Wind

Cherry

By luigi_pagano

Mon, 11 Feb 2019
  • 1943 reads
10 comments
 
The young mother is anxious
but impassive, like a stoic;
she believes her young baby
might be suffering from colic. 
 
Grandmother who is at hand,
and supporting her daughter,
declares that what is needed
is a dose of gripe water. 
 
Grandad disagrees and says
that it is trapped wind and not
the diagnosed intestinal pain
which troubles the little tot. 
 
Air bubbles become trapped
in the young infant's tum
if he feeds from the bottle
or the breast of his mum. 
 
Rubbing or patting his back
is one way to burp the kid
and when the air is released
of the irritation he'll be rid. 
 
It is good that her parents
came to the girl's assistance
and she was able to benefit
from their own experience. 
 
© Luigi Pagano 2019
Certificate U
Poem
Are you being versed?
Miscellaneous
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Nolan on

A happy little story! A kind of nursery rhyme could be? They say that gripe water is 95% alcohol and it's not good for a baby. Is it so? &

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Hello Nolan.
I am describing a minor domestic crisis that young parents are often confronted with. As to your question on whether gripe water is safe, it is said that while in the original formulation it contained alcohol, today it comprises mainly of bicarbonate of soda and dill seed oil, and works by breaking down trapped air bubbles that cause wind, a common symptom associated with colic.
Calming an infant can be achieved by gently rubbing his back to release wind and gripe water should not be needed.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

Regards, Luigi

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

A nice take on the IP, Luigi!

I always felt unskilled at the exact best way to hold and tap the baby. Recently I was helping my son when his wife was hospitalized with that bad flu, and we were trying to help the baby take a bottle, when suddenly I was drenched with that trapped wind rapidly pushing quite a lot of milk out and had to search out a change of clothes! But it saved the settee. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Hi Rhiannon.
As a young father, with my first newborn child, the midwife asked me if I belonged to a large family (I didn't) as I looked so natural in holding her. I always felt at ease with the task of burping the baby and yes I too have been confronted with a sudden ejection of milk. It goes with the job!
A lot of water has flowed under the bridge but the memory lingers.

Luigi x

 

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

... this is why I remember spending half my life with a muslin strategically draped over one shoulder when my boys were little! Nice take on the IP Luigi!

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

I am afraid I was caught unaware. I am convinced that what appeared on her lips afterwards was not a smile but a sneer at my ineptitude, blush

Luigi x

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Great idea for the IP Luigi. I never thought of that kind of wind.

Jenny. xx

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

You may have noticed that I try to explore different angles to come up with something unusual, Jenny.
Sometimes my attempts at originality works, at other times it is a dismal failure but I keep searching for a happy medium. I am always grateful for your observations.

Luigi xx

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

What a lovely poem :0) I like the story in it, all the different options. Brought back lots of memories - my partner was the best out of us two at the back rubbing, too! The happiness I got from learning hpw to do it must have been as great as my son's from feeling better!

It is clever to have a helpful message wrapped up in a story poem with rhymes, sort of thing it would be good to get if you bring up a baby far from family

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Many thanks for your lovely feedback, Di.
So pleased that you found the story contained in this narrative poem interesting and that it brought back memories as it did for me.

Luigi x