with his legs, when he changes Baby to help release the gas.  We spend quality time burping him after every feed.  We have also been giving him anti-colic remedy (Infacol) on recommendation by our Health Visitor; we have been administering this rather half-heartedly as we are not keen on over reliance on medication.  

Baby seems a lot better now- this may be due to growing up, and our becoming more in tune with his needs and habits, as well as any of the other things we do for him.  It was not nice to hear Baby cry his little eyes out and to be, seemingly, unable to help him with whatever was ailing him.  I can see why parents have such trouble with colic- its the early weeks of life with a Baby, it can't tell you what's wrong so you're guessing all the time, you're tired and barely coping with the basic stuff, and there's the worry that it might be something else (worse) and not colic and you're missing the signs.  The only thing I can say is that seeing the Health Visitor helps: s/he can give you advice on what to do when you are lost and its reassuring to have someone who knows to speak to.  There is advice on the web but one can never be sure if the advice is sound, or relevant to your baby.  I can see myself asking questions at the clinic quite a lot over the next few years- a necessary inconvenience.  As the Health Visitor said to us: don't suffer in silence, there is help if you want it.