Mum's happiness affects the likeliness of a baby suffering colic

Mum’s happiness has a greater effect on a newborn baby than you think.

Research from Penn State found the happier the mother is, the less likely a baby will suffer from colic.

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“Higher levels of maternal social support during pregnancy and post partum are associated with lower rates of maternal reported infant colic,” the researchers wrote.

What is colic

Babies who cry a lot and can’t be settled are often described as having ‘colic’. In the case of the study. colic was defined as a baby crying for at least three hours a day.

The study, published here, says researchers set out to investigate “the association between infant colic and three types of maternal support: general maternal social support (during pregnancy and post partum), the happiness of the mother-partner relationship (during pregnancy and post partum) and partner involvement in caring for the newborn.”

Over 3,000 women, connected to the statewide First Baby Study, answered questions regarding their life satisfaction. Including community, family, and partner support both before and after birth, along with reports of colic.

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The findings suggest that mother’s who experienced greater happiness and support are less likely to have a colicky baby.

Worth noting is the fact that the participants were first time mums, so it’s unknown if the results can be generalised to all mothers.