Calming Colic - Book Review and Competition Giveaway

THIS COMPETITION GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED


Definition of Colic taken from the NHS website:

“Colic is the medical term for excessive, frequent crying in a baby who appears to be otherwise healthy and well fed. It is a poorly understood yet common condition, and affects around one in five babies.

If your baby has colic, they may appear to be in distress. However, the condition is not harmful, and your baby will continue to feed and gain weight normally. There is no evidence that colic has any long-term effects on a baby’s health.

A baby with colic may have several crying outbursts a day, a few times a week. The crying pattern usually begins within the first few weeks of life but often stops by the time the baby is four months old, and by six months at the latest.”

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As a new parent the one thing we want for both ourselves and our baby is that they are happy and healthy. We spend 9 months preparing for this new bundle to arrive and it is our hope that everything will go according to plan and there won’t be any complications or issues surrounding the pregnancy, the birth and afterwards.

However, the reality is often quite different for some. We can end up having complicated pregnancies, difficult births, and then once our little ones have arrived safely into this new and strange world some of them develop Colic ! Oh the joys of navigating through this often confusing journey. From the off we are getting to know our new baby, learning their cues, what each cry means and then all of a sudden things change and we are left wondering what went wrong.

I don’t think my two girls had colic per se, although having read the book, “Calming Colic”, I do wonder if my eldest daughter perhaps did. But they did both suffer reflux. Sophia was worse than Jess. So many of her feeds ended up covering her sleep suits but they both gained weight well and were healthy despite this condition. I had very little help in France so battled through this alone. I only really understood that Sophia was suffering reflux much later on. With Jess I knew what it was and just went about dealing with it slightly more confidently (as you do with a second!) but I have to say that having read this book, I have a deeper understanding of why they both suffered and what I could have done to help the situation had I been armed with more information at the time. This is where Christian’s book comes into its own.

I found Christian Bates through my Facebook page and I was intrigued by his book, “Calming Colic”. Christian is a qualified Osteopath, Cranial Osteopath and Naturopath and has over 15 years experience of treating babies, many of whom have come to him with colic. This wealth of experience and knowledge initially found its way into a pamphlet which he would give the parents who came to him so they could implement his suggestions at home and wouldn't forget what to do. This pamphlet then grew in size as Christian gleaned more information from his research and treatments, and then became “Calming Colic; How to Help the 10 Causes of Colic”.

I emailed Christian after seeing his book and asked if I could read and review it here for Sophia’s Choice. We chatted and decided it would be great to also offer you all the chance to win one of 2 copies as a competition giveaway. More on that later.

The first thing to say about “Calming Colic” is how accessible, easy to read and filled with common sense it is. It was really refreshing to read a book for parents, which was realistic, filled with proper advice, with achievable goals parents could implement straight away. You feel empowered into being able to actually do something to help your baby and everything is backed up with a comprehensive research reference list at the back of the book. You can confidently share this book with your GP or health professional knowing that the information being shared has been properly researched and isn't just hearsay. This coupled with the years of experience Christian has “on the job” means that the book has real credibility.

Calming Colic is a book that I would recommend to those who are currently pregnant, already have a baby, are looking to have another and their first suffered colic or are in the midst of that space right now. There is something for you all in this great book.

Christian shares the 10 causes of colic he has found to be evident in his 15 years of practice, giving logical, achievable ways to alleviate them. The book includes information on how your birth, imbalances in the gut flora of both Mum and baby, food intolerances, stress amongst other things can be contributing factors in your baby’s colic. Everything makes logical sense and as a Holistic Therapist and also someone who has a keen interest in nutrition it is great to find a book which looks at things in a very holistic way. This isn't about a “quick fix”. This book is there to empower you with the information you need to address the possible causes of colic for “your” baby. No baby is the same and Christian’s book makes this point clear. Your baby may have colic due to one or more of the causes outlined in the book. What’s important is that Christian has found simple yet effective ways to calm your baby’s colic.

My two girls both had cranial osteopathy which is one of the things discussed in the book. It comes highly recommended. It is my belief that every baby should be given a course of cranial osteopathy on the NHS as a matter of course. It would really make a profound difference in helping newborns become or remain calm, balanced little beings from the start. Maybe one day we will see that possible.

If you would like to find out more about Christian and Calming Colic then pop across to his website www.calmingcolic.com. You can also follow Calming Colic on Facebook and Twitter:  

Here are some of the testimonials including parents of babies suffering with colic who have been helped by Christian and what he shares in his book: www.calmingcolic.com/testimonials.

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So my lovelies, to be in with a chance of winning one of the 2 copies of “Calming Colic” I have to give away, simply click on the Rafflecopter link below and do the following:

• Leave me a blog comment telling me why you would like to win a copy of this book. (Leave your comment before clicking on the link, then just click the box saying you have done this part).

And if you would like to share this great competition and the love further then you can:

 “Like” Sophia’s Choice and/or Calming Colic’s Facebook Pages, follow @Sophia'sChoiceUK and/or @calmingcolic on Twitter and finally tweet about the giveaway to spread the love to others all via the Rafflecopter link below.

The Competition Giveaway will run from Tuesday 9^th until Friday 19^th April. The 2 winners will be announced from all valid entries via Random.org on Saturday 20^th April 2013 on the blog, via Twitter and on Sophia’s Choice FB Page. The 2 winners will also be notified via email too so your books can be posted to you. This competition giveaway is open to residents Worldwide.

Good Luck xx

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Congratulations to our two winners; Amy Crumpler and Molly Bussler who will get a copy each of Calming Colic.

I really hope that you find this book helpful and valuable to your current situations. It is a great read.

If anyone would like to buy the book, then click this link to Calming Colic's website for more information: http://www.calmingcolic.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of “Calming Colic” to read, keep and review for this post in addition to the 2 copies for the winners of the competition. All thoughts, feelings and opinions given are my own and no one elses. I always give my honest feedback.