“I intend to make myself fit to become a mother and being that in every sense,
I shall be fit for any destiny which God may impose upon me.”
~ Catherine Booth (wife of William Booth, Founder of Salvation Army
One of my favorite things about having a little baby is cuddling up with my baby in bed at night.
There is nothing more soothing and heavenly than having your sweet baby warm against your chest, cradled in your arms … their soft little breathing letting you know all is well …
Our babies sleep with us in our bed until they are sleeping through the night or about 10 months old. The season of sleepless nights or 3 a.m. feedings is short lived, as I have discovered with each new baby in our home, so I relish the night time cuddles I have with my little baby over the course of their first year.
I just love having my baby near me while he sleeps!
However, when Lazarus was just a few weeks old, he began to fuss a little night. Or a lot. I’ve never had colic in our babies but have definitely have fussy periods where it seems the baby simply would not settle (most likely in the evening, when indeed, I am tired and need some rest). And while we did not know for sure if Lazarus had colic, he certainly was gassy and fussy, crying a lot and in pain. Before he was born, I knew ahead what I wanted to use to help soothe him if he had tummy troubles and prepared a few remedies.
My mom asked me the other day to share what I used as she knew of a mother whose baby has begun to show signs of colic. It can be very discouraging and tiring for a new mother if she cannot soothe her baby. I hope some of these ideas will help.
The key ingredient I use for easing colic pain is fennel.
Fennel helps with indigestion, colic, gas, abdominal pain, among other digestion ailments. Mixed with lavender, which helps relieve stomach pain and helps you and your baby relax, and the benefits of chamomile (used to treat gastrointestinal disorders and is calming), you have a great remedy for relieving colic.
For babies, as their skin is delicate and *extremely* sensitive, use one drop of oil per tablespoon of carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil.
I also used fennel in my tea, as it easier for me to drink tea during the day. Drinking tea will also give the benefits to the nursing mother, as well as to the baby. {Fennel also helps increase milk production for nursing mothers.}
Adding cumin to your tea will help as it very good for digestion and helps relieve gas in your baby. When taken with hot water, it soothes stomach aches quickly. [There are many health benefits of cumin – so this tea can be used by anyone as it will help ease insomnia, treat cancer, skin ailments, diabetes and more. It is rich in calcium and iron & can also help with milk supply while nursing. You can find more information here.]
This is the recipe I used:
Another option for soothing colic is a fennel and catnip tincture, which you can find here.
I do hope some of these ideas will help … I’m just a mom who has had {many} children and has learned that some ailments are best treated with genuine love .. and a cuppa herbal tea. 🙂
by Gigi
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