Life for colic drops boss a far cry from ‘baby hell’

THERE are some people who just radiate positivity and upon whom life just seems to shine.

Businesswoman Mary Buckley is very much one of those.

Ms Buckley, who lives in Midleton, Co Cork, with her husband, John, turned one of the most difficult periods of her life into a booming business.

Ask new mums what they want and many will tell you, “A cure for colic.”

Ms Buckley knows all about colic. When her daughter, Rebecca, was born it was supposed to be all her dreams come true — she had been told she could never have children.

Instead, it became a two-year hell as her daughter never stopped crying and got increasingly ill.

“The first six months were a blur. I could barely manage to shower because Rebecca was crying constantly. It was chaotic and I felt I coped badly. I got a child minder and went back to work as a medical rep but it was very pressurised.

“It was difficult to find someone happy to mind a sick baby. To be honest, I was scared to leave her. It all came to a head when I drove five hours from Dublin to find 18-month-old Rebecca dehydrated and needing hospital treatment. It was then that I decided I had to give up work. She really needed me,” Ms Buckley said.

The children’s ward at the Mercy Hospital became a second home to the young mother and her child.

“I was really on the verge of going mad. She had constant diarrhoea, wasn’t putting on weight and to be honest looked like a HIV baby. She had a reduced immune system and constantly had middle ear infections or bronchiolitis. Every time she went into hospital she came out with something else.”

Ms Buckley was at the GP’s surgery two to three times a week and nobody had any answers.

One doctor told her to give up breastfeeding, that she wasn’t producing enough milk and her daughter was hungry.

That didn’t work, either. The crying continued.

When Rebecca was six months old, Ms Buckley took her to a consultant paediatrician who said the child was suffering from lactose intolerance.

At the time, this link was unexplored and so began a journey which saw Ms Buckley become obsessed with research into lactose intolerance.

She became a regular at the UCC library, researching what could be done for newborn lactose intolerance. Meanwhile, her GP, while on holiday in the States, discovered the lactase enzyme on sale, which when added to milk allowed people with chronic lactose intolerance to consume milk and dairy products without any unpleasant after-effects.

Ms Buckley couldn’t get the idea out of her head that something similar could be used for colic. Her research continued and ended with her buying the rights to the lactase enzyme product.

She went to nine banks with her business plan before one agreed to lend her £150,000. Through her contacts in the pharmaceutical industry, she managed to persuade some researchers to look at the product’s possible usage on babies.

Research by Professor Peter Kearney in 1995 led, six years later, to a major trial by Guy’s Hospital London. The rest is history and Ms Buckley is now Commercial Director of Colief, a well-known treatment for colic babies.

Colief operates a phone line for new mothers, and she says one of the most common complaints is that the mother is isolated and has no one to talk to.

Ms Buckley and the Colief team have set their minds to resurrecting the mother’s coffee morning.

“Some people have said to me that internet chat rooms are the new coffee morning but I don’t agree. There is nothing like seeing somebody face to face and striking up a real human bond through experience. We have a campaign with Cry-sis, the British charity supporting parents of excessive criers. We are urging people to set up coffee mornings in their area,” she said.

“It’s also a great way to share problems, experiences and coping tips.”

Visit www.problemshared.info/coffeemornings.htm.

Colic facts: What to do

* Colic is uncontrollable, extended crying in a baby who is otherwise healthy and well-fed. Every baby cries but babies who cry for more than three hours a day, three to four days a week, may have colic.

* For generations, parents have sought an explanation for colic and theories abound such as lactose intolerance, over-stimulation after leaving the womb and the presence of painful abdominal gases.

* Generations of British and Irish have used gripe water for colic. This is a herbal blend of various infusions such as anise, dill and fennel. Ten years ago, it contained alcohol but this had to be removed. Gripe water is still on sale in Britain but not in Ireland any more.

* White noise, such as the drone of a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine, is supposed to have a profound effect on crying babies. It’s reported the sound is redolent of the ‘whooshing’ in the womb. Vacuum cleaners CDs are now for sale on the internet.

* Other childcare gurus advocate swaddling babies in blankets so they feel very secure.

* Mild doses of fennel or dill tea are also used to neutralise flatulence.