Dr Phil Kieran: My baby has colic even though I'm breastfeeding him 

Colic is a problem which affects a large number of children and can be traumatic for the whole family. Medically speaking, the term colic describes a child who cries for extended periods and appears to be in severe abdominal discomfort, often worse after feeding. 

There are several issues which can mimic this, which can be treated in various ways. A common one is reflux, where the stomach contents come back up the oesophagus (food pipe) and irritate the lining. Most babies will spit up a little bit, and this is considered entirely normal if they are gaining weight as expected and don't seem bothered by it. If your baby vomits a lot and has significant discomfort, it may be worth talking to your GP about trialling a treatment for reflux and seeing if this makes a significant difference.

Colic is slightly less common in breastfed babies and thankfully for most disappears around 12 weeks of age. Unfortunately, this has not been the case with your baby. I see you have already tried some dietary modifications to reduce intestinal discomfort. As I've already mentioned, a colic diagnosis depends on there being no other cause for these symptoms. So I assume your baby is gaining weight normally and the public health nurse or GP has not raised concerns about not absorbing his milk. If this failure to gain weight hasn't been assessed, I would strongly recommend it as there may be other more serious issues going on. 

Assuming all this is normal, the next step I would suggest is to try removing cow's milk from your diet. It is now recognised that the small amounts present in breast milk can cause issues for some babies with cow's milk protein allergy. If this is the case, it may be an early indication that he has a moderate to a severe problem with cow's milk, and this is something you need to know before weaning to solids or breastmilk substitutes. If he does have cow's milk intolerance, the good news is that this tends to be temporary and can be reversed, so it need not limit him in later life.

Colic can seem never-ending, and in the past, we used to occasionally admit children with colic to hospital for a few nights to give the parents a break to prevent burnout. If anyone in your support network offers to help so you can take some time to yourself, it is crucial to accept as it can be incredibly stressful parenting through colic.

• If you have a question for Dr Phil, please email it to parenting@examiner.ie