One can understand the question and its earnestness? You have newborn baby. And it cries incessantly sometimes. And you feel helpless because sometimes it is too late to even ask for help from anyone leave alone a Doctor. And you feel responsible for the baby and your heart breaks because it cries.
You have heard about Woodward’s Gripe Water. And you are in a dilemma if you should or should no give Woodward’s to your baby.
Well, let us state that you are not alone.
But before we answer the dilemma, allow us to state that, millions of mothers have trusted and continue to trust Woodward’s Gripe Water. Not now. But for over 170 years.
You need to understand that, a baby’s digestive system starts to function independently only after it is born. Until then, the mother’s digestive system was managing everything. So like most new things the baby needs to learn as it grows, digesting food is also one of them.
In this process, the baby sometimes is unable to digest the food and it creates gas in the digestive tracts. Or maybe the baby has sucked air along with the feed, and this air is stuck in the baby’s stomach. This gas or air bubbles can create a lot of discomfort for the baby.
This discomfort can lead to pain which manifests itself as crying.
If you do not take care of this indigestion, gas, air, then this can have a cyclical effect. For eg, the baby will eat lesser in the next feed and which means that it is not getting enough nutrition that is required for staying healthy.
Or the baby starts spitting the feed/ food, not because it doesn’t like it but because it just doesn’t have enough space in the stomach.
This can lead to the baby starting becoming weaker.
A pediatrician will define this as Colic. The textbook definition is, if a baby cries for 3 hours a day, for 3 days a week for 3 weeks, then it is called Colic.
But as a parent, you can’t just wait and see if the crying continues for 3 weeks. That would also be very painful for any parent and not to mention that it will break their heart.
Almost 4 out 5 babies develop Colic. This is very, very common.
The reason can be many things.
To start with, it can be caused by the food. That means the baby couldn’t digest something and the residual food has created the gas in their stomach which leads to discomfort. In this case, as a parent it is your responsibility to carefully think and identify the food that caused it and isolate that.
This could also be caused by the baby inadvertently sucking air along while being breast fed. This air could also get stuck in the digestive tract and cause discomfort.
These are very common. And as a parent you cannot afford to wait to meet a Doctor for everything. This happens and has been happening for time immemorial.
Millions of Mom’s for the last 170 years+ have trusted Woodward’s Gripe Water. Woodward’s Gripe Water soothes the baby’s digestive tracts and releases the gas making the baby feel comfortable almost symptomatically.
As a parent, much like your parents or their parents did, it is always advisable to keep a bottle or two of Woodward’s Gripe Water handy.
It is also advisable to give the baby Woodward’s 3 times a day after their feed. This will help the digestive system to settle down nicely. The baby will eat well, get all the nourishment it requires and grow up to be healthy.
And remember, for the first 3 months, WHO advises that breast milk is the best feed for the baby.
Start Woodward’s Gripe Water when you start weaning them on other foods.
Woodward’s Gripe Water is safe for babies. Woodward’s is an Ayurvedic formulation containing ingredients such as Dil Seed Oil, Sarjikakshara etc. And some sugar to cover the medicinal taste, so babies can drink it without any discomfort.
All these facts are mentioned in the pack labels. It is as transparent as that.
If Woodward’s is made using Ayurvedic ingredients, then wont it be safe?
Millions of mothers for several generations have trusted Woodward’s to keep their babies safe. Why some of us, I am sure were Woodward’s babies.
Woodward’s is specially formulated for the tender baby stomach. So, it gently works on the baby’s stomach and soothes the colic, making the baby comfortable.
Almost every user of Woodward’s finds other benefits apart from just Colic relief.
We are not suggesting that Woodward’s Gripe Water is the solution to all baby crying needs. As a parent you need to be judicious and make the appropriate decision. However, we recommend that you meet a doctor, if:
These are just an indicative list. But as a parent, your instincts kicks in. The protective feeling of being a mother or father, kicks in and tells you that something could be amiss. That is instinct. Trust your instinct. Most times, your instinct will be right.
Are there other ways of treating Colic? Are there any other best practices for new parents?
In the olden days, the parents could always rely on the older generation for wisdom on child care. With nuclear family being the order of the day, the older generation is not always around to advise new parents.
So every time a baby cries, parents tend to become nervous and start over analysing things and constantly worry about their baby. It is good to be observant and always be on guard because babies need all the care like they need all the love.
But remember, you are the parent. And you will always have the baby’s best interest in your heart. And your instincts will always tell you what is right. While you cannot run to a Doctor, every time the baby cries, you should also trust your judgement to do the best for your child.
Keeping a bottle of Woodward’s Gripe Water handy would be a good start when the baby starts crying next time.
