Colic Help

When Peanut arrived I thought I was well prepared, I've helped out with tonnes of babies, changed hundreds of nappies, I've been around babies since I can remember, but nothing could have prepared me for the crying angry bundle I was faced with night after night after night!

It got to the point where we would switch on the hoover next to her as white noise was the only thing that would stop her crying for 5 minutes. I swear my carpets have never been cleaner! Turns out that crying for hours at the same time every night, yep that was colic. Its amazing how helpful hindsight is! Luckily we got through it but I won't lie it was hard hard hard. So when I was asked to help spread the word about a brilliant new app from Infacol I was more than happy to help.

First some facts...

On average,  first-time mothers make 16 trips to the doctor over a child’s first year, with colic being in the top three concerns of new mums.

Colic affects up to one in four babies. It is often associated with crying fits which may last for three hours or more, and occurs mostly in the lateafternoon, evenings and night-time, unfortunately when GPs are often not available. Cuddling or trying to soothe the baby’s cries doesn’t always help, which can be very stressful for parents.

Heres where infacol are trying to help,  the Virtual Colic Clinic app, is the first of its kind. It offers a new way for parents to get immediate, 24/7 support by accessing video response answers to important questions about dealing with colic; either through a smartphone, tablet or desktop.

“We know that anxious parents are turning more to online research as GPs are unavailable late into the evening, which is when colic can hit. Infacol want to give new mums and dads someone to turn to when in need of this extra support and guidance, at any time of the day or night” says Nikki Khan, Infacol’s Expert Midwife.

Designed to answer the questions of parents on the subject of colic and provide extra support for parents in need, with the help of Midwife Nikki Khan, the launch follows the success of the ‘Is it colic?’ web app, which helps to quickly identify whether a baby has colic through ten simple yes/no questions.

The 24/7 Virtual Colic Clinic works by encouraging parents to choose from 50 of the most commonly asked questions around colic from a drop down menu or alternatively to type their own, and then providing them with an instant video answer from Nikki Khan.

The Virtual Colic Clinic can be accessed at www.colichelp.co.uk via multiple device platforms including smartphones, tablets and desktops.

The app is easy to use with lots of videos available covering a host of topics, like how to allieviate symptoms naturally and ways to avoid colic when breastfeeding. You can select a question from the menu or type in your own, and if no results are found you can email your question to the clinic.

Its a great idea and I think will be helpful to many many parents during what can be a stressful tough and exhausting time, So if you are struggling with colic or you are unsure if thats the problem give it a go.

Magic midwives

I'm writing this post sitting in a reclining chair at my local Antenatal Assesment Suite, I'm 39 weeks pregnant and my 'termite' hasn't moved much today so I called my midwife to ask if she wouldn't mind giving me the once over, I can do this ANYTIME I HAVE A CONCERN, I find this amazing. Any little concerns and I have a wealth of knowledgeable people ready to help me feel better. 

I know many people could and probably will tell me nightmare stories about shoddy service, awful treatment and uselessness in the NHS but I personally am grateful for our health service I don't need to worry about insurance or having cash in the bank should one of my rough n tumble kids throw themselves off, on, under, over or onto something causing untold injury, and that does happen. In fact I've been to A&E probably 10 times in 4 years for my two, I'd hate to think of what that would cost in America or elsewhere with paid for health care.

But for me one of the most amazing commodities our NHS has to offer is the magical marvel that is our midwives. In three pregnancies I have possibly been seen by about 30 (all ladies for me so I'm not being sexist if I use feminine terms) of these amazing women and almost every single one has left me feeling like she genuinely cared about me and baby, real personal concern. So much so I find it sad when the day comes that you are 'discharged from midwifery care' !

Take for example the midwife who popped in when peanut was 5 days old just for the usual check, I mentioned that the baby blues had hit and quite honestly my face was leaking at random moments with no warning. An hour , and a cup of tea later I had just had a lovely chat about our joint interests in theatre, children, arts and general world events. She didn't give me any spiel about how to feel better, didn't force the signs of PND down my throat and in fact she made me feel normal and sane and reasonable. 

Or my named midwife who welcomed me back into her care, asked about the family, who she remembered by name, and put to rest my fears of being pregnant at 35 for the third time whilst possibly not at my fittest, she who can find a way to give me facts and the truth whilst still settling my worst worries with her knowledge and confidence. 

Or the lady today who with no scorn or discounting of feelings, asked what was going on with Termite and chatted about the joys of parenting whilst strapping me up to a monitor  taking my blood pressure and temperature and reading my notes (all at once and with such efficiciency I barely even noticed!) Said midwife has been in to see me and check my trace every ten minutes she's offered food, tea, water and a cushion more than once. She has been very calm despite the alarms that keep coming from my trace and is keen to put my mind at ease that Termite is just winding me up. 

Turns out she's right because after an hour and a half of monitoring and checks all has returned to normal but she has written in my notes and said out loud 'you have open access to our services ring us any time you are concerned' and that is the key ... WE ARE HERE FOR YOU that's what makes the difference and helps with any worries that's what makes you feel valued nd cared for. 

I think our midwifery care is second to none and Mr's Cameron and Clegg should maybe walk mile in their shoes before making any further cuts to the services provided by them, and the rest of the NHS I'm sure there are savings to be made but the care of patients must come first we have this amazing free health service and we need to preserve it and, for the purposes of this post I would like us to celebrate the midwives who ensure we are well cared for and in most part support the choices we take for granted like the choice to birth where and how we want safely and with support.

So Thankyou from me to all of those who have dealt so happily, kindly and efficiently  with all that pregnancy has thrown at me.