When you have a little one who’s been diagnosed with colic, every cry raises alarm bells, and you often jump to conclusions about what might be bothering them. I found myself in that exact situation with my daughter. Each time she cried, my mind raced through the list of foods I’d avoided while breastfeeding, convinced it had to be something I ate. But then, something unusual happened.
I had carefully eliminated coffee, chocolate, and citrus from my diet, along with milk, wheat, and spicy foods, just to ensure a content baby. After two glorious days of tranquility—no crying whatsoever—my husband remarked on how peaceful our lives had become. Almost instantaneously, though, the calm was shattered. My daughter began to fuss, escalating into piercing screams of distress. This went on for two long days, only interrupted by brief moments of quiet. It was a weekend, so I braced myself for a long wait to speak with our doctor.
As soon as Monday morning arrived, I called the doctor’s office, and they scheduled an appointment for that afternoon. I can’t lie; the thought of waiting until the late afternoon felt unbearable after only getting a couple of hours of sleep. Just before lunchtime, my daughter finally drifted off to sleep for a precious two-hour stretch. I worried that by the time we saw the doctor, she’d be her usual cheerful self, and I’d appear overly anxious about her colicky behavior.
At the appointment, my daughter was indeed cooing and smiling, charming the nurses and creating an atmosphere of disbelief that anything could be wrong. After examining her, the doctor speculated she might have had a stomach virus that had likely resolved itself. He offered the classic reassurance that colic would soon pass. As I listened, my gaze fell to her feet, where I noticed something alarming: her four toes on the left foot were swollen and a reddish-purple color.
I immediately pointed this out to the doctor. As he gently wiggled her toes, she erupted into the same heart-wrenching cries I’d come to dread over the last two days. While examining her feet, we discovered that one of my long, golden hairs had wrapped tightly around the base of her toes and around her baby toe. This tiny, seemingly insignificant hair was cutting off circulation, leading to the swelling and discoloration. The doctor managed to cut it loose, and I was shocked that such a small thing could cause such turmoil in both her life and ours. Thankfully, no lasting damage occurred, but it was a close call.
My advice to all parents dealing with crying babies, especially colicky ones, is to check your little one’s whole body, literally from head to toe!
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In summary, sometimes the smallest issues can lead to the biggest concerns. Always be vigilant and check your baby thoroughly, because you never know what might be causing their distress.